Peregrine falcons aren’t endangered

Please. Stop with the peregrine falcon endangered species nonsense.

Writers to The Tribune have gone on and on about how the peregrine falcon is endangered, so nobody should be allowed to climb Morro Rock.

I went to a website and found out that peregrine falcons were removed from the U.S. Endangered Species Act on Aug. 20, 1999 (Federal Register Aug. 25, 1999). Then, I learned that the state of California had been petitioned to delist, and the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously in favor Oct. 11, 2007. How about that — peregrine falcons are not endangered!

However, these beautiful birds are still protected by the Migratory Bird Act, the Lacey Act, Airborn Hunting Act and other laws.

This makes one wonder: How much of the proponent rhetoric in favor of the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is bunk?

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Peregrine falcons aren’t endangered."