EVENTS
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
2008 Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year
Throughout 2008
San Francisco, California
It's a race against time to see and save the 33 endangered species of San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Parks.
San Francisco ’s Golden Gate National Parks — aka the GGNRA — contain more endangered species than any other national park in continental North America, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia national parks combined. The GGNRA’s astounding diversity is cause for celebration but also for concern, as many of the plants and animals depending on this urban oasis are in dire danger of extinction.
That concern inspired organizers to launch an event that would reconnect the region’s residents with the recreation area’s natural wonders, especially its imperiled wildlife. Big Year is both an educational and a competitive event, culminating in a Big Year Award for the park visitor who sees and helps the largest number of the 33 listed species — through individual exploration or guided expedition — between January 1 and December 31, 2008. More than six dozen guided field trips are planned for the year.
Participants are encouraged to take part in conservation actions for the species, from restoring California least tern habitat to reducing their carbon footprint to ensure survival of the Bay checkerspot butterfly.
Every action counts, and everyone is invited to participate.
To sign up, visit the Big Year Web site.
For more information, contact Brent Plater by e-mail.
Read the Center’s Big Year press release.
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California Wetlands Conference Presentation
February 27, 2009
San Francisco, California
California’s remaining native wetlands represent a mere 10 percent of the historical total. Although they're one of the state's rarest ecosystems, these wetlands are critical to the survival of more than 80 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species and many rare and imperiled plants. Unfortunately, these last wetland vestiges are fast disappearing — and are now in urgent peril from sprawl development and the overarching threat of global warming. This February, Center Senior attorney will speak on just this issue at the ninth annual California Wetlands SuperConference, in a presentation entitled “Mitigating the Impacts of Global Warming and Climate Change,” which will outline the critical role of California wetlands and riparian areas in species survival and the protection of water resources.
Get details and learn how to register for the conference here.
Watershed Wednesday
January 14, 2009
Prescott, Arizona
One Wednesday each month, the Center’s Prescott office hosts an event to educate local citizens about central Arizona’s beautiful Verde River and the threats it now faces, including groundwater pumping, off-road vehicle damage, pollution from sludge dumping, and global warming. The monthly events, ranging from poetry readings to musical performances, are designed to be fun and make a meaningful impact.
The next Watershed Wednesday — and the first of 2009 — will be a two-part event illustrating water’s importance to life. At 6:00 p.m. at Prescott College’s Crossroads Center, 301 Grove Ave., you can watch RiverWebs, a documentary about an international group of river ecologists who share a story of tragedy, growth, and recovery across Eastern and Western cultures as they discover new things about rivers, ecology, and conservation. At 7:30, the action moves to the Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., where members of the Sacred Earth Endurance Co-op will present a visual and musical account of the annual Hopi water run.
For more information about Watershed Wednesday or Verde River issues, call Edie Dillon at (928) 277-9155 or email her at edillon@biologicaldiversity.org. Learn more about the Verde River here.
Verde River “Hidden Wonders” Hikes
Ongoing
Central Arizona
If a river flows in the wild and no one hears it, does it matter if it goes dry?
The answer, of course, is yes — but Joanne Oellers, the Center’s Verde campaign coordinator, means to make sure hikers see and hear central Arizona’s Verde River, a beautiful and species-rich waterway endangered by unsustainable groundwater pumping. Get the scoop on upcoming Verde River hikes and sign up by contacting Joanne Oellers at (928) 772-8204 or joellers@biologicaldiversity.org.
Learn more about the Verde and our campaign to save it here.
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