Earth Day is a call to action for people all over our planet to be a voice for Mother Earth, wild places, clean air and water, and endangered species.
This is exactly what it means to be a Guardian—to be a voice for the vulnerable, the voiceless, and anyone or anything that cannot act on their own behalf.
This Earth Day—and all year long—we’re celebrating the Endangered Species Act and our efforts to protect endangered plants and animals that otherwise might pass into the dark night of extinction.
In 1970, during Earth Day’s inaugural celebration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a warning when it listed 44 species under a law that eventually became the Endangered Species Act.
Today the peregrine falcon, one of the species protected in 1970, is an endangered species success story. It reminds us that a powerful law with the focus and energy of countless organizations and individuals can save entire species.
Another species protected that same inaugural year, the thick-billed parrot—the only surviving parrot native to North America—is a cautionary tale and a reminder that much work remains to be done. Today, no thick-billed parrot flock exists in the United States. Their last remaining “stronghold” in northern Mexico includes fewer than 2,000 birds. We are failing the thick-billed parrot.
All the species listed in 1970, and all those since then—whether wolves, wolverines, leopard frogs, or tiger salamanders—need Guardians. I’m a Guardian. I believe you are a Guardian too. I ask that you stand with me today by supporting our Endangered Species Fund as generously as you can in honor of Earth Day.
As we celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day this week and the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in May, I call on all of us who care about a wild world to stand up and act. Sign letters, call Congress, and demand action. Do so for the species that depend on us to be their voices, and also for the Act itself, which is constantly being threatened by anti-wild industry powerhouses, elected officials, and businesses.
Together we can be a powerful change-maker in the world.
If you are not already a Guardians’ member, we need you now more than ever. Become a member and support our efforts to be a Guardian for Mother Earth.
