Denver speaks out against Aerial Gunning

Defenders of Wildlife and Timber the wolf-hybrid showed up in downtown Denver on Monday to protest Alaska's Aerial Gunning program. Passers-by were able to pet the docile animal and sign postcards and leave their comments condeming aerial gunning.

Go Denver! Thanks for leading the pack (haha pun) on this one. Maybe you can teach those coyote killers up in Washington or the Croc killers in Florida a thing or two about understanding, accepting, and finding non-lethal and/or humane methods of managing wildlife.

Unofficial Climate Awareness Day

That's right. I'm making up my own environmental holidays now. Unofficial ones, of course. So today is my Unofficial Climate Awareness Day, because I just so happen to have a couple of climate change issues to share with you.

Earlier today I made a comment on the Environmental Defense Fund's Facebook posting of THIS great satirical look at a future after the effects of global warming.

I then checked my email and signed a petition for Defenders of Wildlife to urge congress to protect animals threatened by global warming, such as polar bears, pika, and Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.

Next I went to the Sierra Club website where I can log a public comment concerning global warming and the coal and oil industries.

Now I eagerly await the slew of identical form letters from Roscoe Bartlette telling me he can't help me because he's an idiot - I mean because I'm not in his district. But I am. Idiot.

In your face, Sarah Palin!

While Palin was campaigning in Indiana last week, so was Defenders of Wildlife. Thanks to donations from Defenders supporters, they were able to run ads exposing Palin's brutal wolf slaughter record, including 240 wolves killed already this season, and plans to implement gas and snares to kill denning wolves and pups.
So thanks, Defenders supporters, for helping to run this hard-hitting ad campaign against Palin's anti-wolf agenda.

Facebook Fairy Garden Update: I harvested my first vitual flower and helped secure 2 square feet of endangered rainforest!

Turtle Power!

Yes, it isn't just in popular 1980's cartoons. It's in the more than 45,000 people who have already signed the petition to help protect sea turtles from bottom longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. With 6 out of 7 species of sea turtles listed as threatened or endangered, continuing protections for these animals is critical, starting with working to limit the number of deaths each year from irresponsible fishing practices. Snared on sharp hooks or in nets, sea turtles often drown. In incidents of snaring by longlines in 2006-07 the government estimates nearly 1000 turtles were snared, with up to an 80% fatality rate. So call that 800 a year. 800 doesn't seem like that high a number, but consider that we have no idea how many sea turtles there really are because we can only track females who come to shore to lay their eggs. Male and juvenile sea turtles will spend their entire lives at sea.
But wait! There's more!
Fatality rates for sea turtle hatchlings are staggeringly high, due to natural predators alone. Add to that all the trouble man makes for them, and repopulating the oceans becomes a truly daunting task. Sea turtles are constantly losing prime nesting beaches to development, and like the polar bears and their melting ice, sea turtles are faced with the problem of global warming raising water levels and putting much of their nesting habitat under water. Even if the beaches are left alone, nearby lighting from developments can confuse turtle hatchlings, causing them to flounder inland and be run over on roads, die of dehydration, or become prey to domestic cats and dogs.
What more can you do to help besides signing the petition and donating to sea turtle conservation? Defenders of Wildlife has a list for you.

Bush targets Wolves. AGAIN!

Alright, how many times are we going to have to go through this process? The Bush administration, even in its literal last days (THANK GAIA!) continues to mount attack after attack on one of the most amazing wildlife recovery success stories ever: The Grey Wolf. For the umpteenth time in the last few years the Bush admin is making a last ditch effort to once more strip wolves in the Yellowstone region of the vital protections that have allowed this keystone species to make such a remarkable comeback, revitalizing tourism and the very ecosystem itself in the process.
This is our moment, guys. This is the last chance the Bush Administration will ever have to destroy all the hard work of countless conservationists, and the people like you and me who help support them. Until individual states can come up with a SOUND plan to maintain their wolf packs in a SUSTAINABLE manner, this duty must continue to fall under Federal jurisdiction, which means that endangered species protections must remain in place until a management plan can be agreed upon by states and conservation organizations alike.
No other endangered species, save one, has made such a remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction as the wolf. That other species is the very symbol of our country: The American Bald Eagle. The Bald Eagle has made such an amazing recovery that it is now delisted. We can all hope that this is true for another symbol of American power and perserverance, the Grey Wolf. But today is not that day, friends. We still have a long road to travel, much to teach, and much to learn before the Grey Wolf can enjoy that fabled status. And they need our help to get there.
PLEASE HELP THEM!

Happy Solstice, and don't forget your friends!

Happy Solstice, everybody! Finally, it's officially winter, and Christmas and New Years are just around the corner. We at ALivingGaia.org can hardly wait for the new year, and our new President! Meanwhile we've been very busy with preparations for the holidays (hence the no updates thing) and with fighting off Bush's last minute attacks on the Endangered Species Act, and the environment. Recent actions include:

Stop Bush's Last Minute Attacks on the Environment
Stop Drilling off the Virginia Coast
Clean Slate Energy Agenda
Green Nation

Click any of those links and all you have to do is sign a petition to do your part!
Now, I know I'm too late to get in under the 'ship by Christmas' deadline but just in case you have any last minute shopping left to do, WWF, Defenders, and other organizations still have great gifts and adoptions available all year round! You can even send your loved ones an environmental e-card to let them know you didn't forget about them, and their gift is in the mail. You can go to these sites and others and choose from any number of great environmentally conscious gifts or symbolic wildlife adoptions:

World Wildlife Fund
Defenders of Wildlife
Oceana

Here's another holiday idea. When you get the feeling that sometimes your loved ones just don't know what to get your for the holidays, why not purchase some wildlife holiday cards and send them a little pre-holiday note. Let them know that all you really want to do for christmas is help save the world, and could your loved one maybe make a donation to the charity of your choice instead of buying you yet another turtleneck sweater, please? It's a great way to help your charity, AND get the word out there by introducing your friends and family to activism.

And a last minute holiday suggestion: Don't forget to send holiday cards to your elected officials wishing them a happy holiday and letting them know how important environmental legislation is to you!

Have a Happy Solstice, everyone!

Unbearable

Winter can be a bad time for bears. Helpless, asleep in their dens, they are easy targets for trophy hunters. In Russia, the killing of denning Brown Bears leaves thousands of cubs orphaned every year. Many die, while others become attractions in circuses and roadside zoos. Some are even eaten. Den hunting is just about the most unsportsmanlike method of trophy hunting, right up there with shooting animals from airplanes. Please tell Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin how you feel about this terrible sport.

In Alaska, Polar Bears continue to face the challenges of global warming, and trophy hunting. While it is illegal to hunt polar bears for trophies in the United States, it is still legal in Canada. In most cases it is illegal to transport the carcass (for example trophy bits, such as heads, paws, and hides) of an endangered or protected animal into the country even if it was killed elsewhere. Not only does this encourage poaching in the U.S., but puts added strain on struggling Polar Bear populations in Canada and other countries. There are only an estimated 20 to 25 thousand Polar Bears left in the world, and we need every one of them if the species is going to continue to survive. Please help Defenders of Wildlife stop Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Safari International from stripping these magnificent animals of vital protections.

A President for Conservation

Congratulations Barack Obama and all the new democrats who were elected to office yesterday! By electing these new leaders, we the voters have been instrumental in bringing change to Washington, and will soon be helping to reverse the damaging environmental policies America has suffered from for the past 8 years. Read Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen's statements about the election:

Obama Administration offers opportunities to advance environmental issues
Nov. 4 Press Release

You can also try to dig up Obama and Biden's Conservation Report Cards here.

Just remember, folks, that the work doesn't stop here. Just because we've elected new administration does not mean that our job is done, and we can sit back and let them take it from here. It's as important as it ever was that we continue to vote when necessary, petition, rally, fund raise, and continue to make our voices and thoughts heard, not only to our new leaders but to our friends, enemies, family, and neighbors as well. Animals don't have a voice. The oceans, our rivers, and our air cannot speak for themselves. We must do it for them.

Top Issues: Drilling

Yesterday my mood was improved by my mother, followed by an email from the Obama campaign, informing me that in the wake of John McCain's announcement of Palin as his VP more first time contributors donated to the Obama campaign than ever before. Ah, the smell of political suicide in the morning.
Today, irked by the once again rising cost of gas (and doughnuts) I'm not in such a good mood.
A good friend of mine told me when we were discussing various political problems the other day that she supports more drilling in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Alright, I'll give her that. I respect her opinions. But I see no point in opening up new areas such as in the Gulf of Mexico and ANWR to drilling when we aren't even striving for peak production with the drilling operations we HAVE. Until such time as production peaks in our CURRENT oil interests, I continue to be against further drilling. And I also expect that by such time as production peaks we will also be well on our way to the We Campaign (WeCanSolveIt.org) goal of 100% clean energy.
So that said, here is your chance to speak out against further offshore drilling, thanks to Defenders of Wildlife:
Please urge the U.S. Minerals Management Service -- the federal agency accepting comments on the Administration’s plan -- to shelve the Bush/Cheney Administration’s latest offshore oil drilling scam.

• Offshore drilling contaminates water, routinely spilling oil and toxic liquids into our oceans and releasing hazardous fumes into our air.
• Pollutants like mercury and persistent hydrocarbons contaminate important marine habitat near platforms.
• Seismic testing associated with drilling can cause dolphins, whales and other marine mammals to become disoriented and stranded and -- in some cases -- even die.
• Massive spills that can result from drilling and increased tanker traffic can kill dolphins, seabirds, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals.

And while the environmental damage of offshore drilling may be significant, the savings to U.S. consumers would not be. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that drilling off our coasts would have "no significant" impact on domestic production until 2030, and even then “impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant."

Tell the MMS that we don't need more drilling, what we need is a new way of thinking!

Sarah Palin VP?!?!

You have GOT TO BE F*CKING KIDDING ME.
I go on vacation, and the world goes crazy? I figured it would survive without me for a week, at least!
What in the name of all that is holy is John McCain thinking? Palin is more of a right wing whack job than he is! The woman's track record as a Governor (an office she's only held for TWO YEARS) is appalling. Her policies on conservation atrocious. And McCain wants us to believe that he cares about Polar Bears and Wolves and the sanctity of our National Parks?
Here's what Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen had to say:

Shocking Choice by John McCain

WASHINGTON-- Senator John McCain just announced his choice for running mate: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. To follow is a statement by Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

“Senator McCain’s choice for a running mate is beyond belief. By choosing Sarah Palin, McCain has clearly made a decision to continue the Bush legacy of destructive environmental policies.

“Sarah Palin, whose husband works for BP (formerly British Petroleum), has repeatedly put special interests first when it comes to the environment. In her scant two years as governor, she has lobbied aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, pushed for more drilling off of Alaska’s coasts, and put special interests above science. Ms. Palin has made it clear through her actions that she is unwilling to do even as much as the Bush administration to address the impacts of global warming. Her most recent effort has been to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, putting Big Oil before sound science. As unbelievable as this may sound, this actually puts her to the right of the Bush administration.

“This is Senator McCain’s first significant choice in building his executive team and it’s a bad one. It has to raise serious doubts in the minds of voters about John McCain’s commitment to conservation, to addressing the impacts of global warming and to ensuring our country ends its dependency on oil.”

And I thought the Bush administration was bad! All I can say is I hope that by making this utterly idiotic choice (an obvious push to get female voters!) John McCain has just committed political suicide.

Independence Day!

Today is the day to declare your independence. From the influence of Anti-Wolf smear campaigns, from the influence of Green as a 'trend' more than a necessity, and most of all from the lies of Representatives and Lobbyists of Big Oil.
Have you noticed that just recently even evil oil mogul ExxonMobile has jumped on the 'we're here to save the planet!' bandwagon? ExxonMobile, who never took responsibility for the Exxon Valdez disaster? That's because their PR (public relations) consultant probably told them they needed to change their image if they expected to get public support for new drilling operations off our coasts, and inside our National Parks and Refuges.
Here's the facts from Defenders of Wildlife about oil drilling off our coasts and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR. If you've heard people say "Ann-war" and had no idea what they were talking about, that's it.)

Fast Facts on Drilling and Gas Prices

Drilling will not lower gas prices today or solve our energy crisis.

• Even the U.S. Energy Information Administration has said that massive exploitation of new oil deposits will not produce oil for nearly a decade -- and then will not lower gasoline prices by more than a few cents per gallon.
• Under the Bush Administration, drilling permits have risen from 3,802 to 7,561 between 2002 and 2007. Eight years of increased oil leasing and production on America’s public lands has left us with nothing but high gas prices for consumers and record profits for Big Oil companies.
• More drilling would not affect world oil prices. The US has less than 3% of the world's oil reserves, yet we consume almost 25% of the world's oil.

Expanded drilling threatens permanent damage to wildlife.

• Offshore drilling threatens dolphins, whales, sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife. Drilling discharges mercury and other toxins into our fragile ecosystems. Such pollution can destroy beaches, and poison and kill the marine wildlife that we all care about. The noise from drilling is also incredibly disruptive to marine mammals. So while oil companies like ExxonMobil would continue to swim in record profits, dolphins and whales could become fatally disoriented, beach themselves and die.
• Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. The noise and disturbance caused by drilling in the Arctic Refuge -- the most important onshore denning habitat for America’s struggling polar bears -- could cause polar bear mothers to abandon their cubs to die.
• Expanded drilling perpetuates global warming. Such drilling would further extend America’s dependence on climate-changing fuel sources that are threatening the very survival of polar bears and other animals.

We need real solutions that will end our dependence on oil once and for all.

• It’s time to take back the giveaways to Big Oil and secure our energy independence by investing that money in clean, renewable energy, energy efficiency, increased public transportation and the technologies needed to get our cars going further on a gallon of gas.
• A bold national commitment to renewable energy will put our economy back on the right path by bringing energy costs under control, creating over 820,000 new jobs, and making us more energy independent.
• Congress should stop giving tax breaks to Big Oil and start funding constructive alternatives that can make a difference in people’s lives NOW!

So, do you think you're ready to start declaring your independence from the ill-planned and thoughtless tactics of Big Oil? Then this independence day (and any other day you like!) I urge you to call your U.S. Senators and Representatives and ask them to oppose drilling on our public lands and off our coast. If you live in Maryland, these are your representatives:

• Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski - (202) 224-4654 or (410) 962-4510 - http://mikulski.senate.gov/mailform.html
• Sen. Benjamin 'Ben' L. Cardin - (202) 224-4524 or (410) 962-4436 - http://cardin.senate.gov/contact

And

• Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett - (202) 225-2721 or (301) 694-3030 - http://www.bartlett.house.gov/Email_Roscoe

Conservation Report Card

Ever wonder exactly how yours and other government representatives voted on a certain subject? Check out Defenders of Wildlife's Wildlife Conservation Report Card and see!
I'm in a split district and don't know my nine digit zipcode offhand (you might need it to view your specific representatives) so I've just browsed through the full senate reviews. It seems like we've got their ear now days when it comes to renewable energy and energy conservation, but we're not getting through on the topics of wildlife and land conservation. Every amendment to the farm bill seems to have been turned down. Sometimes (most of the time?) I wish I'd been born years ago when many of our representatives and even presidents were farmers, ranchers, and other such men and women who loved America's unique wildlife and wide open spaces. Sure, a lot of them still come from families with a TRADITION of farming and working and appreciating the land, but how many of them actually DO it?

Aerial Gunning Update: Please help stop it!

I wish I had the time to keep up with my goal of four or more LG articles a month, but with spring coming and the days getting longer my own days get longer as well! Never the less, here is the latest on Alaskan Governor Palin's anti-democratic attempts to continue the aerial slaughter of wolves and bears in Alaska.
As I've mentioned before, twice in the past when it has come to a vote Alaskan voters have voted AGAINST aerial gunning, and twice they have had their decision overturned. What is the point of living in a democracy if our votes mean nothing? And horror of horrors, Governor Palin is being considered for VICE PRESIDENCY? That's it. I'm moving to Canada. Mr. McCain, you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking a bout it! Governor Sarah Palin is a politician of the worst sort, running smear campaigns against defenseless wildlife, and secretly trying to push bills through legislature that would strip Alaskan voters of their right to weigh in on key wildlife issues such as aerial gunning! Even if you care nothing for wolves it would be wrong to allow this sort of fascist manipulation to continue.
As always you can donate to Defenders of Wildlife to help them continue to run ads exposing Governor Palin's attempts to neuter Alaskan voters, or you can simply personalize and sign this handy petition.

GreenPeace protection against Japanese Whalers

Hooray for a wish come true. Since I first heard the news about the Japanese intending to kill humpback whales for 'scientific research' the Greenpeace organization has been on my mind.
Now Japan has backed off of the humpbacks...but still intend to kill other whales including Fin whales and Minke whales..you can read more about it on the Greenpeace website.
I sometimes think people find Greenpeace to be too 'in your face' about their protection of environment and endangered species, but sometimes it is the only approach that works. On game reserves and in national parks in Africa individual teams of Park Rangers are often given exclusive guardianship over a specific animal, be it an endangered rhinoceros or elephant, or perhaps a pride of lions in order to protect them, with force if necessary from the danger of poaching. And Japan's plans to continue to kill protected whale species IS poaching. There is no scientific OR commercial basis for Japan's continued whale hunts. The market for whale meat is virtually non-existent at this point. Already whaling in Iceland has given up the ghost, due to the unmarketability of whale meat.
So what can you do to help? Aside from making donations to conservation organizations like Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and Defenders of Wildlife, I encourage you to write to the tourism bureau of nations like Japan who refuse to concede to environmental science and let them know that you would never consider spending your hard earned money on a vacation to their nation until all unnecessary 'scientific' whaling ceases, and you would discourage anyone else from visiting as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ah, Thanksgiving. The day of...giving...thanks. Yeah. And Turkey. Unless you're vegan, and then its the day of tofu shaped into a turkey. Whatever floats your gravy boat, folks! Thanksgiving is only the beginning of the season of giving, and in my opinion one of the best things you can give to someone else is a gift that symbolizes a lasting future. To this end the World Wildlife Fund has opened a new gift shop where you can find just the right gifts for the important people in your life, and help WWF reach their conservation goals at the same time. In the Adoption Center there are literally dozens of rare and endangered animals to choose from - from pandas and polar bears to tigers and tamarins. With adoption prices starting at $25 your symbolic endangered animal 'adoption' can net your loved one everything from a photo and adoption certificate to plushie likenesses of your chosen animal, framed photo and adoption certificate and a map showing the locations of all 80 adoptable species nicely packaged in a special WWF gift box. If your someone special is a child with conservation aspirations the "Endangered Species Adoption of the Month" club might be just the gift for them. According to the WWF website: "With the WWF Endangered Species Adoption of the Month, you adopt a different endangered animal every month for a full year. Your generous one-time gift creates a lasting foundation for our conservation action around the world. What a terrific way to help preserve wildlife and show the next generation the importance of conservation." A new plushie will arrive every month, along with photo and adoption certificate and a fact sheet to help your little future conservationist learn everything there is to know about our endangered species.
Teenage girls and ladies will love the "Earring of the Month Club", featuring twelve endangered species the WWF is working to protect, and including a beautiful pewter earring tree for display. You can also purchase earrings seperately in the Apparel and Crafts section, along with tote bags, pajama pants and WWF t-shirts. Whatever you choose from the new World Wildlife Fund store, the WWF and the environment will thank you!
Speaking of thank yous, here is a part of the thank you card I recieved today from Defenders of Wildlife:

Defenders members and activists are now one million-strong and growing. And thanks to the support of dedicated folks just like you, we were able to:

• Pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act in the House, vital legislation to ensure the long-term survival of polar bears and other wildlife as global temperatures rise;
• Introduce the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act to stop Alaska’s senseless wolf slaughter from the skies;
• Stop Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s gruesome wolf paw bounty plan;
• Protect rare condors in California from the threat of lead ammunition in their habitat; and much more.

So with these wonderful accomplishments and future goals in mind, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Support the PAW Act and save Alaskan Wolves

I said I was tired of having to talk about it. That doesn't mean I'm going to STOP talking about it. Every step we take in the right direction brings us closer than ever to ending Alaska's aerial hunting forever.
A couple of months ago California Congressman George Miller (D) introduced the PAW (Protect Americas Wildlife) Act. Since then more than 100 thousand people have written to their representatives asking them to support Congressman Miller's proposed legislation, and Defenders of Wildlife secured donations to run a series of ads and mini-documentaries highlighting the horrors of Alaska's wolf 'management' plan. Donor support has helped the PAW Act gain crucial support in Congress, but there is still much work to be done before the legislation can be put to work. To this end Defenders is running an ad in Congress Daily and they need your help!
Click here to view the ad.
Already Alaskan officials are handing out wolf hunting permits. Licenses to kill in a most heinous and unsportsman-like fashion.
Don't let this go on for another season of death. Help Defenders of Wildlife stop it, now!

Hooray for progress!

California Congressman George Miller (D) introduce the PAW (Protect America's Wildlife) Act last week and motivated 14 thousand+ new activists to speak out against Aerial Gunning in Alaska, and generated scads of media coverage on the topic. Defenders of Wildlife has posted several ads and mini-documentaries on their YouTube account exposing the gruesome secrets behind the bloodthirsty sport of aerial gunning.
I'll be honest with you, I couldn't watch the whole video myself. To see those beautiful animals running in fear from something they have no hope of escaping is more than I can bear. I also learned something disturbing from this video...all along I have been assuming that aerial gunners were using high powered rifles to gun the wolves down...not so. The distant blast of a 12 gauge shotgun is often not as potent as a single high caliber bullet. Wounded and frightened, the wolves often run until they bleed to death, or pain and fear wear them out, and the plane lands for the final blow. Then the wolves are dismembered or strung up as trophies.
While I wouldn't like to see even the lowliest toad strung up in such a manner, it pains me to no end to see such magnificent creatures as our wolves treated so poorly.
Help us continue to speak out against aerial gunning, inviting your congressmen to support the PAW Act, and provide crucial funding for Defenders to continue to run their life-saving Anti-Gunning ads.

Continuing controversy for Condors

I signed on today with the simple intention of apologizing for my lack of updates this past month. I have been plagued by set backs from computer problems (Memory upgrade is on the way, and re-installing the browser should help a little) to the tragic death of one of our school horses which has had me depressed for days. I signed on with that intention, and to make note that I was going to re-install the code for my news ticker because it didn't seem to be updating when lo'! and behold! it worketh!

I've been having difficulty posting lately because there seems to be this revolving merry-go-round of issues that never get solved, like the wolves and wild horses. I want desperately to write something NEW but I must plug away at the issues at hand until SOMEONE stands up and MAKES A DAMNED DIFFERENCE. But I digress. Today's issue is also on the merry-go-round: Lead shot poisoning California Condors (not to mention other predatory birds.)

An article from the Los Angeles Times highlights the issue.

I love this quote. "Some scientific studies say lead bullets are poisonous to the federally endangered birds." Alright folks lets sit down and think about this. Lead. Is. Poisonous. We don't need to do any more scientific studies to 'suggest' this. Condors, hawks, eagles, ravens, they ingest lead shotgun pellets when eating carrion, they get lead poisoning, they die. Hence, and let me put this in little words so the members of the NRA can understand it: Lead shot bad. I'd like to note that I pointed a finger at the NRA before even finishing the article, in which Democrat Nava alluded to the same association.

"I think what it says to other Fish and Game commissioners is if they don't toe the [National Rifle Assn.] line, their jobs are in jeopardy," Nava said. "If this is all it takes to change the composition of the Fish and Game Commission, there's more stability in the Iraqi legislature."

Typically, the NRA could not be reached for comment. (Bowling for Condors, anyone?)

Get out, clean up, enjoy the day!

Alas! If only I wasn't one of those people who works 7 days a week, I would love to spend my weekend helping other volunteers and Defenders of Wildlife clean up Big Meadows at Shenandoah National Park. The Big Meadows area of the park is home to hundreds of species of rare plant life. Plant life which is integral to the continued survival of many species of birds and other animals. Invasive species (non-native, highly adaptable plant life) such as Garlic Mustard and Oriental Bittersweet are choking out the native plants this ecosystem depends on, but Defenders and the National Park service have teamed up to help repair the damage, and they need volunteers to help with the dirty work!
Now come on, I know you all love the dirty work. Me, I spent all last week tirelessly weeding my herb garden and I have the ant bites and poison ivy to show for it! That said, if you live in the Shenandoah Natl. Park area and want to volunteer, I'd advise wearing long pants and substantial work gloves!
Clean up is this Saturday and Sunday (May 19th and 20th) at Big Meadows swamp in Shenandoah Natl. Park, Luray, VA. Volunteering includes orientation and a history lesson about the park, snacks and beverages, and all your weeding tools will be supplied. So instead of just cruising along Skyline Drive this weekend, why not jump in and get your hands dirty, helping to keep our favorite ('our' being us people from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee!) National Park happy and healthy!
For more information visit Defenders online and fill out their survey.

Keep Wolves in Yellowstone!

Hi,
I just took action to stop one of the worst wolf massacres in decades -- and I hope you will, too.
It's easy to help. Just go to the website below to take action:
http://action.defenders.org/northernrockieswolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to strip wolves of crucial Endangered Species Act protections in the Northern Rockies. Such a plan would allow Wyoming and Idaho to move forward with plans to eliminate as many wolves as possible within their borders.
Please help me save these magnificent animals. Tell the federal government to maintain federal protections for gray wolves by sending a message at the website below:
http://action.defenders.org/northernrockieswolves Help generate 200,000 comments to federal officials -- take action at the website above, then forward this message on to others who care about wildlife.
These wolves are in trouble. But, together, I know we can save them. I hope you'll help...
Thanks!

There, Defenders said to send it to five friends, hopefully I have reached at least that many people through this blog.

To be perfectly honest, and I love wolves, but I'm begining to feel like I'm beating a dead horse with this issue. For some reason beyond my ken wolves are one of the most revered, and most hated animals in the animal kingdom. There are people who would die to keep them, and people who would kill to be rid of them. Even if you aren't a wolf fanatic, most sane people will admit that wolves have their place in our world, just like every thing else nature has molded. Literally hundreds of thousands of people have already poured their heart and soul into pleading with officials to save wolves, be it in Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico, or Alaska. How can anyone else take what they love away from them?

Wolves are killers. They are predators of the most elite variety. Cunning. Bold. Ruthless.

But they are also animals who love and respect one another. Caring. Nuturing. Family.

Truth be told, wolves are a lot like us.

Someone said once (and of course I can't remember who) "Wolves are people too."

There you have it.

Wolves are people too.