The Endangered Species Act Works

Daisy is taken off the endangered-species list after 25-year conservation effort

Monday, January 24, 2011; 9:02 PM

Let 162,993 flowers bloom

In 1985, when the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Maguire daisy as endangered, the total known population of the species - a Western mountain perrenial with dime-sized flowers in white or pink - was seven plants.

Last week, the daisy became the 21st species to be taken off the endangered list. After a 25-year conservation effort, officials said they had tallied 163,000 plants in three Utah counties. "The delisting of the Maguire daisy shows that the Endangered Species Act is an effective tool not only to save species from the brink of extinction but also to recover them to healthy populations," said Tom Strickland, an assistant secretary of the Interior.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012406306.html