Walks of Life: Educators

The educators below support the Endangered Species Act.

Thomas Antonio, College of Santa Fe

We share this planet with an amazing array of incredible organisms.  We have a moral obligation to protect these plants and animals from ourselves.  The Endangered Species Act is by far the best way to safeguard these organisms.

Judith Miller-Smith, Jefferson County Open School

Never let it be said that young people don’t care. Just bring up an endangered or threatened species, temper your comments, provide the facts and allow them to explore.
Nothing in my years as an educator has inspired such passion and dedication on the part of students.  They do care, about the reintroduction of the gray wolf, about the future of the black-tailed prairie dog. They want to hear the stories of the bison and the black-footed ferret, and they are offended by blatant habitat destruction.  Anyone with a conscience, foresight and hope does care about endangered species and about the ESA. Young people need to know that in spite of our neglect and, at times, downright determination to exterminate species, there is good news. The success stories of the ESA provide that hope for all of us.

Jenny Mundy-Castle, Santa Fe Academy for Technology and the Classics

Wild places and species are of utmost importance in a child’s development.  Increasingly, teenagers and young people turn to television, videos, ipods, DVDS and the internet as a source of entertainment.  This not only detracts from the social skills so necessary for survival in all facets of the adult world, but also robs them of the physical wellbeing that comes from the outdoors.  The protection of the natural world is our message, as adults to young people, that being human means respecting and cherishing the environment for all it provides.  If we do not honor the Endangered Species Act, we are encouraging our children to dishonor the environment and ultimately, themselves.  Honoring all species teaches self – respect, wisdom and awareness in a way that no technology can. 

Laura Vogel, Rio Rancho Mid High

We must protect ourselves from ourselves. The reason these environmental laws were enacted is because of our increased isolation from the natural world and ignorance of our interdependence on it. All natural systems are interconnected; when components start being removed then systems start to fail. If we want to continue to inhabit a healthy functioning planet then we must strive to protect its fragile and delicate ecosystems and species. The Endangered Species Act is one of the most important laws we have to protect our biodiversity it must remain at full strength and power.