A unique, character-driven look at the Endangered Species Act as it turns 50

By Travis Loller

Nashville’s Travis Loller,
who has written extensively about endangered species over the years, wanted to
tell the story of the Endangered Species Act as it turned 50. Her first goal
was to bring together some of the government employees from the early days for
a reunion, but time and budget prevented that. Loller, undaunted, did the next
best thing: She convened them through her own reporting for what turned out as
a compelling alternative story form: a virtual roundtable in which they
recounted their wide experiences with animals — both actual and political — as
the act took effect in 1973 and began to change (and not change) the way people
viewed endangered species. Her willingness to experiment with story form and
use smart anecdotes as first rough drafts of history produced a compelling
piece that ran the day before the 50th anniversary.