Ever wondered what a Polar bear does in its spare time?

New York discovers somthing special in the park.

Damn the Mafia!!

If you go here you can sign this letter to help turtles:

July 27, 2002

Mr. Victor Archaga
Direccion de Areas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre
DAPVS/AFE-COHDEFOR
Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Mr. Heriberto Lopez
Subdirector de Operaciones de Campo
Direccion General de Vida Silvestre
Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y
Recursos Naturales
Mexico, D.F., Mexico

Ms. Regina Sanchez Castaneda
Jefe de Seccion de Recursos Hidrobiologicos
Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas CONAP
5 avenida 6-06 Zona 1. Edificio IPM. 7mo. Nivel
Guatemala City, Guatemala

Mr. Alfonso Aviles
Coastal Zone Management Unit
Fisheries Department
Princess Margaret Drive
P.O. Box 148
Belize City, Belize


Dear government officials,

I write to urge you to protect the marine turtles of the Mesoamerican Reef ecoregion. While a number of efforts to conserve sea turtles have been enacted or are under way and I commend you for your recent policy actions on the Interamerican Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles, serious threats to these species remain.

Key turtle species of the wider Caribbean rely on a variety of habitats in the Mesoamerican reef for their different life cycle stages. For example, green turtles forage in pastures of seagrasses, hawksbills search for sponges on coral reefs, juvenile hawksbills roam the open sea, and all of the species nest along coastal beaches and on small islands. Conservation programs must ensure that all of these habitats are protected.

Specifically, I urge you to:

* Minimize new marinas, hotels, and other developments in turtle nesting sites and ensure that existing developments keep their lights dimmed during turtle nesting season.

* Reduce the destructive bycatch of turtles during fishing by strictly enforcing the requirement that fishers use turtle excluder devices, which let turtles escape from fishing nets, and by avoiding the use of longlines.

* Control waste disposal, particularly of plastics along the coast and from ships.

* Step up efforts to gather information on turtles. Regular surveys are needed on nesting densities, quality of foraging and nesting habitat, habitat requirements, illegal fishing, and coastal development.

* Stop the illegal sale to tourists of hawksbill shell jewelry and other decorative items.

Sea turtles are critically important to the Mesoamerican reef ecoregion. By safeguarding them, you will ensure that many other components of this globally outstanding ecosystem are protected as well. Protecting the Mesoamerican reef will have many benefits, including ensuring a bright future for your growing marine ecotourism industry. Please do all you can to conserve the region's sea turtles.

Sincerely,

Your signature will be added from the information you provide below.

Check this out and help the Far East Leopard. All you have to do is click on a sponsors banner and you are making a difference, go now!!

DID YOU KNOW...

Moose are powerful swimmers and have no trouble diving as deep as five metres in search of tasty underwater vegetation.
Common snapping turtles can sniff out carrion (dead animals), which they add to their diet of plants, small birds and fish. Because of their unique ability to detect dead and rotting flesh, common snapping turtles have been used to help police search for human corpses!
With 40,000 muscles, an elephant's trunk is one of the most versatile of all mammalian creations. An elephant's trunk is powerful enough to tear a tree from its roots and pick up hundreds of pounds, yet it is adept enough to pluck a feather from the ground. An elephant draws nearly 50 gallons of water up into its trunk every day, up to a gallon and a half at a time, and squirts it onto itself or into its mouth.

Eight for the Earth receive Kudos
Wildcanada.net Action Alert -- 073
Friday July 26, 2002

Wildcanada.net is congratulating Members of Parliament for their hard work to
protect the environment, in particular to ensure that the Species at Risk Act
(SARA) or Bill C-5 passed the House of Commons before the end of spring sitting
of Parliament. Once again, Wildcanada.net is encouraging you to email the Eight
or the Earth to congratulate them on their hard work to protect wildlands and
wildlife. This sitting's Eight for the Earth are:

Karen Kraft Sloan, Liberal (York North, ON), (kraftk@parl.gc.ca)
Marlene Jennings, Liberal (Notre-Dame-Lachine, PQ), (jnnim@parl.gc.ca)
Clifford Lincoln, Liberal (Lac-Saint-Louis, PQ), (lincoc@parl.gc.ca)
Dr. John Godfrey, Liberal (Don Valley East, ON), (godfrjparl.gc.ca)
The Hon. Charles Caccia, Liberal (Davenport, ON), (caccic@parl.gc.ca)
Joe Comartin, NDP (Windsor Saint Clair, ON), (comarj@parl.gc.ca)
Mauril Belanger, Liberal (Ottawa-Vanier, ON), (belanm@parl.gc.ca)
John Herron, PC (Fundy Royal, NS), (herroj@parl.gc.ca)

Though the Species at Risk Act can't be considered a conservation victory for
Canada, it certainly should be considered a political victory. If it wasn't for
the stalwart vision of many Liberal back-bench Members of Parliament, and
pressure from key opposition Members of Parliament, the Species at Risk Act
would not have protected even a single endangered plant or animal in this
country.

The extraordinary leadership of Environment Committee Vice Chair Karen Kraft
Sloan, the Liberal MP for York North, is what likely won the day for Canada's
401 Species at Risk. While her own government was willing to pass a Species Bill
that failed to protect plants and animals even in areas of federal jurisdiction,
Ms. Kraft Sloan lead the effort to strengthen the Bill. Canadians should thank
Ms. Kraft Sloan in particular for her dedication and perseverance to protect the
environment.

New comers to the Eight for the Earth list are Liberals Mauril Belanger, Marlene
Jennings and Dr. John Godfrey. They are among a group of Liberal MP's who
supported the efforts of Ms. Kraft Sloan in favour of a stronger law to protect
endangered species. Dr. John Godfrey, the MP for Don Mills East in Toronto,
continues to display leadership by pushing for Canada to ratify the Kyoto
Protocol on Global Climate Change.

Also critical to the effort to pass SARA were the Hon. Charles Caccia, the
Liberal Chair of the Environment Committee, and Clifford Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln
also deserves praise for his determined leadership on the Standing Committee on
Canadian Heritage, which includes National Parks in its portfolio. His guidance
helped ensure that Canada passed the Marine Conservation Act this sitting of
Parliament.

Returning to the list are NDP Environment Critic Joe Comartin and PC Critic John
Herron for their pressure on the Liberal government to improve SARA. Bloc
Quebecquois Environment Critic Bernard Bigras (Rosemont-Teite-Patrie) receives
an honorable mention for his support of many motions to strengthen SARA.
Concerns over federal-provincial jurisdiction kept Mr. Bigras from supporting
key habitat protection measures in the Bill.

Alliance Environment Critic Bob Mills (Red Deer, AB) does not return to the
Eight for the Earth list this sitting. His strong showing behind the doors of
the Committee room, supporting key improvements to SARA, was not repeated in the
House of Commons.

In addition, Wildcanada.net is offering honorable mentions. The Hon. Sheila
Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage for her work to pass the Marine
Conservation Act, which conservation groups agree is an important step forward
in protecting Canada's marine environment. Also, the Hon. Anne McLellan, former
Minister of Justice, and the Hon. Martin Cauchon , the current Minister of
Justice, for their effort to pass Bill C-15b, to strengthen the prevention of
cruelty towards animals.

Wildcanada.net is encouraging its network participants and other members of the
public to email the Eight for the Earth, congratulating them on their hard work
on behalf of their constituents, and of Canadians.

This link was not working before so I fixed it :) Expeditions in conservation!!

Ever heard of this? Me niether but it seems like a great site.

DID YOU KNOW...

Evidence suggests that bowhead whales can live as long as 200 years.
The average humpback whale's heart weighs as much as three people (195 kilograms).
You may know that the blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, but did you know that it is the loudest? Producing deep rumbling sounds that are louder than the average jet engine, blue whales can communicate with each other over hundreds of miles of ocean.

Urge Martha not to use PVC.

Calamari anyone?