Happy Earth Day / Earth Month!

Welcome to AnimalWeb's April Newsletter. Earth Month / Day is upon us! We sure hope you will take it seriously and will make sure to mention it to friends and loved ones. The more we can offer and educate about our environment, the better. This month, AnimalWeb wishes to acknowledge the Earth Day Network, located on the Web at http://www.earthday.net Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Their mission is to build broad-based citizen support for sound, workable and effective environmental and sustainable development policies for all.

The Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Through Earth Day Network, activists connect, interact, and impact their communities, and create positive change in local, national, and global policies.

EDN's international network reaches over 12,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program keeps over 3,000 groups and over 100,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. As a result, Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in their campaigns every year, which is quite impressive!  Please make sure to add them to your bookmarks and get informed!

Back to Nature: Start Some Spring Rituals to Keep Wildlife in Mind Story by Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org) Nature has its own internal clock that seems to run without assistance from the Gregorian calendar or Swiss watchmakers.

Plants and animals in the northern hemisphere seem to know exactly what to do, whether mating or just blooming, once the sun crosses directly over the equator on March 20.

Humans, on the other, sometimes need a little prodding.

Oh, sure, we have our spring rituals: cleaning the house, dusting off the baseball equipment, planting gardens, cruising the beach in Fort Lauderdale. But how many of our spring rituals involve making the world a little easier on those with whom we share it?

If one of the regrettable hallmarks of the modern citizen is his estrangement from nature, perhaps we can jumpstart our inner biological clocks with a few new spring rituals that link us directly back to the earth and its inhabitants. With that in mind, The HSUS has put together a short list of things to do this spring - or at least in keep in mind as you're tooling around with your ragtop down, checking out the other gender in what passes for human mating season.

• Solve Your Conflicts Peacefully: It's okay to admit that sometimes wildlife drives you a little batty. They eat your plants, interrupt your golf game, maybe even take up residence in your chimney during the spring and summer. Here's the thing, though: Don't act on that anger. The animals are just doing their thing. The HSUS has a wide variety of pages devoted to peacefully solving conflicts with wildlife, whether your conflict is with deer, raccoons, black bears, or even that rarely seen underground dweller, the mole.
  
  
• Don't Be a Homewrecker: You already know that wild animals breed during the spring and produce offspring that may wander into our lives during the summer. The temptation to think of those young animals as "lost" or "abandoned" is great. But before you whisk the young ones into your arms, consider the fact that the animals may not be alone at all. Many species leave their young alone for periods of time, but rest assured, the parents are nearby watching like, ahem, a hawk. However, if you think the young animal is injured, that's a whole different story. We have expert tips to help you determine when you should help, and when you should walk away.
  
  
• Get into Rehab: Some young wild animals, of course, truly are abandoned. The abandonment can result from any number of causes, but whatever the reason, someone must step in and raise the young ones. That's where licensed wildlife rehabilitators come in. The HSUS's Sue Farinato, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, explains her annual struggles to save abandoned bunnies, a task filled with both rewards and grief. She also explains how you can become a wildlife rehabilitator yourself.
  
  
• Drive with Wildlife in Mind: Think you just paid a lot in taxes? Consider America's wild animals. Our nation's roads and highways exact an exorbitant, unofficial tax from wildlife just so we can enjoy ease of travel. Each year, particularly during the spring, millions of wild animals die in a vain attempt to cross streets, highways and interstates. Learn how you can lower the taxes on wildlife with just a few simple acts.
  
  
• Share the Harvest: Anyone who has ever planted a seed and nurtured it into, say, a neatly packaged tomato vine bursting with red fruit knows the frustration of watching the whole effort literally go down the throats of migrating deer. Now, shooting the animals over this garden raid is a little drastic, don't you think? The HSUS's John Hadidian offers a host of humane solutions for solving these kinds of conflicts, including the solution we learned in grade school: learn to share your food.
  
  
• Know When Not  to Share: Now, this may sound contradictory, but it's not: Don't feed wildlife. Most human-produced foods are not appropriate for wildlife. Not only that, but the very idea of humans directly offering food to wildlife can lead to tragic consequences for the animals. So when you're picnicking with friends and family, keep those sandwiches to yourself.
  
  
• Make It a Habitat: Every new subdivision, shopping mall and parking lot gobbles up what used to be wildlife habitat, often forcing rural animals to adjust to life among the urbans. You can help make that transition easier for wildlife by designating your property, no matter how large or small, an urban wildlife sanctuary. Learn the details of our Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program and join today.

For even more ideas on how to get back to nature, visit the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) website at http://www.hsus.org.

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