American Bald Eagle
What does it say about a nation when its national bird is threatened? Luckily, the bald eagle's story is one of recovery. With the banning of chemicals such as DDT, this majestic bird has made a comeback. While there are still many threats, its future looks good.
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly is a symbol of American wilderness. In the 19th century, as the nation expanded westward, grizzly numbers plummeted due to unchecked hunting and trapping. The grizzly is now threatened in the lower 48 states.
Gray Wolf
Once, the wolf was plentiful in most of North America, but it was hunted ruthlessly. Today, the wolf is making a successful comeback in some of its former habitat. The gray wolf plays a vital role in the health and proper functioning of ecosystems.
Polar Bear
Polar bears are the world's largest land predators and the largest of the eight bear species. Polar bears are under pressure due to the impact of global warming on their Arctic habitat.
Florida Panther
The Florida panther used to range throughout the southeastern United States but following years of persecution and habitat loss, there are about 80 Florida panthers occupying only 5 percent of their historic range.
Whooping Crane There is only one wild migratory flock of whooping cranes of about 194 birds. The flock migrates for 2,700 miles over many weeks each year. In the 1950s, there were less than 20 birds left. Governments and conservation groups helped save the flock.
Canada Lynx
The Canada lynx is such a secretive animal that we don't even know how many are left in the United States - but we do know that keeping forests intact is the only way to keep lynx populations healthy.
Pronghorn The pronghorn is the second fastest land animal in the world, almost as fast as the cheetah. It was almost hunted to extinction. Today it is making a comeback, but some types of pronghorn, such as the Sonoran, are still on the brink of extinction.
Buffalo
This animal's true name is the American bison, but most Americans call them buffalo. The buffalo is the largest terrestrial animal in North America. They are vital to the prairie ecosystem.
Conservation and the Farm Bill
The Farm Bill might not come to mind when you think about important laws for fish and wildlife, but the past three Farm Bills have shaped more conservation programs for a longer period of time -- and put more funding behind those programs -- than any other suite of legislation.