Trump wants to defang the Endangered Species Act. These Queens critters could suffer.

By Victoria Merlino

The Trump administration plans to defang the Endangered Species Act, a move that critics say will erode protections for many endangered animals and plants around the United States — and right here in Queens.

Though some endangered species garner more attention than others — manatees and bald eagles among them — changes to the regulation could harm creatures close to home, and not just mammals in the mangroves of Florida or birds soaring in the mountains of Alaska.

Learn more about the endangered or threatened species that call Queens home:

Have you spotted a piping plover on Rockaway Beach? Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Piping Plover

These little birdies flock to Rockaway Beach in the spring and summer, just like the humans do. However, unlike you and your friends (we hope), they’re laying eggs and raising chicks. 

Piping plovers are shorebirds that migrate to the New York City area every March, and leave again every August. Though they can be mistaken for over shorebirds like sandpipers, you can check that you are looking at a piping plover by looking for its orange legs and sandy-colored back. 

Each year, the New York Parks Department closes a one-mile stretch of beach to the public, called the Rockaway Beach Endangered Species Nesting Area, so that piping plovers and other birds can nest in peace. 

Their main causes of death are predation and habitat destruction and human disturbance, according to the Parks Department. 

Leatherback sea turtles are the largest of the sea turtle family. Photo by Paul Mannix via Flickr.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback is the largest of all the sea turtles, growing up to over six feet long and weighing a whopping 2,000 pounds. It gets its name from its special shell — unlike the traditional hard and bony turtle shell, the leatherback’s is soft and, well, leathery. 

Scientists estimate only one in 1,000 leatherback hatchlings make it all the way to adulthood, according to National Geographic, partly because their eggs are taken from nests by humans to eat.

To help protect sea turtles, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recommends not intentionally releasing balloons or lanterns into the environment, as they can be mistaken for prey, like jellyfish, and ingested by marine life.  

Seabeach amaranths need specific conditions to thrive. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Seabeach Amaranth

This squat beach plant can be temperamental — it doesn’t react well to competition from other plants, and can only grow in relatively empty locations. It can also be greatly affected by the installation of sea walls and by heavy recreation use.

Nevertheless, seabeach amaranth provides an important habitat for seabirds like the piping plover, and can be found in Breezy Point and other locations along the East Coast.

It was dubbed a threatened species in 1993.

After disappearing from the waters off New York City for more than a century, humpback whales have made a remarkable comeback. Hundreds have been identified over the past few years, including several leaping off the Rockaway Peninsula. The massive mammals could be threatened by an erosion of the Endangered Species Act. Photo via Pixabay.

Humpback Whales

The humpback whale population around Far Rockaway and other city shorelines has made an impressive comeback in recent years, as the city cleans up its waterways and the whale’s marine food sources thrive. 

Humpback whales were one of the very animals protected under the Endangered Species Conservation Act — a precursor to the modern Endangered Species Act — but changes to current law could threaten the successful return of the massive mammals, Popular Mechanics reported. 

The New York Post reported Sunday on the surging population of humpbacks, which had not been seen around New York City in more than a century until one was spotted in 2009.

In 2011, just five humpbacks were spotted in the waters off New York City, the Post reported. In 2018, there were 209 whales identified.

“So far this year, we’ve seen 268 whales,” said Gotham Whales founder Paul Sieswerda. “And we’re barely into August.”