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15 March 2017

Choose Among The Many Environmental Conservation Charities

By David Price


All of us need to protect our planet. We the people can (and do) mess things up. We all share the concern that we might run out of clean water, clean air, or basic food. One way we can help is to support non-profit organizations that try to preserve, protect, and conserve our natural treasures. We can share in the exciting struggles and victories of environmental conservation charities.

Knowing about the life around you enriches any outdoor experience. For instance, several species of mussels used to live in North America's freshwater creeks. If you see them now (or maybe their shells left from a raccoon's dinner), you'll know your favorite brook isn't polluted to any great extent. If you don't find them, you could support efforts to clean up your local waterways. You might prefer to preserve an endangered woodpecker's habitat or make sure that native butterflies have places to lay their eggs.

You may find more militant groups disturbing, but their exploits are as exciting as fiction. Manning a great ship through Arctic seas to monitor fishing boats or discourage illegal whalers has got to be cool. Working to save an majestic mountain from strip mining is as thrilling as tales of Davy Crockett. To see a great tract of forest bought and preserved is stirring.

Perhaps you want to help wild creatures and indigenous peoples, too. Organizations that teach sustainable farming methods and develop markets for small landowners are helping people earn a living while preserving sensitive wilderness areas. Even buying 'fair trade' items helps, and direct contributions do even more.

All of these groups need money. Choose a way to donate that reflects your passion. If you love the Allegheny Mountains, find a local, regional, or national organization which works in them. If you're afraid the rainforest will disappear, look for groups that are making sure that doesn't happen. If you want to conserve energy, water, land, or oceans, you have many causes to choose from.

Children have started action groups that are now international non-profits. Organizations can have a local focus, serve a state or nation, work in an entire continent, cover a region, or have a global impact. You might want to support educational efforts, restore native grasses to the prairie, plant trees on old strip mines, or improve the lot of domestic cows, pigs, and chickens. There are many ways to make sure you are part of the solution rather than the problem.

It's a good idea to check the rating for any cause you're considering. There are non-profits that exist to monitor charities to make sure the administrative costs are not out of line and that collected funds are not mismanaged. They make sure that the goals of the organization are being met, so that donors aren't wasting their money. You will find different lists of 'the top ten' charities, and there may be some political bias in the judging, but you can also find out about organizations of all kinds.

Whether you like the idea of buying land, keeping a local botanical garden afloat, or reducing the carbon footprint on our forests, there's a cause for you. All non-profits need faithful donors to survive.




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