The pelican

"Much like its death-defying dives for fish, the brown pelican has resurfaced after plummeting to the brink of extinction. Interior Department officials on Wednesday announced that they were taking the bird off the endangered species list, after a nearly four-decade struggle to keep the brown pelican population afloat. The bird now prevalent across Florida, the Gulf and Pacific coasts and the Caribbean was declared an endangered species in 1970, after its population -- much like those of the bald eagle and peregrine falcon -- was decimated by the pesticide DDT. The chemical, consumed when the pelicans ate tainted fish, caused them to lay eggs with shells so thin they broke during incubation. The pelican's recovery is largely due to a 1972 ban on DDT, coupled with efforts by states and conservation groups to protect its nesting sites and monitor its population, Interior Department officials said."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1328994.html

I remember when pelicans were rarely seen. Fortunately, you can now see one from most docks in Florida.

This is another great victory for the conservation and environmental movements.

But, having achieved most of their initial legislative and social goals, certain environmental groups now justify their continued existence by over stating current environmental threats.

Much like civil rights leaders who refuse to acknowledge real civil rights advances, these self appointed "leaders" seem to be afraid to declare victory and get real jobs.