Is Time Running Out?

Is time really running out for many of the creatures on Earth?  Is human existence really threatened because we are in the sixth mass extinction?  

As part of our unit on Ecology, I thought we would focus on endangered species this week.  Both the greater sage grouse and the lesser prairie chicken have gotten a lot of recent news coverage on whether or not they would be added to the Endangered Species List.  This got me thinking about endangered species in general.  

When I started researching endangered species, I got sidetracked by an article in the Huffington Post about "11 Animals We May Allow To Go Extinct Because They're Not Cute and Fuzzy."  

Total contrast to the eleven not so cute animals, I also came across the Photo Ark. Joel Sartore is a former National Geographic photographer.  He now travels to zoos across the country photographing endangered species for his "photo ark" or portfolio of beautiful photographs.  The goal of the Photo Ark is to document biodiversity, educate people about what is happening and get them to care before it is too late.  

Check out the Photo Ark:

http://www.joelsartore.com/galleries/the-photo-ark/ 

Your assignment this week is to watch the following Ted Talk.  

What did you think?  Would you want to be a National Geographic photographer?  Do you think the Photo Ark project will work?   First, just for this week, I want you each to change your profile picture to an endangered species.  Will you pick a cute and cuddly panda bear or the not so cute California Condor?  DO THIS FIRST!  If you don't do it before you enter your blog response, the images won't show up.  See me if you need help with this.

In a scholarly response, answer the questions above.  In addition to the questions above, I also want you to describe what biodiversity means to you.  What can you do to protect biodiversity?  What can you do to increase awareness of the impending sixth mass extinction?  I can't wait to see what cool images you pick for your profile pictures.  Start off your blog post telling us what animal you picked and why.  No repeats please!  In honor of Crystal Lake Central, I picked the Sumatran Tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae.   Below is a list of endangered species:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status

The Bear is on the Loose

Last week in the news, President Barack Obama was a popular subject in many newscasts featuring his visit to Alaska.  While I was entertained by his "tangle with Bear Grylls," it was the overall picture that most relates to biology and especially ecology.  Watch the quick video clip below.

On his visit to Alaska, President hiked to a quickly melting glacier (the white glacier is in the background and is shrinking daily) :

The purpose of the  visit to Alaska was to set the stage for his platform for climate change.  Below is the link to the Obama Action Plan for Climate Change:

Climate Change and President Obama's Action Plan:https://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change

The Arctic region is one of the areas that is directly feeling the impact of global warming.  Global greenhouse gas emissions exceed 400 ppm and the world races toward a 2 degree Celsius warm-up.  For this week's blog assignment, I want you to read President Obama's speech below:

President Obama's Remarks about the GLACIER Conference in Anchorage, Alaska:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/01/remarks-president-glacier-conference-anchorage-ak

Once you have read the speech, post a scholarly response to the article.  What did you think?  How is human activity disrupting the climate?  Why is the Arctic the leading edge of climate change?  Why does it matter if the permafrost layer is melting?  How does this relate to the drought and forest fires in California and the West?  How does this affect you?  What can you do to make a difference?  I expect you to write this paragraph in the same fashion that you would write a paragraph for English class.  Capital letters, proper punctuation, correct spelling and format are expected.  You classmates will also write a response to this article.  Can you include a link to other sites about global environmental issues?  What other issues are you worried about?  Endangered species?  Over-population?  Deforestation?  In addition to your own response, I would like you to comment on at least one classmates response to the article.  All of these initial responses will be posted to my blog for the world to see, so do your best.