I was going to do a post called House of Horrors! highlighting the results of a 15 year National Cancer Association study finding that women who work in the home are 54% more likely to develop cancer than those who don’t, due to the chemicals and poor air quality in our homes. But I’m not. I’m tired of doom and gloom. My cells are mutating just thinking about all of those toxins. Instead, I bring you Eco-Success Stories. Warm, fuzzies all around! These really are heartwarming.
A recent study of all endangered species in the Northeastern United States found that 93% increased or remained stable since being placed of the endangered list. There is a page on the Center for Biological Diversity website that lists success stories from the Endangered Species Act. They include a map of the United States so you can look up your own region for success stories. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights:
- Bald Eagle increased from 416 to 9,789 pairs between 1963 and 2006
- Whooping Crane increased from 54 to 513 birds between 1967 and 2006 (that’s still not very many)
- Peregrine Falcon increased from 324 to 1,700 pairs between 1975 and 2000
- Gray Wolf increased dramatically in the Northern Rockies, Southwest and Great Lakes
- Gray Whale increased from 13,095 to 26,635 whales between 1968 and 1998
- Grizzly Bear increased from about 224 to over 500 bears in the Yellowstone area between 1975 and 2005 (Hey, hey Booboo!)
There are so many inspiring stories on this website, such as the California Condor who was down to 9 individuals thanks to DDT and is now up to 121 in the wild and 158 in captivity. We have really come a long way with certain species, which is something for which we should be grateful. It’s worth spending some time on the website when you are in despair about, well, pretty much anything. Unless you are a farmer or rancher in despair about the proliferation of gray wolves. Then you may want to visit another website.