The flute-like melody of the Western Meadowlark is a familiar and iconic sound across the grasslands of the American West and Midwest. These vibrantly-colored songbirds build their nests and forage for food in native grasslands, meadows, and farm fields during the winter, and in the spring males can often be spotted perched on fence posts, singing out across the grasslands.

Unfortunately, as large-scale agricultural land development destroys and degrades native grasslands, Western Meadowlark populations continue to decline. Right now, crucial conservation programs — including those that protect native grasslands on which Western Meadowlarks depend — are at risk of being cut in the re-authorization of the Federal Farm Bill.

Even worse, federal farm subsidies that lead to the destruction of native grasslands are continuing to expand. Special interests are fighting efforts to conserve and recover some of America’s most crucial wildlife habitat, and that’s why our decision-makers need to hear from you! 

Help Protect the Western Meadowlark

Tweet like a meadowlark. Congress can’t hear the song of the meadowlarks in DC, so we have to tweet for them! Listed below are Senators on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. Simply find your Senator(s), and click “Tweet” to speak up for the Western Meadowlark.

Arkansas

Tweet Senator John Boozman: @JohnBoozman Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Colorado

Tweet Senator Michael Bennet: @SenBennetCO Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Georgia

Tweet Senator Saxby Chambliss: @SaxbyChambliss Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Indiana

Tweet Senator Richard Lugar @dicklugar Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Iowa

Tweet Senator Charles Grassley @ChuckGrassley Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Tweet Senator Tom Harkin @SenatorHarkin Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Kansas

Tweet Senator Pat Roberts: @SenPatRoberts Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Kentucky

Tweet Senator Mitch McConnell: @McConnellPress Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Michigan

Tweet Senator Debbie Stabenow: @stabenow Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Minnesota

Tweet Senator Amy Klobuchar: @amyklobuchar Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Nebraska

Tweet Senator E. Benjamin Nelson: @SenBenNelson Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Tweet Senator Mike Johanns: @Mike_Johanns Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

New York

Tweet Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: @SenGillibrand Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

North Dakota

Tweet Senator John Hoeven @SenJohnHoeven Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Ohio

Tweet Senator Sherrod Brown @SenSherrodBrown Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Pennsylvania

Tweet Senator Robert Casey, Jr. @SenBobCasey Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

South Dakota

Tweet Senator John Thune: @SenJohnThune Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Vermont

Tweet Senator Patrick Leahy: @SenatorLeahy Please support conservation programs in the 2012 #FarmBill that protect our soil, water, and wildlife.

Not on Twitter? Click here to send a message urging your Senator to support crucial conservation programs in the re-authorization of the 2012 Farm Bill.

Don’t have a Senator on the committee? You can still help the Western Meadowlark by sharing this post with friends in states that do.

Species that depend on camouflage to blend in with snow in the winter face unique threats from climate change.  With less snow for protection, they become more susceptible to hungry predators. Species like the snowshoe hare are struggling to adapt effectively to warmer temperature and reduced snow fall, and this seriously threatens their chances for survival.

Nowhere to Hide

During warm months, the snowshoe hare’s coat is a rusty brown, but when the days start to shorten, the hare’s coat whitens to hide it from predators like lynxes, coyotes, and eagles. Unfortunately, in recent years, snow is falling later and melting sooner, leaving the snow-white rabbit dangerously conspicuous against a green and brown background. According to the NWF report:

 ”…Winter is becoming less white: The extent of snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere has decreased by approximately 3 to 9 percent since 1978, with especially rapid declines in the western United States. Climatologists expect these trends to continue, and they project that by the end of the century, parts of the Northeast will lose as many as half of their snow-covered days each year.”

This is a particularly deadly forecast for the snowshoe hare who may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive these changes. While it’s only natural for these rabbits to provide sustenance to hungry predators throughout the winter, if the hares become too easy to catch, entire hare populations could be at risk, along with the species that rely on them for food. According to University of Montana researcher Scott Mills, “Hares are important because they are prey for almost everything in the forest that eats meat. Without hares, the ecosystem unravels.”

Getting Back on Trend

For the snowshoe hare, wearing white after Labor Day is more than just a faux pas – it’s a matter of life and death. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun the process of tackling climate change by proposing historic limits to industrial carbon pollution from new power plants. Big polluters are expected to challenge these limits, so it’s up to us to show our decision-makers that we want the EPA to protect wildlife from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate change. The future of snowshoe hares depends on it.

Protect the future of snowshoe hares, polar bears, and other wildlife imperiled by global warming by urging the EPA to finalize a strong standards to reduce carbon pollution from power plant smokestacks.

Read the full report On Thin Ice: Warming Winters Put America’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage at Risk at NWF.org/CleanAir

Rachel Carson

I wouldn’t feel right about starting with anyone other than Rachel Carson. This extraordinary woman and author brought environmental awareness to mainstream America in 1962 with her book Silent Spring, which exposed the hazards of pesticide use. The book introduced the idea that science and industry could pose a serious threat to the environment and public health. Her work also pointed out the need for environmental regulation — the EPA calls itself the extended shadow of Rachel Carson.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

 Margaret “Mardy” Murie

Considered the “grandmother of conservation,” Margaret “Mardy” Murie grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where her love of wilderness began. She married naturalist and biologist Olaus Murie in 1924, and their outdoor adventures led her to a life dedicated to the preservation of wild places. Her tireless advocacy led to the the protection of some of the most important wilderness areas left on the planet, including Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Her testimony was instrumental in the passage of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, legislation that set aside 104 million acres of land in Alaska and doubled the size of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2003, at age 100, Murie received the National Wildlife Federation’s highest honor, J.N. “Ding” Darling Conservationist of the Year.

“I am testifying as an emotional woman and I would like to ask you, gentlemen, what’s wrong with emotion? Beauty is a resource in and of itself. Alaska must be allowed to be Alaska, that is her greatest economy. I hope the United States of America is not so rich that she can afford to let these wildernesses pass by, or so poor she cannot afford to keep them.”

Winona LaDuke

An Anishinaabekwe enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, Winona LaDuke is a Native American environmentalist, activist, writer, and orator who advocates on issues of climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development, food systems, and environmental justice. She co-founded the Native American-led organization, Honor the Earth, that works to raise public awareness and increase financial resources for the Native environmental movement. She lives on the White Earth Ojibwe Reservation in Minnesota where she works to help land-based communities protect their cultures and traditions. LaDuke also joined Ralph Nadar on the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000. Watch her present comedian Stephen Colbert with an Ojibwe nickname in this clip from The Colbert Report in 2008.

“Power is not brute force and money; power is in your spirit. Power is in your soul. It is what your ancestors, your old people gave you. Power is in the earth; it is in your relationship to the earth.”

Majora Carter

In an incredibly compelling, emotionally-charged TED talk, Majora Carter defines environmental justice with the statement: “No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other.” This amazing activist works to transform under-served communities into sustainable places to live, something she calls “greening the ghetto.” She started with her own neighborhood by founding the non-profit Sustainable South Bronx and continues to help communities throughout the country solve challenges with environmentally sustainable solutions.

“We need to work together to embrace and repair our land, repair our power systems and repair ourselves.”

Maya Lin

She may be best known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, but Maya Lin is also a conservationist whose art aims to bring awareness to pressing environmental issues. She has collaborated with Pacific Northwest tribes, civic groups, and other artists on the Confluence Project, a series of seven installations along the Columbia River Basin that explore the intersection of environment, cultures, and regional history. Her memorial entitled “What is Missing” features a webpage and multiple installations that focus on biodiversity and habitat loss. Visit her MAYA LIN STUDIO to find out more about her art, architecture, and memorials.

“I think the natural environment is beautiful; nothing I can do is going to be better than what nature has done. So when I approach a site, I want to do it with a lot of respect, with a gentle touch, and whatever buildings I put down, I want them to frame and give you views out to the landscape — to have you be a part of and connected to the landscape. I really believe you can teach people that way. They may not be aware of what is going on with the architecture, but you can make them feel a part of nature — not above it, not superior to it, and not conquering it.”

Leap day is almost here!  Take some time this February 29^th to leap into fun with frogs.

Nearly a third of the world’s amphibian species, including frogs, are now threatened. So, take the extra day we get every four years to spend some time showing your appreciation for these amazing amphibians.

Leap Day Activities

Test your knowledge: Take the Leap Day Frog Quiz!

Get creative: Make origami frogs, and have a leaping contest.

Go outside: Build a frog pond.

Challenge yourself: Play the tree frog game.

Find out: What other animals have self-catapulting capabilities?

Learn more: Read about how frogs and toads are threatened by climate change and how new limits to carbon pollution from smokestacks can help.

My origami frog leaped a whole 29 inches!  Use the comments section below to share how far your frog can leap and which frog activities you enjoyed most this Leap Day.

I spent the day listening to numerous policy experts and representatives from various industries that will be affected by the proposed standards.  While these individuals’ testimonies were informative, and many of their perspectives were necessary to the discussion, they tended to blur together.

It was the nurses, religious leaders, U.S. military veterans, and soccer moms whose testimonies caught my attention.   Because they were speaking from personal experience, it was their voices that stood out throughout the hearing.

• A nurse who regularly tends to children with asthma spoke about children too scared to walk up a flight of stairs, fearful it may bring on an attack.
• NWF’s own Ed Perry told us about a fishing trip he took with his sons where they encountered lifeless bass floating down the river, killed by rising water temperatures.
• An African American woman spoke of the asthmatic children from communities disproportionately affected by reduced air quality.
• I was almost brought to tears when a veteran from the Truman National Security Project told us of the classmates he’d buried who’d been killed by explosives paid for with U.S. money used to purchase oil.

I was not only touched by the sincerity of these pleas to limit the pollution released into our air, I was struck by the wide range of reasons for these pleas.  It was clear from the diversity of those in testifying, that clean air isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s a human issue.  I realized that those dealing directly with the impacts of the use of dirty fossil fuels have not only the authority, but the responsibility, to speak up for change because it is their stories that I, and I’m certain others, took away from the hearing.

Take Action! Help protect America’s pika by editing and sending comments to the Environmental Protection Agency in support of strong fuel efficiency standards for cars.

And don’t forget to personalize your message!