Wildlife Promise

Eight Reasons More Outdoor Time Improves Kids' School Performance

American children spend an average of six hours per day watching television, web surfing and playing video games, By contrast, they spend an average of 30 minutes in outdoor sports and just four to seven minutes per day in unstructured outdoor play. This causes many kids to lose their connection to nature and, importantly, renders them less able to learn in school. Here are some of the main the reasons parents and teachers should know about how outdoor play times makes for better school performance.

1. Improved attention spans -- the intense, ever-chaging and prolonged stimulation of electronic media cuts into the ability of children to sit quietly and focus on their school work. Some studies show that children with attention deficit disorders benefit markedly from an hour playing outdoors in nature.

2. Better overall fitness -- we have long known that children in good physical condition are better learners. Children who sit indoors warching TV for hours a day lack the conditioning to be effective effectrive in the classroom.

3. Less agressive behavior -- the common "shoot 'em up" violence in television and video games teaches children that agression is a viable way to solve problems and teachers see it in class behavior.

4. Less anxiety and depression -- children's moods lighten up when they have enough outdoor play time and helped them be better learners.

5. Less isolation -- outdoor play usually involves relating to other children. It improves social skills and improves the ability for children to learn in teams.

6. Improved eyesight -- staring at electronic screen all day and not getting time outdoors has now been shown to cause higher levels of near sightedness in kids.

7. More interest in science -- children who appreciate the outdoors are more likely to relate to science education in a contect and outdoor classroom programs have been shown to increase interest in science learning.

8. Higher test overall scores -- There is considerable evidence that outdoor time and nature edcation has measureable effects on children's grades and overall performance on statewide tests in reading, math, science and motivation to learn.

If you would like to learn more, you can download NWF's Kids and Outdoor School Readiness Report

Also: check out NWF's Ecoacademics Weblog which lists studies of how school work improves through nature and environmental education.

Blast From the Past: Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

The Ad Council has posted some of its older public service announcements to YouTube. Check out this one on preventing forest fires featuring Bambi. I can still practically recite it word for word, seems like it ran in every other commercial break when I'd be watching cartoons as a kid:

Good News For Climate Deal? Obama Shifts Copenhagen Schedule

UPDATE 6:52pm: NWF President & CEO Larry Schweiger just issued a statement on Obama's schedule change, saying, "By attending the global climate talks in Copenhagen during the heart of the negotiations, President Obama can make the difference between inaction and action, between failure and success."

The White House has just confirmed what was first reported by the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama on Friday abruptly altered the timing of his upcoming appearance at an international climate summit in Copenhagen, hoping to capitalize on steps by India and China and build a more meaningful political accord, a White House official told The Associated Press.

The move means Obama will be at the summit on Dec. 18, considered a crucial period when more leaders will be in attendance, as opposed to his scheduled stop in Denmark on Wednesday on his way to Nobel Peace Prize events in Oslo.

How significant is the schedule shift? Jeremy Symons, the National Wildlife Federation's senior vice president, calls Obama's schedule shift "a strong signal that he will be there personally to try and close a deal." Wouldn't that be a great Christmas present for the world?

NWF Scientist Responds to Climate Email Theft

Global warming deniers have been feverishly pushing emails stolen by hackers from the accounts of climate scientists. Their argument? If any climate scientist ever discussed the best way to sort through mountains of climate data, then global warming isn't happening. If that sounds like a bizarre conspiracy theory with no connection to fact or reality ... well, welcome to the world of global warming denial.

There's only one group of people more upset about the hacked emails than the deniers: The climate science community. The National Wildlife Federation's Dr. Amanda Staudt just responded to the ginned-up controversy and didn't mince words:

The latest attack on climate science is simply another attempt to distract from the reality that the world is warming more than ever and the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in our atmosphere is higher than it’s been in 15 million years.

While opponents want to draw attention to decade-old emails, here is what is happening right now to the planet:

Temperatures this decade have been higher than any other decade on record, and one degree (F) higher than average temperatures in the 20th century.

Ocean temperatures worldwide this summer were hotter than ever previously recorded.

Stable sea ice in the Arctic melted to its lowest recorded levels this summer, declining more than 60% since the 1980s and 1990s.

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for 2009 (387 parts per million) are the highest they have been in about 15 million years.

Globally, 8.7 billion tons of carbon were emitted in 2008 from burning coal, oil and natural gas, a 41% increase from 1990.

Please take a moment to tell your senator that we need clean energy & climate legislation now more than ever.

Keeping Score on Global Climate Talks

As the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark prepare to get underway next week, a team of scientists has introduced a new tool called the Climate Scoreboard. The Sustainability Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Ventana Systems has designed the Scoreboard to show the estimated temperature increase in 2100 if current proposals within the negotiations were to be implemented. Watch this video for a preview & learn more at ClimateScoreboard.org:

The Climate Scoreboard Video from Climate Interactive on Vimeo.

5 Tips for Sharing the Road (and the Love) With Wildlife

I've been inspired by Subaru's Share the Love Event, where Subaru donates $250 to one of five charities (NWF included!) for every one of their cars purchased or leased, and I wanted to post some helpful tips on how you can share the love--and the road--with wildlife.

With many people on the road traveling to visit family or friends over the holidays, here are a few tips you can follow to make sure you share the road with wildlife.

Tips for Sharing the Road With Wildlife

1) Think about Wildlife While Driving: This may seem like a silly suggestion, but the more you mentally prepare for your reaction to seeing an animal in the road, the more likely you will respond quickly enough to avoid it!

2) Go the Speed Limit: I know I know, it's hard to do sometimes--but really going the speed limit will allow you more time to react to wildlife such as deer darting across the road. While this may be the more obvious tip, it is probably the best thing you can do! The more reaction time the better.

3) Turn on Your Brights When No Cars are Coming: At night, turning on your brights will help spot deer and other animals crossing the road because their eyes will reflect the light.

4) Pay Attention to Signs: Most wildlife warning signs are there because there have been previous incidents--so paying special attention when you see the signs is an obvious but easy way to avoid a collision. Also keep in mind that just because you are on a busy road does not mean wildlife are unable to surprise you there.

5) Know When Animals Are Active: This is another important one, many animals that often get hit are nocturnal and so are either active very early in the morning or in the evening. Animals like deer are also active at these times but are mostly looking for a place to bed down for the night.

More Links:

A BIG thank you goes to those of you who have participated in Subaru's Share the Love Event and chosen NWF as your charity. If you've recently bought a Subaru it's not too late!

Looking forward to years of sharing the love with wildlife. With you all it's possible.

Momentous battle to save the Great Lakes is on

A momentous battle to save the Great Lakes from one of the worst invasive species imaginable is being waged in an artificial canal south of Chicago.

Watch Andy Buchsbaum, Director of the NWF Great Lakes Regional Center, explain what Asian carp mean to the Great Lakes:

The effort to beat back Asian carp before the menacing fish conquer the Great Lakes is sort of an ecological equivalent of the 1815 battle of Waterloo, when Europe's defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte changed the course of history.

Andy Buchsbaum will give us an insider's view as the battle happens in his blog, Great Lakes on the Ground.

Government agencies are killing Asian carp in a six-mile stretch of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a glorified sewer that connects Lake Michigan to the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Scientists fear two species of Asian carp — the bighead and silver carp — have breached a $9 million electric barrier in the canal that was designed to keep the invaders out of Lake Michigan.

Researchers recently collected 32 DNA samples of Asian carp between the fish barrier and Lake Michigan; some of those samples were collected just six miles from Lake Michigan. In other words, Asian carp — which breed like mosquitoes, can grow to 100 pounds, hog the food that fish need and rocket out of the water when agitated by boat motors — are on the brink of laying siege to the Great Lakes.

The use of rotenone to kill Asian carp in the shipping canal is a last-ditch effort to keep these beasts out of the Great Lakes. It's certainly not a long-term solution.

The National Wildlife Federation and other conservation groups are urging government agencies to take immediate, necessary measures — such as closing the navigational locks that provide an entry point for the fish and physically separating Lake Michigan from the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal —to keep Asian carp out of the lakes.

The outcome of this historic conflict with Asian carp will affect the health of America's freshwater seas for the foreseeable future.

The government agencies entrusted with protecting the Great Lakes must make sure the Asian carp meets its Waterloo in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Failure is not an option.

Take action to keep out Asian carp in the battle for the Great Lakes!

- By Jeff Alexander, NWF Great Lakes Regional Center

NWF Activist Joins White House Clean Energy Economy Forum

The Obama administration is hosting Clean Energy Economy Forum at the White House tonight. Officials have invited young activists from across the country to join a discussion about America’s energy future – and its connection to the world’s climate crisis. You can watch it live at WhiteHouse.gov or on Facebook.

Among the guests – the National Wildlife Federation’s Praween Dayananda, our campus field coordinator. I caught up with Praween in front of the White House today as he ran from one meeting in DC’s Thomas Circle to another at the Old Executive Office Building:

Check back later in the week, we’ll have a review of the summit from Praween!

Can Wyatt Cenac Make You Laugh About Climate Change?

Miles Film Global Warming

Inhofe Insults Pro-Energy Reform Veterans

Across the country, veterans have been speaking out about the national security threats of our addiction to oil and how it's fueling global warming.

Some of the most prominent examples came in July, when a series of retired military officials addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lee F. Gunn, a retired Navy Vice Admiral testified, "Climate change poses a clear and present danger to the United States of America." And Dennis McGinn, a retired Navy Vice Admiral and member of the Center for Naval Analysis Advisory Board, told the committee, "A business-as-usual approach constitutes a threat to our national security."

Additionally, a veterans group called Operation Free has been traveling the country. They're working to draw attention to the threats posed by our energy status quo and the opportunities of clean energy.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) has a name for those veterans: Attention hogs.

That's what Inhofe told the New York Times Magazine:

There are a lot of generals who don’t like to be out of the limelight. They’d like to get back in.

In the same interview, Inhofe boasted of his plans to draw attention to himself by serving as a self-appointed "a one-man truth squad" at the climate treaty negotiations in Copenhagen. Inhofe is also the same person who said he was excited to block clean energy & climate legislation because, "I will be able to stand up and say, ‘No, it’s over. Get a life. You lost. I won!’” Does that sound like a man interested in only low-key, civil, reasoned debate?

It sounds more like the man whose dedication to keeping America hooked on polluting fossil fuels earned him Big Oil's MVP.