Dear Friend of SavingSpecies,
The turning of the seasons and the coming New Year have brought us back to that time when we remember all that is important in life: our family, friends, and community. Our tight-knit SavingSpecies community is very special to me. By tying the best conservation science to grass-roots activism, we are doing our part to heal the planet for biodiversity. We’re not doing it from plush offices. We’re doing it hectare-by-hectare, forest-by-forest—slowly restoring hope for the future of nature.
I have you to thank for that. Your support has provided us the funds to buy land that connects isolated rainforest fragments. These corridors increase habitat for rare species such as the golden lion tamarin, a cute monkey in eastern Brazil, that was on the verge of extinction, but now has a more secure future. Your funds have protected fragile cloud forests in Colombia for rare orchids, hummingbirds and butterflies. We have also restored desperately needed habitat for lemurs in Madagascar, one of the most at-risk biodiversity hotspots on the planet.
Our rigorously scientific approach is vindicated by the discoveries of new species in our conservation areas. In 2012, scientists discovered nine new frog species in our Colombia project site. Then in August, we were thrilled to learn that our Colombia site is also home to the olinguito, the first new carnivore mammal to be described in 35 years. Restricted to a narrow zone in the western Andes cloud forests of Colombia, the olinguito is truly adorable! (Yes, even hard-nosed scientists can “ooh” and “aah” over cute species.) Our photos of an olinguito cub were the first ever published online, and quickly went viral, being featured in Scientific American, Salon and Huffington Post.
Looking forward, we are building on the successes you helped SavingSpecies achieve. We just announced a new project to connect and restore vital habitat for the olinguito. This project will protect countless other species—including more plants and animals entirely unknown to science—as we restore fragmented cloud forests disturbed by generations of high-impact human activity.
Your generosity is helping us to reweave the tapestry of life with hard-boiled proven science, that occasionally melts our hearts when we see that we are saving creatures like the olinguito. As you reconnect with friends and family this time of year, please take a moment to remember SavingSpecies, our hardworking volunteers and our stellar Science Board as your extended conservation family.
Your kindness and support means so much to me as I put science to work for healing the planet with SavingSpecies. I thank you again, and wish you and your families all the best for this holiday season and for the New Year.
Cheers,
Stuart Pimm
President, SavingSpecies
P.S. Just a reminder that any donations you make before December 31 are deductible from your 2013 taxes.
SavingSpecies ark logo represents our mission to save wildlife around the world.
SavingSpecies, Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. EIN 45-3868475
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