Chapter 5. THE BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT: Species and Habitat Protection

A. Federal Protection The Endangered Species Act.

Some Internet Sites:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Home Page
• National Marine Fisheries Service Endangered Species page.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna — CITES
• EE-Link Endangered Species Page

1.  Introduciton
• Tennsee Valley Authority v. Hill, 497 U.S. 153 (1979)
  • Presentation on TVA v. Hill by Professor Zygmunt J.B. Plater [attorney for the Plaintiffs in the case], "The Snail Darter, The Tellico Dam, and Sustainable Democracy — Lessons for the Next President from a Classic Environmental Law Controversy," as part of Mercer School of Law's Virtual Guest Speakers Series (February 2001).

2.  The Listing Process.
• U.S. FWS detailed explanation of the Listing Process.
• U.S. FWS Endangered Species Petition Mangement.
• Not all petitions to list a species are granted. Here is an interesting decision not to list.  "Withdrawal of Proposed Rule to List the San Xavier Talussnail (Sonorella eremita) as Endangered;" 63 Fed. Reg. 53620 (October 6, 1998).
• USFWS News Release "Flood of Ccourt Orders Preclude New Listings of Threatened and Endangered Species in FY 2001," (November 22, 2000).
• USFWS News Release "Service, Conservation Groups Reach Agreement to List New Species under the Endangered Species Act," (August 29, 2001) (resolution of of some listing activity litigation).

3.  Federal Agency Action - The Consultation Process.
• U.S. FWS Explanation of the Section 7 Cosultation Process.
• U.S. FWS Section 7 Consultation Handbook.
• Florida Key Deer v. Stickney, 864 F. Supp. 1222, 39 Env't. Rep. Cas. 1641 (S.D. Fla. 1994)
  • Map of Big Pine Key
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency Home Page.
  • What's Killing the Key Deer? by Roger Di Silvestro, National Wildlife (February/March 1997).
  • National Flood Insurance Program Home Page.
    Standard Residential Flood Insurance Policy .pdf.
  • U.S. FWS - Key Deer Odocoileus virginianus clavium
  • Key Deer Research Project Texas A & M University.
  • Big Pine Key from the Florida Keys Internet Guide.

4.  Habitat, "Harm," and Land Development.

• Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon, 516 U.s. 687 (1995).
  • Sweet Home On-Line Sweet Home, Or. Homepage
  • Sweet Home's take on the Northern Spotted Owl Controversy.

5.  Habitat Conservation Plans and Permits.
• U.S. FWS Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Planning.
• U.S. FWS Habitat Conservation Plans and the Incidental Take Permitting Process.
• U.S. FWS Habitat Conservation Planning Handbook.
• National Wildlife Federation discussions of habitat conservation plans.
• San Diego County, CA, Multiple Species Conservation Plan contains .pdf files.
• San Diego County, CA, Implementing Agreement with USFWS and CDF&G (march 17, 1988) .pdf.

In General.
• Eugene H. Buck, M. Lynne Corn, and Pamela Baldwin, Endangered Species: Difficult Choices, Congressional Research Service Issue Brief (September 5, 2001).
• Pamela Baldwin, The Role of Designation of Critical Habitat under the Endangered Species Act, Congressional Research Service Issue Brief (July 16, 1999).
• Edwin Dobb, Still Here: Can humans help other species defy extinction? 32 High Country News 1 (No. 24, December 18, 2000), a provocative essay.

B.  State and Local Protection Efforts.