21st Annual Endangered Species Day Celebrated Nationwide

Washington D.C. — May 13, 2026 — On Friday, May 15, thousands of Americans will take part in the 21st annual Endangered Species Day with wildlife events and activities nationwide. The annual celebration recognizes the public’s commitment to protecting and restoring imperiled wildlife and habitats.

Communities, conservation organizations, schools, zoos, aquariums, Girl Scout troops, wildlife refuges, and environmental advocates across the United States and around the world will mark the occasion with educational programs, community events, and fun hands-on activities focused on endangered species and ongoing conservation efforts to protect them. National and local elected officials are also taking part. 

Endangered Species Day recognizes the importance of conserving threatened and endangered plants and animals, as well as their habitats, and has grown to a global event. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Wildlife Comeback Stories. Championing the Endangered Species Act,” highlights the lifesaving role of the Endangered Species Act, America’s strongest law for preventing extinction and helping vulnerable wildlife recover. The Endangered Species Act currently protects more than 2,000 plant and animal species that are threatened or endangered.  

“Around the country, Americans, with the help of the Endangered Species Act, are successfully working together to recover our most endangered species,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition and primary sponsor of Endangered Species Day. From turtle hospital tours in Marathon, Florida, to a celebration of recent births of endangered primates, including a baby gorilla at the Los Angeles Zoo, to a pollinator planting in Seattle, Washington, Endangered Species Day is a fantastic opportunity for the public to connect with wildlife and learn more about how to protect them.” 

The Endangered Species Act is one of America’s most popular laws, with strong bipartisan support from over 84% of the American public. Elected officials across the country are also celebrating Endangered Species Day. Representatives Beyer (D-VA), Buchanan (R-FL), and Dingell (D-MI) introduced a bipartisan resolution to the U.S. House of Representatives, declaring May 15th Endangered Species Day. “The Endangered Species Act is among the most effective conservation legislation ever passed, and its protections are crucial to conserving the species we know and love, like the American bald eagle. It has a 99 percent success rate and has brought back many of our beloved species from the brink of extinction, ” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. “Habitat destruction and climate change are accelerating species extinction to alarming rates, and we must continue working to uphold and strengthen the ESA,” she said.  

Cities and states have also passed resolutions to encourage residents to learn about native species and the actions they can take to protect them. The town of Fletcher, North Carolina, passed a resolution in support of Endangered Species Day.  “In Western North Carolina, we have the opportunity to live in an area that is abundant with mountains, rivers, forests, and wildlife,” said Preston Blake, Mayor. “Endangered Species Day is a reminder to commit to preserving this space and species for generations to come. We have many neighbors in Western North Carolina, and I’m proud to commit to protecting our species and the habitats they reside in,” he added. 

Successes we are celebrating include the recovery of the gray wolf, the California condor, and many more.  Since their reintroduction to Yellowstone in 1995, there are now an estimated 7,500 wolves in the lower 48 states. Also, thanks to the ESA, the California condor has come back from just 22 individuals in the 1980s to over 500 today. And, on May 5, just in time for Endangered Species Day, five critically endangered red wolf pups were born at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C.  

Other wildly successful comeback stories include:

• Bald Eagle- America’s symbol, once down to fewer than 500 breeding pairs, rebounded to 14,000 breeding pairs thanks to ESA protection and the banning of pesticides like DDT.
• American Alligator- Due to overhunting, it became virtually extinct in 1950. Thanks to ESA protections and habitat conservation, they are now thriving, with over 5 million individuals.  
• Humpback whale- Industrial whaling in the last century reduced their numbers by 95%, thanks to the ESA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, they have increased by 87% up to over 135,000 individuals.

This year’s celebrations come at a pivotal moment, as conservationists and scientists express growing concerns about the future of the Endangered Species Act and the protections it provides for vulnerable wildlife and their habitats.

“Endangered Species Day is both a celebration and a call to action,” said Holmes, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition. “The Endangered Species Act has helped save iconic species such as the bald eagle, gray wolf, American alligator, and California condor from extinction. While we celebrate these conservation successes, we must also renew our commitment to protecting the law that has made them possible and recognize the serious political pressures that now threaten endangered species protection.” 

The Endangered Species Coalition encourages the public to advocate for protecting species and to find an event near you. There are many to choose from, including wildlife exhibits, educational workshops, nature walks, chalk art contests, scavenger hunts, invasive species removal, pollinator plantings, river cleanups, citizen science activities, film screenings, and community discussions focused on biodiversity and environmental stewardship. On May 16, following Endangered Species Day, local conservation organizations in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana will be staging rallies to protest the Trump Administration’s exemption of oil and gas development in the Gulf from the Endangered Species Act. 

In addition to the Endangered Species Coalition, numerous conservation, education, community, and youth organizations have also supported and participated in Endangered Species Day, including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, Bat Conservation International, Humane World for Animals, the Sierra Club, and many more. 

Events will take place nationwide and virtually throughout May. Highlights are below. For more information on Endangered Species Day, including event locations and a variety of educational resource materials, visit https://www.endangered.org/ 

National and Virtual Events

• 6th Annual Endangered Species Chalk Art Event — Nationwide and open to all ages, May 1–17, inviting participants to create chalk art featuring threatened or endangered species. Entries are eligible for category prizes, public voting, lottery prizes, and a special bat-inspired art award.
• Endangered Species Day Short Film Festival — A virtual screening of award-winning short films focused on endangered species, habitat destruction, and conservation decisions, followed by a live panel discussion with scientists, advocates, and community members.
• Endangered Species Day Celebration — A virtual Zoom program featuring speakers on black-footed ferret and swift fox recovery, updates on federally listed species in South Dakota, and an Endangered Species Coalition policy briefing on the year in review.
• Endangered Species: Touching Our Lives — A webinar exploring endangered species in the Darby Creek watershed area outside Philadelphia.

Wildlife Education, Zoo, and Aquarium Events

• The Turtle Hospital — Hospital Tours, Marathon, Florida — Guided sea turtle hospital tours on Endangered Species Day, with presentations on sea turtle identification, rehabilitation spaces, and opportunities to feed permanent residents. Tours begin every half hour from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Greensboro Science Center — Endangered Species Day, Greensboro, North Carolina — A day of zoo and aquarium programming on Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., including scavenger hunts, education tables, and the seasonal opening of the Cole Family Monarch Conservation Center and Butterfly House.
• Wolf Hollow — in Ipswich, MA. Visitors can meet resident gray wolves and learn about wolf behavior and protection.
• Miller Park Zoo —in Bloomington, Illinois.  Endangered Species Day Scavenger Hunt — A conservation scavenger hunt, keeper talks focused on endangered species, prizes for participants, and a partnership with ESC’s Chalk Art Contest.
• Hattiesburg Zoo — in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Endangered Species Day Celebration — Keeper chats, feedings, training sessions, and wildlife encounters centered on endangered animals and conservation education.
• Los Angeles Zoo — Endangered Species Baby Boom — A celebration of recent births of endangered primates, including a baby gorilla, baby orangutan, and three baby chimpanzees.
• Mission Safari Maze — In Los Angeles, CA. A bilingual biodiversity-themed maze exploring the role of species in human survival.

Outdoor, Stewardship, and Community Events

• CIEDM Walk Among Oaks & Fruit Trees, Arcadia Ecohome Microforest, California — A nature walk and citizen science BioBlitz focused on coast live oak trees, pollinators, fruit trees, and habitat health, scheduled for May 12 as part of both International Day of Plant Health and Endangered Species Day observances.
• Belfast Footbridge Chalk Art Event —in Maine. An all-ages chalk art activity inviting participants to draw their favorite threatened and endangered species.
• Pollinator Hillside Planting and Tending Party — Volunteers will help plant, weed, mulch, and water pollinator habitat at Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, Seattle, WA.
• Endangered Species Day Cleanup, Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, California — A hands-on preserve cleanup welcoming volunteers and guests age 10 and older.
• Northern Michigan Display to Bring Awareness to Extinct Species — An outdoor exhibit hosted by UP Wild Church, spotlighting extinct animal and plant species.
• Endangered Species Day Hike at Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve, Virginia — A guided hike among the largest known population of piratebush, paired with light trail cleanup and photography opportunities.
• Endangered Species Day Chalk Art at the Botanic Gardens in Montrose, CO — Participants will create chalk drawings of their favorite endangered species on the main entrance sidewalk.
• Rockaway’s Black Birders Week, Long Island, New York — A May 30 celebration of Black and BIPOC experiences in nature, featuring a guided bird walk and community activities.