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EVENTSIN THE SPOTLIGHT
Jaguar Bike-a-thon and Earth Day Events The noble, mysterious jaguar once roamed from South America through the southern and central United States, but it lost habitat and was killed off throughout the country by the 20th century — only to reappear sporadically in the Southwest due to migration from Mexico. Tragically, the last known wild U.S. jaguar, “Macho B,” was killed in a bungled snaring effort in 2009. But the Center is working hard to help jaguars recover on U.S. soil. In fact, this spring we’re biking hundreds of miles to publicize the jaguar’s plight. The Jaguar Bike-a-thon, a project of the Jaguar Habitat Campaign, will be an eight-day, 300-mile bike ride starting near the U.S.-Mexico border and ending in Phoenix on Earth Day, April 22. En route, riders and supporters will spread the word about jaguar conservation through evening presentations, circulating a jaguar statement of support — to be delivered to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after the ride — and other activities. The Center will be represented by staff members in the ride itself, as well as participating in an Earth Day parade and celebration in Tucson on April 17 — when we’ll be decked out in jaguar costumes and will carry a huge jaguar puppet of the late Macho B. People from around the country (and beyond) are invited to participate in the ride and activities, including Earth Day events in both Tucson and Phoenix. You can ride in the bike-a-thon for part or the entire route, or you can help in numerous other ways, including driving a support vehicle, volunteering as a bike mechanic, helping at events, or donating money to support the ride and cause. Get details on the Jaguar Bike-a-thon at the Jaguar Habitat Campaign Web site, where you can also register to participate and sign the jaguar statement of support. Learn more about the Center’s campaign to save the jaguar. |
Tucson Festival of Books Endangered Species Panel What do scientists, journalists, and activists have in common? Many are working hard to save endangered species around the world. Come join the discussion this weekend at the Tucson Festival of Books, where, on a panel called “Can Science Save Endangered Species?” the Center’s Executive Director Kierán Suckling will join conservation biologists Kevin Bonine and Aletris Neils and writer Cory J. Meacham, author of “How the Tiger Lost Its Stripes: An Exploration Into the Endangerment of a Species,” to talk about what it takes to save species and what science has to do with it. Moderated by Dr. Travis Huxman, director of Biosphere 2, the panel will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 13, on the Ventana Science Stage on the University of Arizona campus. District Meetings on the Clean Air Act The Center for Biological Diversity is joining forces with Credo Action to defend one of our nation’s most successful environmental laws: the Clean Air Act. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to use the Clean Air Act, which has the power to curb greenhouse gas pollution and global warming immediately through its proven, successful pollution-reduction programs. But this critical law is under attack. Alaska Senator Murkowski and North Dakota Congressman Pomeroy are right now moving to gut the Act’s ability to address carbon pollution. They’re making moves in the Senate and the House to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s historic finding that greenhouse gas pollution endangers public health and stop the EPA from moving forward to use the Clean Air Act to curb global warming. The EPA’s finding, years in the making and ordered as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision, is the first step toward the agency actually implementing the Clean Air Act to curb greenhouse pollution. We need you to join with us in meetings with your elected representatives to defend the Clean Air Act. Many meetings are already set throughout the country, and there are more to come. View a list of meetings and locations and contact Climate Campaign Coordinator Rose Braz for more information. Solar Project Siting Lecture and Solar Power Summit Renewable energy development is a critical component of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst consequences of global warming. But it’s also critical for solar projects to be thoughtfully planned and placed to minimize their impacts on the local and regional environment — including endangered species like the threatened desert tortoise. This March, Center Senior Attorney Lisa Belenky will appear at the Solar Power Finance and Investment Summit 2010 to explain just how important proper solar-project siting is, as well as how to do it. Specifically, new solar projects and any necessary new transmission corridors should be located in areas where high wilderness values have already been sacrificed. Only by making sure precious species and habitat are conserved can renewable energy production be truly sustainable. Registration is required to attend the summit and hear Belenky’s lecture. Learn more about the summit here. Western Wilderness Conference 2010: New Aims, New Allies If you care about the wild places of the West and want to be at the center of the movement to save them, don’t miss the Western Wilderness Conference this spring, a massive gathering of activists featuring speakers, panels, discussions, and plenty of networking opportunities. The conference will both celebrate past successes in preserving western lands and, through nearly 50 workshops, discuss proven strategies to strengthen current and future environmental campaigns. Thrillcraft DVD Presentation Millions of acres of land are under assault by thrillcraft, recreational machines like dirt bikes, four wheelers, snowmobiles, and dune buggies. Photographer George Wuerthner has published a book — Thrillcraft — full of remarkable photos capturing the destruction these vehicles cause. To accompany the book, a short film with the same name educates viewers on the consequences of off-road vehicle traffic, from pollution and habitat devastation to human deaths and injuries. This 17-minute film will be showing at the Arivaca Library, 17050 W. Arivaca Rd., in Arivaca, Arizona, at 6:30 p.m. on April 13. Center Conservation Advocate Cyndi Tuell will participate in the discussion after the screening. Check out the flyer and contact Cyndi Tuell for more information. Learn more about the Center’s campaigns against destructive off-road vehicles and for responsible travel-management planning. FUEL: The Film After growing up amongst Louisiana's oil refineries and watching his own family suffer from pollution-related cancers, in 1997 activist and filmmaker Josh Tickell took off in his biodiesel-powered "Veggie Van" on an epic road trip to make the film that would win the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Audience Award for Best Documentary. FUEL, with appearances by a huge cast of notables including Jimmy Carter, Willie Nelson, Julia Roberts, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tracks the rise of Big Oil from Rockefeller's strategy to halt Ford's first ethanol cars to Dick Cheney's petrochemical company-sponsored legislation. But FUEL not only exposes America's debilitating addiction to oil — it also describes a gamut of intriguing solutions to "repower America," offering hope for a sustainable, oil-independent future. It received 11 standing ovations at Sundance, was shortlisted for the Oscars, and earned the Writers Guild of America's nomination for best documentary writing. |
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Penguin photo by Michael Van Woert, NOAA; desert tortoise photo by Chris Kassar |
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