WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 28, 2025 — Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the signing of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the most effective and widely supported conservation laws in U.S. history. For over half a century, the ESA has prevented the extinction of 99% of the species it protects, safeguarded iconic wildlife, and preserved essential ecosystems across the country.
Yet this year’s anniversary arrives under the shadow of renewed and relentlessattacks. The Trump administration has advanced sweeping rollbacks that undercut the law’s science-based framework, open critical habitat to development, and weaken protections for hundreds of imperiled species. Private industry interests continue to lobby for exemptions that would place wildlife—from piping plovers to grizzly bears—at greater risk.
“The Endangered Species Act has always reflected the best of who we are as a nation,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “For 52 years, it has safeguarded wildlife for future generations. But today, political interference threatens the very foundation of this bedrock law. We cannot allow short-term interests to erase decades of progress.”
Across the country, species and communities are already feeling the impacts of weakened protections. In New York City, conservationists working to protect the federally threatened piping plover are sounding the alarm.
“Piping Plovers are with us today because of the ESA,” said Chris Allieri, Executive Director, NYC Plover Project. “The Endangered Species Act is the primary driver for all protections for the three populations of Piping Plovers from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Lakes, and the Northern Great Plains. Rolling back these protections now would undo years of dedicated recovery efforts and stewardship programs across the many states where plovers can be found.”
In the American West, the stakes are just as high for large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves, whose recoveries remain fragile amid ongoing political pressure.
“Grizzlies and wolves still depend on the Endangered Species Act for survival,” said Ryan Sedgeley, Southern Rockies Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition. “Without the ESA’s safeguards, these species face increased conflicts, habitat loss, and premature removal of protections driven by politics rather than science.”
The Endangered Species Act, signed by Richard Nixon in 1973 with overwhelming bipartisan Congressional approval, remains the nation’s most popular conservation law, supported by 84% of Americans across the political spectrum. As the anniversary of this law is celebrated, conservation leaders are calling on Congress and the current administration to defend and strengthen—not dismantle—this critical tool for protecting wildlife and the ecosystems we all depend on.
“Fifty-two years after the ESA became law, its mission is more important than ever,” Holmes added. “The extinction crisis is accelerating, and the solutions require courage, science, and collective action. The ESA is our strongest line of defense, and we must fight to keep it that way.”