Friday, April 19

Dear Reader,

“Imagine if, in an age of extinction and climate change, we could build a pathway along the spine of North America that animals could traverse, a path that would give them enough room to migrate and continue to transfer genetic material to other populations. A path that, above all, would allow wildlife to continue to evolve. The story had a kind of Noah's Ark vibe to it. Best of all, it was real.” This is the beginning of a Sierra Club story about a wildlife corridor that will connect parks throughout North America, allowing wildlife to migrate the thousands of miles they need to move in order to find food, mate, and thrive. 

It’s an audacious idea, the brainchild of Canadian conservationist Harvey Locke, who came up with it while sitting around a campfire. It’s called Y2Y (Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative) and, since 1993, it’s been slowly coming together. Y2Y “has worked with state, provincial, and national governments, Indigenous tribes, and private landowners to help protect some 59 million acres as part of this continental-scale rewilding scheme,” the article reads. 

“My hope is that Y2Y can be an example of how we address two of the biggest challenges on Earth: biodiversity and climate change,” Jodi Hilty, who has been president of the organization since 2015, told the reporter, “[and] that it can be a guiding star for Gen Zers and millennials, who often feel without hope.” 

Want to read more? Check it out. And don’t miss Bluedot’s incredible story on wildlife corridors that helped reunite generationally separated gibbons in India. 

A Feel-Good Friday thanks to campfire dreamers who don’t back down!

Connectedly,

Dot