Personal Input: Concluding Discussion

For my final blog post I wanted to have a post that is directly from my mind and heart. I wanted to speak plainly and discuss everything I have gone over throughout my blog and give my personal input on some points and also to help you feel more connected to what I discussed.

I talked a lot about conservation and efforts to protect our environment and even gave you some ways you could help do so. But why exactly should you care, is probably one thought that crosses your mind. Trust me I understand how you can overlook things throughout your busy life and focus your attentions on things that may seem more relevant to you. However, I want you to think about the things we discussed. Think about every time you walk outside, do you ever just stop and admire what is around you? I think it's basic human nature to admire our surroundings, it's what gives us comfort, pleasure or perhaps even joy. You may not think much of it but your environment plays a key role in your morale and personal feelings. Imagine if you woke up and walked outside and all you saw was waste, a run down deserted landscape filled with nothing but toxic smog and a skyline you can barely see. How would this effect you? I for one for feel dread, despair and even sadness.

Imagine a world without animals if you will. No pets, cats, dogs, birds, fish and other animals we take as pets gone, because we didn't care enough to protect their habitats we share with them. It's a harsh reality to come to. Could you imagine not having flowers grow anymore? Trees no longer providing you shade or oxygen? It's a strange thing to think, but that is what we face. As of this post a specific bumble bee that helps pollinate flowers is at risk of becoming extinct. Without the pollination the flowers will not be able to reproduce and will die out within a few years.

I'm not asking you as a person to become some super hippy tree hugging lover that goes to rallies and protests against every animal cruelty that is brought to light. I myself enjoy a nicely cook steak and am not a Vegan or Vegetarian. No, I am asking you to care about the world around you not just for your sake but for the sake of those who share the land with you. Life is about growing and putting something back into the world to make it a better place. Wouldn't you want to leave the planet you live on in a better place for those who come after you? I'm not asking you to give up your religious beliefs either if you have any. Whatever deity you worship is your own agenda but ask yourself this, would that said deity want you to destroy the planet they left for you to live on? I would say no personally most religions are about being kind and worshiping and upholding the beliefs of said deity. Not many say you should not care for your fellow man or the place you inhabit. You should and you shall! 

I hope that you will think deeply and re-read some of the articles and posts I have left you and come to the conclusion if this planet is worth saving. I for one am doing all I can to be a better person and help protect the world that I live on. But I am only one person and there are many problems our planet faces. We face opposition from those who do not see as I or maybe you do, but in the face of such opposition if we raise our voices loud enough and together we can and will be heard and cannot be denied! Stand for what is right and stand for what is good! Protect our planet and protect our future!

The EPA: Environmental Protection Agency

A blog about Wildlife Conservation and protecting our planet cannot be written without talking about the EPA. The EPA was founded in 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon to protect human health and the environment by writing an enforcing regulations by Congress. The origins however began around the late 1950's and early 1960's as growing concern of the impact of human activity on the environment around them. The Resources and Conservation Act was introduced by a Senator by the name of James E. Murray. This added a environmental council in the offices of the president and must begin annually reporting on environmental events and the health of our planet. In 1970 President Nixon proposed a restructuring of the organization into a single agency, a new Environmental Protection Agency. Thus, the EPA was born.

Immediately the EPA began regulating green house gases (GHGs) which would cut back on GHG emissions into our environment which was a leading cause of pollution and climate change. Some other things that the EPA began to add was the Energy Star program in 1992. Many of you will probably notice when you buy a light bulb or an appliance at a store it will have a "energy star" label on the packaging somewhere. The Energy Star program was meant to make products that were more energy efficient and cut back on pollution into our environment. Since the program has started the EPA estimates $14 Billion was saved in energy costs in 2006 alone! That's a substantial amount of money saved and energy!

Another act the EPA is famous for and one you may not know is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodentcide Act. This made it so that every company must register all pesticides to be legally sold in the United States. Making any harmful to our environment not allowed to be sold in the country. As you may not many insecticides hurt bees which is a sad side effect of the product. Bees are more important to our environment then you may know. Without them many plants like vegetables and fruits would not get the necessary pollen to grow properly and would die off. Pollination is also important for plants to reproduce and grow. It is important that we take the time to protect even the smallest of creatures to ensure the safety and survival of our planet.

Unfortunately for the EPA it's new head, Scott Pruitt, is a climate change denier and believes that CO2 emissions have nothing to do with our climate's issues. This man is a disaster for the department and it's looking like a grim future for the agency. Hopefully, if we get enough people involved we can stop this man from destroying our environment. Recent budget cuts have also shown that the EPA will be getting a substantial decrease in funding while our military will get a substantial increase the largest we've seen in recent history. We must stand up for what is right and protect our environment before there isn't an environment left to protect. In my final post after this one, I will summarize most of what I have posted throughout this blog and hopefully convince you to get more involved in protecting our beautiful planet and the animals that we share it with.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency

Endangered Species Act

We can't talk about Wildlife Conservation without talking about the most important law put into play for wildlife everywhere. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was put into play by President Richard M. Nixon. The act at it's core was put in place to protect animals and species that are endanger of disappearing forever. The act showed global leadership, the act which has been the most important act enacted to protect species across the US, has shown great promise over the years protecting many species and brought them on the road to recovery.

Over the past 200 years scientists have estimated over 500 species have disappeared in the United States alone! So many species lost to time because of human interaction and other outside factors. The Endangered Species Coalition has been relentless in protecting many different species over the years ranging from black-footed ferrets to sea turtles.

The act is simple and has 3 key elements:

• Preventing listed species from being harmed or killed
• Protecting habitats essential to these species survival
• Creating plans to restore healthy populations

In addition to these elements the act also gives states, tribes and private landowners numerous conservation resources. Since the act was enacted over 1,200 species have been saved and set on the road to recovery with many more to come in the coming years. Not only does the act protect animals but it also protects plants vital to the survival of humans and animals alike.

For a species to be protected under the act it must first be listed as "endangered" or "threatened" this can be done by petition from the state or public agencies which include, National Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Species will become candidates and be given limited protection under the act until fully enacted into the act. When they are added to the list they must also designate a "critical habitat" which are specific areas that need to be given special treatment and management to protect the failing species. Once both of these criteria are met a recovery plan is put in place and recovery efforts begin. However, each federal agency is required to ensure that the species will not be threatened more by acts made by various agencies to protect the species.

If you would like to learn more about this act and the agencies who take part in it please visit the links below:

http://www.endangered.org/campaigns/protecting-the-endangered-species-act/

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/

https://www.fws.gov/

An Inconvenient Truth

For this post I am dedicating it to Al Gore and his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". The documentary from 2006 which I highly recommend is about Al Gore and his campaign to educate citizens about global warming.

Al Gore who was a Former Vice President under Bill Clinton has been a strong advocate for environmental protection and global warming. Since 1989 Gore has been at the forefront of environmental protection and preservation. It started with his slide show illustrations that he would discuss how our world is heating up and becoming increasingly unstable due to human activity. Throughout this documentary Gore discusses the scientific opinion on global warming and how the issue is not such much a political issue than it is a moral one. Gore also discusses CO2 levels in the Antarctic providing data showing how the levels are the highest they have ever been in 650,000 years. Gore also refutes that the warming process will be negligible arguing that ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica which could raise the sea level by 20 feet and cause over 100 million refugees to flee areas effected by rising sea levels.

However towards the end of the documentary Gore does say there is hope. We must cut back on the amount of green house gases that we put out and plant more vegetation to allow the CO2 levels to be absorbed by them. If we take the necessary precautions we can begin to heal the damage we have caused to our planet. I highly recommend you watch his documentary it is a must see for anyone who is concerned or cares about our environment and those who inhabit it, humans and animals alike.

The links below will give you more info on Gore and his Documentary:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/

National Parks: Founding and Dismantling

In this post I want to talk about how our government founded the National Park system and how today our leaders are looking at ways to cut funding and shut down some of these parks or even privatize them to allow companies to destroy more of our ecosystems.

Above you can see one of our oldest and most recognized national parks, Yellowstone National Park, founded March 1, 1872. The park was created for pleasure grounding and the benefit of the people. As time went on the United States added more National Parks and monument sites in parts of the Western states. In August of 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the National Park Service. This act protected the lands established over the years. This would preserve the scenery within the lands of the park and allow for entire ecosystems to be able to thrive without threat of human interaction. Since 1872 over 400 areas in 50 states covering 84 million acres of land have been added to the National Park Service. More information on how the parks were founded and set up can be found here on the National Park services website: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/history.htm

So now you have a bit of an idea how the National Park Service was enacted. But what exactly does this do for our wildlife you may ask? I mean it is the whole point of this blog post right? Well, glad you are asking! Pictured above is the Denali Wolf, which can be found in Alaska. The Wolf roams the area of Denali National Park and can sometimes be found outside the area of the park. Under the National Park Service the wolf has been protected and has thrived in the region. However, recently the Alaska board has denied safe zones for the wolves within the region they populate in Denali Park. This will allow people to hunt, trap and even kill the Denali wolf who hunts in the area for Caribou during the winter and spring months. Without this protection, this already endangered species will be most likely hunted to extinction. Before 45% of visitors would be able to spot the Denali Wolf roaming the country side in 2010. However, in 2016 this has plummeted to only 5% of visitors being able to see the wolf. Many visitors are disappointed to see the plummet in the population of the wolf. Tourists come from all over the world to see the magnificent wolf first hand. This adds plenty of revenue into the park which helps the economy of Alaska. Without the wolf expect plummets in visitors and profit. For more information of Denali National Park and the Denali Wolf please visit: https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/wolves.htm

Pictured above is the American Bison which until recently was an endangered species. About 500,000 exist on private lands and 30,000 on public lands protected by government reserves and agencies. Without the reserves and protections the Bison would not exist today. Hunting the Bison was brought on by the Native Americans who lived on the lands and later adopted by American professional hunters. Almost hunted to extinction by 1890 it has since began to recover thanks to government intervention and private organizations. There isn't much more I wanted to say about the Bison it's primarily a food source for many predators that inhabit the areas of the Midwest. Without the Bison, the ecosystem of the American Midwest would suffer terribly. Information on the Bison can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison#Hunting

I'll say this right now as in my next few blog posts I may target them more. The GOP is not a party I find myself in agreement with often. Their rash, uninformed and often stupid ideas have cost Americans dearly over the years. But one thing recently has really irked me. GOP senators and government officials have started a movement to privatize the NPS. What this would do would hand over control of parks around the country to the state. Many states have substantially cut funding to parks all over the country. Without federal funding from the government many of the parks you see today could be shut down. The NPS would then have to go elsewhere for funding, private corporations and other avenues, to get sufficient funding to keep the parks running. Corporations could then either decide to build on the land or even destroy them entirely to fit their own agendas. All the while our wildlife and ecosystems suffer the most. We cannot allow these people to do as they will and destroy our planet! We must make a stand for what is right for us and for our world around us! Check out this article if you want to learn more about what is happening in our government today: https://newrepublic.com/article/136307/dont-privatize-national-parks

Also sign the petition: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-stop-national-parks-from-privatization

Contact your local government officials for a list of your government officials go to: nj.gov and find your local politician.