It’s Endangered Species Day, Fantastic, Now What?

Short-Tailed Albatross
Endangered Short-Tailed Albatross
Endangered Species day is May 17 and it’s special because we’re also celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act! This single piece of legislation has prevented countless extinctions and protected animals and wildlife habitat from the harmful impact of human activity. Fantastic, what are you supposed to do with that?

My favorite quote is from Baba Dioum, “in the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”. We haven’t all been taught the significance of the Endangered Species Act, or the importance of supporting listed species. Therefore, the greatest thing we can do to honor Endangered Species Day is to educate ourselves and those around us to raise awareness.

Find out what’s in your state. Find out what endangered species live near you, learn their story and find out how you can help: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/

Also check out this interactive map of species success stories: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/map/index.html

I chose to learn more about a species in my home state. The Borax Lake Chub is unique to a single lake in Oregon. I learned the lake is one of the most unusual fish habitats in the United States because it is fed primarily by thermal springs. Drilling for energy development threatened the survival of the fish, and emergency listing as endangered saved the species. Great first date conversation material.

Let people know on Facebook. This is the place to really show people what’s important to you. We’ve designed a few Facebook cover photos for you to use, or design your own! Post information and photos about endangered species and tag @National Wildlife Federation to share with our community. I’ll be using this cover photo.

Facebook Cover Photo
Here’s an example of a Facebook cover photo supporting an endangered species.
Tweet all about it. Share with us a species you learned about or want to protect and hashtag it #speciesday. I’ll be tweeting for the Borax Lake Chub!

Finally, take a loot at these 5 Ways to Celebrate Endangered Species Day.

At the National Wildlife Federation–we want to know about the endangered species you care about, whether you tweet it, share it on Facebook, post a blog or even a comment below! (Also- be sure to join the fun even if you aren’t in the US! We would love to hear from you too)

If you are on Twitter, help us spread the word! Copy and paste this into your “tweet” window:

Twitter

I’m tweeting for (Enter your species here) with @NWF in honor of Endangered Species Day! #speciesday

Happy Endangered Species Day!