What Are Your Dreams?
A big dream of mine is that humans will live in harmony with our Earth, care about the environment, and take joy in the species that surround them. The act of caring about and finding joy in nature will restore habitat loss, increase biodiversity, and slow climate change.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and my mom who passed from cancer April 2020, I’m finally starting to get a passion project I’ve been dreaming about off the ground! Flora and Fauna House will be a spot where I can help others learn about native plants, insects and other critters, and how you can support endangered wildlife in your own yard! Learn more about why I’m starting this project on the About page.
I’m in the process of writing up information about some local threatened/endangered species and working with artist friends to create informative artwork about each species. Artwork will be for sale, I’m shooting for the March time frame. Proceeds from artwork sales will be saved up and used to donate home gardens to under-resourced communities, veterans, and senior citizens.
Environmental Science Isn’t Just About Lab Coats
There’s also a citizen scientist part to this, and that’s where you come in! When you visit to the Facebook page there is a “Groups” tab. Feel free to join the group and if you see something in your yard, or on a hike and need help with an ID, I’ll do my best to track down the name for you. If I’m stumped, I will teach you how to use resources like Bug Guide and iNaturalist. If you don’t want to be bothered with posting in groups, you can send me the photo and I’ll post it for you. The group is free of charge and a space for us to learn together!!
The Global Safety Net
On October 7, 2020, California Governor Newsom signed a pledge to conserve 30% of the state’s land and water by 2030 in an effort to protect biodiversity and prevent species extensions (source). While watching a 2020 Bioneers conference session, I learned of the Global Safety Net app. It tracks the biodiversity of areas around the world. https://www.globalsafetynet.app/viewer/. The website poses a question similar to the one asked in the presentation:
Approximately half of Earth’s terrestrial surface is considered to be in a natural or seminatural condition. How does this remaining habitat overlap with global conservation priorities and carbon storage requirements?
https://www.globalsafetynet.app/science/
While looking at how much gray area is on the map and asking myself this question, I decided that 30% over 30 years is too little, and the timeline is too long. This realization is what caused me to finally start working on this project. While government moves slow, private land owners can have a much faster impact. As larger swaths of land are being conserved, we have the ability to create zones of connection so urban environments are not zones of zero biodiversity.
I’m looking forward to this journey and hope many will join along.