Video: NYC Marathon – Training Day

From Mark Tercek:

Tomorrow we run 26.2 miles in the New York City marathon to help protect nature. I can't believe it's here. Watch this video to see how we prepared for the big day.

As the Conservancy's President and CEO, I've seen so many of the critical habitats your support helps to protect in the United States and around the world, places like China and Chile.

As I run through the five boroughs of New York City with 45,000 other runners, I'll be thinking about you and our conservation work—how we'll be able to do twice as much for nature when you give now and have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar.

Thanks to a generous matching grant from our New York trustees, all gifts made to get Team Nature Conservancy across the finish line will be matched up to $60,000.

Thanks again for all you do for our natural world and to cheer me on.

Sincerely,

Mark Tercek
President and CEO
The Nature Conservancy



I was so relieved they weren't asking me to run that I made a nice donation

It is now possible to import wolves to Sweden
Publicerat: onsdag 01 december kl 18:09, Radio Sweden


Wolves at a zoo in Skåne province

It is possible to strengthen the Swedish wolf population by importing wolves from other countries according to a new report by the Environmental Protection Agency and two other agencies.

The plan is to import at least 20 wolves by 2014 to prevent inbreeding and ten county administration boards have been asked to find places where the new wolves could be moved.

“We have reached the conclusion that it is possible to strengthen the wolf population by importing wolves to Sweden,” Maria Ågren, director general of the agency told Swedish Radio News.

At the same time the much criticised license hunt for wolves will continue but according to Ågren this doesn’t necessarily hurt the wolf population.

“The main problem in Sweden is the genetics not the number of wolves. We can keep the population at a stable level but it is important to strengthen the genetics.”


Link to the Article

Whooping cranes grounded by FAA

Thinking of the folks at Operation Migration and hoping for the sake of the cranes that this is resolved very soon.

January 7, 2012
(AP)

WASHINGTON — Ten young whooping cranes and the bird-like plane they think is their mother had flown more than halfway to their winter home in Florida when federal regulators stepped in.

Now the birds and the plane are grounded in Alabama while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates whether the journey violates regulations because the pilot was being paid by a conservation group to lead the cranes on their first migration instead of working for free.

FAA regulations say only pilots with commercial pilot licenses can fly for hire. The pilots of Operation Migration's plane are instead licensed to fly sport aircraft because that's the category of aircraft that the group's small, open plane with its rear propeller and bird-like wings falls under. FAA regulations also prohibit sport aircraft — which are sometimes of exotic design — from being flown to benefit a business or charity.

More to read : http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-573 ... ed-by-faa/

Thanks Jkr.....happily, this was posted on OM field journal this afternoon!!! I am so relieved that this decision was made and there is still excellent chance of getting this class successfully to their new winter home where they can forage for themselves, rather than depending on humans in funny white suits to feed them in Alabama!!!!

I will follow this post with 2 more whooping crane stories which point to the urgency of why every one of these majestic birds is invaluable in goal or restoration of this species to a sustainable level.

Date: January 9, 2012 Reporter: David Sakrison, Director, OM Board of Directors
Subject: FAA GRANTS WAIVER Location: Ripon, WI

We learned late this afternoon that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had granted Operation Migration a one-time temporary exemption to allow its pilots to finish the 2011-2012 crane migration. The waiver extends through the end of March.

A statement released by the FAA on Monday afternoon said in part: “Because the operation is in ‘mid-migration,’ the FAA is granting a one-time exemption so the migration can be completed. The FAA will work with Operation Migration to develop a more comprehensive, long-term solution.”

We appreciate the agency’s efforts on our behalf, and we thank everyone; supporters and the public for the overwhelming outpouring of support on behalf of Whooping cranes and Operation Migration.