WEST BRATTLEBORO-At no other time since its inception in 1970 has preserving what remains of the Earth been so urgent. Globally, since that first Earth Day, vertebrate wildlife populations have decreased by a staggering 73% with nearly 200 species gone extinct.
Heartbroken, I tried to fathom the enormity of the die-offs. For over 30 years, I and scores of others labored in conservation, yet we're losing animals by the billions. Feeling powerless, seeking ways to help at this late stage, I was overwhelmed by the number of appeals.
Locally, the prospect of Vermont's fragile natural resources being plundered and polluted is a very real possibility as well. Hastily erected, poorly sited construction may follow, only to be relocated downstream by the next series of super floods. And so goes Vermont.
Or not. Don't despair! There are two ways many of us can change this tragic trajectory.