The Endangered Species Act was a law passed in 1973 that sought to protect some species that were nearing the verge of extinction due to human economic growth and excessive development. It was one of the many environmental laws made by President Nixon to address the issues that were being raised about conservation and protecting the status of the environment.

The bill first came to light in response to two species that were becoming close to extinct. The American bison was one of these animals and had been wildly hunted for sport. This led to decreasing numbers within the herds and experts stated that the continued hunting would likely cause the bison to disappear completely. Another animal that sparked the public awareness of endangered species was the whooping crane. In previous times, the bird enjoyed a large population spanning from Canada to Mexico. However, a combination of hunting and the destruction of the whooping crane’s natural habitat caused the numbers of the bird to decrease rapidly.

In response to demand from the American people, President Nixon found it necessary to draft and pass several laws that limited the hunting of endangered animals and made sure that their habitats remained safe. In current times, there are two government agencies that are responsible for making sure that the laws are being kept. The first is the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and their responsibilities extend to the American land boundaries. The second organization is the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and they patrol and protect the native species of the seas that are considered to be American territory. The Bush administration of 2001 started imposing regulation of the Endangered Species Act, effectively limiting the number of animals that were protected. In addition, the ability of citizens to petition for a specific species to be protected was changed, giving less power to the people and more to the government agencies.