Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A Twist on Mimicry Can Be Scary!

Our Scientific Advisory Board Member, Dr. Dan Janzen, shares his remarkable research on caterpillars in Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica! Published in this week's NY Times! Click on the link below to read the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/science/15crea.html


Dr. Janzen's research is a testament to the fact that there are still innumerable things to be explored and investigated, and thus protected, within the rain forest!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Dear Fans, Partners, Sponsors and Friends,

Summer is fast approaching, and while we're all anxious to indulge in some well-deserved relaxation, conservation work is never done. We want to share SaveNature.Org's latest accomplishments and what we have in store for the summer! We warmly thank each and every one of you for your alliance and continued support! To make a thoughtful contribution for our conservation efforts and to bring our educational outreach programs to underprivileged children and communities, go to http://savenature.org/content/donate/. Your donation helps SaveNature and protects the most dynamic biodiversity on our planet!

*Social Networking and Public Relations*
View from the Bay Appearance
Director, Norm Gershenz, appeared in a television segment on View from the Bay (aired on June 1st) entitled, "Insects and the World Under Your Feet" http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7472989 (click to view). Norm shared how to discover local arthropod biodiversity in Golden Gate Park.

Twitter, Facebook, Yelp!
Don't forget to show us your support by becoming one of our followers on Twitter (http://twitter.com/savenatureorg) or by becoming one of our fans on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/SaveNatureorg/5865449586)! Also, if you've seen our Insect Discovery Lab do a presentation or table at an event, do rate and review us on Yelp! (http://www.yelp.com/biz/insect-discovery-lab-san-francisco)! We would appreciate your input!

*Recent Events*
Kids Creek Fest at Fernandez Park, Pinole, CA - May 8, 2010
SaveNature.Org and its Insect Discovery Lab were invited to join the fun at Kids Creek Fest, a free environmental fair and family-friendly event set to entertain and educate children and their families about caring for the earth, wildlife, water and other precious resources.

Adopt An Acre® Deed Presentation - Alvarado Elementary School, San Francisco, CA - May 25, 2010
Director Norm Gershenz made a very special visit to Mrs. Hawkins's first grade class at Alvarado Elementary School in San Francisco. Students had a bake sale and raised $200.00, which they used to adopt 4 acres of habitat in Kunene Region Protected Area, Namibia! SaveNature.Org presented the students with their deed in an on-site ceremony to congratulate them for their successful fundraising and to honor them for being stewards for the environment. Great work, kids!

We would also like to commend a few other schools and students who too have been successful in raising funds for habitat protection:
2010 Third Grade Rainforest Unit at Holy Family School - Norwich, NY
Students used a collection of $227.50 to adopt 1 and 3/4 acres in Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica!
First Grade, Room 103 at Clarendon Elementary School - SF, CA
Students raised $475.00 to protect 3 3/5 acres of rainforest habitat in Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica!
First Grade Class of 2009-2010 at Beach Elementary School - Piedmont, CA
Students collected funds independently and were told they could do whatever they wanted to raise funds, as long as they earned the money. That said, they were able to generate a whopping $771.30 to protect 15 1/4 acres in Pantanal National Park, Brazil!
Mrs. Honda's 3rd Grade Class 2010, Manor School - Fairfax, CA
Third Graders at Manor School crafted a Native Bee quilt, sold raffle tickets and were able to adopt 2 acres in Pantanal National Park, Brazil! It's always inspiring to see young people working hard to save the planet!

*Insect Discovery Lab Appearances*
Celsius and Beyond Camp, SF - June 10 to August 26
The Insect Discovery Lab has been invited to be part of Celsius and Beyond's 2010 Summer Camp Session (http://www.celsiusandbeyond.com/camp_summer.html) and will be included in "The 5 Ecosystems of San Francisco" lesson plans. You can still register for camp by clicking on the link! Hope to see you there!

The Shops at Tanforan, San Bruno, June 30 1:00pm
What would make children crowd around and scream for joy in the middle of a mall? A video game? Free ice cream samples? No-- It's got to be The Insect Discovery Lab and our marvelous multi-legged creatures! Join us at the end of the month!

SaveNature.Org's Insect Discovery Lab conducted two outreach presentations at libraries in the Bay Area: Pinole Library on May 12th and Oceanview Branch Library in SF on May 20th. The Insect Lab is slated to appear at the following libraries through the summer:
Western Addition Branch - SF - June 11 @ 2pm
Ingleside Branch - SF - June 17 @ 3pm
Chinatown Branch - SF - June 23 @ 2:30pm
Ortega Branch - SF - July 2 @ 3pm
Potrero Branch - SF - July 10 @ 4pm
North Beach - SF - July 13 @ 11am
Main SF Library - July 24 @ 2pm

*Upcoming Events*
Old Firehouse School Summer Program, Mill Valley, June 4 to August 6
SaveNature.Org and its Insect Lab were invited to participate in the Old Firehouse Summer Program in Mill Valley, by teaching a 45-minute class each week through the summer session. Participating Pre-K students will take part in 9-weeks of Incredible Insect Lesson Plans, exploring, identifying and observing insects and other arthropods. SaveNature.Org is optimistic that this program will be a great success, and plans to develop a camp to offer regularly for summer and after-school sessions.

Career and Technical Education Fair, City College of San Francisco, June 8
This event will be held at City College's Ocean Campus (50 Phelan Ave, SF 94112) and is open to the public. Come see us tabling with our insect friends and let us help you spark an interest in an environmental science career!

Noe Valley Midsummer Celebration at 3950 24th St. SF, June 19
Our partners at Whole Foods Noe Valley invited us to table and join the fun! Special features of the event include live music, hay rides, a petting zoo, face painting and so much more! We are really looking forward to it! Come join in the celebration and show us your support! And remember, SaveNature.Org was chosen as a recipient for Nickels for Non-Profits for the 2nd quarter, so bring your reusable totes and donate to save nature.

**Special Thanks**
We would like to thank a few of our zoo partners who have accomplished great work in spreading our message to save the environment!
Roosevelt Park Zoo in North Dakota has consistently distributed our Adopt An Acre® and Adopt A Reef® brochures to their attendees, helping our message thrive in unexpected places!
El Paso Zoo garnered a sum of $1000.00 from their Conservation Parking Meter in April. These funds will go toward protecting their chosen conservation site of Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala!
Denver Zoo's Conservation Parking Meter collected an impressive $5000.00 to go toward protecting coral reef habitat in Komodo National Park, Indonesia and rainforest habitat in Guanacaste Conservation Area, Costa Rica!
Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho is our newest partner to have a Conservation Parking Meter on-site! We look forward to promising results from the meter's placement! Thanks for helping us save nature!

You too can help us Save Nature by making a donation today! Go to http://savenature.org/content/donate/.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Appearance on View from the Bay!

Recently, our knowledgeable Director, Norm Gershenz, took View from the Bay on a stroll through Golden Gate Park to seek out some natural wonders crawling right under our feet! Click below to watch the video:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7472989

More updates soon to come...