Click here to view the embedded video.

Already, 500 wolves have been cruelly killed this way in nearby developed areas, and this persecution is planned to expand in the tar sands area. If we don’t fight back, 6,000 more wolves may face the same fate.

Stopping the massive Keystone XL pipeline–which would roughly double imports of dirty tar sands oil into the United States–is a critical step in protecting wolves from the dangerous expansion of tar sands. Legislation to force the approval of Keystone XL is moving quickly, and your help is urgently needed to ramp up the fight to make sure Congress votes the right way for wolves.

Save wolves from dirty oil–urge your members of Congress to stand up against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Youth Panel Speaks at White House Youth Sustainability Challenge Launch

The Challenge opened on May 2 and closes on June 1, 2012, in the lead up to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development that month. Through the online video challenge, the Obama Administration is calling on young people to tell the world what they are doing on their campuses and in their communities to foster sustainability and help create “an America built to last.” Winning videos will  be shown at the Rio+20 Conference and winners will be recognized at an exclusive White House event.

At the White House launch, a panel of senior-level government officials spoke about the importance of youth taking action. They stressed that young people have the power to help shape a sustainable future and that as future leaders, young people’s innovation, creativity, and mastery of new connection technologies can help demonstrate the fundamental link between economic, social and environmental progress.

Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency remarked that “America’s youth have the power to inspire their communities,” and he called on young people to “challenge the U.S. and the world to do more.”

A panel of local college student leaders also spoke at the launch, telling of their experiences being change-leaders on campus. They stressed that sustainability is the defining challenge of this generation, and that the key to creating change is working with others, knowing how you fit into the puzzle and how others do as well.

You can view a video from the launch event on YouTube, here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

AP Photo

Jeremy Symons, senior vice president of the National Wildlife Federation, said:

“It’s hard to tell what’s really new about TransCanada’s application, which continues to threaten Nebraska’s iconic Sandhills and its critical Ogallala aquifer. It’s just the latest broken promise from TransCanada, which has threatened to seize Nebraskan lands by eminent domain and claimed its Keystone I pipeline would spill very rarely, then spilled 12 times in its first year of operation.”

The Alberta-based company is already planning to move forward with the project’s southern segment(from Cushing, OK to the Port Arthur, TX). Because the southern segment won’t cross an international boundary, the State Department won’t require a presidential permit for it to be built, but the southern segment still needs water permits from the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). TransCanada wants limited review of this dangerous project and they want to stay out of the public eye after the bruising they took during the first round of this fight.They’re betting that it will be harder for the State Department to say no to the rest of the pipeline if a significant portion of it is already in place — However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already said more scrutiny is needed.

Gulf Coast Project

As NWF’s Jeremy Symons argues,

“The only thing this pipeline would guarantee is billions in annual profit for oil companies, while risking long-lasting damage to our waters and lands. That’s why oil companies have pushed so hard to have their allies in Congress take this decision out of the hands of safety regulators – they know if Keystone XL is judged fairly on its impacts on America’s land, water, wildlife and climate, it doesn’t stand a chance.”

Protesters carry an inflatable Keystone Xl pipeline around the White House during the Nov. 6th rally. (Photo: Marine Jaouen)

Help us make sure this dangerous pipeline gets the scrutiny it deserves. Speak up now for wildlife and people affected by tar sands and the Keystone XL pipeline:

Our first attempt: 

Hey Girl…

Inspired by NPR’s series, Hey Girl, I heart NPR , our goslings and NWF invite you to join us for Garden for Wildlife Month and a competition to create a “Hey Girl” meme like this one; you can use your own pictures of geese– or any wildlife– or you can use ours.  Add your submissions to our Facebook page or pin it to Pinterest through May 16, and the winner will receive a Garden for Wildlife fleece blanket! 

Happy Meme-ing!

The entrant must affirmatively agree to these Official Rules when submitting the entry form for the Contest.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ONLINE ENTRY ONLY AND INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED.

Contest only open to legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C., 13 years and older.The Contest begins May 3, 2012, at 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST) and ends May 16, 2012, at 11:59 PM EST (“Entry period”). The contest winner’s photo will be published on NWF’s Facebook page by May 31, 2012. ARV of all prizes awarded: $10.00 Winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability and publicity (where permitted). Subject to full Official Rules. Company: National Wildlife Federation 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA 20190.

More Garden for Wildlife Month Fun:

• Wildlife Garden Tour and Native Plant Sale: Join us on May 12!
• Certify your habitat: Let us show you how!
• Watch! The Garden for Wildlife Month video!
• Which plants are native to your region? Find out now!
• Help spread the word about Garden for Wildlife Month!

Photo courtesy of Bob McMillan/FEMA

This intensification of weather is one of the most visible impacts of global warming in our everyday lives.

For example:

• Climate change is bringing more heavy rainfall events, and more extreme flooding events.
• Record hot days and heat waves are becoming more likely now that the U.S. surface temperature has increased about 2°F over the last 50 years, even more than the warming averaged for the whole planet.
• Night-time temperatures have shown a particularly striking upward trend, worsening heat stress in plants and wildlife that don’t have a chance to cool down.
• Sea-surface temperatures are increasing in the main development area for tropical storms in the North Atlantic, leading to more intense hurricanes.
• Winter weather from year to year is yo-yoing between record snowfalls and unusually mild conditions.

You can help connect the dots between weather extremes that are part of the pattern of intensifying weather caused by climate change.  Just create a “dot” make out of cardboard, or people, a bike wheel or anything else in a place that is impacted by weather extremes, or that shows a solution to global warming.

Take photos with a dot at:

• River or stream habitats that have been impacted by extreme flooding.
• Lakes that experienced lessened ice cover during the unusually warm winter.
• Favorite outdoor areas that did not experience the usual snowfall.
• Gardens that have begun growing weeks earlier than usual.
• Habitats that have suffered from worsened drought.
• Areas torn apart by tropical storms.
• Coal-fired power plants that are dumping global warming pollution into the air.
• Your rain barrel for coping with droughts; solar panels for generating clean energy; native flower gardens that can survive worsened weather; rain gardens that help during floods; or other solutions.

Send in your photo connecting the dots:

• Use our examples or your own creative ideas to decide where to take your photo — either of something impacted by extreme weather or a solution.
• Form a dot — out of plants, cardboard, people — anything!
• Take a handful of photos!
• Email each photo one at a time to alerts@nwf.org with the name of the photographer, location and description of what is in the photo!

By emailing the photo to alerts@nwf.org, you are donating the image to the National Wildlife Federation for use in furthering its mission. Donors retain ownership of their photos to use them as they wish, and grant NWF, its subsidiaries, affiliates and partners an irrevocable non-exclusive license to reproduce, publish, circulate or otherwise use the photographs howsoever in any medium now in existence or to be established, throughout the world in perpetuity.  NWF greatly appreciates all image donations.

We look forward to seeing your photos that help “Connect the Dots” between extreme weather and climate change.

GiveBIG May 2nd - The Seattle Foundation

Mark Your Calendar

On May 2nd you have the opportunity to maximize your donation to the National Wildlife Federation by donating through the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG program. GiveBIG is a one day opportunity to donate to Seattle area nonprofits including the National Wildlife Federation. When you donate through GiveBig we receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds, making your donation go further. All you have to do is make a donation online anytime on the second of May to the National Wildlife Federation!

When you make your donation you are automatically entered into a drawing to win an additional $1,000 to the National Wildlife Federation.

Opportunity is Knocking

By donating you have the opportunity to help us continue some of your favorite programs and campaigns. We work hard to protect our wildlife and wild places for today and future generations in offices around the country, including right here in Seattle! Here at the Pacific Regional Center we work on some of the most pressing issues in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii and Alaska.

Staff at the Pacific Regional Center - Photo: National Wildlife Federation Pacific Regional Center

Protecting Floodplain Habitat in Puget Sound

Floodplains are critical habitat for many of the endangered salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest and are swiftly disappearing under rapidly expanding development. This development threatens the endangered salmon and the orcas that feed on them and puts people in harm’s way. We are working to find ways to help protect and restore these floodplains for the health of the salmon and orcas and the safety of local communities.

Creating Climate-Resilient Communities

Water is one of the most important natural resources on the planet. Here in Washington State our increasing population and Climate Change are putting more and more stress on this already stressed resource which is critical for wildlife and people. We are working with a broad coalition to find balanced solutions to water demands in Eastern Washington to find solutions to this pressing issue.

Be Out There

Today’s children are spending less and less time in the out of doors and more time plugged in inside. Our Be Out There campaign uses education, conservation and advocacy to help unplug kids and get them back outside. Programs include the Great American Backyard Campout, Ranger Rick, Eco-Schools, Gardening for Wildlife, National Wildlife Week and more!

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment when I began to see nature and the outdoors as my own personal refuge, but the video below does share an outdoor moment that I will never forget–when I was a kid and I encountered a mountain lion.  Don’t worry, I was about 30 yards away from the mountain lion so there wasn’t much to be afraid of.  Here are some tips on what to do if you do come across a mountain lion.

This post is broadcasted from the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At that moment I realized that I was in someone else’s backyard–a species who had been calling those mountains home way before my Aunt and Uncle moved there.  These are the moments that I want to protect for other people, and is a reminder of why I love what I do. Wildlife habitat is being threatened at an unprecedented rate, and many are facing the threat of extinction, please take action!

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

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.

In the northwest corner of the northwestern-most state in the union lies the misnamed National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (“Reserve”).  Well, the Alaska part is right, but the rest of it, not so much.

Contrary to the image conjured by its name, the Reserve is actually a place of unparalleled wildlife habitat supporting a wildly diverse and spectacular array of creatures.  Caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, musk ox, walrus, seals, polar bears . . . the iconic wildlife of the Arctic are all well-represented in the Reserve.  But the wildlife that occurs in the most staggering numbers  – and probably the most familiar to folks in the 48 states – are the millions of migratory birds that summer in the Reserve and then fly south to almost every state in the nation.

A pair of Northern Pintails takes flight. Photo by Larry Hitchens.

Surprisingly, there’s not much oil in the Reserve – enough for about a month at the current U.S. consumption rate according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  The Obama Administration is currently deciding how much of the Reserve’s wildlife habitat to protect, and how much to lease to the oil companies.  Given the abundance and diversity of wildlife at stake, and the relatively minimal oil resource, National Wildlife Federation supports a balanced approach that protects the most important habitat while allowing careful oil development where appropriate. 

Tell the Bureau of Land Management to protect crucial wildlife habitat in the Reserve.

You can add your voice too, to fight pollution—the time to take action has never been more urgent.

Brenda’s leadership has not gone unnoticed. U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Delaware), chair of the Senate Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, asked Brenda to testify before his panel this Tuesday. She shared her story recently with the Petoskey News and in our new report, which focuses on the devastating impact of warming winters on America’s outdoor traditions.

Brenda—and the 1.7 million Michigan hunters and anglers she represents—are faced with hundreds of fish consumption advisories every year due to high levels of mercury and other toxins, commonly put into the air from coal-fired power plants both within Michigan and from neighboring states. And with increasingly warm winters, the ice on the upper Midwest lakes doesn’t get thick enough often enough to sustain cherished family ice-fishing traditions, nor 46,000 tourism and recreation jobs across the state.

Fortunately, the Obama Administration, Sen. Carper, Michigan’s Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D) and Carl Levin (D) and others in Washington are not putting the interests of big polluters ahead of public health, food safety, fishing traditions and local economies. The U.S. EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics standard, and the Carbon Pollution standard, put into place protections passed by a bipartisan Congress in the early 1990′s, and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush.

Brenda is traveling a long way from Cheboygan to protect sturgeon, family fishing traditions, and local economies. But we also need you to stand up too.

Take Action to Combat Pollution Today

Take action today by adding your comment during the EPA’s 60-day public comment window, which actually started April 13th. Share this link via Facebook, Twitter or other social media as well.

Details on Tuesday’s hearing…good luck Brenda!

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_id=9e3ece6e-802a-23ad-419e-915184add98c