Rise early and seize each day, learn much and use this knowledge well, spend time with those you love, never abuse your pets, use logic to fight the irrational (for it is everywhere), defend the environment and its wildlife as a knight would protect King Arthur, meld mind and heart for greatest creativity, follow your dreams, and become all that you can be.

Between the inner and outer beaches, a strand of woods thrived: palms, palmettos, mahogany, figs, and calabash. Coconut palms and fig trees dropped enough fruit to feed the wildlife that swooped by in droves. It was so easy to catch a fish with your bare hands, Tristan and I had made a game of it during our weeks of lovemaking on the warm, supple sand. It truly was paradise.

“If there?s a silver lining to all of this, it?s that when we find the dead fish, we?re also finding healthy fish in the same area. We have representatives from [U.S. Geological Survey] and the United States Fish and Wildlife checking for everything. The experts are in the right place at the right time. Until we find a cause and implement a solution, we are going to continue to be out there.”

Remember that even just watching animals has an impact. Intrusion into their living space can expose them to predation, keep them from feeding or other essential activities, or cause them to leave their young exposed to predation or the elements. No photo or viewing opportunity is worth harassing or stressing wildlife. In appreciating and watching them, we have a responsibility to protect and preserve the animals that share our state.

Wildlife is and should be useless in the same way art, music, poetry and even sports are useless. They are useless in the sense that they do nothing more than raise our spirits, make us laugh or cry, frighten, disturb and delight us. They connect us not just to what’s weird, different, other, but to a world where we humans do not matter nearly as much as we like to think.And that should be enough.

Bad is that often wildlife trafficking is described as a “victimless” crime. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the trafficked items come from murdered animals; Rhinoceros Horn, Ivory and Tiger skins; and hundreds of thousands of birds and animals die in transit in the most horrible circumstances imaginable. Just because they cannot communicate with us does not mean they are not victims. They feel, fear and die, just like humans.

“the bay’s wilderness character makes it a favorite destination of Juneau’s residents for camping, boating, fishing, bird watching, kayaking, whale watching, and many other recreational activities. Berners Bay contributes enormously to Juneau’s quality of life. This mine, with its docks and vessel traffic, puts the bay’s wildlife at risk, and will severely impact the recreational uses of the area. It’s the first step in turning Berners Bay into an industrial zone.”

“State fish and wildlife agencies are pretty much funding themselves. They do a tremendous job on a shoestring budget, but that is very difficult without a reliable funding source. State agencies get the majority of their funding through hunting license revenues and excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment. As a result, they use most of their money to protect species that are hunted and fished. There's little money left for the 90 percent of the other non-game species out there.”

“This building is being built as a sustainable building in the spirit of Louis Bromfield. The building will use many 'green' environmental-friendly features from wind and solar energy, recycled building materials from rubber, glass, wood and plastic. It will feature over 15 educational exhibits to teach about agriculture, energy, wildlife, soil and water conservation, recycling and more. Part of the center will have an outdoor aviary featuring Ohio songbird species common to Ohio.”

“That bluebirds currently nest in all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties is directly related to the interest Pennsylvanians have shown toward bluebird conservation and doing something more for wildlife in their yards over the past 50 years. But we should not consider the bluebird's comeback a done deal, because their existence seems destined to hinge on the continued involvement of people who care about the species. If people stop putting out nest boxes for bluebirds, there undoubtedly will be serious repercussions.”