Brown Pelican

Federal officials have announced that the state bird of Louisiana, the Brown Pelican, is being removed from the Endangered Species List.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the species has sufficiently recovered from the impact of DDT contamination compounded by continuing habitat loss to be taken off the list in areas where it has not already been delisted.

The Brown Pelican was first declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Conservation Act. At the time, pollutants such as DDT had driven the species to near extinction. In 1985, Brown Pelicans along the Atlantic Coast and in the South were removed from the list in 1985.

This milestone is being hailed as a victory for people and nature alike.

According to Melanie Driscoll of Aubudon, a leading organization promoting environmental awareness, “The future of the Brown Pelican depends on the same strategies that will benefit coastal residents. Pelicans and people need a strong, well-funded coastal restoration plan that will speed the recovery of coastal marshes and the barrier islands that are our first defense from hurricanes and their primary source of food and shelter.”

Although continued monitoring of Brown Pelicans is essential to detect any future population declines, conservationists say that given coastal recovery stays on track there should be no problems in the future.