“As a species, the brown pelican has bounced back from impending oblivion. First decimated so its feathers could decorate hats, it was nearly done in by the cumulative food-chain buildup of the insecticide DDT, which was banned in the United States in 1972. The brown pelican was listed as endangered in 1970, three years before Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. Almost four decades later, in late 2009, after the DDT ban and vigorous conservation efforts and environmental protection, the species was officially delisted. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at the time, ‘Today we can say the brown pelican is back,’ with an estimated global population of about 650,000.”
–Dick Corten. “There’s a WHAT on the Lawn?” Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley. April 13, 2012. Web.