Animals, Butterflies, Climate Change, Forests, Kindness, Leadership, Nature, Trees, Water

250,000 Trees, Countless Lives: The Devastating Cost of Deforestation

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Puma

Imagine waking up to find your home destroyed, your family scattered, and your future erased—all in the name of technological progress. For countless wild animals, this is the devastating reality of deforestation.

Reports that Google inappropriately cleared 250,000 trees for a data center in Finland raise urgent questions about the environmental price of our digital world. As technology companies race to expand artificial intelligence and data infrastructure, we must ask: How much of our natural world are we willing to sacrifice for progress?

Trees are far more than beautiful features of a landscape. Forests are essential allies in the fight against climate change, absorbing carbon dioxide and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming. They also help regulate the water cycle, support healthy soils, and sustain extraordinarily diverse ecosystems. When forests disappear, we lose vital carbon sinks, disrupt natural water systems, and threaten the delicate balance on which life depends.

But the tragedy of deforestation extends beyond the trees themselves. Every tree felled can mean the loss of shelter, food, and survival opportunities for wildlife.

Orangutans lose the forest canopies they depend on for food, shelter, and movement. Jaguars and pumas face shrinking territories and increasingly fragmented habitats. Sloths, lemurs, and countless other animals can find themselves isolated from food sources and potential mates. Even butterflies and other pollinators suffer when the plants they depend on disappear.

The damage doesn’t end when the clearing is finished. Habitat fragmentation divides once-continuous forests into smaller, isolated patches. Animals struggle to migrate, find mates, and maintain genetic diversity. Populations become more vulnerable to disease, environmental changes, and eventual extinction. For species already under pressure, another lost habitat may be the tipping point.

We cannot allow the promise of technological innovation to overshadow our responsibility to protect the living world. Companies developing data centers must be held accountable for their environmental impacts, including land clearing, energy consumption, water use, and biodiversity loss. Transparency, responsible site selection, and meaningful habitat protection must become essential parts of doing business.

You can make a difference. Learn more about the threats facing endangered wildlife and the forests they call home. Support conservation organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which works to protect animals and their habitats, along with groups dedicated to forest conservation, biodiversity, and climate action. Speak up, share information, contact corporate leaders and elected representatives, and demand responsible development that puts nature at the heart of decision-making.

Our forests cannot speak for themselves. The animals losing their homes cannot demand accountability. We must be their voices.

Technology should advance our future—not destroy the living world that makes a future possible.

Animals, Carbon Footprint Reduction, Kindness, Leadership, Nature

Healing Nature Together

Humpback Whale, courtesy of Art Tower

What if the greatest lesson of the pandemic was not how much we could live without, but how quickly the natural world could begin to heal when we gave it a chance?

During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, when millions of people stayed home and travel and industry slowed dramatically, pollution and smog levels declined in Los Angeles and other cities. In India, people in some areas could see the Himalayan Mountains from their rooftops for the first time in decades. For a brief moment, the world seemed to exhale—and nature reminded us what was possible.

That experience showed us something important: our lives are deeply interconnected with the lives of animals and the health of the planet. We do not have to choose between human prosperity and a thriving natural world. We can find ways to share this planet with all life.

Sometimes, meaningful conservation can be as simple as giving wildlife the space and time it needs.

Beaches can be temporarily closed during nesting seasons so endangered loggerhead turtles can come ashore to lay their eggs undisturbed. Protecting those nesting sites gives hatchlings a better chance of surviving their perilous journey to the ocean.

Farmers and elephants can also coexist. In some communities, people have planted strips of grasses along the edges of farmland, giving elephants an alternative source of food and reducing the likelihood that they will enter and trample crops. These practical solutions demonstrate that conservation does not always require choosing one species over another. Sometimes, it simply requires understanding what animals need and finding room for them in our shared landscape.

The oceans offer another powerful example. Ships can slow down and coordinate their movements in areas where whales and other marine animals live and communicate. Underwater noise from human activity can interfere with the sounds animals depend on to find one another, navigate, feed, and survive. Reducing that noise can give marine life a better chance to thrive.

And we can continue reducing our carbon footprint—because climate change affects every living thing, from the smallest insects and plants to the largest mammals and the ecosystems upon which we all depend.

None of these actions alone will solve the environmental challenges facing our planet. But together, they represent something profoundly important: the choices we make every day can either make the world harder for wildlife—or give life a chance.

We share this beautiful, fragile planet with millions of other species. They do not have the ability to speak at our dinner tables, vote in our elections, or decide how we use the land and oceans. But they depend on the choices we make.

There is still time to choose coexistence.

As Jane Goodall has reminded us, “there is so much worth saving.”

And there is.

Animals, Leadership, Nature

Our National Parks Need Us, and Dolly Parton

Smoky Mountains National Park

Our national parks belong to all of us—and right now, they need us to speak up for them.

Americans continue to flock to our national parks, with more than 320 million visitors in the last year alone. These extraordinary places connect us to something larger than ourselves: to nature, to history, to one another, and to the generations who will come after us.

But our parks are facing unprecedented pressures—from orders to revise exhibits, to construction projects, to proposals that could put parts of our public lands at risk of development.

At the same time, the National Park Service is being starved of the resources it needs to protect these places. Spending on projects in park regions outside the Washington area fell by $854 million, or 68%, during the first eight and a half months of fiscal year 2026, compared with the full prior fiscal year. The current administration is also proposing further cuts to the Park Service workforce, which had already been reduced by 24% in 2025.

Our parks are not simply tourist destinations. They are irreplaceable ecosystems, sacred landscapes, living history, and a legacy we have a responsibility to protect.

Native American cultures have long understood that nature is not something to be conquered or owned, but something to be respected and cared for. We should too.

As Dolly Parton said, “we should pay more attention. We’re just mistreating Mother Nature—that’s like being ugly to your mama. We need to take better care of the things that God gave us freely”.

Take the time to learn more about our national parks, visit one if you can, and support organizations such as the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) or the Sierra Club working to protect them. Our public lands need an engaged public—and their future depends on all of us.

https://support.npca.org/page/101781/donate/1?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18086901835

https://giving.sierraclub.org/page/93015/donate/1?supporter.appealCode=N25MSEGO11&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23304814963

Animals, Elephants

The Joy of Rescued Elephants at Chai Lai Orchid

Chai Lai Orchid for Eco Lodging and Elephant Rescue

Some moments stop you in your tracks and remind you exactly what is worth protecting. I could not resist sharing this photo of a young elephant with her toy. It truly made me smile. Seeing such innocence and peace is a powerful reminder that every rescued animal deserves the chance to simply be an animal.

Images like this make me hopeful. They remind me that conservation is not just about protecting wildlife—it is about giving living beings a future where they can heal, play, and thrive.

Thank you, Dr. Geetha Plackal, for sharing the original video.

If this story touches your heart, I encourage you to learn more about Chai Lai Orchid in Chiang Mai, Thailand; share their mission with others, or support their work in any way you can. Every act of awareness helps protect wildlife and strengthen communities.

Learn more: https://chailaiorchid.com/

Animals

Jaguars

A jaguar in Iberá Park, Argentina. Image courtesy of Sebastián Navajas/JRI.

It is so nice to announce some good news!  In 2025, several organizations officially came together to form the Jaguar Rivers Initiative, to restore, reconnect and protect ecosystems in the Paraná River Basin.  The Basin is found in Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia.  These organizations are: Rewilding Argentina, Brazil’s Onçafari, Bolivia’s Nativa, and the Moises Bertoni Foundation in Paraguay.

These organizations are protecting approximately 13,500 mi², an area roughly the size of Taiwan. They have reintroduced 13 species and fostered the participation of more than 10,000 local people in nature-based economies.

In addition to jaguars, giant river otters and maned wolfs, reintroduced species include the South American tapir, the lowland paca, the Pampas deer, and the collared peccary.

As I am a big fan of jaguars, I am glad that these groups are working to protect breeding populations and create wildlife corridors that allow the big cats to hunt, find water, and mate — and to escape from increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

Kindness, Life

Frances Xavier Cabrini

I just had the good fortune of seeing the 2024 film, “Cabrini”.  It is about Frances Cabrini, an amazing woman who positively changed the world.  She was born in 1850 in a small town in northern Italy, and spent her life making a positive difference for all of the people she touched.  By the time she was 30 years of age she had founded a missionary.  Then in 1889 she traveled to the United States, and met the immigrant Italian children living in complete squalor in the sewers of New York City. Despite great opposition from many men and those opposed to “dirty” Italians she succeeded in founding 67 institutions which included orphanages, hospitals and schools to help those in need.

In 1946, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XII in recognition of her service to mankind and was named Patroness of Immigrants in 1950.

I am inspired by her relentless courage in the face of opposition and greed.  I am inspired by the fact that she never gave up and did the right thing, despite those who acted from fear, selfishness and ignorance.  I am inspired by her kindness. Thank you for your light, Saint Frances Cabrini.  And please see the film!

Animals, Penguins

Emperor Penguins

Emperor Penguins with chicks, Antarctica

I recently met a science teacher who told me he was not sure he believed in climate change. Come on folks! We are witnessing more and more extreme weather every year and the temperatures on planet Earth are rising. When the planet is warmer it holds more moisture in the atmosphere. This means we get more rainfall and snowfall on the east coast of the United States, and we get extremely dry conditions in places such as California. And I just read that emperor penguins are now in danger of extinction because the ice that their chicks depend on is melting too quickly. The chicks need stable shelves of ice for at least 9 months so that they can grow and have their feathers become waterproof. Otherwise, they fall in the water and drown.


We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Each and everyone of us has this responsibility, not only for our children, but for the animals that inhabit this planet. Walk to work, walk to the store, carpool, call your senators and congress people. You make a difference.

There is absolutely no more time to waste!
And thank you again for being kind to animals. They need us more than ever!

Animals, Elephants, Kindness, Nature

Elephants and A Very Special Day

Lomphat and Chanam and The Wildlife Alliance

Many of you know that I love elephants. I adore the way they swing their trunks and I am enamored by the fact that they do such a wonderful job of protecting their offspring. Did you know that when they walk from one place to another they put the more mature elephants in the front and back of the line and the youngsters in the middle? They do that to protect the young elephants. And, elephants have an amazing memory. They remember where to get water and their land routes, can recognize friends from years ago, and know every member of their heard. They even mourn their dead and can create melodies.

With all of that said, I would like to recognize The Wildlife Alliance in Cambodia ( https://www.wildlifealliance.org/from-rescue-to-recovery-baby-elephants-on-the-move/) for rescuing and caring for two young elephants in need of urgent care last year. The elephants, Lomphat and Chanam, are healing, doing well and have gained some weight.

I also wish to remind you of Endangered Species Day 2026 which takes place on May 15th. If you can, donate your time or money to an animal welfare organization.

Thank you again for being kind to animals. They need us more than ever!

Animals, Nature

Endangered Species Day: May 15, 2026

Endangered Species Coalition


Every year on the third Friday in May, people around the world come together to recognize Endangered Species Day — a time to celebrate, learn about, and take action to protect threatened and endangered species. The day was founded in 2006 by David Robinson and the Endangered Species Coalition, and it has continued to grow ever since.

On Endangered Species Day 2026, wildlife refuges, gardens, schools, libraries, museums, community groups, nonprofits, and individuals will host special programs and events. People around the world take part in these activities — and many others — to raise awareness and inspire action for species at risk.

Learn more about the Endangered Species Coalition here.

Animals, Sea Turtles

Pyari, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, made it!

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Courtesy: L. Thrasher
Courtesy: L. Thrasher

I have good news, Pyari, the loggerhead turtle survived and was released back into the wild last week! If you remember, I had written about her in November. A shark had chewed on Pyari’s front fins and one of them had to be amputated. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center inn Florida took care of her for three months and called her the “Miracle Turtle”. Did you know that only 1 in 1000 turtles make it to adulthood? A family member got to see Pyari make her way into the ocean and I enclose a video so you can see her. I was elated to hear the news because it really is amazing that Pyari survived. And luckily, turtles only need one front fin and one back fin to swim.

ANIMAL WELFARE, ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY Copyright_2023