<div style="text-align: left;">
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>"In nature, nothing exists alone." - Rachel Carson, 1962</em></strong></p>
Nature's gift to the planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that we still have not discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably altered the balance of nature, and the world is facing a mass extinction of the species, the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs 60 million years ago. Scientists tell us that 1000s of species may become extinct this year alone. But unlike the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world is the result of human development. The causes are many: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, unsustainable agriculture, plastics and pesticides to name a few, and the impacts are far reaching. If we do not act now, extinction may be our most enduring legacy.

The good news is that if we take action, we can stop extinction.

This year, Earth Day Network is asking that we join together to protect our species.

You can learn more about the need to protect our species <a href="https://www.earthday.org/2018/05/18/populations-of-living-things-across-all-species-are-declining-and-this-is-very-worrisome/">here</a> and see some quick facts on the current wave of extinction <a href="https://www.earthday.org/2018/05/18/fact-sheet-global-species-decline/">here</a>.

Sign up <a href="https://earthdaynetwork.salsalabs.org/protectourspecies">here</a> if you would like to receive updates on future campaigns to Protect Our Species and new ways in which you can get involved.
<div class="mobileHide"><span style="font-size: small;">Video courtesy of Louie Schwartzberg, Moving Art</span></div>
</div>