Focusing On The Conservation of Ecosystems, Habitats & Wildlife

Earth Day: A Project Of The Center For Biological Diversity

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CONDOMS HELP CELEBRATE EARTH DAY 2013

On Earth Day — April 22, 2013 — the Center for Biological Diversity celebrated endangered species at 20 events in 13 states across the country. More than 15,000 condoms were distributed in colorful packages (with artwork by Roger Peet) featuring species threatened by unsustainable human population growth, including the Florida panther and leatherback sea turtle. Events included a diversity of celebrations at parks, zoos, farmers’ markets, college and university campuses and more. Download our Earth Day fact sheet, which is chock-full of information on human population growth’s ecological effects.

Panther

FLORIDA PANTHER 
A predator of enormous physical grace and power, the Florida panther is one of the most majestic large felines in the wild. But while Florida’s human population has nearly doubled over the past 30 years and the coasts have become more crowded, development has increasingly moved inland, coming into direct conflict with panthers and the habitat they need to survive and thrive.

SeahorseDWARF SEAHORSE

This inch-tall, curly-tailed fish occurs only in shallow seagrass areas in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Atlantic Coast of Florida and in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, as the Gulf gets more crowded and industrialized, this seahorse faces more threats to its existence. Widespread loss of seagrass habitat due to pollution, boat damage and global warming is pushing this minuscule creature to the brink.

HellbenderHELLBENDER

Hellbenders may not be pretty, but at 2 feet long, they’re North America’s largest amphibian. Like many amphibians, the hellbender faces extinction from the strain that the effects of human population (including pollution) put on our freshwater streams in the southeastern United States.

PloverWESTERN SNOWY PLOVER

The western snowy plover, a pocket-sized shorebird, is surviving against the odds. Its habitat of open, sandy beaches is prime target for increasingly destructive human activity. Being small doesn’t prevent plovers from playing a big role in beach ecosystems, but it does make them vulnerable to the unnatural disturbances that plague their home.

LeatherbackLEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE 

As ancient as the dinosaurs, the leatherback sea turtle is the heaviest reptile on Earth. Leatherback turtles are dependent on seashores for their lifecycle. With half the world’s human population living within 100 miles of the coastline, their nesting grounds are severely threatened by development.

Polar Bear POLAR BEAR

An international icon of global warming, the polar bear is going extinct as the Arctic sea ice melts beneath its feet because of the greenhouse gas emissions of 7 billion people — especially those in high-consumption nations like the United States. The bear was put on the U.S. endangered species list in 2008.

Two New Species: Mouse Lemur Lookalikes

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(Credit: Photo courtesy of Peter Kappeler)

Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.

Mouse lemurs have lived in Madagascar for 7 to million years.  But since humans arrived on the island some 2,500 years ago, logging and slash and burn agriculture have taken their toll on the forests where these tree-dwelling primates live.

Only 10 percent of Madagascar’s original forests remain today, which makes lemurs the most endangered mammals in the world according to the IUCN.

For the entire story, click here.

California Slender Salamander in My Backyard

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Discovered in my backyard on March 23, 2013 in moist dirt.

Endemic to California, usually found in a variety of habitats: chaparral, woodland, grassland, forests, urban yards, vacant lots, marshes, and beach driftwood. Generally found in moist locations, under logs, rocks, bark, leaf litter, stumps, debris. Can be very abundant in an area.

Defensive behaviors include: coiling and remaining still, then uncoiling quickly and springing away, repeatedly bouncing over the ground for a distance, then remaining still; releasing sticky noxious skin secretions which can glue shut a predator’s mouth; and releasing the tail to let its movement distract a predator. A released or severed tail will regenerate.

Lungless Salamanders breathe through their skin which requires them to live in damp environments on land and to move about on the ground only during times of high humidity. (In California, they do not inhabit streams or bodies of water, but they are capable of surviving for some time if they fall into water.)

World Water Day 2013

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Our Most Precious Resource:  WATER

We all know water is essential for life on Earth. However, our insatiable demand is putting our most precious natural resource at risk.

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The enormous growth in the human population over recent decades is placing a huge strain on the world’s freshwater reserves, with our global consumption of water for food production, energy, industrial and domestic uses reaching what are thought to be unsustainable levels. Rapid urbanisation, pollution and climate change are all exacerbating the problem, further threatening this most vital resource.

World Water Day highlights the importance of freshwater and the need for sustainable management of the world’s freshwater resources, the United Nations (UN) has designated 22 March ‘World Water Day’.

Held annually, World Water Day gives people all around the world the opportunity to take action to raise awareness on water issues and improve the management of the world’s water resources. In 2013, as part of the International Year of Water Cooperation, World Water Day is also dedicated to the theme of cooperation around water.
 

See how you can get involved in World Water Day 2013

National Wildlife Week – 2013 – Branching Out for Wildlife!

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TreesForWildlife

NWF Needs our HELP – Help them plant TREES!

Trees play a critical role in supporting so many other living things – human and wildlife alike.  Did you know…

  • Trees clean the air: Trees absorb odors and pollutants and filter our air through their leaves and bark — our own built-in air purification system!
  • Trees provide oxygen: Over the course of a year one acre of trees provides enough oxygen for 18 people.
  • Trees save water AND help keep our water clean: Trees help to both reduce runoff and help to filter groundwater and the water in our streams. Shade from trees helps slow water evaporation so you don’t need to water your lawn as much.
  • Trees provide jobs: Whether it is harvesting fruit, nuts, or other products from trees or using trees for clothing, tires and other products – trees provide jobs and help to sustain our economy.
  • Trees are critical for wildlife: Trees provide many different species with food, cover and places to raise young and for some species are even their water source. Whether it is in the canopy or trunk or roots wildlife can be found both in living, dying and dead trees helping to keep our ecosystems balanced.

As part of National Wildlife Week, NWF has supplied these resources, activities and fun lessons to be used each day in the classroom.

National Wildlife Week Educator Resources:

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Should We Bring Extinct Species Back to Life?

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De-extinction, the science of bringing back extinct life, is the subject of the April 2013 cover story of National Geographic magazine. Once only an idea in science fiction, today it is poised to become reality. Researchers working to bring back animals like the passenger pigeon and woolly mammoth discuss the implications of their work.

Learn more about this subject at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/deextinction