50 Ways to Love Wildlife (Wherever You Are) This Earth Day

Today, the country celebrates 50 years of Earth Day from home. If you, like many others, are a sheltered-in-place environmentalist looking for ways to appreciate the magnitude of this monumental holiday—look no further. 

Here are 50 ways you can experience, enjoy, learn about or help wildlife from your couch, backyard, or balcony.

Citizen Science

This month is Citizen Science Month! From tracking tweets to counting penguin populations, take a look through the below projects to see how you can help from the comfort of your couch.

#1 Volunteer Camera Trapper

Think camera trapping is only done in vast wilderness? Think again! Check to see if there is an active eMammal project in your area.

#2 Lost Lady Bug

#3 Project Monarch Health

#4 Wildlife@Home

#5 Climate Tweets

#6 Penguin Watch

Want to help scientists better understand the lives of penguins? Try counting penguin populations on time-lapse cameras.

#7 Whale Alert

#8 Nature’s Notebook

#9 Neighborhood Nestwatch

#10 Floating Forests

Help kelp by identifying floating forests from space.

#11 Picture Post

#12 Frog Watch USA

#13 Project Feederwatch

Trying to increase your productivity? Start by staring out your window! Monitoring the birds visiting your bird feeder can help scientists learn more about the distribution and abundance of birds across the country.

Distance Learning

Entertain your eyes and ears with these nature-based lessons and activities.

#14 Ranger Rick Online

Now through June, young naturalists can enjoy free access to the digital editions, activities, and resources of Ranger Rick, to stay entertained and engaged in the natural world.

#15 National Wildlife Magazine

#16 Wildlife TED Talks

#17 P-22 Presents!

Tune in to a series of Facebook Live events with #SaveLACougars to stay connected to cougars and wildlife crossings, including interviews with scientists and other experts, live concerts, story hours, art lessons, and much more!

https://www.facebook.com/p22mountainlionofhollywood/posts/2452851351484317

#18 An Introduction to Animal Behavior

#19 Acoustic Atlas

Browse natural sound recordings of habitats and species from throughout the Western United States.

#20 Earth and Environmental Systems Podcast

#21 NWF Nature’s Witness Virtual Photography Exhibit

#22 ECHO Tips For Learning At Home

#23 Find Your Virtual Park

Just because you’re home, doesn’t mean you can’t visit a national park! Find your virtual park to enjoy ranger-led programs like Exploring Yellowstone’s Birds via Facebook Live.

https://www.facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS/videos/250091872793920/

Or check out the virtual options for visiting these 62 national parks. 

#24 Learning to See, Seeing to Learn

#25 Explore.org Live Cams

#26 Love Notes to Our Public Lands

Connect with fellow nature lovers across the country by writing a love letter to public lands. “Love Notes” will be featured on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Support Wildlife Habitat

From your couch, backyard, or balcony!

#27 Adopt a Wildlife Acre

Help give wildlife room to roam by adopting an acre for wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation’s Adopt-A-Wildlife Acre program addresses the conflicts between livestock and wildlife with a voluntary, market-based approach, by offering ranchers a fair price in exchange for their agreement to retire their public land grazing leases.

#28 Donate a Tree for Wildlife

#29 Gardening With Kids

#30 Purchase a Place to Raise Young

#31 Garden From Your Balcony

Turn a small space into a big attraction for wildlife, even if you only have an apartment balcony or small porch.

#32 De-Stress While Gardening

#33 Certify Your Wildlife Habitat

Garden For…

#34 Amphibians and Reptiles

#35 Butterflies

#36 Native Plants

#37 Birds

#38 Small Mammals

Test Your Knowledge

“Great list, but I really just feel like binge-watching something.” How about binge quizzing? Wind down while working on these critter questions.

#39 What Do You Know About Arctic Wildlife?

#40 What’s Your Wildlife Personality?

As we admire wildlife inside these days, we’re inviting you to discover which amazing wildlife species channels your inner self!

#41 How Well Do You Know Baby Animal Names?

#42 Test Your Shark Skills With This Jaws-ome Quiz

From great white sharks to Baby Shark (doo doo doo doo), test your knowledge of elasmobranchs.

#43 Can You Name All of These Animal Groups?

#44 Will These Monarch Look-Alikes Fool You?

#45 Show Us What You Know About Trees and Wildlife

Do you have what it takes to match the native tree with its perfect wildlife species?

#46 Which Endangered Species Are You?

#47 Guess Who! Migratory Birds

#48 Can You Guess These Wildlife Talents?

#49 How Much Do You Know About Wildlife Crossings?

#50 Wildlife Bingo

Last but not least, see how many BINGOs you’ve earned!