Volume 233, December 27, 2022

Dolphin and Union Caribou Photo Kim Poole, US Fish and Wildlife


A glimmer of hope in a reindeer story 


Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Dolphin and Union Caribou to the endangered species list. These ground barren caribou are more commonly known as reindeer.


In an all too familiar story, these majestic creatures are now struggling for survival because of climate change.


These migratory caribou go from the Arctic regions of Canada's Northwest Territories province to their calving grounds on Victoria Island. They must cross over sea ice each year. Sadly, sea ice formation is inadequate due to warming global temperatures, and many reindeer have fallen through the ice.


To make matters worse, the weakening ice has allowed more shipping further north—another disruption to the Dolphin and Union caribou's migratory path.


In recent years, the reindeer population has declined sharply, the last four being the most deadly, with a staggering decline of 75% since 2018.


While these numbers are disheartening, this story has a glimmer of hope. Thanks to public comment, this species was moved from the original recommendation of threatened to endangered. Activists like you and I helped protect this species further and hopefully kept them from extinction.


Never believe that the part you play is to small to make an impact.


I find myself reflecting on Judith Schwartz's work The Reindeer Chronicles. She describes landscape-scale restoration, the bigger picture of working with nature to heal some of our most damaged ecosystems. She describes a work we can all play a part in. She calls it "the inverse of apathy and an antidote to despair."


While it may be tempting to slide into apathy about the many damaged ecosystems and endangered species, we must not. Because there is still hope.


That's what the Ocean River Institute is all about. Pressuring lawmakers to see the forest and the trees (and all the other species that reside there), and to fight to protect not only our species and our ecosystems but our entire planet, one step at a time.


As we close this holiday season and this year, I am asking if you can make a gift to ORI today. Every dollar goes towards our goal of protecting our planet.


This work is not possible without people like you. 


Give for a glimmer of hope

With you, the Ocean River Institute accomplished much in 2022.

We sounded the alarm bell on climate change, literally. On the eleventh of each month in Harvard Square, we rang the First Parish Church Cambridge bell for 11 minutes signifying that we are truly in the 11th hour in the battle against climate change.

We pushed for increased production of clean energy, not only to help the climate but also to stop funding dictators like Putin. This year we saw tremendous victories in clean energy production, the largest being the passage of the most significant investment in clean energy in the history of the United States through the Inflation Reduction Act.


We pressured Massachusetts lawmakers to declare April 24th right whale day. We delivered over 500 signatures and public comments to the state capitol.


Success came early in December when the Massachusetts legislature declared April 24th as North Atlantic Right Whale Day. 


This spring, in Washington, we’ll double down on passage of The Stewarding Atlantic Fisheries Ecosystems by Supporting Economic Assistance and Sustainability (SAFE SEAS) Act.


The $1.7 trillion spending package passed by Congress included a six-year pause on regulations for the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to reduce the risk of right whale entanglement in trap pot lines.  The retracting trap lines, activated by the lobsterman’s cell phone, require more time for development and production.


The SAFE SEAS Act recognizes right whales as a national treasure and that it is in all of our interests to protect right whales including by covering the costs of retractable,"whale-safe" gear (and to not give a reason for increasing the price of lobsters).  Boat operators will also welcome to no longer steer around lobster pot buoys - finally an open ocean.


Make a gift for our work saving whales.

We urged for the protection of many critically endangered species. We made our voices heard, from manatees, Northern long-eared bats, grey wolves, and pollinators to North Atlantic right whales, koalas, sea turtles, harlequin butterflies, and on to forests, both young and old-growth forests. Thousands of supporters signed petitions urging lawmakers to protect precious inhabitants of priceless ecosystems.

We issued our Natural Lawn Care for Healthy Soils Challenge and educated folks to increase carbon drawdown and storage with more water retained for drier times when caring for their yards. Families pledged not to spread fertilizer on established lawns or water lawns. (111 species of bees in Springfield, MA, prefer lawns not watered, not fertilized, and no chemicals.) During the summer, we tabled in fourteen municipalities, distributed 1,000 stickers, and were featured on WCVB Channel 5 newsmagazine Chronicle.

The work is only just beginning, and I have high hopes for our climate work with more global warming solutions in the new year. Please consider a donation before our end-of-year deadline to turbocharge our work in 2023-we are going to need it for the daunting challenges ahead.

We could not have done any of this without the generous grassroots support of people like you. Thank you, and have a very happy new year.

Publications:


"Slowing Water For Greener Neighborhoods." The Environmental Magazine, December 18, 2022


"Speak for the trees: President Biden should protect public forests." Illuminem, December 18, 2022


"Slowing Water for Greener Neighborhoods." Illuminem, December 9, 2022


"Top Gun at COP27. It's not the plane. It's the pilot." The Environmental Magazine, November 29, 2022


"Biden’s game-changing administrative actions for climate at COP27." illuminem Voices, November 19, 2022


"Taking action to improve plight of right whales." Boston Herald, November 9, 2022


"Revival Coffee in Somerville takes up the Natural Lawn Challenge." The Somerville Times, August 27, 2022


"For eco groups, less lawn fertilizer is key to water crisis." By Dustin Luca, Salem News August 12, 2022


More carbon capture, better water retention and greener emerald bracelets for Dedham.” The Dedham Times, August 12, 2022.


“Emerald Bracelets to Solve Three Of The World’s Greatest Environmental Problems.” by Rob Moir, The Environmental Magazine, June 21, 2022


"Of Mousy and Elephantine Cycles, Managing the CLIMATE CRISIS after Glasgow COP26." The Eden, March 2022



“Lincoln resident promotes natural lawn care,” Concord Journal, Aug 3, 2021


Zumi’s host Natural Lawn Care for Healthy Soils Challenge,Ipswich Chronicle Transcript, Aug 10, 2021


Peabody peak capacity generator need not burn fossil fuels,” The Salem News, Aug 5, 2021 


30% preserved or restored by 2030,” The Salem News, Sep 29, 2021


Pogie deaths, a Mystic River mystery,” Boston Herald, Oct 4, 2021


Remember the right whales with a special day,” CommonWealth, Oct 29, 2021


Retreating Arctic Sea Ice, Sea Ice Formation, and the Stronger Flow of the Gulf Stream” Seven Seas November 2021


"Rob Moir, PhD, Science Advocate," Bloomberg Business, April 11, 2022

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