A Center Interview With The New Yorker's Tom
Toro
As one of the only environmental organizations
tackling human population growth and overconsumption, we at the Center for
Biological Diversity know it takes a bit of creativity to draw attention to
these often-ignored issues. Luckily we have Tom Toro on our side -- a cartoonist
for The New Yorker with more than 140 cartoons published by the magazine
since 2010. Tom recently drew a cartoon for the Center and talked with us about
his lifelong connection to the environment, what it's like being an
eco-conscious new parent and how his art reaches people."My greatest concern is that unchecked population growth and depletion of the Earth's natural resources will lead to a desolate planet ... where all the wonder and mystery and diversity of nature has been erased and there's no place left to step off the concrete and stand in awe of all creation," said Tom. "I can't imagine a worse home for our species than one in which we live alone."
Read our interview with Tom and sign up to receive Pop X, our monthly e-newsletter on population and sustainability.
That's the gut-wrenching reality if plans to strip gray wolves of endangered species protections get approved.
No national protections = open season on the gray wolf. Hunting, trapping, poisoning. It all comes raging back, decimating the sparse populations of gray wolves we've worked so hard to rebuild. Over 1,000 wolves have been killed in the Rocky Mountains by hunting and trapping since they were delisted a few years ago.
The good news?
You can help us save gray wolves. Starting today through December 31st - every single dollar you donate to the Sierra Club will be DOUBLED up to $150,000! It's the BIGGEST MATCH of 2015:
Help save gray wolves: Donate to the Sierra Club and help reach our $150,000 goal by December 31st. Every gift will be MATCHED $1-for-$1 up to $150,000.
Gregarious, social and highly expressive, the iconic gray wolf was on the verge of a comeback. Populations had begun to rebound from near-extinction levels in the Rocky Mountains, but over 1,000 have been killed under state management in just the last few years.
With this latest plan by the Fish and Wildlife Service to completely delist the gray wolf across the continental U.S., we could see a mass slaughter of wolves.
Save the gray wolf and other endangered wildlife, donate to the Sierra Club and help:
- Mobilize wildlife lovers to take action against delisting the gray wolf
- Pressure Congress to set aside critical habitat for wildlife
- Launch targeted media outreach efforts in key Congressional districts
- Mount legal challenges to anti-wildlife measures
We can win this fight. Just like we won this year on Keystone XL. And won against Shell in the Arctic. These were fights we weren't supposed to win, but your passion, commitment and generosity meant all the difference. Together, we generated enough public and political pressure to save the Arctic and countless wildlife from suffering and death.
Let's do it again for gray wolves:
Donate now. Help save the gray wolf. We'll DOUBLE your gift but only until December 31st.
When your children and grandchildren ask what you did to preserve our planet, to save our wildlife, to hold onto a portion of our unscarred, undeveloped natural world, tell them of the work we've done together.
Let's make sure there's something awe-inspiring left of our planet to pass on to future generations.
Wyoming's wolves need you. If
you want a glimpse of Wyoming’s gruesome future for wolves, look at the
past.
In
the two years that Wyoming’s wolves were stripped of endangered species status,
more than 310 of them lost their lives to bullets, snares and traps.
It
can’t happen again.
Match
in effect: Make your donation before midnight on December 31st and
our Board of Directors and National Council will match your gift
dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $150,000.
Among
the first wolves killed when the shooting began was a spectacular alpha she-wolf
known only as ‘06 (the year she was born). She was the magnificent matriarch of
Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Canyon Pack. People traveled from all over the
world to see her.
One
wildlife photographer mourned her as "the most famous, most photographed, most
beloved wolf in the world."
Three
years ago this month, ‘06 was gunned down a few miles outside the park boundary.
Her radio collar showed that she resided within the park 95% of the time.
If Wyoming’s wolves are once again
delisted, the shooting will begin again. You have to wonder,
which wolf will be next?
Defenders
of Wildlife has led the charge for wolf recovery for decades. We have
staff on the ground in the Northern Rockies who not only worked to help restore
wolves, but are actively working at the statehouses and state wildlife
commissions to testify against actions threatening wolves.
We
are the most respected voice for wolves and other imperiled wildlife in our
nation’s capital. Our litigators have fought in court, and won, to get stronger
wolf recovery efforts nationwide.
And
we are your voice for the wild.
The
wolf known as ’06 captured the world’s imagination. In her memory, let’s all
redouble our commitment to protecting wolves, other imperiled wildlife, and the
wild places they inhabit.
And
if you donate before midnight on December 31st, our Board of
Directors and National Council will match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to a
total of $150,000.
Stop Fed Animal Killing in 2016. There's a shadowy federal program that kills millions of animals every year --
since 1996 it has wiped out more than 25 million wild creatures with virtually
no public oversight.  Help stop the killing. Make a matched gift today. |
It's a heartbreaking slaughter that has to stop.
The Center for Biological Diversity is putting Wildlife Services in our sights in 2016. Please help us by donating today to our Endangered Species Defense Fund -- and your gift will be doubled. Your donation will help us shine a light on this secretive agency and take legal action to stop the killing.
Stories of Wildlife Services employees killing pet dogs, burying golden eagles and torturing coyotes are true. But even more devastating is this agency's systematic killing of millions of wild animals. Rep. Peter Defazio (D-Ore.) called Wildlife Services "the most opaque and obstinate department" he's ever dealt with. The Sacramento Bee called it "the killing agency" whose "brutal methods leave a trail of animal death." We call Wildlife Services what it is: a rogue program destroying America's wildlife.
Please donate as generously as you can today to help us rein in this taxpayer-funded killing machine. Every donation you make to the Endangered Species Defense Fund by Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a committed wildlife advocate who shares your outrage at the senseless slaughter.
To stop the killing the Center has filed a legal demand with Wildlife Services to finally establish rules to protect endangered species, ensure all animals are treated humanely, and become fully transparent: telling the public where the killing happens, which industries benefit and why nonlethal tactics aren't being used instead. We're going to pry open Wildlife Services and show their actions to the world. Only then can we shut them down.
After decades of shadowy, uncontrolled killing, 2016 will be the year this rogue agency is held accountable. Please help by donating generously today to our Endangered Species Defense Fund and passing this message on to your friends and family. For the sake of wolves and bobcats, hawks and otters, mountain lions and black bears just trying to survive, let's stop the killing.
Journey, or OR-7, became a beloved wolf when he made his solo 1,200-mile, 2-month trek into California in search of a mate in 2011. He became the first wolf in California since 1924, when all of his forefathers were shot, trapped, or poisoned to extinction in that state. With no female wolf to be found in California, Journey returned to Oregon where he found a mate and had pups. (Yes, those are his pups in the photo!) Since Journey’s historic trip, a few more wolves have begun to slowly venture into California.
Right now is our best chance to create a safe haven for wolves in California. This upcoming year will be crucial to make that happen. Wolves often have a target on their backs. But we have to keep these small wolf populations safe in order for them to once again become a part of California’s natural heritage.
Help us work on the ground in California to keep wolves safe with a $40 donation today. If you give before midnight on the 31st, your gift will be matched by a group of generous donors.
We need strong laws with real penalties for those who kill wolves, and strong plans to guide recovery efforts. We’re working to make that happen. But we’re realistic enough to realize those alone aren't enough.
No matter what the law says, we know there is always a danger that those who fear or even loathe wolves will and do practice the three Ss--shoot, shovel, and shut up--in other words, killing wolves illegally and covering up their crime.
Some of Journey’s children and grandchildren will undoubtedly repeat his trip into California. A few other wolves are already there. They will all be in danger without our work. We need to help people see wolves for what they are--a normal part of a healthy ecosystem, not a monster to be shot on sight.
Help us give wolves a chance in California and elsewhere today, and a group of generous donors will double your gift.
One of the biggest fears for people around wolves is the fear that they’ll kill livestock. We're fixing it. We know that if they practice the right techniques, ranchers can operate successfully in wolf country. But few ranchers have experience with what we like to call, “co-existence practices” in places like California and Oregon where wolves are returning home once again.
Wolves won't experience true safety, unless we can make people tolerant of them. So, among our other work, we're bringing experienced ranch hands to the area to teach ranchers how to live with wolves. We’re making California safe for wolves again. With your help, we can create a haven for wolves in the wilds of Northern and Eastern California.
Please help us continue this work and our work around the country to protect wolves with a 100% tax-deductible $40 donation today.
Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.
