Friday, April 29, 2011

The Effects of Water Pollution on Marine Life

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Lily the Black Bear, Hope and Faith - April 20, 2011


Youtube link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPji85I6FMc

Lily, Hope and Faith have been at the same bed tree for a week. The bears are restricting activities to the immediate area. During the researcher's visit, bear tracks were seen around the general area, including Faith's.

In this video we watch as the little one slowly wakes up from her nap. Faith is still a small cub, but she is healthy, strong, and playful.

~~~~~

Lynn Rogers, Ph.D., regarded by many as the "Jane Goodall" of black bears, has spent over 44 years learning about wildlife and sharing his information with the public. Using airplanes, vehicles and snowshoes, he has radio-tracked over 100 bears in the vast forests of northeastern Minnesota, studying some for as long as 22 years.

Lily is a wild black bear who is part of Dr. Rogers' long-term study of black bear ecology and behavior at the Wildlife Research Institute. On January 8, 2010, Dr. Rogers installed a live video camera in Lily's winter den near Ely, Minnesota, so the public could share in the birth and care of her cub.

Dr. Rogers, along with his research associate Sue Mansfield, and tens of thousands from around the world watched on the Internet, spending a sleepless night as bouts of labor continued for 21 hours and 39 minutes. Finally, on January 22 at 11:38 AM CST, Lily made some contortions, looked under her, and began the intense, sweet grunts that mothers make only to their cubs. A loud squawk from a single female cub made it definite. Lily tucked her head under her chest to care for and breathe on the cub to warm her. This was the first time the birth of a wild black bear has been viewed live on the Internet.

Lily and Hope are proving to be the best ambassadors for bears we know. The number of fans have increased to over 200,000 (over 128,000 on Facebook alone). They learned about bears from the bears themselves. They saw an animal far different from the ferocious image of the media. They want to share their knowledge and have become a force for bears.

The interest in Lily and Hope was unexpected and much appreciated by all who truly know bears. Hundreds of classrooms began each day watching the Lily Den Cam and then going on to include Lily and Hope in lessons throughout the day. People who watched from their homes discussed these bears online and became friends, all bonded by their love of these bears.

Last summer, Lily unexpectedly went into estrus, temporarily abandoning Hope to mate. They reunited and are denning together once again, as mother and yearling should. However, this year, Lily entered the den pregnant and had two new cubs along with Hope.

Visit http://www.bear.org and http://www.bearstudy.org to learn more about the research and the bears who are part of it.

China Dogs' Rescue Shows Growing Animal Activism


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKWEzaW6jA

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Rock the House 2011 Auction for Compass House Buffalo NY

Compass House is the only center in Buffalo for runaway and homeless teens. The monies raised go for food, clothing, counseling and training for them.

Absolute Goo has raised more than $65,000 through this annual auction thanks to the generosity of the Goo Goo Dolls, other artists, Goo fans, and businesses who have donated items to previous auctions. We're hoping to have the best fundraising year yet, and we can't do that without your help!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Radiation surges above 4's fuel pool | The Japan Times Online

Radiation has risen to high levels above the spent-fuel pool at reactor No. 4 and its temperature is rising, the nuclear safety agency said Wednesday, indicating the fuel rods have been further damaged and are emitting radioactive substances.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Five U.S. nuclear reactors in earthquake zones - USATODAY.com




At least five U.S. nuclear reactors are located in earthquake-prone seismic zones, potentially exposing them to the forces that damaged the Fukushima plant in Japan, a new analysis shows.
They appear in an analysis by the mapping and geographic data firm ESRI Inc., based in Redlands, Calif. The online map, the first of its kind to let the public ....

Read the full article at USATODAY.com:

Five U.S. nuclear reactors in earthquake zones - USATODAY.com

Friday, March 18, 2011

Naval sonar exercises linked to whale strandings, according to new report

Science-daily (2011-03-16) -- An international team of researchers reports the first data on how beaked whales respond to naval sonar exercises. Their results suggest that sonar indeed affects the behavior and movement of whales.


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Group Pans UBC's Plans to Exchange Endangered Sea Turtles with UK Aquarium - UBC, Vancouver, animal rights

Group Pans UBC's Plans to Exchange EndangeredSea Turtles with UK Aquarium
Welcome Vist Our WebSite:
http://stopubcanimalresearch.org/
VANCOUVER, BC – Today, Stop UBC Animal Research expressed serious concerns about a deal UBC was brokering over seven endangered green sea turtles currently housed at the university. According to a Postmedia news report, “A United Kingdom-based entertainment group, which operates more than 30 aquariums in European countries as well as Sea Life Minnesota, has offered to take UBC's young turtles in exchange for old or injured turtles reaching the end of their lives.” The news report also noted UBC planned to carry out invasive and ultimately “terminal” experiments on the new arrivals from Britain. Stop UBC Animal Research said it could not support such an arrangement because it would “trade one life for another” and cause stress and trauma for the turtles shipped from abroad.

“While we are encouraged UBC wants to find homes for the seven endangered sea turtles, we cannot support any deal that trades one life for another,” said Brian Vincent of Stop UBC Animal Research.

Last week, a UBC insider tipped off the Vancouver-based animal advocacy group about the university’s plans to kill the highly imperiled turtles. That story was featured on the front page of the Vancouver Sun, picked up by international media, and gained world-wide attention. Stop UBC Animal Research launched a vigorous campaign – that....



READ THE FULL ARTICLE:
Group Pans UBC's Plans to Exchange Endangered Sea Turtles with UK Aquarium - UBC, Vancouver, animal rights

Friday, February 25, 2011

Campbell Hall Kids Help Feed the Hungry - North Hollywood-Toluca Lake, CA Patch



On a blazingly sunny afternoon last week, in the parking lot of Temple Beth Hillel, about 30 third-graders from Campbell Hall School set about packing 100 food bags for the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry, a charity Patch has reported on many times.

This day was the culmination of a weeklong, schoolwide food drive, during which the kids collected nearly 800 pounds of groceries.

The students were from the school's Roots and Shoots troop, the Earth Savers.

“We’ve done a food drive every year,” said Jan Weiss, co-leader of the Earth Savers. “Our group…started in first grade. So this group of 8- and 9-year-olds have been very busy the last three years.”

Roots and Shoots is the youth program of the Jane Goodall Institute, with thousands of members all over the world. The organization is devoted to doing community service, preserving the environment and learning about animals.

The dedicated activists in the Earth Savers troop participate every week in a project designed to make the world a better place.


READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE:

Campbell Hall Kids Help Feed the Hungry - North Hollywood-Toluca Lake, CA Patch

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

URGENT--ACTION-NEEDED-BY-6PM-ON-2-22-TO-BAN-THE-SALE-OF-FUR-IN-WEST-HOLLYWOOD

Greetings!

URGENT: Action is Needed by 6pm on 2/22 to Ban the Sale of Fur in West Hollywood!

Last Chance for Animals has been working with fellow animal advocates on the  
Fur-Free WeHo Campaign. There have been four rallies now, all held on Saturday's in West Hollywood. The success of this campaign is undeniable; support from the city and it's lawmakers is pouring in. However, there is a West Hollywood Council Member, Lindsey Horvath, who opposes this campaign.

Council Member Horvath is instead trying to put forth an item on the city council's agenda to have West Hollywood become the first city to implement the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, which was signed into federal law in December 2010. The Truth in Fur Labeling Act closed a loophole which let clothing garments priced under $150 go unlabeled as to whether it was faux for or animal fur. What Horvath is doing is wasting tax payers money and trying to appease the fur industry with a piece of legislation that is worthless. The Truth in Fur Labeling Act will go into affect on March 18, 2011 no matter what, that is fact! While Last Chance for Animals supports the new Federal Truth in Fur labeling Act, it's distressing to hear that Ms. Horvath would consider promoting the sale of fur, however labeled, as "Animal-Friendly", it is not. Clearly skinning an animal alive cannot ever be considered humane or "animal-friendly". Ms. Horvath needs to be encouraged to join others on the West Hollywood City Council to ban the sale of fur! It is disappointing that in response to an invitation to help end the cruelty of the fur trade that Ms. Horvath has decided to spend city resources to promote the fur trade rather then end it.  

Ms. Horvath stated that her item on the agenda (2.S.) is a "proactive way to protect animals while helping our business community come into compliance with this law". All Horvath is doing is wasting time and hindering Fur-Free WeHo's Campaign to BAN the sale of fur in the city entirely. Her proposed item would do nothing to protect animals, it would only protects furriers. Council Member Horvath is the lone voice on the city council not to support a ban on fur in the city. Last Chance for Animals cannot stand by and let her claim to protect animals by shielding furriers from prosecution under the new Federal Law. 


Tell the City Council NOT to Support the Cruel Fur Trade.  
Ban the Sale of Fur- Period!

PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL BEFORE 6pm on 2/22!
  • Call (323) 848-6400 and ask for Council member Lindsey Horvath's office. Politely inform her it's NOT OK to skin animals alive for their fur! Ask her to support the BAN on the sale of fur in West Hollywood.
  •  Email Tom West- West Hollywood City Clerk for distribution to all council offices
twest@weho.org subject line: NO on 2.S.   
  • And/or email the Council Members directly
jheilman@weho.org  Mayor John Heilman 
Jduran@weho.org    John Duran
aland@weho.org     Abbe Land
jprang@weho.org    Jeff Prang
lhorvath@weho.org   Lindsey Horvath


For the Animals,

Campaigns Department
Last Chance for Animals
Campaigns@LCAnimal.org

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/URGENT--ACTION-NEEDED-BY-6PM-ON-2-22-TO-BAN-THE-SALE-OF-FUR-IN-WEST-HOLLYWOOD--.html?soid=1011040807792&aid=On86s4EJ0JY

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Say No To Animal Cruelty - Say No To Shark Fin Soup!


WildAid PSA - Yao Ming 姚明 : Shark Fin Soup

Saving Forests Worldwide ... For Life

A forest is a community of trees. Through reforestation and afforestation, together we can restore and restock areas of forests and woodlands.
Plant It Together! Planet Together! A Global Effort ...
For people, animals, and our earth.

Recently I posted the 'Save Our Forests'  Petition - by 38 Degrees and after I received so many inquiries from people asking how to join in petitions of from other countries - so many inquiries I realized this was an issue, so I wrote the 38 Degrees team requesting more information. Their response letter is below.

Soon people will be able to join in a petition campaign for any location in the world, from anywhere, and support in the resolution of that issue.. I think global efforts are needed for solutions to many of the important environmental and health issues in the world.

Let's save forests worldwide. By doing so we'll be ensuring the health and protection of many generations of people and animals to come.

Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation.
Trees on a mountain in northern Utah during early autumn.

Below is the response letter from 38 Degrees. And, ...I just heard the Save Our Forests campaign was a success, another victory for earth!

........................................................................................................................................

Re: Your message to 38 Degrees

"Dear Natalie,

Unfortunately, we can only take names from those that are based in the UK at this time.

However, you obviously feel very passionately about this, so I would recommend you and others in your situation contact your UK-based friends and family, and ask them to sign up to our campaign, to get your voice heard.

If you are interested in campaigning at a global level, Avaaz (http://avaaz.org/) is a global organisation based on similar principles to 38 Degrees.

Unfortunately, we can only take names from those that are based in the UK at this time.
However, you obviously feel very passionately about this, so I would recommend you and others in your situation contact your UK-based friends and family, and ask them to sign up to our campaign, to get your voice heard.

If you are interested in campaigning at a global level, Avaaz (http://avaaz.org/) is a global organisation based on similar principles to 38 Degrees.

Thanks for taking the time to get in touch,

Martin and the 38degrees team."

 Victory! Government to scrap plans to sell our forests
"Over half a million of us should feel very proud of what we’ve achieved together. Let’s keep watching but also celebrate what we’ve done!"   

 Thanks again to Martin and the 39 Degrees team!  
Its a great time now for change, with the internet people cam already  (in many ways) unite-globally in online actions and efforts to help people, animal and earth...Eventually, there will be less walls, then people will truly be able to work together to solve worldwide problems, from anywhere .. for any place, for anyone.

.......................................................................................................................................

Get Involved!

SAVE FORESTS WORLDWIDE ...

SAVE EARTH!

A forest (also called a wood, woodland, wold, weald, holt, frith, or firth) is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions for forest, based on the various criteria.
These plant communities cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface (or 30% of total land area), though they once covered much more (about 50% of total land area),


in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earth's biosphere. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest)

Anthropogenic factors that can affect forests include logging, urban sprawl, human-caused forest fires, acid rain, invasive species, and the slash and burn practices of swidden agriculture or shifting cultivation. The loss and re-growth of forest leads to a distinction between two broad types of forest, primary or old-growth forest and secondary forest. There are also many natural factors that can cause changes in forests over time including forest fires, insects, diseases, weather, competition between species, etc. In 1997, the World Resources Institute recorded that only 20% of the world's original forests remained in large intact tracts of undisturbed forest.[8] More than 75% of these intact forests lie in three countries - the Boreal forests of Russia and Canada and the rainforest of Brazil. In 2006 this information on intact forests was updated using latest available satellite imagery. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest)

I LOVE FORESTS AND WOODLANDS

Reforestation is the restocking of existing forests and woodlands which have been depleted, an effect of deforestation. Reforestation can be used to improve the quality of human life by soaking up pollution and dust from the air, rebuild natural habitats and ecosystems, mitigate global warming since forests facilitate biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and harvest for resources, particularly timber.
The term reforestation is similar to afforestation, the process of restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forests that may have existed long ago but were deforested or otherwise removed at some point in the past.


Mixed deciduous forest in Stara Planina, Serbia.
Forest near Rajgir, Bihar, India
Rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge.
A conifer forest in the Swiss Alps (National Park).
Swiss National Park

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fellowship of the Whales | Nature | PBS Video

Fellowship of the Whales | Nature | PBS Video

VIDEO: A Thank-You Message from Captain Watson - Sea Shepherd

VIDEO: A Thank-You Message From Captain Watson
42 secs ago

A Thank-You Message from Captain Watson Thank-you. We did it!

From both a medium- and long-term perspective, Japan should improve its protection of marine resources to a level meeting international standards. Japan has come under mounting criticism from the international community not only over its whaling program but also over tuna fishing. In order to avoid unjustifiable criticism from overseas, Japan should improve its whole policy on marine resource protection.

-- The Mainichi Daily News
February 19, 2011

Today we celebrate with you a victory for the oceans! Sea Shepherd has turned the tide and provoked a debate in Japan about whaling.

Five years ago the average Japanese citizen gave little thought to Japan's whaling program in the Southern Ocean. Nor did they think much about the slaughter of the dolphins in Taiji or the fact that Japanese demand for bluefin tuna has brought this species to the brink of extinction.

Sea Shepherd has changed all that through years of patient, focused, and determined actions to defend marine species from plankton to the great whales...


read more ...

A Thank-You Message from Captain Watson - Sea Shepherd

Whales Weep Not! - Sea Shepherd

Whales Weep Not!

It’s Time for the Whaling Industry to Weep Instead

Let’s Abolish Whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary Forever

"There's no way we can outrun the Sea Shepherd boats!" – Fishery’s Agency Officials

Officials of the Fisheries Agency’s Far Seas Fisheries Division quoted a phone call from the Nisshin Maru in the Antarctic Ocean on February 11th. The 8,044-ton Nisshin Maru is the mother ship of the research whaling fleet.

The largest newspaper in Japan had the courage to say what must be said in Japan – whaling is over in the Southern Ocean! It is a pathetic dying industry on the life support system of government subsidies – a glorified welfare operation that has no place in the world of the 21st Century. It’s time to retire the harpoons and to bring peace to the Southern Ocean.




read more...
Whales Weep Not! - Sea Shepherd