As a conservationist, outdoor writer and Pennsylvanian who spends hours in the field, I am alarmed by the current administration’s attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act. This landmark law has prevented the extinction of 99% of the species placed under its protection.

In November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed four rules that would reinstate weakened 2019-20 regulations. The proposals would:

— Remove the “blanket rule” that automatically safeguards threatened species, instead requiring protections to be added individually — a slow, politically vulnerable process.

— Narrow the definition of “critical habitat,” restricting it to areas where species currently occur, even when nearby unoccupied habitat is essential for recovery in a changing climate.

— Allow economic or political considerations to influence listing or delisting decisions, contradicting the requirement that these judgments be based solely on science.

— Weaken the definition of “harm,” making it harder to prevent habitat destruction — the leading driver of species decline.

These are not minor tweaks. They are part of a broader pattern of eroding bedrock conservation laws. The wetlands that shelter waterfowl, the forests where threatened bats roost, and the rivers that support brook trout and freshwater mussels all depend on strong, science-based federal safeguards.

Pennsylvania’s outdoor economy thrives because we protect our natural heritage. Weakening the ESA jeopardizes vulnerable wildlife and the communities that rely on healthy ecosystems.

I urge citizens and lawmakers to oppose these rollbacks. Conservation is not partisan; it is a promise to future generations.

Michael Kensinger, Altoona, president of the Juniata Valley Audubon Society