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)!