March 3rd is World Wildlife Day! There are many ways that individuals and communities can help wildlife today, and every day. Below are some of our favorites.
 
Contribute to wildlife science through citizen science 
Free apps on our phones allow us to be part of global data collection about wildlife populations and migrations. Our two favorites are apps that anyone with a smart phone can quickly and easily use.

• Cornell e-bird – this app (and website) helps users easily upload observations of birds in your backyards, parks or wherever you travel. Cornell University then collects these observations from over 300,000 global participants to assess bird population abundance, migration patterns, and changes over time. You can see samples of their amazing migration maps here - https://ebird.org/science/status-and-trends/abundance-animations. To help you learn about the birds you are seeing, Cornell offers Merlin, which allows for identification of birds by photo or sound. We love holding up our phones when hiking and having the app tell us all the bird species that we are hearing! https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/  
• I-naturalist – this app enables citizen scientists to identify plants and animals by taking a photo. The collected data helps with understanding locations and populations of wildlife species and their habitats. I-naturalist has a second version of this app, Seek, that is geared towards learning about wildlife and great for environmental education, including badges you can earn. We think of this one as real life Pokemon! 

Photo Credit: Sean Moran

Help wildlife on social media
 
We have all seen those cute videos of talking parrots in someone’s home or the tickling of a slow loris or selfies with a smiling monkey sitting on someone’s shoulder. Sadly, these videos, and any video of a wild animal treated like a pet, contribute to wildlife trafficking and poaching as well as dangerous interactions with animals in the wild. Some people see the videos and think it is okay to buy a wild animal or to pet or hold one when traveling. Social media organizations are working with international organizations like the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, WWF and Traffic to stop buying and selling of wild animals and plants on their platforms, but it is challenging.
 
You can help by:

• Never sharing a post with a wild animal being treated like a pet.
• If sharing a post of a wild animal in an AZA certified zoo or a rescue/rehabilitation facility, clearly include that organization’s name and website in your post.
• Avoid liking or commenting on posts and videos of wild animals treated as pets and if the post is by a friend, consider privately encouraging them to delete it.
• Instead, share photos of wild animals in their natural habitats. We love to follow and share some of the global wildlife photography contests like the Comedy Wildlife Awards. 

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Traveling to see wildlife?
 
Wildlife tourism is a large global industry earning over $100 billion and employing over 9 million people. This industry has been significantly impacted by Covid and much needed funding from ecotourism to protect national parks and wildlife has dramatically declined. With fewer rangers and staff, it is especially important that tourists do their best to limit their impacts on wildlife and their habitats, and that we prioritize observation over interaction. We suggest these key strategies:

• Always follow laws about keeping your distance from wild animals. If the rules are not posted, a good rule of thumb is 50+ yards for marine and large land mammals. 
• Stay on trails and do not disturb plants or soil
• Remove all of your own trash and, if safely possible, remove any trash that you encounter
• Watch your noise levels around wild animals, especially in breeding locations
• Be careful of lights, cell phones, and photography at night as this can disrupt behaviors like breeding, egg laying, and hibernation
• Try to avoid hotels and tourism programs that have caged wild animals or that ask you to take a selfie with a wild animal  
• Look for tour programs with wildlife certifications and read about your tours and hotels to check that they follow ethical standards         

​Photo Credit: Sean Moran

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Volunteer to help wildlife

• Volunteer for park, river and beach clean-ups to help reduce trash and remove invasive species from habitats
• Join community organizations that support tree planting to help raise the trees, distribute them, plant them, or monitor their growth
• Many local communities have wildlife rescue centers which need volunteers both to care for animals and to transport them between rescue facilities
• National Parks, State Parks, AZA certified zoos and aquariums, and wildlife rehabilitation centers all typically offer volunteer experiences
• Keep in mind that there are many volunteer needs that can be done from your home – like helping with publications, website design, advocacy, fundraising, and community outreach

 
Give wildlife friendly gifts for holidays and birthdays
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Wildlife-friendly gifts can support wildlife organizations, increase environmental education, and reduce consumption. Here are three of our favorites.

• National Parks Pass
• Membership to the Smithsonian Zoo – a global leader in conserving endangered species in ‘arks’ or ‘reserve populations’
• Symbolically adopt a wild animal with the World Wildlife Fund
• Need a gift for a child? Try digital versions of environmental education magazines from National Geographic or NWF. 

 
 
As you think about how you can help wildlife today, and every day, we encourage you to keep learning and to stay hopeful by remembering Dr. Jane Goodall’s words, “Every individual matters… Every individual makes a difference.” We hope you will share how you are making a difference for wildlife and your suggestions for additions to this blog in the comments below.

​Valentine’s Day has many historical roots in Catholic and Roman celebrations about fertility, love, birds, and the coming spring. Popularized by English poets, Valentine’s letters were shared as far back as the Middle Ages. By the 1700s, Valentine’s Day was becoming popularly celebrated. Today, Valentine’s Day is a wonderful way to celebrate love, not only among romantic partners, but with friends, family, and pets.
 
However, as with most holiday celebrations, there are some challenges with this scale of gift giving. In 2020, the National Retail Federation estimated that over $21 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day in the U.S. and in 2021, spending levels are expected to rise to about $24 billion. This works out to about $175 per person for those who celebrate. While people give many different types of valentines, chocolate and flowers are two of the most common gifts.
 
Unfortunately, both chocolate and flowers can have significant challenges with child labor, pesticide usage, deforestation, carbon emissions through refrigeration and transportation, and other environmental issues. In West Africa, where Engage Globally works, child labor in cacao production is rising and it is estimated that over 1.4 million children work on cacao farms, often in dangerous conditions and without access to education. If giving chocolate or flowers, it’s helpful to look for fair trade and organic certifications, as well as local production.
 
Below are some suggestions for celebrating Valentine’s Day more sustainably:
 
Gift a local experience – Some of our favorites include:

• Cooking classes
• For those over 21, local wine, beer, or other tasting tours
• Glass-making classes
• Make your own pottery
• Painting classes

 
Give a gift celebrating Valentine’s Day historical connections to birds and spring, such as:

• Bird feeders, baths, seed
• Books about local birds
• Native pollinator plants
• A guided bird watching tour

 
Celebrate local art and artists

• Give handmade, local jewelry
• Join a local art museum
• Give a painting, drawing, or locally made craft or clothing
• Share a night out at the theater

 
Gift outdoor conservation – We love to support nature and to spend time outdoors with our friends and family. One of our favorite gifts is the Annual National Parks Pass. If you already have national park passes, consider:

• a state or local park pass
• a guided nature tour with a local guide
• membership to an arboretum or local gardens
• a native plant gardening class
• an indoor plant or window herb garden

 
Create your gifts – Personally created gifts never go out of style and create great memories.

• Cook someone their favorite meal
• Print photos of shared moments or create a shared memories book
• Plant native pollinator friendly plants for your patio or garden

 
Look for gifts to reuse or upcycle – secondhand stores, yard sales, and online resale sites are all great ways to select a personal and meaningful gift for a loved one, such as vintage jewelry.
 
Donating to your loved one’s favorite charity in their honor can be meaningful and impactful!
 
Need a gift for a young person?

• We love 4Ocean’s upcycled plastic water bottles, bracelets and other products. Purchase of each item funds removal of plastic from beaches and oceans.
• National Geographic for Kids – This is a year-long gift and you can choose from early reader and older child versions, digital or print. 

 
We hope you found these suggestions useful. Please let us know if you used any of these ideas. And, if you have other sustainable gift giving suggestions, we would love to hear them!