SNS: Taking Action: The Art of Saving a Species

In This Issue
Vol. 25 Issue 45

Taking Action: The Art of Saving a Species

On Our Radar

• Call for Letters: Speak Out for Southern Resident Killer Whales
• The First Intelligence Agency for Earth
• Vaquita Update: Historic Arrests in Mexico

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“When bad men combine, the good must associate….” – Edmund Burke

Many of our readers are already well aware of the nature of our annual Future in Review (FiRe) conference. From uncanned conversations with global experts to starting companies that revolutionize computing; from initiatives and consortiums that directly affect US foreign and domestic policy to our work to protect the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population (see “On Our Radar”); from the selection, promotion, and support of outstanding documentary films to our monthly FiReSide events in this era of virtual meetups, the FiRe/SNS community is less interested in simply discussing positive change than it is in taking direct, concrete action to affect positive future outcomes in our world. (And of course, along the way it’s turned out that our stealth goal is to connect exceptional people to make extraordinary things happen.)

For the success of all these efforts, we owe a huge thank-you to our phenomenal network. Yes, that means all of you.

Further, while the in-person conference where many of these efforts come together has been postponed to next year, SNS members can now connect, meet, and craft new efforts on our digital platform, FiReHQ. (For any member who hasn’t been able to gain access for any reason, reach out to me and I’ll make sure to set you up.)

One of the most fruitful projects of late that has emerged from FiRe and FiReFilms is our communal support of Earth League International (ELI), run by SNS member and FiReHQ Innovation Ambassador Andrea Crosta. For those who missed FiRe 2019: we first encountered Andrea’s work at ELI through the film Sea of Shadows – later our 2019 selection as our annual FiRe Featured Film to be screened at the conference – which documents the story of ELI’s efforts to prevent the extinction of the tiny vaquita whale.

The film features some of the best work we’ve seen in the documentary world, pairing cinematic beauty with a deft exploration of the interconnected supply chain that exists between Mexican drug cartels, illegal fishing of the endangered totoaba fish, Chinese buyers eager for the last available delicacies harvested from them, and the by-catch and ghost nets that result.

Through the lens of the decline of a species – the vaquita porpoise, resident to the waters of the Gulf of California – FiRe attendees watched the tragedy of impending extinction unfold in real time, as the last few vaquitas risked entanglement within the year.

Andrea joined us, and spoke after the film, entreating all present to help.