The Endangered Species Committee focuses on the legal and policy developments affecting endangered species. The Committee monitors legislative, administrative and judicial developments and identifies those developments that may be of particular interest to its members. The Committee then prioritizes and implements appropriate approaches for relaying and explaining those developments to members.

Our members are in the private and public sector, representing industries, state and federal governments, and non-governmental organizations. Our members tend to be most interested in the application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to public and private activities and in the regulatory requirements with which those activities must comply. The Committee has therefore given particular attention to the requirements under Sections 7 and 9 of the ESA, the development and use of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) to address ESA compliance issues, the integration of endangered species compliance with other environmental programs, and the effect of major listing decisions on species, habitat, and developments in the affected geographical area.

On behalf of the Endangered Species Committee of the ABA's Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, I want to thank you for choosing to be a member of our Committee. Whether you are a new member or a member of long standing, the Committee offers many opportunities for you to learn more about emerging and controversial endangered species issues. These are very exciting times for those of us whose practice includes endangered species issues. Our Committee members have been - and will continue to be - at the forefront of these issues. Here are some of the projects the Committee is working on for the upcoming year:

• Email Updates - This year, the Committee began sending periodic email updates to our members via the Committee list serve. These email updates are intended to keep members informed of breaking news relevant to endangered species practitioners. The updates may be just a sentence or two with a citation to a new rule or regulatory agency website, or may include a more in-depth summary of new information, as appropriate. We hope these updates will come to be an important resource for our members. If you have an update you'd like to share with Committee members, or if you have any comments on the email updates, please email Tim Sullivan (tsullivan@bdlaw.com), our Special Vice Chair for Email Updates.
• Committee Newsletter - The Committee newsletter is an excellent source of information for endangered species practitioners. The newsletter will keep you informed of the latest Committee events and provide valuable analysis and insight on issues of concern to our members. If you are interested in submitting an article for publication in the newsletter, please contact our Newsletter Vice Chair, Christian Marsh (cmarsh@briscoelaw.net).
• Programs - We are working on developing national teleconferences, local brown bag lunch seminars, and other programs on a variety of subjects that are most important to our members now. Times and locations will be announced in the newsletter, via the list serve, and on this web site. Please contact our Programs Vice Chair Janice Walton (janice.walton@blakes.com) for more details about the types of programs that we are developing and how you might participate.
  ESA Update
  Overview of the ESA
• Public Service - We are excited about implementing our new public service program over the coming year. This spring, we will start a pilot project in conjunction with the San Francisco Unified School District and San Francisco Zoo to teach an endangered species curriculum to 4 - 6 junior high school classes. The four day program will focus on everything from biology and ecology to a primer on the law and policy issues surrounding endangered species. The Committee hopes to implement this program throughout San Francisco, with a long-term goal of using this pilot project as a model to implement similar programs in other cities. For more information, to get involved in the pilot project, or to inquire about starting a similar project in your area, please contact Karma Brown (kbbrown@hunton.com) or William Snape (bill.snape@earthlink.net), our Public Service Co-Vice Chairs.
• Web page - Please take some time to explore the links listed in the right navigation of this page, which will take you our latest newsletters, a "highlights" page, and links to other helpful endangered species-related web sites. The Committee will continue to enhance this web site to give our members access to the most current and emerging issues, to communicate to our members about Committee activities, and to host dialogue discussion. The web page will also serve as a resource page for those interested in general information about practicing in the endangered species area, and will include links to statutory and regulatory information, and significant cases. To contribute to the web page or if you have questions regarding its content, please contact Murray Feldman, (mfeldman@hollandhart.com), our Technology Vice Chair.
• Membership - The Committee is always looking for ways to best serve its members by coordinating the programs and efforts described above and by helping our members get involved in Committee activities. In addition, we hope to continue attracting new members to help maintain our diverse membership and the variety of endangered species interests we represent. If you have ideas about how to better serve our membership or recruit new members, please contact Paul Weiland (pweiland@nossaman.com), our Membership Vice Chair.

I encourage you to get actively involved in the Committee's activities, and welcome you to enjoy the benefits of being a member of the Endangered Species Committee! If you have questions or are interested in participating more in the Committee's activities, please contact me at the number or email address below.

Dawn A. McIntosh
Chair

Chair:
Dawn A. McIntosh

Vice Chairs:
Committee Newsletters
Christian Marsh

Membership
Paul Weiland

Programs
Eric Laschever

Public Service
Karma Brown

Technology
Murray Feldman

The Year in Review
J.B. Ruhl

Additional (Email Updates)
Timothy M. Sullivan

Additional (QTs & Brown Bags)
Janice H. Walton