Friday, May 18 is Endangered Species Day. This annual celebration is a time to reflect upon conservation success stories (like the bald eagle!) and raise awareness about the plants, fish, and wildlife that still need our help. Protecting threatened and endangered species ensures that America’s natural heritage will endure for current and future generations.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not only protects wildlife at risk of extinction, but also works with public and private partners to proactively safeguard species and prevent them from becoming threatened or endangered in the first place. Two examples include ongoing greater sage-grouseand monarch butterfly conservation efforts. Voluntary actions to keep the sage-steppe ecosystemhealthy throughout the American west aim to benefit greater-sage grouse and 350 other species, while planting milkweed plants can help many native pollinators in addition to monarchs. States, federal agencies, Tribes, private landowners, businesses, local governments, and nonprofits are each working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a difference for these and other wildlife species across North America.
Explore threatened and endangered species across the United States; find an event near you hosted at public lands, museums, zoos, and aquariums across the country; and apply these eco-tips to discover how you can help the natural world, including rare plants and animals. Together we can all strive to be good neighbors to nature and each other.
