Some good news for polar bears today. The Interior Department has sent a proposed habitat rule to the White House for review, bringing the threatened polar bear one step closer to having its melting habitat protected.
The chief threat to the polar bear is the loss of its sea ice habitat
due to global warming. However, the polar bear is also stressed by
other human activity, particularly oil and gas development activities
in its habitat.
For this reason, National Wildlife Federation's John Kostyack says the critical habitat rule should include a robust analysis of the areas where the bear could be most threatened because of oil and gas development.
"The first rule from climate scientists is
that the first thing you do is take care of other stressors and try to
find a way to help the species maintain its resilience."
The current generation of college students and young professionals will be the ones to pay the price for the catastrophic climate change that's already affecting our planet. So really it's in our best interest to speak up now for the strong climate and clean energy legislation we need to invest in green technologies and cut our carbon footprint.
Check out this new video from our friends at Consequence 09, and get more involved with making a difference through your campus at www.nwf.org/campusecology.
We can avoid the consequences of tomorrow, by acting today to speak up for strong legislation and by making a difference in our own communities. How are you making a difference? Leave a comment below to let us know.
George Will Earns "Worst Person" for Climate Denial
Washington Post columnist George Will has taken some beatings over the last year for his continuing climate denial -- including from his own newspaper's reporters.
But this may be Will's most public refutation yet -- being named one of the night's World's Worst Persons on MSNBC's Countdown:
LOVE wildlife, animals and nature? We do too! National Wildlife Federation's mission, simply put, is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.
This month YouTube has teamed up with actor Ben Stein to help animals. We need fellow wildlife lovers to be part of our mission by making their own fun or inspirational videos on behalf of NWF as part of YouTube’s Video Volunteers program. The deadline for video submissions is October 22nd.
Winning videos will appear on YouTube's homepage. Your video can help NWF raise awareness about wildlife!
It’s okay to have fun, get a little crazy and be creative!
You don't need to be an actor, just be yourself.
Show us as well as tell us what you think about wildlife. Action is good.
Short and sweet is good when it comes to videos. Three minutes is the limit.
If you have kids or animals in the video, get down on their level to shoot them.
Need Inspiration?
Here are some questions to think about if you're having trouble coming up with an idea for your video:
NWF focuses on wild animals and so should your video. Why are wild animals important to you?
What is your favorite kind of wildlife and why? What's the coolest, most beautiful, strangest or inspiring wild animal for you?
Why do people like cute and cuddly wild animals better than scaly, slimy or many-legged ones?
What is your favorite childhood memory of being outside in nature? What were the smells, the sights, the feelings you experienced? What wild animals did you see and/or enjoy watching? What wild animals do you or your kids enjoy seeing in your backyard?
Why do you care about protecting wild animals? What are the biggest threats to wildlife and what should we do about them?
Do you have any photos, poems, drawings, songs, costumes or even wild animal imitations that you want to share in your video?
What is your most memorable wildlife experience?
Good luck! We can't wait to see all of your videos!
October 4th: World Animal Day -- Learn About/Join NWF's Wildlife Watch!
It is World Animal Day--a day to show appreciation for animals of all kinds. World Animal Day was established on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, a nature lover and patron saint of animals and the environment.
For a fun way to celebrate, we hope you'll take some time to learn about and maybe join in on our Wildlife Watch Program, where you can contribute fun and helpful wildlife observations.
Wildlife Watch is an easy-to-use online program for children and adults to make wildlife observations, even upload photos and post notes for others to see and compare. These observations help the National Wildlife Federation and members of the scientific community get the help of people across America whose observations add up to useful data on the health of wildlife in North America.
Helping is as easy as stepping into your backyard!
Log your observations on our website - Find your state watch list and check off what mammals, birds, invertebrates, trees, amphibians, wildflowers and more you see outside.
However you celebrate World Animal Day--whether you pet your pet, bring your cat indoors for the sake of the birds and chipmunks, or go outside to view a little nature, we hope you have a good one!
Report: Climate Change Is Greatest Threat Ever To U.S. National Parks
In a recently released report, our colleagues at the Natural Resources Defense Council have identified how great a threat global warming poses to U.S. national parks.
U.S. Today Science Fair reports:
The report - National Parks in Peril: The Threats of Climate Disruption - outlined hazards due to rising temperatures in 25 of the country’s 351 national parks. The top risks to the parks include loss of snow and water, rising sea levels, more extreme weather, loss of plants and wildlife, and additional air pollution.
According to the report, the risks of a changed climate dwarf all previous threats to our national parks: 'If we continue with high emissions of heat-trapping gases, our nation could be 7 to 11 degrees hotter by the end of the century — and our parks would be drastically changed.' Endangered parks include some of the nation’s most popular, including Great Smoky Mountain, Yellowstone and Yosemite. See full article.
Using Mobile Phone Towers For Wind Power Generation
As the world moves toward lower carbon energy production it will cause us to look for power production opportunties in new places including cell towers. This is particularly important for areas where electric distribution is limited.
Paul Ridden of Gizmag.com reports:
"Later this month, Helix Wind Corporation will deliver its first test wind turbines to Eltek Network Solutions Group for installation at two test sites in Nigeria. Sites in the US are also set to take delivery of test modules. The turbines will provide a clean energy solution for mobile phone towers and if tests prove successful, could see wind power being rolled out to hundreds of sites over the next few years.
'Currently such towers are powered by diesel generators, which are bad for the environment and extremely expensive to operate,' said Helix Wind CEO Ian Gardner. 'Anywhere the power grid is unreliable, expensive or simply non-existent, wind is an ideal renewable energy resource able to power these towers and reduce their operating cost."' See full article.
NWF Community Habitat Program: Whole Communities For Widlife!
The National Wildlfie Federation's Community Habitat Porgram now has 80 communities either certified or in the process and they range in size from small towns of a few thousand to larger communities of close to million residents. Colchester Connecticut, a terrific town of 15,000, is working on certification:
The Day.com reports:
"The National Wildlife Federation works at conserving wildlife across the country, and now their crusade to save and protect habitat includes improving existing open space. For example, in Colchester a community wide effort has transformed several acres of formerly unproductive suburban turf into flourishing wildlife habitat. In doing so, home owners have beautified their land, increased wildlife, reduced energy consumption and eliminated toxic contaminants.
The crisp clear days of October are ideal for outdoor work and recommended fall planting. In time, as the landscape you planted grows, countless sightings of birds will accumulate. The Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station can help you get started and the National Wildlife Federation will help get you certified." See full article.
Daily Show on Threatened Salmon, Polluter Astroturfing
This week, Jon Stewart touched on two topics the National Wildlife Federation has been working on. You can learn more about our efforts to protect California's fish & wildlife here, and find out more about how we're pushing back against Big Oil's misinformation campaign here.
