Humpback whales may be coming off the endangered species list soon - federal officials are expected to announce a decision within the next few weeks.
Regardless of what they decide, one thing is clear: without whales and other marine mammals, there might not even be an endangered species list.
In the first of a series exploring humpback whales and the Endangered Species Act, KCAW reporter Rachel Waldholz and biologist Ellen Chenoweth explain how one of the nation's most enduring environmental laws emerged from the office of one of its least revered presidents.