"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
$61,000 have been donated so far out of the $100,000 needed. The protection will help protect four hectares of wildlife corridor in the Clearwater River Valley.
This corridor will connect 2 southern lobes of Wells Gray Provincial Park.
This means that cougar, bobcat, wolves, coyotes, grizzly, deer and mouse won’t have to cross private lands when they migrate between the winter and summer ranges.
The private lands in the area are undergoing considerable development pressure, and the conservancy is working to find the final $39,000 of the purchase price by the end of the year so the land can be protected.
So it’s great to go solar, but not at the expense of wildlife habitat.
In the state of New York, Assemblyman Steve Englebright and his colleagues have been fighting to make the pretty stretch of woodland surrounding an abandoned Shoreham nuclear power plant off limits to developers.
And back in January, the Assemblyman co-sponsored legislation to stop the site from being turned into a solar farm.
And good news – over 800 acres of the site has been added to the publicly protected Central Pine Barrens preservation area, as well as portions of Mastic Woods. Plus, elected officials have pushed for the state to buy the land altogether.
About 840 acres of the property is to be bought from the National Grid in increments over a number of years, starting in 2019. The area consists of rolling hills and cliffs, and various species of wildlife. It’s one of New York’s remaining original coastal forest tracts, so it’s an important move in terms of protecting Long Island’s natural heritage. The National Grid had been proposing to bulldoze the forest and build a solar farm in its place.
It is hoped that this purchase will improve the ground and surface water quality and resilience of the coast – and support tourism. Which tourist wants to come to see a solar farm?
Englebright is hoping to save the Mastic acres which is still destined to be a solar farm, and that alternative sites can be used for solar development.
Solar energy is great, but there’s a place for it and forest isn’t one of them.
Well done to Englebright and his colleagues for this move!
In what I think is an incredibly short time, supporters of UK registered charity the World Land Trust have raised £165,000 towards the purchase of tropical forest.
I think it was late March 2018 that the appeal was started, and its success was announced on 12 June 2018 on its website.
This means that the World Land Trust will be able to save 400 acres of tropical forest in the Amazonian Andes of Ecuador.
The habitat is home to sloths, cats, hummingbirds, eagles, frogs and macaws.
The area will be safe under the permanent protection of the World Land Trust’s local partner, Fundación Jocotoco. They will be able to make the purchase and protect the 400 acres of tropical rainforest in the Amazonian Andes. This will extend the existing Narupa Reserve and connect it with nearby national protected areas.
The World Land Trust has previously supported extensions through its Action Fund.
This was an urgent appeal, because there was the danger of a road being built through this ecosystem but the area is now safe.
Such was the response of the World Land Trust supporters that the first part of the area was purchased quite early on in the appeal.
Getting involved gave me a wonderful feeling
Rather than give me a birthday present, I asked my husband to make a donation on my behalf to this appeal, I can’t tell you how much delight and joy my husband’s present has given me. I have a warm glow inside my heart every time I think of it. It is a gift that will truly last and be meaningful. Thank you, my darling!
I also donated myself to this appeal on behalf of my mother, my sister and I in memory of my wonderful father as an early Father’s Day gift. This means that Dad’s presence is scattered around the world – he’s now in Ecuador! He loved making a difference and he adored nature, so this is a great thing to do in his memory. (He's also in Scotland, Sussex, and a few other places besides, because every Christmas and Father's Day and on his birthday, I do something in his memory - plant a tree, adopt an acre etc).
It really does make you feel good to contribute to something so many others have and join in the efforts to help conservation and endangered animals.
The World Land Trust has an action fund you can donate to (if you've missed this appeal above and want to do something) which means that they can respond rapidly to urgent conservation needs.
Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.
There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast. One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset. It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there. In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.
In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Studland Bay.
In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay. That’s zero.
Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses. And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered.
The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.
Boating enthusiasts protested but the government fortunately over-ruled them.
Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".
"Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.
If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.
It’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.
A good move by the British Government. Now, more protection for wildlife, please!
Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will.
Boat owners are going to have anchoring restrictions to protect rare seahorses and marine life.
There are plans for 41 new marine conservation zones around the coast.One of those that will receive protection is Studland Bay in Dorset.It will be protected from yachts and motorboats that moor there.In Kent, Goodwin Sands (a 10 mile sandbank) will receive similar protection. The Camel Estuary (Cornwall) and the Orford Inshore (off Suffolk) will be protected too.
In 2008, the Seahorse Trust found 40 seahorses in Sutland Bay.
In 2018, (last month in fact), the Seahorse Trust found 0 seahorses in Studland Bay.That’s zero.
Heavy anchors and their metal chains destroy seagrass, the normal habitat for seahorses.And the Seahorse Trust says that seahorses should recolonise the area after the seagrass had recovered.
The charity says that while serious yachts people don’t anchor on the sea grass, plenty of boat users do.
Boating enthusiasts protested but the government came to their senses and took no notice of them
Needless to say, the Royal Yachting Association has said it will impose restrictions, believing that seahorses and recreational boating activities can "reasonably co-exist".
"Reasonably exist" isn’t good enough.This is yet another example of wildlife suffering from the human race and our activities.
It isn’t as if leisure boating was an essential activity. (I should know, because we are boat owners.) Surviving is.
If, over 10 years, the number of seahorses in Studland Bay has plummeted from a find of 40 to 0, there must be a very good reason.
And with so many people just not caring at all about nature (and it’s not just boat owners, of course) or even thinking about what they are doing and the impact they are having, it’s high time government stepped in, did the right thing and protected wildlife habitat.
A good move by the British Government.Now, more protection, please!
Give wildlife the space and right habitat to thrive, they will.
The appeal got off to an amazing start in the first week of the World Land Trust’s Big Match Fortnight. In fact, £100,000 was raised during this time. And after that, support flew in from all over the world.
One eight year old girl tripled her £100 target to help save rainforest by completing a mini-triathlon.
Artists dedicated their work of Guatemala’s wildlife, including a specially commissioned Chinamococh Stream Frog ornament by Jess Smith. The frog is a critically endangered species that can only be found in the mountains of Sierra Santa Cruz. There was also an oil painting of Scarlet Macaws by Glyn Macey and a watercolour of a Blackburnian Warbler by Dan Bradbury who works for the World Land Trust.
The money goes now to the World Land Trust’s local partner in Guatemala – the Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (FUNDAECO) and they work through the process of buying the land and protecting it to safeguard it for the wildlife living in the mountains.
©Jason Hollinger