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SAVING THE WILD

ARCTIC FOXES - P. 1 STATISTICS AND SUCCESS – P. 2 ALL ABOUT CONSERVATION & WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP – P. 3

THE ENDANGERED ARCTIC FOXALL ABOUT THE MAJESTIC ANIMAL AND WHY IT IS ENDANGERED

The Arctic fox is indeed a wonderful creature. They reside in the Arctic tundra, usually by a forest in the summertime. In the winter, they camouflage on sheets of ice. They live in burrows on hills or banks of rivers. They eat Arctic hares, birds and their eggs, and lemmings. They usually move and hunt on their own, but they don’t avoid other foxes. Like every animal, the Arctic fox is important to its environment. They are considered “top predators”. They help to keep other species lower on their food chain, “in check” (arcticfoxclimate.weebly.com, p.1). Without them, their prey’s population would grow, causing possible overpopulation, which can result in less resources (the prey would use

them up). Eventually, they could become uncontrollable. It is like a chain effect. Therefore, Arctic foxes are vital for their environment. However, Arctic foxes are currently endangered. One of the contributing factors is a decrease in

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resources, such as lemmings. Competition over food and resources is also a contributing factor. Red foxes are entering their habitats, eating their food, and using their resources. Also, they are repopulating less. They were hunted for their fur in the early twentieth century.

Climate change is obviously a huge factor, too. Their prey can’t survive in the warmer weather, which means that the Arctic foxes are going hungry. There are only around three hundred in Norway, Sweden, and Finland combined.

Think about this, the Arctic fox is beautiful and does great things for the environment, but in a few years, people may not even know what they are.

By: Jennifer Dryden

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Wednesday, April 22 SAVING THE WILD JENNIFER DRYDEN

2020

-STATISTICS-

A SUCCESS STORY

FROM CRITICALLY ENDANGERED TO OFF THE LIST: THE STORY OF THE BALD EAGLE

The majestic national animal of our country, the bald eagle, was once in danger of becoming extinct. They were dying off. They lost a lot of their habitat, and pesticides being used were a contributing factor. However, after they banned the use of the specific pesticide, DDT, they began to repopulate and recover. They went from critically endangered to threatened to Least Concern. Now they aren’t even on the IUCN Red List!

weren't breeding that much, so the population decreased. This was in 1963.

We fortunately realized what was going on. In 1972, DDT was banned, allowing the bald eagle to repopulate. The Endangered Species Act said that they were endangered in 1976.

As you know, habitat loss was one of the reasons why the bald eagle almost became extinct. This could have happened because of several reasons. Other animals may have come into their habitats and took all the resources there. Also, it may have been destroyed. The certain pesticide that was killing them is called DDT. In forty-eight states, there were under

With this protection, the bald eagle population has grown tremendously. With this protection,

the bald eagle population has grown tremendously. This is huge progress, considering that around fifty years ago, the bald eagle would be extinct. Our generation wouldn’t ever be able to see one. Bald eagles were removed from the IUCN Red List on June 28, 2007. Now they live

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five hundred pairs of the eagles. This means that they

abundantly and happily. By: Jennifer Dryden

Wednesday, April 22 SAVING THE WILD JENNIFER DRYDEN

2020

-THE WILD NEWSPAPER-

FJÄLLRÄVEN KANKEN “GEAR UP FOR SPRING ADVENTURE WITH KANKEN!” (FJÄLLRÄVEN WEBSITE)

A super cute backpack for any occasion, Fjällräven is helping to protect Scandinavian Arctic foxes! They are helping researchers at Stockholm University protect them by co-financing research position and by giving researchers equipment, such as backpacks and summer and winter clothes. They want the Arctic fox population to increase and live without help. They have made great progress. Before there were only fifty Arctic foxes in Sweden, Norway, AND Finland. Now, there are two hundred in only Sweden. They have adopted the arctic fox as their symbol, and Arctic fox is Fjällräven in Swedish. So, get your Kanken (style) backpack today, and you will be supporting the Scandinavian Arctic Foxes!

HELPING HANDSWHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE

DOING TO HELP ARCTIC FOXES

There are several organizations that are helping Arctic foxes thrive. Some of these are the Swedish-Finnish-Norwegian Arctic Fox Project and the Save the Arctic Fox project. They are doing everything that they can to protect these foxes and restore them to a larger population.

The Swedish-Finnish-Norwegian Arctic Fox project is preventing the Arctic foxes’ extinction. They began in 2003. Their goal was to increase their breeding by double the amount it already was. They operated in Sweden, Finland, and Norway (of course). The project ended in 2008, but they are still taking precautionary measures, so their population size stays stable.

The next organization that is helping Arctic foxes is the Save the Arctic Fox Project. Stockholm University

partnered with Fjällräven (pictured on the left) to restore their population. They provide the foxes with food and do tons of research on them so that they can see if what they’re doing is helping. Even though the climate is messed up due to Global Warming, the Save the Arctic Fox Project is helping the Scandinavian Arctic Fox live without any aid and have a larger population. The last organization that I am going to talk about is WWF. They also helped Stockholm University do research on the foxes. Because of this research, they can find the most effective ways to help. They also provide food, especially in the winter when it’s the hardest time to survive. They also make sure that the Arctic foxes keep breeding a good enough amount. There are, of course, organizations that help all endangered species, such as the Endangered Species Act. But even though they do different things to help the Arctic foxes, they all have one common goal: to prevent the Arctic foxes from dying out. They have a great and valuable impact on the lives of these foxes.

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By: Jennifer Dryden

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Wednesday, April 22 SAVING THE WILD JENNIFER DRYDEN

2020

-THE WILD NEWSPAPER-

ASK JENNIFER TODAY’S QUESTION: WHAT IS CONSERVATION, AND

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? -Colleen D.

Great question, Colleen! Conservation basically means to protect something. It could mean to protect anything, but in this case, were talking about animals. Anyone can help to conserve wildlife, even you.

There are several ways that you can conserve. You can donate to organizations or causes that help conserve wildlife and stop littering. Cutting down on emissions, which means use less gas, radiation, or other production chemicals that harm the environment, would also help.

Preserving habitats helps conserve animal species as well. You see, there are many ways to conserve, even if you are young. There are also a bunch of organizations that work to conserve animals and create biodiversity. Some of these are The Nature Conservancy, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and Turtle Survival Alliance. Now, you’re probably still wondering why conservation is so important. Conservation is what helps plants and animals survive. It

prevents the extinction of endangered species. Conservation can also help Earth. Like I said before, stopping litter and cutting down on emissions can help keep the world healthy and clean. Finally, conservation helps us. I know it seems weird that it helps us, but it has a large effect on our health. Some of the medicine that we make is made from natural things from the Earth. Conservation also stops new sicknesses from happening to humans. The habitats of the animals are like a barrier; there can be many new diseases in animals. That is why we need to conserve their habitats, not just so they can be healthy and happy, but so we can be, too. I hope this helps you understand conservation and its importance!By: Jennifer Dryden

WE CAN HELP, TOO!WHAT WE CAN DO TO SAVE THE ARCTIC FOXES

You’ve seen what organizations are doing to save endangered species. You can raise awareness, too. Tell

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Arctic foxes. But we can help as well! I know what you may be thinking, “I’m too young, what could I possibly do to make an impact?” However, there are many things that you and your family could do to help. Everything done to help the Arctic foxes matter, no matter how big or how small.

Organizations are doing wonderful things to help Arctic foxes (see the above article, “Helping Hands”). However, they need your support to continue what they are doing. You can donate money to support them. Your money may end up feeding and Arctic fox.

You could volunteer for a zoo or organization that helps to protect wildlife. Speaking of zoos, go visit one! You can learn all about endangered animals and see them for yourself.

You may not realize this, but even I am helping. In this newspaper, I am raising awareness for Arctic foxes and other

your friends and family all about the endangered animals. Pay attention to what you buy. Don’t buy things that are made of an endangered animal. Also, remember not to litter! It’s not hard to throw your trash in a trash can. Especially if throwing trash away can save an animal’s life. Try recycling as well. That way, your trash can be reused, which is better for our environment. You see, there are so many ways you could get involved in saving the wild. Volunteer, donate, recycle, etc. Remember, whatever you do to help will make an impact.

Daily Puzzle! (print out to solve, solve on a separate piece of paper, or solve mentally!)

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Glossary:Threatened- the species may become endangered soonEndangered- species could become extinct in the futureExtinct- species does not exist anymoreIUCN Red List- keeps up with the status of endangered species