NWF Applauds Governor Paterson's Goal to Reduce NY's Global Warming Pollution Friday, August 7, 2009 By: Emily Maxwell New York Shows Congress "The Way" ALBANY, NY - Governor Paterson today signed Executive Order No. 24, which sets a goal to reduce New York State’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. The Executive Order also calls for the creation of a Climate Action Council to prepare a draft Climate Action Plan by September 30, 2010, which will include measures for safeguarding New York’s wildlife and natural resources impacted by global warming.   Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the July 28 “Safeguarding New York's Wildlife, Fish, and Natural Systems in a Changing Climate” summit, where more than 200 people discussed how New York can adapt to the impacts of climate change on natural resources. The summit, led by Patricia Riexinger, Director of New York's Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources; National Wildlife Federation and several other organizations, laid important groundwork for achieving the goals of the Climate Action Council.   “Governor Paterson’s leadership will create clean energy jobs, save individuals and businesses money on their energy bills, promote domestic security, and reduce global warming pollution. It also sends the right message to members of Congress who are working on energy and climate legislation,” said Curtis Fisher. “National Wildlife Federation commends the Governor for recognizing the need for a two-pronged approach to combating climate change. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, we must also develop strategies to safeguard the natural world from the current and future impacts of global warming. We look forward to working with the Administration to reach the goals laid out today.”      For more information and an audio clip click here: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/10031-1    Executive Order No. 24:  http://www.ny.gov/governor/executive_orders/exeorders/eo_24.html Governor’s Office press release: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/press_0806091.html

Congressman Pallone Kicks Off Earth Week Wednesday, April 29, 2009 By: Robyn Cook-Hubner Peregrine Released Back Into the Wild One of the highlights of the event was the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey’s release of a rehabilitated peregrine falcon back into the wild.  Sunday, April 19th -- On a spectacular day on the Raritan Bay in Monmouth County, New Jersey, the National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Regional Center held a press conference and meeting with Congressman Frank Pallone.  The event focused global warming’s impacts to New Jersey’s communities and wildlife habitats, and called for comprehensive climate legislation that includes funding to safeguard wildlife and natural resources threatened by global warming.  Congressman Pallone, a key member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee (responsible for climate legislation), stated that “he would champion strong climate legislation and funding to safeguard wildlife and natural resources.”  Representatives from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, Audubon Society of New Jersey, American Littoral Society, Jersey Coast Anglers Association, and Institute for Coastal Studies, and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation also attended the event. The event attracted a large number of press outlets, including the Asbury Park Press, Two Rivers Times, Monmouth Journal, and NJNews12.  Read NWF’s press release for the event.  Click here  To read a great account of the event, please visit: http://www.shore11.org/node/6598.  To read the Asbury Park Press’ coverage of the event, please visit:  http://www.app.com/article/20090420/NEWS01/904200333/1004/NEWS01 For more photos from the event:  http://picasaweb.google.com/CWFNJPhotos/PeregrineRelease?feat=directlink

2008 Conservation Acheivment Awards Tuesday, November 25, 2008 By: Robyn Cook-Hubner Connie Awards 2008 Spotlight on Northeast "Connie Awards" Since 1965, National Wildlife Federation has been honoring conservation heroes through our National Conservation Achievement Awards and Dinner.  This annual celebration known informally as the “Connie Awards”—is our way of honoring the many individuals and organizations that make extraordinary contributions.  This year two Northeast Region entities took the honors in the "Education" and "Organization" categories. Common Ground High School - Education Founded in 1990, New Haven’s Ecology Project is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate habits of healthy living and sustainable environmental practices for a diverse community of children, adults and families. The Project operates the public-chartered Common Ground High School (CGHS), which has an interdisciplinary curriculum that approaches academic learning within an ecological framework. CGHS students and staff manage its forested land site and maintain an organic farm, distributing extra produce through a youth-run Farmer’s Market stand. Sustainable South Bronx - Organization Founded in 1991 by Majora Carter, Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx) is a non-profit environmental justice organization focused on improving the local environment. A lifelong resident of South Bronx, Carter has directed several innovative programs that have led to the neighborhood’s turnaround. From the creation of “green-collar jobs” to highly successful campaigns to bringing in government, corporate, and foundation money for new waterfront parks along the Bronx River, Carter has realized her vision for a revitalized hometown through SSBx. All who live there benefit from her efforts. Photo:  Awardees Miquela Craytor, Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx and Oliver Barton, Director of Common Ground High School (and their guests) pose with NENRC Regional Executive Director Curtis Fisher at NWF's 2008 Connie Awards.

Boston Youth Climate Action Grants Monday, September 29, 2008 By: Liz Soper NWF Announces Recipients Ten Boston area schools will receive $1,000 grants each to educate and engage teenagers in “on-the-ground” actions to address global warming.  Projects range from Revere High School’s Green Team that will be running a campaign to rid their school of bottled water and encourage students to use re-usable water bottles, to Codman Academy’s Youth CAN’s program, which will help to educate their community through an energy fair, light bulb campaign and a program to teach younger students about important energy issues.   “It is our hope that these Youth Climate Action grants will help schools and their local communities to take action and serve as models of student involvement in science education as well as common sense actions within their community,” stated Liz Soper, Senior Field Education Manager, NWF.  “Whether students are conducting energy audits, identifying opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint, recycling, improving wildlife habitats, learning about global warming issues, or sharing their learning with others --the learning is creative, practical, and hands-on.”   Schools receiving this year’s grants include:  The Bromfield School Harvard, MA, East Boston High School East Boston, MA, Codman Academy Dorchester, MA, the King Open School - Cambridge, MA, 3rd Eye Unlimited New Bedford, MA, Revere High School Revere, MA, the John D. Runkle School Brookline, MA, Winthrop High School - Winthrop, MA, Milton Academy Milton, MA and the Boston Latin Academy Dorchester, MA.    Each grant recipient will also become part of the growing Youth CAN Climate Action Network in the Boston region, where currently over 15 Youth CAN groups have joined forces to address the issue of climate change.  This year the network will specifically be focused on addressing the need to enhance climate change education in K-12 schools in Massachusetts.  For more information check out the BLS Youth CAN network at http://www.youthcannetwork.org/ .   NWF’s Youth Climate Action grants are just part of a new and unique program developed by National Wildlife Federation called Climate Classroom™.  Climate Classroom™ offers innovative on-line resources to empower students as leaders on this important environmental issue.  Engaging and educational, the curricula provides age and developmentally appropriate ways to address a tough and complex topic in the classroom. NWF offers curricula to encourage students of grade 4 - 12 to learn about the science of global warming, its relevance to current natural events happening around them and how they can be part of the solution.    The Climate Classroom curricula are available free of charge online at www.climateclassroom.org