We live in a world of incredible material abundance, but we’re running short on nature. We want more places where we can hike, bike and jog among trees and wildflowers. We want more mountaintops where we can see nothing but forest below, more rivers that flow wild and free, more shoreline where all we can hear are waves. We want more wildlife in our world, from the grizzly on the ridgeline to the bee in our garden, from the wolf in the forest to the butterfly in our backyard. We want and need more, to paraphrase Emerson, of a world so beautiful that we “can hardly believe it exists.”
For centuries, we sacrificed nature in our lives for the sake of economic progress. But that’s not a world we have to live in anymore. Nor is it the future our children deserve — especially when we're being told to accept less nature in our lives just so we can produce and consume more stuff we don’t need.
There are so many — too many to name — iconic animals native to America that are now endangered or threatened. There’s the right whale, sperm whale, humpback whale and fin whale. The sea otter, ringed seal, Steller sea lion, manatee and loggerhead turtle. On land, there’s the polar bear, grizzly bear, gray wolf, Florida panther, ocelot and Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.
We’ve sacrificed enough nature in our lives.
Fortunately, we live in the country that created the world’s first national parks. At our best, we as a people have acted out of a deep desire to protect the places we love, both those that are close to home as well as those that define our country and our people, from the Grand Canyon to the Great Lakes, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters.
That’s why Environment America Research & Policy Center is running campaigns for more open spaces, more wild places and more wildlife:
Wildlife Over Waste: We’re protecting whales, dolphins, birds, fish and other water creatures from the harm of needless plastic pollution by educating the public about the issue and calling for solutions, such as bans on take-out foam cups and containers.
No Bees, No Food: We’re fighting to save bees and other pollinators by calling on the EPA to stop the most problematic uses of bee-killing pesticides and urging communities to plant pollinator-friendly vegetation.
Environmental Defense: Our Public Lands: We’re standing up for our national monuments and other public lands by blocking attempts to shrink their boundaries, allow more destructive activities, or remove their protections.
Environmental Defense: Our Oceans: We’re defending our oceans, marine wildlife and beaches by opposing plans for new oil and gas drilling along nearly the entire coastline of the country.
None of this will be easy. Some opponents will push in the opposite direction because they hold different values. Some will oppose us out of self-interest. But it’s up to us to stand up for America’s special places and all the life they support.