Dear Friends of the Everglades,
Today would have been the 130th birthday of our founder, Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Everything we do at Friends of the Everglades is driven by Marjory’s legacy of advocacy, and it’s our honor to mark this Everglades Day with some good news we believe she would be proud of.
Today we are re-launching our Young Friends of the Everglades program, which has been reimagined as a virtual education portal for students. The new Young Friends program is devoted to teaching students about advocacy, starting with a campaign to keep the Key deer’s protected status under the Endangered Species Act.
On the new Young Friends of the Everglades section of our website, you will find:
Among the key points:
- A primer about the Everglades targeted at elementary and secondary school students.
- Science and information about the Key deer, which the federal government has considered removing from the endangered species list.
- An online petition students can sign to advocate for continued protection of the Key deer.
- Coloring pages and a story about the Key deer.
We hope these online learning resources will prove useful to parents whose children have shifted to virtual-learning environments due to Covid-19. I’m one of those parents, and I welcome your suggestions as we grow the new Young Friends program. We want it to be useful and informative. Most of all, we want it to inspire environmental advocacy in young people.
From the moment Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades in 1969, our group has been pushing for policies that better protect Florida’s unique wilderness for future generations. You have helped power that mission, and we thank you for it.
Though the world has changed in this era of Covid-19, it’s more important than ever to keep vigilant about fighting for Florida’s Everglades and connected ecosystems. Your support allows us to continue the fight — for today’s generations and future generations. If you’re able, we hope you will consider making a donation today.
Sincerely,
Eve Samples
Executive Director, Friends of the Everglades
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