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"Going fishing in Mexico," Fergie told People magazine on how she unwinds. "I catch mahimahi and marlin, but you have to throw back the marlin because you don't want to endanger the species anymore."
Preserve The Preserve
Submitted by brockbrbr on Mon, 2008-01-28 04:51.See It: The Community being helped
The Moss Rock Preserve is one of the most unique and beautiful natural preserves in the United States. Home to acres of hardwood forest, the Preserve is the last substantial refuge for local wildlife. But The Preserve is much more than a sanctuary. The Preserve contains some of the best climbing in the Southeast, debatably the oldest known rock formations in the world, as well as several species of moss that are completely unique to the Moss Rock boulders.
Because of this, the Preserve is of global environmental significance, and it is our job, as the surrounding community, to protect it. Instead of protection, plans are to partially destroy the most unique area of Moss Rock for profit by expanding the ironically named “Preserve” neighborhoods right up to, and around the boulder fields. This plan includes blasting a portion of the boulders (keep in mind these are not just any boulders, but some of the most important rock formations on earth.)
From the beginning of development, the City of Hoover has given the community the impression that “The Preserve” neighborhood would help ‘preserve’ this area, and that the Boulder Fields will remain protected and secluded. Now we can see that the actual plan is to allow for the destruction of the area for commercial development. We have a responsibility, as responsible and caring citizens, to keep this from happening. We are petitioning The City of Hoover, and we need your support!
Already, the surrounding woods have been stripped out, but this is only the beginning. Soon, the boulder fields will be someone’s backyard. As a concerned member of this community, you have a powerful voice and can play a major role in altering this development.
Believe it: Describe your project/org
Build it: Steps taken to create the project/org and the kind of impact made
Vital Stats
| Started On: | 1/27/2008 | Ended On: | 8/30/2008 |
| People Involved: | 150 so far | People Impacted: | limitless |
| Money Raised: | none yet |
Project Updates:
A.D.O.P.T
Submitted by Neerg on Wed, 2007-12-26 02:16.
See It: The Community being helped
There are many, many endangered species. Project A.D.O.P.T (Animal Defense Order for Protected and Threatened Species) wants people to go to websites like www.wwf.org and www.nwf.org and “adopt” endangered species. You can also raise awareness about our furry friends.
Believe it: Describe your project/org
Build it: Steps taken to create the project/org and the kind of impact made
Vital Stats
| Started On: | December 25, 2007 | Ended On: | December 25, 2008 (End of Phase 1) |
| People Involved: | N/A | People Impacted: | N/A |
| Money Raised: | N/A |
Do Something! Get Involved
Related Cause: Endangered SpeciesCategory: Education & Environment
Tags: animals endangered species
Project Updates:
Updates coming soon!
Healthy Beaches
Submitted by greendream on Fri, 2007-11-16 23:26.
See It: The Community being helped
I have been working to clean our local beaches almost every week. I also hosted the International Coastal Cleanup for our local beach and several community cleanups. We remove all kinds of garbage like plastics, cigarette butts, bottle caps and other very detrimental items like rope, 6 pack rings, oil containers. These items endanger our wildlife and every piece of garbage disposed of properly may save animals, birds or fish from dangerous entanglement or perhaps indirectly improve our health.
Beyond the cleanups, I am now meeting with our town officials to come up with further prevention ideas to make sure we have clean beaches and oceans!
Believe it: Describe your project/org
Build it: Steps taken to create the project/org and the kind of impact made
Vital Stats
| Started On: | February 2007 | Ended On: | continuous |
| People Involved: | 200+ | People Impacted: | 150 |
| Money Raised: | $104 |
Project Updates:
Updates coming soon!
Take Action: Donate!
A lot of endangered species efforts may not be going on right in your backyard, so a good way to help others is to donate. We know, money can be tight, especially if you’re at school and not working, so check out our [fundraising ideas] and then donate to one of these great organizations!
National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
Visit or help out at a national park
One major reason why animals are becoming endangered is because their homes are being destroyed. National parks aim to preserve land and save the habitats of countless species. Visit and appreciate the beauty of these parks, or volunteer and help one!
Step 1
Find a park. [Click here] for to find a park in the U.S., or [Click here] for one in Canada.
Step 2
Learn about the park. Whether you are visiting or volunteering, it’s a great idea to try and learn something about the park. Some questions you may be interested in finding answers for:
- How big is it?
- How many different species of animals and plants live there?
- What kind of conservation efforts do they have going on?
- What special features or attractions does the park have?
- What can you do in the park (hike, bike, camp, etc.)?
- Is the park threatened at all (by not having enough funding, for example)?
- Get on their mailing list
Step 3
Contact them. When can you visit? How do you get there? If you want to help out, ask if they have volunteer opportunities, internships, or summer programs that you can be involved in. See if they have a website for you to learn more about it, if you haven’t found one already.
Step 4
Get some fresh air! Try and go when the weather is great and spend the day exploring. Go for a hike, have a picnic if they have picnic areas, and bring a camera! Snap some great photos of the great outdoors that you can hang up in your room to remind you about how beautiful the park is.
Step 5
Volunteering? Awesome! Set up a schedule with them, and see what jobs they have for you. Get familiar with the park, especially if it’s big, so you don’t get lost. Learn about the species that are found in the park, and see if you can spot them when you’re out walking around! (You’ll be able to impress friends and family with all your knowledge!)
Summer Volunteer ideas:
- Landmark Volunteers
- Outward Bound
- National Park Ranger or Guide
Need to brush up on some terms, or want to learn new ones? Look no further. This short list of terms related to endangered species is your place to start!
Biome:
An area or region that is characterized by common plants and climate. Grasslands and deserts are examples of biomes. The entire earth is a biome, too.
Critically Endangered:
In order for a species to be endangered, it must meet any of these criteria:
- The population of the species must have declined by 80% over 10 years
- An occupied area of less than 100 km2 with a declining population
- Fewer than 250 mature individuals exist, with a steady decline in population.
Ecosystem:
Living and non-living things working together. An ecosystem can be a puddle or the entire earth.
Endangered:
When the existence of a species is in danger of becoming extinct. The IUCN has a list of criteria that if a species meets any of those criteria, it is considered endangered. One of these criteria is a reduction of the population of a species by more than 70% in the last 10 years or 3 generations, if the cause for decrease is understood and reversible.
Extinct:
A species is extinct when there is no doubt that the last individual of that species has died.
Habitat:
Where an organism is naturally found. For example, a marine habitat is where you would find whales.
Population:
A group of the same kind of living organisms that live in the same place.
Red List:
A list created by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) which lists the species as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, Near Threatened, or Least Concern, depended on the status of the species and their population around the world. It also lists these classifications by continents and countries, to see how many species are extinct in certain countries or regions of the world.
Sources
The Franklin Institute - http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habitat.html
The World Conservation Union – www.iucn.org
Dictionary.com – www.dictionary.com
Wikipedia – www.wikipedia.com
The World Conservation Union, otherwise known as the IUCN, is the organization that determines which species are extinct, critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. They have really informative tables that show you what species are threatened in certain countries, how many species are threatened, and descriptions of why individual species are extinct. You can also search by specie names to see what their status is.
To see the complete 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, go to their website at http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Concerned about endangered species? These facts point out some shocking facts about threatened species.
Fact 1
The UICN Red List of 2006 named 40,176 species as threatened.
Fact 2
There are already 698 extinct species of mammals.
Fact 3
There are 38 species of mammals that are extinct in the wild. (Some are still alive in captivity)
Fact 4
The existence of 28,270 species of mammals is considered threatened in some way.
Fact 5
In 2006, there were 6,524 species of vertebrates listed as threatened.
Fact 6
2,101 invertebrate species were listed as threatened in 2006
Fact 7
70% of the plant species evaluated in 2006 are threatened.
Fact 8
A total of 16,118 species were listed as threatened in 2006 (including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and other categories of species).
Fact 9
In 1996, 157 species of fish were considered critically endangered. In 2006, that number jumped to 253 species.
Fact 10
In 1996, there were 18 species of amphibians listed as critically endangered, but by 2006, the number increased by more than 24 times, to 442.
Fact 11
In Canada, 81 species are considered extinct, critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable. In the U.S., it’s 935 species.
Fact 12
There are 231 species that existed in the U.S. that are now extinct.
Fact 13
In March of 2007, 10 rivers were put on an endangered list, and about 41% of the world’s population lives in an endangered river system. (The Australian)
Fact 14
20% of the 10,000 freshwater animal and plant species are already extinct. (The Australian)
Fact 15
In the United States, 1,178 species are threatened. In Canada, 82 species are threatened.
Sources:
Facts 1-12, & 15 from The World Conservation Union - http://www.iucn.org/
Facts 13 & 14 from The Australian, "World's Mightiest Rivers on Endangered list": http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au
Graphs both from Naturewatch - www.naturewatch.org
Earn Community Service Hours in the Caribbean: Save Endangered Sea Turtles!
Submitted by Sail Caribbean on Thu, 2007-01-18 01:55.
See It: The Community being helped
Sail Caribbean has been operating teen summer adventures in the Caribbean for 27 years. Join our community service program in Carriacou and you’ll earn 40-50 service hours, while living at the Kido Ecological Research Station on a wildlife sanctuary in the Grenadine islands. Serve as a mentor to local youth, participate in a United Nations development project, tackle environmental preservation projects and head out on nightly patrols to rescue endangered sea turtles! With your new friends, learn island traditions and cook local foods. In addition to your hard work, you’ll go to the historical Carriacou Regatta Festival, hike nature trails, swim in crystal clear water and even try scuba diving! CARRIACOU ECOLOGY & COMMUNITY SERVICE ASHOREJuly 24 - August 10, 2007$3995 per person Check out our website for all Sail Caribbean summer adventure and community service programs:www.sailcaribbean.com or call 800-321-0994.
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