On April 22nd, we celebrate our home, planet Earth: a home we share with all sorts of other creatures. Our mission here at IWCN is to help all of us, no matter where we are on this planet, to peacefully coexist with our local wildlife. And it’s more important now than ever to help protect the animals that make our planet such a beautiful and diverse place.
We all find joy in the fluttering of a butterfly, the melodious calls of songbirds, and knowing that there are wolves, whales, bears, elephants, lions, turtles, and other majestic species in the wild places of our planet. We can help communities transform our relationship with nature and coexist peacefully with the other creatures that call this planet home.
Coexistence is our pathway to healthier communities and healthier environments that protect future generations as well. Together, we can:
- free ourselves of dangerous pesticides that are poisoning pollinators; these birds, bees, bats, and butterflies are vital to pollinating our crops and diverse native plants;
- be mindful when purchasing food to avoid products and meats that may have devastating impacts for native predators like wolves, coyotes, bears, and other species;
- keep balloons out of our wildlands and waterways by not engaging in mass balloon releases, as they are accidentally digested by sea turtles and entangle birds and other species;
- Donate to purchase nonlethal deterrents that will go directly to herders in Nepal and ranchers in Colorado to help them coexist with wolves and snow leopards;
- avoid purchasing peat moss for our gardens, which comes from peatlands, that are critical for preventing and mitigating the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, minimizing flood risk, and ensuring safe drinking water;
- keep wildlife safe in our communities by advocating for wildlife overpasses/underpasses that allow animals to cross roads safely; keep attractants out of our yards and secured so bears, foxes, coyotes, and other creatures do not get habituated to people.
- And those of us who are farmers or ranchers/producers can use nonlethal tools to keep wildlife and livestock or crops separate and safe.
On this Earth Day, take the pledge to coexist with our brother and sister creatures on this planet. And if you have an expertise you would like to share with the IWCN community, we welcome you. If you know of a great wildlife coexistence project in your area, or one that needs help getting started, let us know. And if you would like to support IWCN with a donation in honor of Earth Day, we thank you.
