The longest-running, public international environmental forum will convene from November 6-13, in the city of Merida, Yucatan, to build awareness about pressing environmental issues and celebrate the importance and vitality of wild nature. The event, WILD9, was planned over a two-year period by the Wild Wilderness Congress to connect anyone from wilderness enthusiasts to top-ranked academics and scientists.

One of the many goals of the event is the signing of an international agreement on wilderness between the US, Canada, and Mexico. Emily Loose, WILD’s director of communications, said the agreement would recognize “the importance of wilderness areas and the cooperation between the agencies on management, planning, preservation, and research for the conservation of wilderness.”

WILD9 is open to the anyone, but if you happen to not be in the Yucatan area this week, there are a number of social media options to stay connected. You can watch lectures, including the keynote speech by Dr. Jane Goodall, and sessions live on their USTREAM channel. The Congress will also be tweeting and updating their Flickr photostream throughout the week.

“Government agency employees, private land managers, NGO workers, students, native people, corporate reps, activists and many others will find learning opportunities and celebrations that appeal to them and assist their career,” Loose said.

This year’s meeting is the 9th WILD event but the first in Latin America. Discussions and developments during the meeting will likely drive the location of WILD10.

“WILD9 is in Mexico because of the emerging conservation ethic in Mexico and Latin America – which we saw starting at the 8th World Wilderness Congress in Anchorage, Alaska,” Loose said.

WILD9 is part of a much larger effort to build awareness about the essential social, spiritual, biological and economic benefits of wilderness. Loose emphasized how important it is for citizens to be outspoken advocates for the science behind protecting wilderness.

“Just being equipped with the knowledge that 25% of global green-house gas emissions comes from the destruction of wild-nature can activate someone,” she said.

Visit the WILD9 website for more information.

Too often, in their noble attempt to create “a healthy environment and a safer world,” the scientists and activists at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists  use fear to motivate the public. Whether they are talking about Global Warming, Science Integrity, or Nuclear Weapons (some of the key issues they monitor), one senses the end of the world is within hours. I suspect other folks (like me)  get overwhelmed and just start to tune out the message.  Too bad because the work they do is important. They help keep the government on its toes, educate the public on critical science policy areas and make it simple for us to put the heat on Congress when something’s not right. And, they  tell us about important upcoming science policy legislation. 

Fortunately, a cluster of readers’ emails alerted me to a welcome change at UCS. Humor?! How refreshing to see science comics (above) depicting the politically polarizing topic of scientific integrity in government. There are about a dozen on the UCS site. Some are very funny. All use few words to speak volumes about the subject.

And, the group is partnering with Penguin Classics to get your take on global warming: UCS and Penguin Classics are encouraging aspiring writers and photographers to submit their personal stories and images about global warming for publication in a new online book, Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming.  Deadline is 11/15. 

Let’s hope they find more ways to use this fresh and accessible approach and serve as a model for other public science advocates who sometimes take themselves way too seriously.

Cheers!

PS: Supporters of the movement to reopen of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (one of my favorite pet projects) might find it interesting that, 5 years ago, UCS launched a call to action to reverse U.S. policies on international trade. This was part of an attempt to tackle non-native invasive species ruining conservation efforts. The call to action was deliberately launched on the 10th Anniversary of a landmark OTA report on invasive species. Viva OTA! Sign the Science Cheerleader’s petition to get this Congressional Office reopened.