Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

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The Endangered Species Act has been an important way that we as a nation exercise our God-given responsibility to serve as guardians and protectors of God's creation. The act has helped the recovery of such endangered species as the American alligator, the gray whale, and the whooping crane, as well as a host of lesser-known but important plant and animal species.

Protecting endangered species is not merely a matter of politics and economics, but one that touches the very deepest of human values. People of faith celebrate creation as the gift of a loving Creator. "O Lord, now manifold are your works!" sing the psalmist, "In wisdom you have made them all; the earth's full of your creatures." (Psalm 104:24)

Recently, the attacks upon the Endangered Species Act by the 104th Congress have demonstrated that our elected officials seem to have forgotten that it is our responsibility to be good Stewards to the Earth and all living creatures. Both Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan have shown that they acknowledge this responsibility. Both have actively taken the position that the way to fix the current problems with the ESA -- is not to dismantle the act through rewrites and funding costs. But that proactive measures must be taken to ensure the sanctity of the environment for humans and all living creatures.

Mina Harbory

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