+- +-

+-User

Welcome, Guest.
Please login or register.
 
 
 

Login with your social network

Forgot your password?

+-Stats ezBlock

Members
Total Members: 48
Latest: watcher
New This Month: 0
New This Week: 0
New Today: 0
Stats
Total Posts: 16867
Total Topics: 271
Most Online Today: 1208
Most Online Ever: 1208
(March 28, 2024, 07:28:27 am)
Users Online
Members: 0
Guests: 748
Total: 748

Author Topic: Defending Wildlife  (Read 37452 times)

0 Members and 35 Guests are viewing this topic.

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #45 on: November 06, 2016, 05:46:50 pm »
America's wolves at Risk



He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #46 on: November 06, 2016, 07:43:58 pm »
Shades of Gray: America's Wolf Dilemma

Wolf Howling Compilation  ;D

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #47 on: November 09, 2016, 06:43:07 pm »
Sweet Kangaroo Who Was Rescued as an Orphan Thanks Her Caretakers for Saving Her Every Day ! 

Full story with heart warming pictures:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/kangaroo-thanks-caretakers-for-saving-her/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #48 on: December 11, 2016, 06:30:39 pm »
Love and Relation With Wild Animals - Full Documentary


Love and Relation With Wild Animals - Full Documentary P.2
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #49 on: December 24, 2016, 03:52:39 pm »
Sea Shepherd  Finds Japanese Whaling Fleet   
 
in Southern Ocean

December 23, 2016 by Mike Schuler

A whale tied to the side of the Japanese whale research vessel Yushin Maru No. 2 taken February 15, 2013. Photo (at article link) courtesy Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Activists with the controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have located the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean setting the stage for what is sure to be another season of high seas drama and possibly violent confrontations in the remote Antarctic waters.

Sea Shepherd said its vessels, including its new Ocean Warrior, intercepted part of the Japanese whaling fleet Thursday night in the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

“The crews of the Ocean Warrior and The MV Steve Irwin have been battling through thick fog and ice to protect the whales in the Australian whale sanctuary,” said Captain Adam Meyerson, Captain of the Ocean Warrior. “The [Yushin harpoon ship] was hiding behind an iceberg and came out on a collision course.”

The organization said the Japanese whaling ship was located approximately 165 miles northeast of Australia’s Casey base, inside the Australian whale sanctuary.

“Sea Shepherd’s vessels are now on the hunt for the centerpiece of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet, the floating slaughterhouse known as the Nisshin Maru,” Sea Shepherd said in a statement.

“Finding one of the hunter killer ships hiding behind an iceberg in a thick fog means that the rest of the fleet is nearby. We all hope to have whaling in the Southern Ocean shut down by Christmas,” said Meyerson.

Sea Shepherd is currently on its 11th Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, named Operation Nemesis. This year the organization is equipped with a brand new, multi-million patrol ship that is faster and more capable than any ship Sea Shepherd has ever had in its fleet.

Sea Shepherd says this year the Japanese whaling fleet has set a quota of 333 Minke whales. Japanese whaling is conducted by the Institute of Cetacean Research, which skirts an international moratorium on commercial whaling under a provision that allows whaling only for purposes of scientific research.

https://gcaptain.com/sea-shepherd-finds-japanese-whaling-fleet-in-southern-ocean/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #50 on: January 16, 2017, 09:35:57 pm »
Australia ‘Deeply Disappointed’ by Japan’s Continued Whale Hunt in Southern Ocean

January 16, 2017 by Reuters

A photo published Sunday by marine conservation society Sea Shepherd shows a dead whale on the deck of the Japanese ‘whale research’ vessel Nissan Maru. Photo: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (at article link)


ReutersSYDNEY, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Australia said on Monday it was “deeply disappointed” Japan had continued whaling in the Southern Ocean after anti-whaling activists published a photograph of a dead whale and two days after Australian and Japanese leaders discussed the issue.

Australia has long opposed Japanese whaling and the contentious issue was raised in talks between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sydney on Saturday, said sources familiar with the talks.

“The Australian government is deeply disappointed that Japan has decided to return to the Southern Ocean this summer to undertake so-called ‘scientific’ whaling,” Australian Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said on Monday.

“It is not necessary to kill whales in order to study them,” Frydenberg added, without confirming the exact location of the current hunt.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014, in a case brought by Australia, that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop, prompting Japan to suspend its hunt for one season, though it resumed in 2015.

Japan maintains that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of its culture. Japan started what it calls “scientific whaling” in 1987, a year after an international whaling moratorium took effect.

Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd published a photograph on Sunday of a dead minke whale, which appeared to have been punctured by a harpoon, on the deck of the Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru. Sea Shepherd said the ship was hunting in an Australian sanctuary off the Antarctic coast.

The photograph is the first of the Japanese whaling fleet hunting in the Southern Ocean since the 2014 court ruling, Sea Shepherd said in a statement. Footage shows the dead whale was later covered by a blue tarpaulin.

Frydenberg said Australia will continue to press its strong opposition to whaling at the International Whaling Commission. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook and Colin Packham; Editing by Michael Perry)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.

http://gcaptain.com/australia-deeply-disappointed-japans-continued-whale-hunt-southern-ocean/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #51 on: January 19, 2017, 04:56:22 pm »
 

Center for Biological Diversity: 100-day Trump Action Plan

Rather than waiting to see Donald Trump’s plan for his first 100 days in office, the Center for Biological Diversity has drawn up our own plan to resist Trump during the earliest days of his term.
 


1.Rally Americans from coast to coast under the banner of #Earth2Trump to resist Trump's extremist, authoritarian agenda.

2.Strengthen alliances with groups fighting for gender and racial equality, American Indian sovereignty, LGBTQ rights, freedom of speech, press and religion, workers’ rights and other civil rights and values.

3.Hire 10 new attorneys, investigators and activists to aggressively hold the Trump administration accountable when it violates America's federal environmental laws.

4.Fight the confirmation of Trump's extremist, financially conflicted, unqualified cabinet nominations, including Rex Tillerson for secretary of State, Rick Perry for secretary of Energy, Scott Pruitt for Environmental Protection Agency director, Ryan Zinke as secretary of the Interior and Sonny Perdue as secretary of Agriculture.

5.Stop the repeal or weakening of the Endangered Species Act.

6.Block efforts to rescind, radically shrink or defund America's national monuments.

7.Stop the weakening of the Clean Air Act and revocation of the EPA's responsibility to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

8.Stop Trump from revoking the Clean Power Plan.

9.Stop Trump from weakening protection for wetlands and streams.

10.Maintain the moratorium on new federal coal leases and ensure a national assessment is completed of the environmental, human-health and financial costs of the federal coal-mining program.

11.Stop new offshore oil drilling in the Arctic, Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico by defending the Five-year Offshore Leasing Program and preventing the repeal of permanent protections against oil and gas leasing in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

12.Fight in the courts, along with the state of California, environmental and indigenous groups, to stop ocean fracking along the California coast.

13.File suit to stop intensive pollution of our oceans by industrial plastics.

14.Defend the State Department's refusal to approve the KXL pipeline and the Army Corps of Engineers' decision not to allow the Dakota Access Pipeline to threaten the water supply and cultural values of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

15.Defeat proposals to weaken trophy-hunting regulations and expand U.S. imports of endangered species including elephants, lions and polar bears.

16.Defeat efforts to give away federal public lands or turn their management over to states and corporations.

17.Prevent the stripping of federal protection from grizzly bears and wolves.

18.Prevent rollback of protections for imperiled greater sage grouse and more than 300 other species dependent on healthy Sagebrush Sea habitat.

19.Stand with reproductive-rights organizations defending the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights, access to birth control, and international funding for family-planning programs.

20.Mobilize college students across the country around clean energy, sustainable food and population issues.

21.Stop the construction of a massive new wall on the U.S.-Mexico border that would destroy wildlife habitat, pollute rivers, violate national parks, wildlife refuges, forests and rivers, and cause massive social and economic disruption of border towns and cities.

22.Petition the Department of Agriculture to cease the use of dangerous, unnecessary predator-killing poisons.

23.Ensure the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture are not stripped of their authority and responsibility to protect people and wildlife from dangerous pesticides.


http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/earth2trump/action_plan.html

Agelbert NOTE: Below please find, an example of the Trump Administration's Plans to make himselfAmerika Great:

Brought to you by the Brooklyn Bridge Realtors for Trump.  ;D
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #52 on: January 20, 2017, 03:10:28 pm »
A monumental win for elephants: China will ban ivory trade by 2017 

We celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017.

December 30, 2016

Author: Maru Valdes

Today, we celebrate another big win for elephant conservation with China’s game-changing decision to end domestic ivory trade by 2017. The new regulations come as part of the government’s efforts to reduce demand for elephant ivory and help end the global elephant poaching crisis.

"China’s announcement is a game changer for elephant conservation," said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF. "The large-scale trade of ivory now faces its twilight years, and the future is brighter for wild elephants. With the US also ending its domestic ivory trade earlier this year, two of the largest ivory markets have taken action that will reverberate around the world."

Last September, President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping made a joint commitment to impose near-total elephant ivory bans in their countries. The US finalized new regulations in June that will help shut down commercial elephant ivory trade within its borders and stop wildlife crime overseas.

China and the US are two of the world’s biggest consumer markets for wildlife products. Their historic decision to phase out commercial elephant ivory trade in both countries is a monumental step that few would have predicted a year ago.

The decision helped shape discussions at the world’s most important wildlife trade conference which took place in South Africa this past September. Representatives from 182 Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) gathered to discuss critical trade issues impacting species under threat, including a proposal to end all commercial domestic elephant ivory markets. In 2013, China and 18 other Asian and African countries were asked to develop and put into effect National Ivory Action Plans to address the poaching crisis.


Poachers kill between 20,000 and 30,000 African elephants each year for their tusks, primarily to satisfy the demand for ivory products in Asia, where China is a key part of this trade. The epidemic threatens Asian elephants as well, but on a smaller scale.

Now that two of the world’s largest domestic ivory markets—the US and China—have shown great leadership in taking significant stands towards elephant conservation, it is WWF’s hope that other consumer markets follow suit.

A recently published study by WWF and TRAFFIC says that an ivory trade ban in China is feasible and could help reduce current threats to African elephants. Creating that ban could set an example for and influence other countries to tackle the illegal ivory trade.

We’d like to see China continue its efforts to reduce demand for ivory; raise public awareness about wildlife crime; and work with other governments, conservation organizations, the private sector and local communities to help end the illegal ivory trade—and give elephants a future free from poaching.

Do your part to help stop wildlife crime.

https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/SPageServer/;jsessionid=AA84E60D919BEDF3E31DB40BF5D76BEC.app245a?pagename=enews_signup&_ga=1.88753691.1249604236.1484942642
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #53 on: January 21, 2017, 09:24:03 pm »

The National Wildlife Federation Calls on Senate to Reject Nominee for EPA Administrator

For First Time in 80-Year History, Bipartisan NWF Opposes Cabinet Nomination.

01-19-2017 // Miles Grant  39  26  .

WASHINGTON – The National Wildlife Federation today announced its opposition to the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. It marks the first time in the history of the National Wildlife Federation, founded in 1936, that the organization is asking Senators to oppose a presidential cabinet appointment. NWF will launch a national campaign to mobilize its six million members and supporters to contact their U.S. senators to urge a no vote on Pruitt’s nomination.

Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“When Attorney General Pruitt was first nominated, the National Wildlife Federation was willing and eager to hear his vision for the EPA.

We have a basic three-part test that we use to evaluate nominations:

1. Does the nominee support science-based decision-making?

2. Will the nominee uphold our nation’s environmental laws?

3. Is the nominee willing to put the interest of the American people above those of special interests?


Unfortunately, at yesterday’s confirmation hearing the nominee made it crystal clear that he does not meet any of these tests. For these reasons, we must oppose his confirmation. Simply put, Mr. Pruitt cannot be pro-outdoors and anti-science.

“As a nationwide Federation comprised of millions of Republicans and millions of Democrats, we are proud of our history working with Administrations of both parties to fulfill government’s sacred duty to conserve and steward America’s wildlife, fish, healthy waters, clean air, and public lands as public trust resources for all — including for future generations — using the best available science.

During previous Republican Administrations, we worked closely with President Nixon and Bill Ruckelshaus to create the EPA and we worked closely with Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, Maine Senator Ed Muskie, and Michigan Congressman John Dingell to develop and pass the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

We worked with President Reagan to confront the threats to the ozone layer and coastal resources, President George H.W. Bush to address acid rain and cross-state air pollution. We worked with President George W. Bush to better protect millions of acres of wetlands. A commitment to sound science was the foundation of each of these accomplishments. 

“In contrast, Mr. Pruitt’s record and policy positions represent a stark break with the Republican Party’s conservation legacy. He has sought to undermine climate science and questioned whether mercury pollution was bad for public health. He has repeatedly used the power of his office to fight to overturn the water and air safeguards that protect our fish and wildlife, public health, natural resources, and climate. He sued to stop the EPA from reducing water pollution entering upstream tributaries and wetlands. He sued to stop rules to reduce toxic mercury pollution, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide, and sued to block the Clean Power Plan.

During yesterday’s hearing, Mr. Pruitt did not say anything to suggest he would change course from this record to represent all Americans, rather than special interests. Because of this track record and the positions he stated in yesterday’s hearing, his nomination is completely unprecedented in the agency’s nearly 50 year history and must be rejected.”

“It is clear Mr. Pruitt does not share America’s cherished bipartisan conservation values and cannot effectively lead the EPA. We agree with former Republican EPA Administrators, including Bill Ruckelshaus, Bill Reilly, and Christie Todd Whitman, who have made it clear that Mr. Pruitt cannot lead the EPA without a strong respect for science. For the first time in our 80-year history, the National Wildlife Federation asks Senators from both parties to join us in opposing this nomination by voting no.”

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/General-NWF/2017/1-19-17-NWF-Calls-on-Senate-to-Reject-Nominee-for-EPA-Administrator.aspx
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #54 on: February 10, 2017, 02:07:11 pm »
Email from Senator Sanders

Quote

February 10, 2017

Dear Mr. Gelbert:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a longtime conservationist, I share your support for the ESA and your concern that some members of Congress would like to weaken this landmark legislation.

The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 to protect species from the threat of extinction. The ESA set up the framework to scientifically determine which species are endangered, and take steps to conserve them and their habitat. Currently over 1,400 species have protection under this law. As we celebrate 40 years of successful conservationism thanks to the ESA, I am proud to say that 99 percent of the species that have been placed on the endangered list are alive today. 

Though the ESA has saved hundreds of plants and animals from extinction, not all of my colleagues see its value. Some members want to see critical species' habitats opened up to industrial and commercial interests, rather than protected for all Americans to enjoy. Several pieces of legislation have been introduced that would be detrimental to the conservation of endangered species because they would turn a decision that ought to be based solely on science into a political issue.

That is why, like you, I oppose efforts to weaken the ESA. As a member of both the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation threatening the ESA be brought up for consideration.

Thank you again for contacting me, and please feel free to stay in touch about this or any other subject of interest to you.  For up-to-date information on what I am working on, please sign-up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at http://sanders.senate.gov/buzz/.

Sincerely,

BERNARD SANDERS
 United States Senator
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #55 on: February 10, 2017, 02:26:36 pm »
Watch Swedish Couple Rescue Moose From Frozen Lake
Jordan Simmons

A wild moose in Sweden struggled for its life after falling through the ice on a frozen lake. Fortunately for the moose, a couple came along and worked 30 minutes to rescue it. 

Watch this video to see how they did it:


English translation:

"On our way to the hole, we saw the moose make several attempts at getting out of the water, but it could neither get up nor break the ice to get into shore. My partner, Sigrid Sjösteen, eagerly started to chop a pathway to shallower water, where it could reach the bottom and get out. We took turns chopping for about 30 minutes before the moose was out of danger."

http://www.ecowatch.com/moose-rescue-video-2250087137.html
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #56 on: February 19, 2017, 02:17:24 pm »

Can LED lights save sea turtles? 

In other words: Could a simple lightbulb be the answer that keeps sea turtles out of fishing nets?

Issue: Spring 2017

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are accidentally killed by fishing gear—caught on dangling hooks or entangled in nets—every year. To reduce that risk, some experts have proposed modifying the design of fishing gear. But what if you could simply change the way turtles perceive it?

That was the question behind an illumination device developed by John Wang, an ecologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

He submitted the idea to the WWF International Smart Gear Competition, a challenge designed to identify innovative ideas for reducing bycatch in fisheries, in 2011.

“Turtles can see certain light wavelengths that a lot of fish species can’t,” says Mike Osmond, a senior program officer on WWF’s Oceans team. “Wang’s theory was that if you used a light with the right wavelength, you could help turtles see and avoid the nets while still catching fish.”

The device, which won a runner-up prize, started out using a glow stick. Through funding from WWF, Wang then switched to LED lights, testing the effects of various light colors at field sites in Mexico and Indonesia. Eventually he settled on green and ultraviolet.

The test results showed an up to 60% reduction in turtle bycatch—and at the Indonesian site, a 20% boost in the target catch for participating fishers. WWF and NOAA are now working with a small company to develop a better case for the light, and exploring the potential of testing it in the Philippines and Indonesia, key feeding sites for endangered leatherback turtles.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/spring-2017/articles/can-led-lights-save-sea-turtles
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #57 on: March 16, 2017, 04:23:27 pm »
]

Grim Toll: Wildlife Services Killed 2.7 Million Animals in 2016

The latest numbers are out on the deadly toll on animals taken by Wildlife Services' killing program. Last year this secretive arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture wiped out more than 2.7 million animals, including 415 gray wolves, 76,963 adult coyotes, 407 black bears, 334 mountain lions, 997 bobcats, 21,184 beavers and 3,791 foxes.

 The Center has worked for years to reform this rogue program, whose killing -- with traps, poisons, guns and gases -- is mostly done as a misguided favor for agriculture.

 "Despite mounting public outcry to reform these barbaric, outdated tactics, Wildlife Services continues its taxpayer-funded slaughter of America's wildlife," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "These cruel practices not only fail to effectively manage targeted wildlife but also pose ongoing threats to other animals, including endangered species and pets." 
 Read more in our press release.
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/wildlife-services-03-14-2017.php
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #58 on: March 17, 2017, 01:48:35 pm »


A tiny aircraft gives researchers a big-picture view of Thailand and Myanmar 

Issue: Spring 2017

Author: Mark Silverberg

Conservationists have been working in the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape—which spans the Thailand/Myanmar border—for years. It is the largest intact block of forests in Southeast Asia, and home to most of the region’s tigers and Asian elephants. WWF staff travel for days at a time on the unpaved roads that traverse the 40,000-square-mile area, conducting research, training park rangers, and more.

Rarely, though, do they get to see this magnificent wilderness area from the air. That’s why I am here—to provide WWF with an entirely new perspective. It’s why I spend days driving into the heart of this jungle while towing my paramotor—a flying machine that looks like a two-seat recumbent bicycle with a propeller on the back. It’s why I spend the day before our flight using my shovel and machete to clear debris from the dirt roads that will serve as runways, and why I meticulously check every component of my machine.

It’s all worth it. I rise before dawn to take advantage of the calm morning air, strap WWF-Thailand scientist Gordon Congdon into a seat with no walls or floor around him, and soar to 3,000 feet. From the sky, Congdon gets an awe-inspiring unobstructed aerial view of the forest. He is able to see access roads to illegal logging sites, but also long stretches of forest that are home to critical and endangered species.

Images captured by photographer Adam Oswell during a second flight that day will help Congdon inspire those who will never get into the air to appreciate this amazing place. The photos stick in my head, too, as record of a time when I felt lucky enough to combine the joy of flying with saving a portion of the planet I love.


https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/spring-2017/articles/a-tiny-aircraft-gives-researchers-a-big-picture-view-of-thailand-and-myanmar
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 36274
  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
Re: Defending Wildlife
« Reply #59 on: March 21, 2017, 01:20:55 pm »
This Man Has Spent 40 Years Re-Planting Forests Lost to Cattle Ranching in Brazil

Natasha Brooks   
March 21, 2017 

Few stories are as inspirational as this one about Antonio Vicente, a man who has dedicated the past forty years of his life to reforesting the precious natural ecosystems of Brazil.

As one of fourteen children raised in a farming family, Vicente saw firsthand the adverse effects of clearing forests for farmland. He saw his father chop down trees at the order of wealthy landowners for the production of coal and cattle. Eventually, the natural water sources were depleted and the land dried up.

Far ahead of his time, Vicente saw this as a giant warning sign and made it his mission to re-plant the trees lost to deforestation. Beginning at a time where Brazil’s government encouraged the expansion of farmland, most people laughed at Vicente for his proposed initiative. However, no one’s opinion stopped Vicente from acting out his mission.

It is estimated that in the past four decades, Vicente has planted over 50,000 trees on 77 acres. His Serra de Mantequeira property on the mountainside in Brazil is a beautiful sight. Seeing images of this towering lush green forest, it can be hard to believe that Vicente grew each and every tree from seed. 

When asked by the Guardian what has motivated him over the decades, Vicente replied, “I didn’t do it for money, I did it because when I die, what’s here will remain for everyone…People don’t call me crazy any more.”

Check out this video to see Vincente in action:
 


If you are inspired by Vicente and his applaudable mission, please share this story with friends and family. If he has inspired you to act even further, consider taking his example and plant trees in your own home and neighborhood. Planting trees not only connects us with the earth, it also helps ensure a brighter future for the planet. 

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/man-re-planting-forests-lost-to-cattle-ranching-in-brazil/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

+-Recent Topics

Future Earth by AGelbert
March 30, 2022, 12:39:42 pm

Key Historical Events ...THAT YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF by AGelbert
March 29, 2022, 08:20:56 pm

The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth by AGelbert
March 28, 2022, 01:12:42 pm

Electric Vehicles by AGelbert
March 27, 2022, 02:27:28 pm

Heat Pumps by AGelbert
March 26, 2022, 03:54:43 pm

Defending Wildlife by AGelbert
March 25, 2022, 02:04:23 pm

The Koch Brothers Exposed! by AGelbert
March 25, 2022, 01:26:11 pm

Corruption in Government by AGelbert
March 25, 2022, 12:46:08 pm

Books and Audio Books that may interest you 🧐 by AGelbert
March 24, 2022, 04:28:56 pm

COVID-19 🏴☠️ Pandemic by AGelbert
March 23, 2022, 12:14:36 pm