This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. President Richard Nixon signed the law on Dec. 28, 1973.
The conservation law grew out of a simple concept: to protect endangered and threatened species from extinction and protect their habitats. Since its implementation, the law has helped save iconic species from extinction including the bald eagle, humpback whale, California condor, American alligator, gray wolf and grizzly bear.
The U.S. Department of the Interior credits the law for saving 99% of the species put under its protection. Currently there are more than 1,600 species listed as endangered or threatened under the act.
But not every species has been saved. In October, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it was delisting 21 species due to extinction. Two of those, the Scioto madtom, a type of catfish, and the tubercled-blossom pearly mussel were endemic to Ohio.
On Wednesday’s “Sound of Ideas” we will discuss the history of the Endangered Species Act, learn more about its impact on our biodiversity and how climate change has affected that diversity. We will also delve into the challenges the law has faced as landowners and lawmakers push back on its protections.
Later in the hour, the year is rapidly winding down, but before we turn the page to 2024, we wanted to take a little time to look back on the year in arts and culture.
Northeast Ohio's arts and culture nonprofits deliver economic impact for the region. A study released this year by Americans for the Arts found that arts organizations brought more than half a billion dollars to the local economy in 2022.
Attendance at museums, events and shows has been ticking up since the pandemic. The popular "Antiques Roadshow" made a stop in Akron. And Playhouse Square unveiled new marquees in Downtown Cleveland.
It's also been a year of turbulence within some the area's arts organizations with some notable departures. And there has been criticism and questions about how the region will continue to fund the arts and artists with a cigarette tax running out in a few years.
We will discuss some of the stories from the past year with Ideastream Public Media Senior Reporter Kabir Bhatia.
Guests:
- Mary Turocy, Director of Policy & Government Relations, The Nature Conservancy
- Mike Johnson, Chief of Conservation, Summit County Metroparks
- Stephon Echague, Manager, Stark County Park District Wildlife Conservation Center
- Edward "Hardy" Kern, Director of Government Relations, American Bird Conservancy
- Kabir Bhatia, Senior Reporter, Arts & Culture, Ideastream Public Media
Watch the discussion in the player below.
