Endangered Species Day Educates for Protection

Last Tuesday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, and 11 co-sponsors passed a Senate Resolution to declare May 15, 2009 as Endangered Species Day and encourage everyone to "become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and opportunities to promote species conservation worldwide."

Local officials are making similar proclamations, including the governor of Maine and the mayors of Panama City Beach, Florida; Bozeman, Montana; and Silver City, New Mexico.

"Endangered Species Day is a celebration of our nation's wildlife heritage such as the American Bald Eagle, gray wolf, right whale, pacific salmon and many other wildlife, fish and plants," said Tara Thornton, field director of the Endangered Species Coalition. "We owe it to our children and grandchildren to leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home."

Ariana Chen of Gomes Elementary won 1st Place in the 4th Grade section of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge poster contest for her image of an endangered San Joaquin kit fox. (Photo courtesy SFBNWR)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is celebrating at wildlife refuges around the country.

"The Endangered Species Act is the nation's premier law protecting biodiversity today," said Acting Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould. "Without this law, we would probably not see bald eagles soaring in our skies or grizzlies in Yellowstone. Endangered Species Day provides an opportunity to celebrate our shared successes and look forward to a strengthened partnership with the American public to conserve our natural treasures of fish, wildlife, and plants."

The Sacramento Zoo, Bronx Zoo, New England Aquarium, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and ZooMontana are some of the venues for the more than 100 events in 34 states that have been organized to celebrate Endangered Species Day.

On Saturday, the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge will hold a reception for artists in the 27th annual Endangered Species Poster Contest. All artists' posters will be on display.

This refuge is the first urban National Wildlife Refuge established in the United States and now spans 30,000 acres of open bay, salt pond, salt marsh, mudflat, upland and vernal pool habitats located throughout south San Francisco Bay.

"Endangered Species Day is a great opportunity for young and old alike to learn about endangered species and their habitat where they live," said Sarah Matsumoto, deputy director of the Endangered Species Coalition. "The goal of Endangered Species Day is simple - to educate people about the importance of protecting our nation's wildlife and wild places."

To celebrate, the Endangered Species Coalition offers:
10 Easy Things You Can Do at Home to Protect Endangered Species

• 1) Learn about endangered species in your area
  Teach your friends and family about the wonderful wildlife, birds, fish and plants that live near you. The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they are. Our natural world provides us with many indispensable services including clean air and water, food and medicinal sources, commercial, aesthetic and recreational benefits. Check out our endangered species pages at www.stopextinction.org/endangeredspecies For more information about endangered species, visit www.endangered.fws.gov
  


• 2) Visit a national wildlife refuge, park or other open space
  These protected lands provide habitat to many native wildlife, birds, fish and plants. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the places where they live. Get involved by volunteering at your local nature center or wildlife refuge. Go wildlife or bird watching in nearby parks. Wildlife related recreation creates millions of jobs and supports local businesses.
  To find a wildlife refuge near you, visit www.fws.gov/refuges/
  To find a park near you, visit www.nps.gov
  To find a zoo near you, visit www.aza.org


• 3) Make your home wildlife friendly
  Secure garbage in shelters or cans with locking lids, feed pets indoors and lock pet doors at night to avoid attracting wild animals into your home.
  Reduce your use of water in your home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival.
  Disinfect bird baths often to avoid disease transmission.
  Place decals on windows to deter bird collisions. Millions of birds die every year because of collisions with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office.


• 4) Provide habitat for wildlife by planting native vegetation in your yard Native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife. Attracting native insects like bees and butterflies can help pollinate your plants. The spread of non-native species has greatly impacted native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction. For more information about native plants, visit http://www.plantsocieties.org


• 5) Minimize use of herbicides and pesticides
  Herbicides and pesticides may keep yards looking nice but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. Many herbicides and pesticides take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. Predators such as hawks, owls and coyotes can be harmed if they eat poisoned animals. Some groups of animals such as amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and suffer greatly as a result of the high levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat. For alternatives to pesticides, visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org


• 6) Slow down when driving
  Many animals live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to wildlife living in developed areas is roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant hazard to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you're out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife.


• 7) Recycle and buy sustainable products
  Buy recycled paper, sustainable products like bamboo and Forest Stewardship Council wood products to protect forest species. Never buy furniture made from wood from rainforests. Recycle your cell phones, because a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics is mined in gorilla habitat.
  Minimize your use of palm oil because forests where tigers live are being cut down to plant palm plantations.


• 8) Never purchase products made from threatened or endangered species
  Overseas trips can be exciting and fun, and everyone wants a souvenir. But sometimes the souvenirs are made from species nearing extinction. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including: tortoise-shell, ivory, coral. Also, be careful of products including fur from tigers, polar bears, sea otters and other endangered wildlife, crocodile skin, live monkeys or apes, most live birds including parrots, macaws, cockatoos and finches, some live snakes, turtles and lizards, some orchids, cacti and cycads, medicinal products made from rhinos, tiger or Asiatic black bear.


• 9) Report any harassment or shooting of threatened and endangered species
  Harassing wildlife is cruel and illegal. Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threatened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinction. Don't participate in this activity, and report it as soon as you see it to your local state or federal wildlife enforcement office. You can find a list of state wildlife departments at http://www.fws.gov/offices/statelinks.html


• 10) Protect wildlife habitat
  Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the special places where they live. Wildlife must have places to find food, shelter and raise their young. Logging, oil and gas drilling, over-grazing and development all result habitat destruction. Endangered species habitat should be protected and these impacts minimized.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.