Raising Awareness of the Harming of Local Wildlife
By Nick Shpetner and Matisse Schafer
In 2012, Wildcare tested a total of 138 predatory animals for rodenticides and toxic poisons. As a result, a staggering 75.6 percent of the sample animals tested positive for toxic poisons which was a new statistic to scientist and our community (“Is Rat Poison a Problem in YOUR Neighborhood?”). “Awareness” means informing people about the problem, and what they, as normal citizens, can do. In order to solve a problem, we must first inform the public of the problem and build awareness so that there will be more voices in support of change. For example, many organizations hold fundraisers, walks, runs (Swan), or other events to raise support for a cause, gain funds, and gain publicity. They can use these resources to hire people, gain volunteers, or build things to help solve the issue. Furthermore, publicity from these events cause people to rally behind these organizations which aids them to change things in society and law. In short, there are a multitude of actions being taken to raise public awareness but, these two are just a few of the initiatives that could be taken.
In Marin, people are already quite conscious of the environment. This is because the organizations around Marin County, such as Wildcare, work hard to educate people through presentations, fundraisers, and community events. One example goes as stated in a Wildcare article about rodenticides: “WildCare has partnered with Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for Humane Lobby Day 2014 on June 11th in Sacramento to educate and inform California residents about issues that affect wildlife” ["Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife"]. This is an obvious example of how local animal centers work to educate the people around them. Another example is last April when Wildcare held a fundraiser called ‘Dining for Wildlife’ throughout different restaurants. They raised more than $48,000 dollars from 556 people, which is approximately $86 per person [“Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife”]. Another example is the organization ZFW or Zoo Wildlife Foundation, which is an organization that travels through America running events that help raise awareness for the harming of local wildlife and endangered species (“Make a Difference - Zoological Wildlife Foundation - ZWF Miami”) , showing that this tactic is not only used in Marin County but throughout the world, a testament to the strategy's practicality, it proves that people care about the environment and are listening with open ears. However, we cannot simply throw money at the problem and stop there. A powerful quote describes this by John Comisky, vice president of the board of directors for Wildcare, at a fundraiser held in Napa Valley: “‘This event isn’t just about opening up wallets,’ it’s also about opening up people’s lives and providing education about wildlife" (“A 'Wild Night' Supports Wildlife : American Canyon Eagle”). This comment shows that awareness is the first of many steps that we must take to resolve this problem.
When it comes to conservation of animals specifically, there are many things that employees and volunteers do to aid animals. For example, when it comes to owls, our school will be building owl boxes for owls to safely roost in. We also went to WildCare to learn about what we can do to help, and what they do so we can spread the word. WildCare itself is an organization that treats animals harmed by interactions with man-made items or people, and there are many other organizations around the world that also help with the survival of animal species (“Animal Aid”). These organizations also educate people, heal animals, and build infrastructure to help. In Marin, there is an awareness of the need for conservation, but there is always more to be done.
Despite current actions toward these issues, there are still, and will always be, more that should be done in the future to spread awareness of the negative human effects on animals because at the current rate many species are decreasing now, educating our community could be crucial for many keystone species’ survival. In an article about rodenticides by “The Hungry Owl Project” they state that: “Accidental or not, the death of raptors by use of rodenticides can be a Federal offense under certain circumstances. More importantly, raptors are a keystone species of the natural food web” ("The Hungry Owl Project"). A few simple actions society can be taught are the rules of remove, eliminate, and exclude. These rules state that through removing where rodents can nest in, eliminating the food sources that they steal from, and excluding unwanted areas where rodents can squeeze into will take away the need for rodenticides and solve the problem of second hand poisoning ("The Hungry Owl Project"). Funds and volunteers are also always required and show that if people work together we can find safe and secure way to solve problems without harming the local wildlife. An additional tool that we must use to solve this issue is more research. Simple research into safer methods of pest control, such as attempting to creating a safer pesticide or a more advanced mouse trap could be very useful.
In conclusion, to solve the issue revolving the topic of harming local wildlife we must first raise awareness in our society. Awareness can be easily reached through presentations, fundraisers, websites and the spread of organizations. Once people become educated of the issue, we can add supplementary solutions to those that have already been reached, which may solve the subject as a whole.
Works Cited
"A 'Wild Night' Supports Wildlife : American Canyon Eagle." Napa Valley Register. N.p., 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Animal Aid." Wildcare. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - Annual Walk for Wildlife | Travel Wisconsin." TravelWisconsin. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.
Hickey, Amanda. "Empty Bowl fundraiser to benefit soup kitchen." Daily News, The (Jacksonville, NC) 25 Oct. 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 29 May 2015.
"The Hungry Owl Project." The Hungry Owl Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"In Your Town for April 24, 2015." In Your Town for April 24, 2015. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. See: ‘Dining for Wildlife’ highlights eateries
"Is Rat Poison a Problem in YOUR Neighborhood?" Wildcare. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.
"Latest Information, News and Video's Endangered Species, Animals, Pets." Wildlife Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Make a Difference - Zoological Wildlife Foundation - ZWF Miami."Zoological Wildlife Foundation ZWF Miami RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
Swan, Rachel. "10th Anniversary Walk Raises Aneurysm Awareness, Funds." San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco Chronicle, 3 May 2015. Web. 29 May 2015. .
"Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife." Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
In 2012, Wildcare tested a total of 138 predatory animals for rodenticides and toxic poisons. As a result, a staggering 75.6 percent of the sample animals tested positive for toxic poisons which was a new statistic to scientist and our community (“Is Rat Poison a Problem in YOUR Neighborhood?”). “Awareness” means informing people about the problem, and what they, as normal citizens, can do. In order to solve a problem, we must first inform the public of the problem and build awareness so that there will be more voices in support of change. For example, many organizations hold fundraisers, walks, runs (Swan), or other events to raise support for a cause, gain funds, and gain publicity. They can use these resources to hire people, gain volunteers, or build things to help solve the issue. Furthermore, publicity from these events cause people to rally behind these organizations which aids them to change things in society and law. In short, there are a multitude of actions being taken to raise public awareness but, these two are just a few of the initiatives that could be taken.
In Marin, people are already quite conscious of the environment. This is because the organizations around Marin County, such as Wildcare, work hard to educate people through presentations, fundraisers, and community events. One example goes as stated in a Wildcare article about rodenticides: “WildCare has partnered with Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for Humane Lobby Day 2014 on June 11th in Sacramento to educate and inform California residents about issues that affect wildlife” ["Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife"]. This is an obvious example of how local animal centers work to educate the people around them. Another example is last April when Wildcare held a fundraiser called ‘Dining for Wildlife’ throughout different restaurants. They raised more than $48,000 dollars from 556 people, which is approximately $86 per person [“Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife”]. Another example is the organization ZFW or Zoo Wildlife Foundation, which is an organization that travels through America running events that help raise awareness for the harming of local wildlife and endangered species (“Make a Difference - Zoological Wildlife Foundation - ZWF Miami”) , showing that this tactic is not only used in Marin County but throughout the world, a testament to the strategy's practicality, it proves that people care about the environment and are listening with open ears. However, we cannot simply throw money at the problem and stop there. A powerful quote describes this by John Comisky, vice president of the board of directors for Wildcare, at a fundraiser held in Napa Valley: “‘This event isn’t just about opening up wallets,’ it’s also about opening up people’s lives and providing education about wildlife" (“A 'Wild Night' Supports Wildlife : American Canyon Eagle”). This comment shows that awareness is the first of many steps that we must take to resolve this problem.
When it comes to conservation of animals specifically, there are many things that employees and volunteers do to aid animals. For example, when it comes to owls, our school will be building owl boxes for owls to safely roost in. We also went to WildCare to learn about what we can do to help, and what they do so we can spread the word. WildCare itself is an organization that treats animals harmed by interactions with man-made items or people, and there are many other organizations around the world that also help with the survival of animal species (“Animal Aid”). These organizations also educate people, heal animals, and build infrastructure to help. In Marin, there is an awareness of the need for conservation, but there is always more to be done.
Despite current actions toward these issues, there are still, and will always be, more that should be done in the future to spread awareness of the negative human effects on animals because at the current rate many species are decreasing now, educating our community could be crucial for many keystone species’ survival. In an article about rodenticides by “The Hungry Owl Project” they state that: “Accidental or not, the death of raptors by use of rodenticides can be a Federal offense under certain circumstances. More importantly, raptors are a keystone species of the natural food web” ("The Hungry Owl Project"). A few simple actions society can be taught are the rules of remove, eliminate, and exclude. These rules state that through removing where rodents can nest in, eliminating the food sources that they steal from, and excluding unwanted areas where rodents can squeeze into will take away the need for rodenticides and solve the problem of second hand poisoning ("The Hungry Owl Project"). Funds and volunteers are also always required and show that if people work together we can find safe and secure way to solve problems without harming the local wildlife. An additional tool that we must use to solve this issue is more research. Simple research into safer methods of pest control, such as attempting to creating a safer pesticide or a more advanced mouse trap could be very useful.
In conclusion, to solve the issue revolving the topic of harming local wildlife we must first raise awareness in our society. Awareness can be easily reached through presentations, fundraisers, websites and the spread of organizations. Once people become educated of the issue, we can add supplementary solutions to those that have already been reached, which may solve the subject as a whole.
Works Cited
"A 'Wild Night' Supports Wildlife : American Canyon Eagle." Napa Valley Register. N.p., 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Animal Aid." Wildcare. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary - Annual Walk for Wildlife | Travel Wisconsin." TravelWisconsin. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.
Hickey, Amanda. "Empty Bowl fundraiser to benefit soup kitchen." Daily News, The (Jacksonville, NC) 25 Oct. 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 29 May 2015.
"The Hungry Owl Project." The Hungry Owl Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"In Your Town for April 24, 2015." In Your Town for April 24, 2015. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. See: ‘Dining for Wildlife’ highlights eateries
"Is Rat Poison a Problem in YOUR Neighborhood?" Wildcare. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2015.
"Latest Information, News and Video's Endangered Species, Animals, Pets." Wildlife Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
"Make a Difference - Zoological Wildlife Foundation - ZWF Miami."Zoological Wildlife Foundation ZWF Miami RSS2. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.
Swan, Rachel. "10th Anniversary Walk Raises Aneurysm Awareness, Funds." San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco Chronicle, 3 May 2015. Web. 29 May 2015. .
"Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife." Wildcare - Email - A Big Win for Baby Owls (like This One!) and Other Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015.