Loggerhead Turtle v. County Council of Volusia County

ORDER

CONWAY, District Judge.

I. Introduction.

Congress has found that various species of fish, wildlife, and plants in the United States have been so depleted in numbers that they are in danger of or threatened with extinction. See 16 U.S.C. § 1531(2). Because these particular species are deemed to have “esthetic, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people,” the United States has pledged itself to conserve them, to the extent practicable. To fulfill this pledge, in 1973, Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act (“the ESA” or “the Act”) in an…