Copy
View this email in your browser
Naturalist E.O. Wilson. Photo courtesy of National Geographic.

Biophilia. It means "love of living things." The person who coined it is the celebrated naturalist E.O. Wilson.

At Forterra, we’re steeped in biophilia. And no small part of that love is focused on Professor Wilson himself. His contributions are uncountable, including his determined advocacy — spanning decades — for life’s rich diversity.

On the occasion of his 90th birthday, National Geographic has published a beautiful tribute to this giant of conservation. It includes his reflections on the new report about how much biodiversity we’re at imminent risk of losing. An outtake:

“[He has often argued that we should protect biodiversity because of the human benefit from other lifeforms] but in the end, Wilson stressed, accelerating the exploration, understanding and conservation of nature is about much more than expanding knowledge or nature’s utility. It is an ethical imperative.

“He articulated his most fervent dream: ‘That somehow we have as a value, a human value, that we not destroy but we protect and study and understand and love the environment that was our birthplace. And the species that were our birth mates, and the ecosystems that are most able today as they were in the past to take care of themselves, giving us almost infinite benefits in maintaining the kind of lives, aesthetically and in terms of our health, that we could hope for.’

“ ‘We're hearing a lot of talk in the present political arena now of values,’ he said. “And I believe that we're on the edge of a new era, in which value is extended to saving the rest of nature. Knowing it, preserving it, studying it, understanding it, cherishing it, and holding on until we know what the hell we're doing.”

Forterra shares this dream. Every day, we work to protect and extend the extraordinary gift of biodiversity that surrounds us right here: the Chinook who depend on a healthy Skagit River (and the Orca who depend on the Chinook). The gorgeous, twisting Garry oak that are fast-vanishing (and may have an artisanal whisky to thank if they endure). The state-endangered  Western pond turtle (watch the great video).

One of our latest efforts: saving a gorgeous stand of old-growth forest neat Stevens Pass. It’s called Windy Ridge. Click to learn more about the benefit to the amazing creatures below, and others.

We’re still raising money for this project. Make a gift to this or nearby Maloney Ridge and declare it a 90th birthday gift to Professor Wilson? Thank you.
 
Protect Washington's biodiversity
Share
Tweet
Forward
Copyright © 2019 Forterra, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list