Ayako Ezaki

Asia Pacific Coordinator, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Today's Date: August 21, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

I grew up in the suburb of Tokyo, Japan, but every summer went to visit my grandparents in my father's hometown in a small village in Wakayama (Western Japan). Mountains, rivers, beaches, rice paddies, farms... best memories.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Again, my grandparents' place - swimming in rivers and lakes, climbing trees, etc.

Now? Now I live in Washington DC - I moved here last year and haven't explored the area much yet but would like to. I've been to the Great Falls and Rock Creek Parks and they are nice getaways not so far from the city.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Living in the DC area (the national zoo has a one-yr-old panda baby), I can't get over how cute pandas are. But I've always liked elephants. For their size and grace. Their eyes are so beautiful. Once I saw this documentary about an elephant family in South Asia, and the scene of the mother elephant giving birth to a (big!) baby is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Environmentally unfriendly options (consumer goods, food, travel choices, etc. etc.) are so readily available everywhere and often more cheaply than more responsible options. We need a better system where the money is put in the right place so people are motivated to make the right choice and businesses can truly understand why it's important (and makes sense!) to be environmentally responsible.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

I love the Native American proverb "We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children" (which is quoted in your website as well!). I want my children to grow up with this in mind, and teach the same to their children.

Robert Stefanski

Scientific Officer, World Meteorological Organization

Today’s Date: August 21, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

Being outdoors and fishing in Northern Wisconsin as a teenager.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Northern Wisconsin, US

Now? The Alps in Europe

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Dolphins because they are very intelligent

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Reducing air pollution (particulates and CO2) that impacts human health and global temperatures (global warming)

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Be more energy conscious and use less energy

Desiree Sorenson-Groves

National Wildlife Refuge Association

Today's Date: Aug. 17, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

Watching the 2001 Fall migration of white pelicans (and other species) on the Upper Miss days after 9/11 — peaceful, serene and the knowledge that nature is our greatest way to heal and rejuvenate.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Drainage ditch near my house – lots of critters even if it was runoff from ag fields.

Now? George Washington National Forest adjacent to a cabin we have in western Virginia – bears, bobcats, mt. lions – lot’s of critters every day

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

some species of big cat — any would do, lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs: majestic, smart, regal, opportunistic (survivors) at least they try in the face of pretty large human obstacles (elephants are a close second, hippos third)

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Global warming and the impending shift for all species on the planet – not sure if we CAN stop it now even if Mr. Gore says we can — what’s more, not sure if anything but cockroaches, gators and sea gulls will make it, and perhaps one of my previous bosses. Equal to that is human growth – we simply cannot sustain the level of human population growth we have and the level of consumption. These 2 issues will be our future challenges as well.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Think globally, act locally – that simple.

Bernie Masters

Floating Islands Australasia

Today's Date: 10 August 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

Swimming with sea lions at Seal Island near Perth, Western Australia

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Yes, Melvista Swamp, a semi-natural unmanaged wetland within a local park near central Perth

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Southern Brown Bandicoot - a threatened marsupial than occasionally visits our garden to feed

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Protecting as much of the remaining natural environment now and into the future until global population begins to decline in 30 or so years.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Sustainability is a journey, not an endpoint, so continually assess your impacts on the planet and reduce those impacts as you learn new techniques to do so.

Patti Percoski

Private Citizen

Today's Date: August 8, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

I have spent my entire adult life feeding, watching and loving birds thanks in large part to my Dad's interest in them. Eagles, sea gulls, geese and owls are my favorites! I could watch them a million times and still be in awe when I see them the million and one time!

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Several, actually. I loved the many camping trips we took to Lewey Lake (Indian Lake region) in the Adirondack area of NY and have many fond memories from those days. I grew up traveling to Maine and the rocky coastline which also provided amazing wildlife adventures for me. I especially remember the guided nature tours we took whenever we went to Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. Tide pools were of special interest to me. But, honestly...my own woods behind our house in Catskill were my own special get away place. No matter how bad the day I always felt better after exploring about for hours in the fields and woods right on our own property!

Now? As an adult and parent some of my favorite times have been spent at a church camp called Pyramid Lake. We took the kids there every fourth of July for about ten years. The pristine lake and majestic mountains were a haven of peace every year. I also enjoy our times on Lake Ontario where our daughter is a college student. Sunset Heaven!!!

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

As far as wild animal, my favorite has always been the wolf. Partly because my favorite domestic animal is the dog! I find the whole pack life scenario amazing and hate all the old Westerns that paint such a negative picture of the creature! A close second for me is the tiger. I find them absolutely gorgeous! I am a fan of orange, so I guess that plays into it, but I just think they are about the most beautiful creature on God's Earth.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

I think the obvious answer here is how to produce oil/gas efficiently to decrease the current crisis situation, while at the same time maintaining our natural environment as best we can. In the future I believe that development will get out of hand completely with overpopulation what it already is and we will lose a great deal of our beautiful lands such as Alaska, etc. I hope to see them all before it is too late!

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

My advice would be to stop tearing down what is already sound to build more buildings. Nothing infuriates me quite as much as seeing perfectly good houses, buildings, malls, torn down, only to have something bigger and newer put in their place. Think of all the material that goes into such a project. Why not utilize what is already there and reduce the amount of destruction? I also would encourage people to take recycling more seriously for the same reasons. Paper, glass, plastic can all be returned to usefulness and cut down on waste if people would just be a little less lazy and a little more concerned about what their wasteful ways are doing to the environment as a whole. We may only be here a few short years, but we need to consider our children, their children and so on.

Michael R. Styler

Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources

Today’s Date: August 8, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

My narrow escape from a mature buffalo (bison) bull left an impression.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

Fishing from the bank of the Sevier River listening to the blackbirds and watching dragonflies.

Now? The solitude of ice fishing.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Moose - I've observed them and hunted them. They don't fear man. I think they're goofy and majestic all at the same time.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Getting environmental clearance to physically rehabilitate damaged watershed.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

It is renewable! Trust land mangers to use the science available to improve through active management of the watersheds.

Lars Berg

Secretary, Swedish National Scientific Council on Biological Diversity

Today's Date: 8 August 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

When I was a child my family used to spend summer vacations in the mountains, living off fish caught from the lakes and streams. This was as scary as it was inspiring, experiencing that we were ultimately subjected to the forces of nature. I remember the silence and the joy of catching fish in the same water body that you drink from.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

I used to live close to a small forest on the outskirts of town. All the kids in the area used to play there all day throughout the summer. Later I passed through the forest for years on my way to the university. I guess in a certain way it is still my favourite place. Otherwise I am very fond of the traditional cultural landscape found in southern Sweden, especially the island Gotland in the Baltic.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

Cows are fantastic. They perform tremendous tasks and I find their rhythm of life and patience very inspiring.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Most challenges are intricately interrelated. If you count unsustainable consumption as an environmental challenge, I would suggest that this is what threatens most people right now. In the future, the main challenge will be to manage nature in a way that makes it resilient to stresses that cannot be avoided, such as those resulting from overpopulation, or those that cannot be predicted.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Act according to principles that you would like to see generally applied (that is: Kant's famous imperative). And it's good of course if you base your principles on critical, rational thought.

Daniel M Turner

Analyst/programmer- British Airways; amateur ornithologist

Today's Date: 07 August 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

I suppose it is an accumulation of experience with birds and other wildlife over a long period rather than just one experience. Over time such things strengthen your interest. Having experiences with animals / birds close-up is extremely rewarding, as is seeing flocks of birds in the wild.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

A couple of favourite places: The local Northeast England coast and the Northumberland countryside. My parents had a caravan near Hexham in Northumberland next to a wood, open countryside and a stream. We spent many great holidays there and I explored the locality and got to know some of the wildlife.

Now? Still the Northeast England coast, river Tyne and North Shields Fish Quay.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

I particularly like sea and wading birds – probably due to my proximity to the coast. There are always interesting things to see and record with the changing seasons as the birds come and go.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Now: Habitat destruction (marine, coastal, wetland, forest, etc) and plundering of resources. Unnecessary killing of wildlife: inadvertently (for example albatrosses during long-line fishing, rat introduction to islands – the rats go on to compete with and kill the local wildlife) or on purpose (for example: seal pups in the north, whales, capture of bears for bile, killing of migrating birds in the Mediterranean Sea, over fishing, etc).

In future: Global warming is going to have a major impact if things do not change so that it is brought under some sort of control – is it too late already?

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Join a nature / wildlife / countryside/ bird protection organization and take note of what is going on in our natural world – do something to help to preserve the environment.

Edward E. Clark, Jr.

President, Wildlife Center of Virginia

www.wildlifecenter.org
“the world's leading teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine”

August 4, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

Of the thousands of wild animals with which I have had contact, a peregrine falcon I had for several years, and used in the Wildlife Center's education programs, taught me more about the true spirit of the Earth than any other creature or experience. I had personal experiences with that bird that simply cannot be explained with simple science. He taught me that there are real forces at work that cannot be seen, measure, manipulated or understood.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

My uncle's small cabin in southern Pennsylvania was paradise to me. No plumbing and few creature comforts, but the most magical place I know. It was where my real "communion" with nature, and ultimately my career in conservation, began.

Now? After thirty some years of having gotten out of the habit of visiting that magic cabin of my youth, I have recently reconnected with that special place. I did add a few amenities, but it is still basic and rustic. Nevertheless, it is still just as special as it was almost 50 years ago--a refuge and a sanctuary for the soul. Of course the pine seedlings I planted as a child are now 75 feet tall!

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

I love the impala. I think they are among the most elegant and graceful creatures on Earth, especially as they race across the African bush. Here in the USA, it's a toss-up between red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, both as a result of individuals of these species I have had the privilege to know.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

The insatiable human appetite for consumption and our indifference to consequences. Global warming and climate change seem likely to alter the face of the planet in profound ways.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

We all have an impact on the Earth. It may be positive or negative. For most of us, it will be some of both. Because we have the capacity to have a positive impact, we have the responsibility to do what we can. We never know when our small acts of global good citizenship will be the gestures that make a profound difference. Start by registering and voting!!

Sandra Binns

IRCF - International Reptile Conservation Foundation

Today’s Date: Aug 3, 2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

Being able to participate in a ground roots field activity actually improving a situation for a critically endangered animal

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

The San Mateo Mountains and the Pacific Coast beaches

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

We are a conservation organization, not a zoo

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Society's abusive behavior on the planet and its natural resources.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Humanity tends to forge ahead with plans (whether they be development, mining, etc) without first reviewing the natural balance of things - and then try to fix things after it is too late. I don't have a problem with development or excavation or progress for our lifestyles - but I believe more thought and planning should go in upfront prior to any habitat modification or destruction to evaluate what already exists and make all attempts to develop and preserve at the same time. Unfortunately pressure time deadlines, schedules and money always get in the way.