Threatened and endangered plants, fish and wildlife face myriad threats - congressional assaults on the federal Endangered Species Act, development pressures, budget cuts to recovery programs and global warming, to name a few. A proposal now before the Senate holds genuine promise for recruiting private landowners to the cause of protecting these species.
Called the Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2007, the measure introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, would make up to $400 million available annually in tax credits, deductions and exclusions to people who own or manage private lands. The proposal has more than a dozen bipartisan co-sponsors, including Connecticut's Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
