So You Want to Make a Difference?
Thanks for your concern for rare, threatened, and endangered species and their habitats! You can make a difference, starting right in your own community. Here's how ...
Increase awareness and understanding amongst your community by:
- "Adopting" an endangered species native to your area and learning its natural history (where it lives, why its numbers have declined, and how you can help conserve it). Inform the public about the animal with newspaper articles, brochures, buttons, signs, etc.
- Conducting a public awareness campaign on the threats of non-native, invasive or exotic species. Under proper supervision, participate in native plant habitat restoration projects.
- Producing Public Service announcements about environmental issues you care about and distribute them to the media.
- Learning how your community's activities affect (both positively and negatively) the watershed you live in.
Restore habitats by:
- Learning more abut the causes of habitat loss. Find old and new aerial photographs of a habitat near where you live and compare them. Find out if planned development threatens sensitive habitats in your area.
- Holding a school Arbor Day tree planting. Invite local officials.
- Replanting riverbanks (under proper and knowledgeable supervision) with native plants to anchor the soil and provide wildlife habitat. Participate in river cleanups.
- Planting a garden on your school grounds to attract wildlife, birds, and butterflies.
- Adopting an area of your school's ground, and then develop a plan improve it. Great idea for a class gift to the school!
Increase the sustainability of the earth's resources by:
- Conducting an energy audit of your school or home. Brainstorm ways that you could lower energy use.
- Challenging other schools in your district to an energy conservation contest.
- Establishing a school energy committee. Read energy conservation tips during morning announcements.
- Establishing a school organic garden, and teach others the techniques you've learned.
- Beginning a composting program at your home or school.. For more information, go to How to Make Compost.
As an individual, you can make a difference too!!
- Volunteer at your local wildlife refuge.
- Don't litter!
- Walk, ride your bike, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible.
- Take unwanted, re-usable items to a charitable organization instead of throwing them away.
- Recycle everything you can: newspapers, cans, glass, motor oil, plastics, appliances, etc.
- Don't leave water running. Install water-saving devices such as low-flow showerheads which will save water and money$$.
- Turn off the lights and TV when you're out of the room.
- Use cloth, not paper, napkins.
- Write to companies that send unwanted junk mail and ask them to take you off their list.
- While on vacation, turn down the heat and turn off the water heater before you leave your home.
- Turn off your car engine even for short stops. One minute of idling uses more fuel than re-starting your engine.
- Keep car engines well-tuned and tires properly inflated to maximize fuel efficiency.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Program