New Ideas for a New Year!

In the world of wildlife conservation, a lot of news is depressing: this is going extinct, that habitat is being wiped out, ect. But this post puts all that aside for a moment to look at the bright side. Here's some cool ideas and new techniques that could really help wildlife in 2015: 

This upcoming year we really need to clean up the ocean, and on that subject, I'd like to introduce you to a new hero of mine. His name is Boyan Slat and he came up with an idea to clean up the ocean back in 2012. To make a long story short, there are humongous garbage patches floating in the middle of our oceans causing inexplicable damage to our environment. Slat has invented a clean-up system that will actually make money while cleaning up all the plastic floating around. Sounds pretty good to me!! His project has already raised more than $2,000,000, and is making some great progress, so check it out!  

Not exactly technology, but using one animal to help another is a concept we can certainly explore more in the upcoming year. For example, a population of rare little blue penguins in Australia is booming thanks to the protection of herding dogs: therainforestsite.com Imagine if we used dogs to help protect other vulnerable species from over-predation! 

Balloon releases pose a huge threat to wildlife, especially marine creatures. There are several alternatives, such as bubble-blowing, paper lanterns, and releasing butterflies. But for those people who are truly set on balloons, there is a more biodegradable brand called Bio-Doves. I'm not saying they're perfect, or that you should go out and buy a million, but are they better for the environment than traditional balloons, and the cool thing is they look like actual doves flying! Now there's no excuse for using regular balloons, and I'm looking at you Gibraltar.

Shark submarines? What? Yeah, Jacques Custeau's grandson, Fabien, made a submarine that looks like a great white shark to better study them. From this unique viewpoint, he got 170 hours of footage that will be extremely valuable for scientists to understand their behavior. Unfortunately, it will be aired on a TV series titled "Mind of a Demon". So he's doing a great thing trying to understand these creatures, but still defining them by their horrific Jaws-inspired reputation. Once again: SHARKS ARE NOT MONSTERS! As long as we stop promoting such gross stereotypes, technology like this could help us study all sorts of marine life and better educate the public on their importance. If you want to read more, here's Redbull's interview. 

Not the best picture, but notice the wind turbines that look like kites.
These actually exist, and if you're interested, click the "wind turbines" link below. 

Alternative energy is a hot subject right now, especially since we're sorta in an energy crisis. In 2015, my hope is for more use of biodiesel, wind turbines, and other effective energy-saving methods. The above picture is from the new Disney movie, Big Hero 6, and imagines what we could do with this type of technology in the future. If we save energy, we save resources, and therefore we save habitat and wildlife. So make one of your 2015 resolutions to save energy!  


Since this is my last post of the year, I wish all of my lovely readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Please remember to celebrate responsibly and be safe out there tonight. Thank you so so so much for reading my blog this year, and I hope you'll come back to see what I have in store for 2015!! 

News Review: A Royal Cause

Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were here in the US and I got to meet them!!!! Well I didn't get to actually talk to them... or see them at all....but they were in the same region of the country as I am so that kind of counts, right? No? Whatever. Anyway, the royal couple was in New York City for a few days in early December. Now, what does this have to do with this blog? Part of their visit was to campaign against illegal wildlife trade.

On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, right after their wedding, April 29th, 2011.

A Bit About Them

Will and Kate, as most people casually call them, have proven to be one of the most influential celebrity couples of our age. Third in line to the throne of England, and son of the late beloved Princess Diana, Prince William has always been in the spotlight. The media has eaten up his fairy-tale romance with Kate Middleton, and millions of people around the world tuned in to watch their wedding in 2011. Since then, they've had a son, George, and are now expecting another child. They can be found around the world in newspapers, magazines, and social media, promoting many different charity organizations. 

Picture from www.dailymail.co.uk

Prince William and the War on Wildlife Trade


I mentioned in an earlier post that Prince William is the patron of the Tusk Trust, that focuses on the ivory trade.  They also work to promote education and support communities in Africa, so definitely check them out, donate, or simply follow them on Twitter. 

Another organization I did not talk about previously is United for Wildlife. The description on its website reads: 
"United for Wildlife was created by The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Led by the Duke of Cambridge it has brought together the world’s leading wildlife charities under a common purpose; to create a global movement for change. Whilst animals continue to be killed by criminals, whilst whole species are hunted to extinction, we will join together to ask one simple question: Whose side are you on?"
In other words, this organization brings together several other organizations, namely: Willdife Conservation Society, WWF, ZSL,The Nature Conservancy, IUCN, Flora and Fauna International, and Conservation International. They have a lot of FANTASTIC events and information on their webpage, so check it out! And like them on Facebook! You can even send an "elegram" to help baby elephants! How cute is that? 

Poke

Speech at the World Bank

On December 8th, Prince William made a speech at the World Bank on the illegal wildlife trade: 

"Corruption remains one of the most persistent and damaging impediments to the alleviation of poverty and, I believe, one of the most insidious forms of corruption in the world today is the illegal wildlife trade."

I certainly recommend watching his whole speech here- I really enjoyed it, and he made some great points. For example, the illegal wildlife trade is a threat to international security, and can promote the spread of disease. It has also greatly increased in the past decade, worth an estimated $20 billion a year, and is far more destructive than many people think it is. Wildlife trade is connected with illegal drug, weapon, and human trafficking, with "alarming implications" for global security. He also made this sad claim: some endangered species are worth literally more than their weight in gold. 

Prince William is basically the Harvey Dent of wildlife crime
(before the whole Phantom of the Opera-style injury)

I definitely can't hide the fact that I'm a huge fan of the royals for their efforts to make the world a better place. Prince William's campaign against illegal wildlife trade is, in my eyes, extremely important in uniting international organizations and really making a difference in the world. 

Here are a few more links about the royals' NYC visit from Tusk Trust, Daily Mail, and USA Today.

Thanks for reading everyone, and in the British spirit, cheerio! 

"Hahaha...but seriously, you still owe us tea."

Book Review: Theodore Roosevelt Biography

Another short post today- just wanted to give a quick review of the book I finished, "Lion in the White House", by Aida D. Donald. Before, I had admired Theodore Roosevelt for his accomplishments in wildlife conservation, but this biography helped me appreciate even more of what he did for America and the world. 

Here are some quotes from the book about Roosevelt and forestry:

"Roosevelt was our earliest and most passionate environmentalist. He attended to nature's beauty and bounty, that is, to the country's natural resources and their protection and wise use. His scientific bent and western adventures...gave him a capacious and loving view of pristine forests...."

"He established the Forest Service, and a reforestation program yielded renewable resources. During his presidency, the service protected sixteen million new acres in 150 national forests, quadrupling what already existed. Roosevelt created five national parks...fifty-one wildlife refuges also came into being."

"The progressive Republican senator from Wisconsin, Robert La Follette, proclaimed at the time, 'The Conservation of our Natural Resources....is probably the greatest thing Roosevelt did, undoubtedly.'"

I came across some cool facts while reading, too. For example, did you know he was the one who named the White House? Until 1901 it was called the Executive Mansion, or the Presidential Palace. Roosevelt also added offices to its west wing. Most people know that his refusal to shoot a tied bear led to the creation of the teddy bear, but don't think he never shot animals! In his trek to Africa alone, he boasted 296 kills, including lions, giraffes, and elephants. (Back in the early 1900's, conservation of these animals wasn't a big issue like it is today! Imagine if Obama went on a hunting safari like that....) Theodore Roosevelt was perhaps best known for his manliness-  from leading his Rough Riders in battle, to mediating world powers, and pushing for progressive policies. In 1912, he even continued his speech for over an hour after he was shot with a bullet that went 4 inches into his chest!! 

The only complaint I have about this book, in particular, was the consistent reference to Roosevelt's idol, Abraham Lincoln. Granted, Lincoln's policies did influence a lot of Roosevelt's decisions, I just found myself annoyed to see his name on virtually every page. My theory is that the author felt the need to include him so often because she lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts! (Maybe it was a deal with their tourism bureau?) 

All in all, it was a very informative read, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in this magnificent historical figure.

Thanks for reading guys and check back soon!!

Powerful Pictures

Hey everyone! Not a long post today, just wanted to share something I thought was very interesting. If you click this link below, you'll see a series of very powerful pictures about deforestation. They may seem exaggerated, but if you think about it, they really are not. The message? Destroying forests directly destroys lives.

 http://www.boredpanda.com/animal-rights-social-ads-call-of-the-wild-sanctuary-asia/

Let that sink in. This is what we're doing to our planet, and it's going on right now. 


On the topic of sharing interesting links, I can't help but mention this video by one of my favorite scientists ever, Dr. Bill Nye. Here, he explains evolution through emojis, which, I think, is pretty cool, so definitely check it out: 

http://mashable.com/2014/12/12/bill-nye-evolution-emoji/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-video

News Review: "Eaten Alive" Rant

Ok, this isn't going to be a long post. But I can't not rant about this:

Discovery Channel has a show called "Eaten Alive", which is about exactly what you think it is about. This show recently attempted to get a guy eaten by an anaconda......like, they purposely TRIED to get him eaten. Now, the anaconda doesn't normally prey upon humans (although there are quite a few horror stories about the giant snakes). So he had to "provoke" the snake to get it to eat him, which I think is immoral, and for the snake, annoying. Ultimately, the guy freaked out and didn't get swallowed because he couldn't take being constricted....by a constrictor. Anacondas are con-strict-ors. That's what they do. If you get eaten by an anaconda, it will constrict you. All this research went into making a stomach-acid-proof suit for this guy once he got swallowed, but he didn't think about being constricted in the process. Great planning. 

I'm obviously not too happy that anyone attempted to do this in the first place. If he did get swallowed by the snake, the animal's anus cannot unhinge like its jaws can, so the only way to rescue the man would be to kill the snake and cut it open. And I do not support killing animals for entertainment (if you call purposely recording being swallowed by an animal entertainment). There is some illusion of helping anacondas with this show, even the website has a link that says "Help Save the Giant Anaconda", but I don't think they're doing a great job if they were going to kill one after they forced it to swallow a guy. That doesn't exactly put a lot of value on their lives, now does it? *End rant*

Check out some more information and watch the video here. Feel free to laugh when he says "I can't feel my arm, she's squeezing me." Yeah. Cause she's a constrictor. If you want to learn more about these awesome animals, check out facts on the Green Anaconda, the largest snake in the world!! 

TL;DR Stupid TV show tried to get a stupid guy swallowed by a poor snake who didn't want to swallow him, but it didn't work. Because it was stupid. 

Thanks for reading guys, and check back for my next post coming up within the week!

Creature Feature: Bee Thankful

A flower? For me?! Oh you shouldn't have! 

I know I'm a few days late for a true Thanksgiving theme, but I wanted to make a little post here about bees. A lot of people are afraid of them, but just because they can sting doesn't mean they are out to get you! In fact they are very important to us, and here's why we should thank them: 

We should thank bees for feeding us! Insects pollinate a third of the food we eat. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and more! Not to forget, a lot of these plants that are pollinated by bees are used to make other products besides food. 

We should thank bees for helping our economy. Their pollination is valued at $16 billion in the USA! In 2007, the export of honey alone was over $7,000,000, and, as mentioned before, bees help make a whole lot more than just honey. 

We should thank bees for helping the ecosystem! By pollinating, bees help floral growth and expansion, creating habitat for other insects and animals. Not to mention, they help keep our Earth looking pretty! 

Speaking of pretty....What? Do I have something on my face? 

I would also like to make a public apology to the entire bee population for maiming a bee yesterday. You see, what had happened was, a bee came a-sniffing my fruity-shampooed hair, very close to my ear, causing me to automatically swat it to the ground. So, I am sorry bees. To make it up, I will try to save more of you by promoting your conservation. 

I bet you're thinking- "bee conservation is an issue?" Yeah. Unfortunately, it is. 

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has caused, well, many colonies of bees to collapse. As bees die off in large numbers, the cost of products that require their pollination is driven up, meaning higher food costs. It very well may become an agricultural crisis in the near future. Less bees is also bad for the ecosystem. Research is ongoing, and there are several explanations as to what causes CCD, but no definite cause has been determined. 

But that's not all folks! The EPA has approved several pesticides in the chemical class called "neonicotinoids" (I think I spelled that right...) that have been known to kill bees, contributing to CCD. One of the most recent pesticides approved is sulfoxaflor, and it has many people buzzing about the harm it's caused. In my opinion, we need to be very, very careful with chemical pesticides, if we use them at all. Everyone knows how disastrous DDT was, and we don't want to repeat history. And don't forget, there are other alternatives for pest control, too. Read more about pesticides affecting bees here and here. Want to help stop the use of these pesticides? Send this message from Greenpeace. 

For more info, I will give you some fun links:

Check out Project Bumble Bee- and help with their citizen science project! 
The Honeybee Conservancy has some great tips on bringing bees to your garden. 
And last but not least, here's some simple ways you can help bees today! 

Of course, I will always "bee" thankful for my readers! You are all bee-autiful people (don't worry, that was the last one)!

Dumb and Destructive: Part 2!

First up on this list of dumb things is plastic. Americans discard 34 MILLION TONS of plastic every year and only 6.5% of it is recycled! The rest ends up in landfills, in the middle of the ocean, and in stomachs of animals. Yeah. Take for example, this whale with 450 pounds of it in his stomach. While marine animals have always had to deal with garbage (at least, since humans have been around), "death by plastic" is becoming a more common fate for them. And it doesn't affect just ocean dwellers, here are some more examples. So what's the solution? Recycle your plastic and don't litter! Also, please don't release balloons. I think I'll need a whole new post to really explore the destructive nature of plastics, so stay tuned for that in the near future. 

The all-time winner for "dumb and destructive" is this SUV lined in sharkskin. You heard me right! If you read the rest of the article I linked, you'll see they also use elephant skin! I'm not really sure what to say about that. Two animals who need protection, whose numbers are dwindling, and whose demise could cause terrible environmental repercussions, are being used to DECORATE A CAR'S INTERIOR. Oh, and they use alligator, crocodile, ostrich, python, and stingray, too. How incredibly stupid and wasteful. And what does the company head say about this? "Deal with it." I don't think I could have found anything more infuriatingly ridiculous if I tried. I hope you all appreciate my extensive efforts not to use any inappropriate language here! 

My last subject today will be fish pedicures. No, not pedicures for fish, especially because they don't have feet- pedicures by fish. This has been banned in several states because the fish cannot be sanitized between customers like ordinary instruments can. Another health concern is the bacteria associated with these fish that can potentially infect humans. Coupled with complaints of abuse by animal rights activists, the issue is now going to the US Supreme Court . I am going to call this "dumb" because A) I strongly believe animals should not be used for cosmetology of any kind and B) I think there are many far more pressing concerns in the world for courts and animal rights groups to be spending their time on. Like what, you ask? Hmm how about the loss of global biodiversity because of the mass extinction going on right now? Yeah, I think that's one that they should be a bit teensy-weensy more focused on...

Actually, it is. Losing biodiversity will affect us all. 

Well that's it for this post! Let me just say a special thanks to everyone who has been looking at my blog lately, I got a lot of views from my last post! (Maybe I'll have more Disney-themed posts in the future...) I really appreciate the attention guys, so I mean it when I say: thanks for reading! =) 

Dose of Disney Colors of the Wind

This time of year, instead of succumbing to the all-too-early Christmas songs, I love to listen to "The Colors of the Wind", from Disney's Pocahontas. If you've never heard it before, first of all, I'm sorry. Second of all, I was nice enough to put the video at the bottom of this post, so I'd recommend watching that before continuing on. 

"The Colors of the Wind" stories Pocahontas, a Native American princess, showing John Smith, an English settler, the beauty of nature. While no one can deny the romantic tone it sets between the two young protagonists, it also has a strong message of conservation. Let's take a look at some of the lyrics:  

"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name."

Here, Pocahontas is emphasizing the value of every living thing, and more. It may seem funny that she is naming rocks, but the message stands that every piece of nature is important. She says that the Earth is not "dead", but in fact a living, thriving ecosystem. 

"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth

Come roll in all the riches all around you

And for once, never wonder what they're worth."

Greed is one of Mother Nature's strongest foes. Mankind has relentlessly exploited her goods for our own use, and not always in a sustainable way, leading to devastating destruction (that we can see the results of in our planet's current state). In a clever play on words, Pocahontas calls aspects of nature "rich", but tells John Smith to enjoy them for their intrinsic value alone.   

"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers

The heron and the otter are my friends

And we are all connected to each other

In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"

Sound like another Disney song? Let me give you a hint- NAAAAAAAAH SAVENYAAAAAA!! (Hahaha yeah I have no idea how to spell that opening line...) This verse talks about the circle of life, as a continuous connection between all of nature. Again, Pocahontas includes living things and other environmental aspects too, such as the rainstorm and the river. 

"How high will the sycamore grow?

If you cut it down, then you'll never know

And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned

We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains

We need to paint with all the colors of the wind"

The first two lines obviously talk about forest destruction, even though figuring out the maximum height of a tree shouldn't be the only reason you don't chop it down. The rest of the verse says "we need to be one with nature", no matter who you are. And if that doesn't preach conservation, I don't know what does! Just another reason to love Disney movies! 

Oh and here's the video for your viewing pleasure- it always gives me chills! Take notice of the conservation-y things Pocahontas does, like stopping John Smith from shooting a bear, and playing with hawks! And feel free to sing along, I won't judge.

As always, thanks for reading everyone! Comments are always appreciated. 

News Review: News with TL;DR Summaries

With so much going on in the world of wildlife conservation, I'd like to mention some current event articles. I've read through them, and included a "Too Long; Didn't Read" or "TL;DR" summary in case you don't want to take the time to view the entire article. Why? Because, in the words of my younger brother, I'm nice like that. 

 There Are Now Just Six Northern White Rhinos Left
TL;DR The Northern White Rhinoceros is a subspecies of the White Rhinoceros, and their population numbered over 2,000 in 1960. Because of poaching and habitat loss, only 15 remained in 1980. Now, the last breeding male has passed away, leaving only 6 and a bleak future.    

Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches New Maximum
TL;DR Sea ice around Antarctica has reached a new record, which means more ice! But don't get too excited, the ice gained in the Antarctic is only 1/3 of the ice lost in the Arctic. Basically, climate change is affecting different places in different ways. 

Ebola and Bushmeat
TL;DR The Ebola outbreak is throwing the world into a panic (your furniture is more dangerous, though-  read this article I mentioned previously). Bushmeat, or wild animals harvested illegally for consumption, has always been bad news for wildlife, but it can also be a way to spread the disease. Just another reason to end the bushmeat trade.  

United Nations Looks At Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
TL;DR $20 billion a year is what the wildlife trafficking criminal trade is worth internationally. At the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders discuss the affect this trade has on humans, such as endangering the stability of local economies and loss of natural resources.  

Predatory Fish are Plummeting
TL;DR Yeah, no sh*t Sherlock! - is my reaction. We've known about the plight of large fish for a while, 55% decrease in the past 40 years! In my opinion, it's because humans are greedy and want to eat all the big fish, but have no concern for the ocean's health. Now we're really starting to see the effects on the rest of the ecosystem, like how smaller fish are having a grand ol' time overpopulating.

Well, sorry if the news was depressing, but that's what's going on right now! Of course I encourage you all to read more, and I'll try to help keep you up to date! Thanks for reading! 

Celebrity Efforts

Some celebrities have taken up charities to raise money and awareness for issues such as women's rights and poverty. But who's out there helping wildlife? Well, I did a little research to find out for myself. 

Tusk Trust

"Tusk currently supports 52 field projects in 17 African countries that not only work to protect wildlife, but also help to alleviate poverty through sustainable development and education amongst rural communities who live alongside the wildlife."

Prince William

Prince Harry

Wildlife Warriors Worldwide

Our mission is "To be the most effective wildlife conservation organisation in the world through the delivery of outstanding outcome-based programs and projects, inclusive of humanity."

Terri and Bindi Irwin

Johnny Knoxville

Jesse McCartney

Justin Timberlake

Chris Knights

Tiger Time

"We fund key tiger projects in Russia, India and Thailand supporting vital anti-poaching patrols, undercover investigations, educational programmes and monitoring activities central to the survival of the tiger in the wild."

Sir Paul McCartney 

Jemery Irons 

Ricky Gervais

Stephen Fry

Slash

The Wildlife Conservation Society

"We currently manage about 500 conservation projects in more than 60 countries; and educate millions of visitors at our five living institutions in New York City on important issues affecting our planet. Our parks include: the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, and the Queens Zoo."

Bono

World Wildlife Fund

"Having invested well over US$1 billion in more than 12,000 conservation initiatives since 1985 alone, WWF is continually working to bring a balance between our demands on our world, and the variety of life that lives alongside us."

Metallica 

Christian Bale

David Attenborough

Leona Lewis

Gisele Bundchen

Oceana

"The largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Our offices in North America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance."

Seth MacFarlane

Liam Hemsworth

Hillary and Bill Clinton

Antonio Banderas

                                            Tommy Hilfiger 

Shark Savers

"Founded in 2007 by divers with a shared passion, our mission is to save the world’s dwindling shark and manta populations. Today, more than 25,000 members from 99 nations share that passion."

Yao Ming

*The lists of celebrities I have here for each organization is not complete, I limited myself to 5-per-cause for my own sanity. For more comprehensive lists, click this link: 

More Celebrities and their Causes

I encourage you to check out some of these organizations, they have all made great strides to help wildlife! It's very encouraging to see that there are people out there who care, and of course, you can help by spreading the word and donating! As always, folks, thanks for reading! 

What's Scary?

What is scary in today's world? Finding out the producer of "Once Upon A Time" wants to kill off every Frozen character this season? Taylor Swift finding a stable boyfriend so she doesn't have any more angst-y songs? Dropping your iPhone into a sewer and losing your prized selfies? The zombie apocalypse anyone watching "The Walking Dead" thinks is inevitable?

My favorite zombie, from Hocus Pocus.

What's really scary, I think, is the condition of our planet. I'm talking CLIMATE CHANGE, people. It is real, and it is real bad. Scientists have long agreed that the planet can tolerate a rise in temperature of 2 degrees. On our current path, looking at trends in CO2 emissions, we will have caused almost a 5 degree increase by 2100. Not. Good. 
  

(I got this chart from vox.com, where I also found some very interesting articles: 
Threats to Americans , How America is Already Affected by Climate Change, and Why America will Fail on Climate Change . I certainly recommend reading, or at least breezing, through them.)

So what does an increase in global temperatures mean? 

• More extreme weather, such as tornadoes, droughts, floods, wild fires, dust storms, and hurricanes. 
• The impact of extreme weather and warmer temperatures on crops, livestock, and fisheries will cause food shortages. 
• One-fourth of the Earth's species may be endangered by 2050, and extinctions will destroy whole ecosystems. Remaining species must drastically adapt. Will ours be able to?
• Glaciers will continue to melt , causing sea levels to rise, and many people will be without fresh water, displaced from their homes, or without power.   
• Ocean acidification will release even more CO2, speeding up global warming. Oh, and not to mention, massacring all sea life. 
• Warmer temperatures and dust storms will help spread diseases, such as malaria. 
• There may be wars over natural resources. 
• The next ice age may be sooner than later. 

Are you scared yet? 

Another scary side of this is that no one is paying attention. The graphic below shows the most popular topics on Twitter and Facebook for 2014. To see that people are so infatuated with television and music makes me scared to see what it will take to get them to care about the planet. 

It's also scary to think about your reaction as you read this. I may know you, I may not. You may think I'm a senseless hippie. You may not find my Hocus Pocus picture funny. But that doesn't matter. It's not about me, it's about all of us. And the question is: do you care? Do you care that our resources are being compromised? Do you care about all the extinctions that are happening/will happen? Do you care that there will be extreme and dangerous weather patterns? I want my children and my grandchildren to grow up in a safe world, don't you?

Just concentrate on caring about the environment as much as this guy is concentrating on his throwing.
(I really just wanted an excuse to put this picture up.) 

So how do we make this less scary? Do something. And by that, I mean try to be more "green". Reduce the amount of electricity you use. Don't be wasteful with commodities. Use less water. Recycle. Here's a list of 50 Great Suggestions- definitely read it!! All you need to do is think about what you're doing, what you are wasting, and even a small change helps! Please, please, don't let this cry fall on deaf ears. 

Long story short: stop scaring me, and start caring about your Earth. 

Just so you know, polar bears can swim, but they need the ice to hunt, and they've become an effective poster child for global warming. Check out Polar Bears International! 

Bonus links I found for kids, or those of us who think like one:
Climate Change for Kids
Saving Energy For Kids


Thank you all so much for reading another one of my posts; I hope you find them informative, and at least a little bit entertaining! 

Creature Feature: Gone Batty

Happy October everyone! In honor of Halloween coming up, this post is all about bats!

Why are Bats Cool? 
Two words: FLYING. MAMMALS. Bats are the only mammal capable of true flight. And no, I'm not counting those flying squirrels, because that's gliding (impostors!). Not only can bats fly, they also are capable of echolocation. By emitting a sound, and hearing what those sound waves bounce off of, a bat can determine the size and location of objects in their path, and even how fast they are flying! Sounds crazy right?

Remember this guy from Ferngully? Man I miss Robin Williams....

There are nearly 1,000 bat species worldwide, and they can be found everywhere except polar regions and extreme desserts. With such a wide range, it's no wonder they are so popular in movies and TV shows. Most famously, of course, is Batman.

I laughed harder at this than I care to admit

Why are Bats in Trouble?
Nine bat species in the USA are listed as Threatened or Endangered. The biggest problem for bats is White Nose Syndrome, and I know I've mentioned this before in an earlier post. Populations have declined an estimated 80% since the disease erupted in 2007, and, not to be Captain Obvious, but that's an alarming rate (notice the bold typeface). Research is still ongoing, but the current belief if that this white fungus infects the muzzle and nose of hibernating bats, causing them to wake up itching. When they wake up, they burn precious energy stored as fat, and once they do go back to hibernating, the remaining fat is not enough to get them through the season. Their reproductive biology doesn't help- most bats only give birth to one pup at a time, which is the slowest reproduction rate for a mammal of their size.

Poor Count won't have many bats left to count with (anyone else remember the "Batty Bat" song?)  

Why Should We Care? 
Bats make up one quarter of all mammal species on Earth! And although there is a lot of press about vampire bats drinking blood from other animals, most bats eat other things like nectar and fruit. More importantly though, are the bats that eat insects. In fact, 70% of bats consume insects, which is great for pest control!! One little brown bat can devour 1000 mosquitoes in just 1 hour! Are you looking for a new favorite animal? Cause anything that eats that many mosquitoes is pretty high on my list. Not only is that awesome for people like me who get eaten alive, it's great for our economy. Insect control provided by bats is estimated to value between 4 and 50 BILLION dollars to our country's agriculture. Besides eating insects, they spread seeds and pollen, help to fertilize soil with their guano, and are useful in medical research (i.e. vampire bats' anticoagulant comically named Draculin). 

Daaaawww look at the baby bats!!!! They're so cute!!!

What Can I Do to Help Bats? 
Get involved! I've said it before, you don't have to go out and do something gigantic to help animals, even a small action can help! Tweet about how cool bats are (use #savethebats), read up on White Nose Syndrome, or give your friend an Adopted Bat because that does a lot more than a thoughtless gift card. You can get a bat box and invite bats to your own backyard, or contact your local parks about setting some up! 

Here are some really useful links: 
Organization for Bat Conservation
Wildlife Defenders
Adopt a Bat 
Set Up a Bat House
Plant a Bat-Friendly Garden

He is toad-ally screwed! Ha! Get it? Ok, ok, stop throwing tomatoes, I'm ending the post now...

Thanks for reading guys!!