In a world of unchecked development and climate change, conservation is no longer simply about protecting land. It’s about changing systems and helping people to rethink the ways they interact with the natural world in their daily lives. “From the mountains, to the prairies,” Rachel’s Network members are preserving some of our country’s most ecologically important and beautiful landscapes, and doing it in a way that acknowledges and works with this human element.
Here’s what we know about climate change: 97 percent of climate scientists are convinced, based upon the evidence, that human-caused global warming is happening. When they see no solution, people just don’t want to think about it. But when an effective solution is possible, opinions change quickly. Through Citizens Climate Lobby, Marianne Gabel is holding respectful discussions based on common values to help Congress find the way to a cooler, livable world.
In 2008, Portland Pipeline was quietly making plans to reverse the flow of their 236 mile long oil pipeline between Portland, Maine and Montreal, Canada. Few people in South Portland had heard of tar sands in 2008, but by 2014 that had changed. That’s because a group of citizens had formed “Protect South Portland,” going door-to-door to educate their neighbors about the threat of tar sands shipments in their community. Rachel’s Network Member Janet Miller talks about her involvement in the successful campaign to fight the project.
While queen conch has been a central part of Bahamian culture, economy, and cuisine for centuries; growing demand from the US has jeopardized local populations of the species. Rachel’s Network Member Martha Davis fell in love with queen conch while doing field work for her master’s degree. Now, through her organization Community Conch, she’s gathering and publishing vital information about this unique animal. With Martha’s help, and the commitment of her partners, volunteers, and local fisherman, the Bahamas can build back its dwindling conch population.
In her travels across Africa over the last decade, Diane Brinkmann has come to deeply appreciate and love elephants. Here she shares her experiences at an elephant camp in the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya with Elephant Watch, and the dire need to protect these magnificent creatures from illegal wildlife trafficking.
