The Wildlife Initiative for Conservation Education

Your Chance to Save a Wildlife Species

Abundant wildlife that once inhabited this earth are dwindling or at worst, lost, as a result of our human impacts. Continued human encroachment, poisoning lands and waters, and even our recreational pursuits have destroyed wildlife habitats and threatened millions of species with extinction.

But because you believe in what we believe…there is hope.

In response to these significant anthropogenic declines in wildlife populations, The Wildlife Initiative for Conservation Education (TWICE) has partnered with the Into the Outdoors Education Network and Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center to broaden our educational reach. With your help, this initiative can impact millions of Americans to think TWICE about their impact on the other precious species that share Planet Earth.

The purpose of TWICE is to educate the general public, with a focus on youth, through national television and educational resources to encourage critical thinking and create a more sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife.

But how do we accomplish such a vital mission that we both share?

We start with two crucial things, you and the facts.

The Facts

According to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022, global species populations have declined by an average of 69 percent since 1970. Because of this decline, an estimated one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction (Living Planet Report 2022, p. 10). Many scientists have declared that we are currently experiencing the 6th mass extinction event in the history of our planet. Some of the major contributing factors to this decline in biodiversity include habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive species – all of which relate directly back to human activity.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, approximately 10 to 20 million animals die each year from lead poisoning. Wildlife is exposed to lead in a plethora of ways, but the primary cause of exposure for avian species is through direct ingestion. Lead is often ingested by animals by means of spent lead ammunition or discarded lead sinkers used in popular recreational activities. These tools could easily be replaced with a less harmful material that would prevent lead poisoning in wildlife.

Earth's herpetofauna is declining at an alarming rate with little to no efforts of protection. According to the Center for Biological Diversity: 20 percent of reptiles are at risk of extinction; more than 41 percent of the world's amphibians are at risk of extinction; and approximately 61 percent of turtle species are threatened with extinction or have already gone extinct. This rapid loss of biodiversity is largely in part to habitat loss due to urbanization.

While it’s easy to feel disconnected from such high-level issues, factors such as habitat loss bring the problem right into our communities, neighborhoods and even backyards. According to the Department of Transportation, an estimated one to two million animals are involved in collisions with cars every year in the United States. Because of the lack of resources and fragmentation of their habitat, wildlife is forced into urban settings as they search for food and shelter which can be a very dangerous environment for them. But cars aren’t the only vehicle that threatens wildlife.

More sea animals are getting hit by propellers than originally thought, including turtles, seals, otters, dolphins, whales, manatees, manta rays and more. Collisions with small animals often go unnoticed due to their size. However, speed and awareness play a large role in these collisions. Any animal is difficult to spot and avoid when traveling at fast speeds, including manatees. Boats are responsible for 20% of human-caused mortality for manatees, not to mention the rapid increase in watersport popularity has contributed to the general loss of habitat for marine species which makes these boatstrike encounters more frequent. But coexistence is achievable if education is a priority.

The PROBLEM

Current increasing conflicts between human activities and wildlife can be mitigated through increased awareness and education on casual relationships, how to prevent wildlife injuries and what to do if they do occur.

There are a variety of organizations and foundations that are involved in the fight against biodiversity loss, but few see the direct impacts humans have on animals more than wildlife rehabilitators. While wildlife rehabilitators tend to deal more with individual cases of human impact, they are still able to pinpoint the recurring human habits and mindsets that lead to such cases. From seabirds affected by oil spills to manatees injured by boat strikes, wildlife rehabilitators are dedicated to protecting and saving not only the individuals that come through their doors, but all members of the species – and that begins with preventative action.

From individuals to entire species, wildlife rehabilitation is about protecting wild animals. As responsible citizens of planet earth, it is important for individuals to take preventative action in protecting the wildlife in their area by being aware, educated and compassionate.

The Solution

The first step in making a difference is acknowledging there is a problem in the first place. The second step is to empower the nation to become stakeholders in the issue. That’s why TWICE has partnered with the 18-time Emmy award-winning Into the Outdoors Education Network, to utilize their national reach. By connecting subject matter experts with the educational platform that can reach tens of millions of viewers each year, we will launch youth learning into the realm of wildlife conservation.

TWICE is a collaborative approach to educating the public on coexistence with wildlife, built upon the following principles:

INFORM the general public on causal relationships among humans, the environment and wildlife on the individual, community and corporate levels, and why it matters in terms of ecosystem and environmental health.

RESHAPE how people view wildlife in their communities and inspire compassion for wildlife.

EMPOWER our audience to initiate change in their homes, communities and businesses by giving them the tools and knowledge to instigate positive change.

EDUCATE the general public about the emerging profession of wildlife rehabilitation, its credibility and its necessity in the fight to reverse biodiversity loss.

On the heels of the successful pilot, Into Environmental Sustainability, we are looking to expand the initiative into a series of episodes that focus on educating the general public – with an emphasis on youth – about human impacts on wildlife, and provide realistic solutions to how negative effects can be avoided. Each episode will be paired with an educational video and accompanying lesson plan that will live on the Into the Outdoors website and PBS LearningMedia.

Here is an example of what an episode and lesson plans from this series might look like:

Into Environmental Sustainability

In this Into the Outdoors episode, Adventure Team member, Zach, heads out into his community to learn more about sustainability and his role in creating a healthier environment. He investigates the causal relationships among humans, wildlife and the environment to learn about human impact on our planet. Viewers learn along with Zach as he talks with wildlife experts, volunteers and corporate professionals to learn about the importance of sustainability at the individual, community and corporate levels.

By partnering with the Into the Outdoors Education Network, we are able to utilize their production skills, educational resources and distribution connections to reach broad and ever-growing audiences. With this programming, we are able to bring this educational series into tens of millions of homes across the nation, but we need credible experts to help us inform this audience with the experiences and insights from their work in the field of wildlife conservation.

That’s where you come in.

PARTNER WITH US

Our mission is to educate youth on the impact of human activities on wildlife, through the lens of wildlife rehabilitation and conservation efforts, with the ultimate goal of creating a more sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife. The educational programs we create will encourage youth to think TWICE about their environmental impact.

The success of this initiative hinges on partners who share the same mission. If our mission aligns with yours, join our initiative and help increase education and awareness surrounding wildlife conservation.

In addition to being a part of this mission and telling your story, as a partner you earn:
• Your logo placement on the partner slate in the open and closing credits, seen by millions
• Your logo on our webpage and lesson activities
• Your face, your name, your story included in the episode
• And more!

Give us a call now to learn about our partnerships and the role you’ll play in supporting The Wildlife Initiative for Conservation Education.

Call Kylie at 608-609-2531 or email kyliec@discovermediaworks.com

BROADCAST TELEVISION

The Into the Outdoors Education Network impacts millions watching on 165 channels with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and PBS affiliates reaching 730,000 viewers each week. This educational television series is the only program to earn 18 Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the top youth educational series in the Midwest. Your show (content funding partners) is aired three times a year for two years impacts over 4,400,000 viewers, about half over 18 years of age. But broadcast television is just part of this story… read on.

NATIONAL DIGITAL & ONLINE CHANNELS

Three years of 24/7 National Digital Channel distribution on our Into the Outdoors Digital Network with over a dozen of the top digital channels that includes; Google ChromeCast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku TV, Apple TV, Samsung SmartTV, Vizio and more…reaching a combined potential audience of 150 million users.

PBS & PBS LearningMedia

This series is now part of a National PBS offering through the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) distribution system that reaches and presents educational programs to over 330 public broadcasting stations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, US Virigin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Each month, over 109 million people watch their local public TV stations. And as part of PBS LearningMedia, it's offered to their 20 million users a year.

ONLINE EDUCATIONAL NETWORK - CLASSROOM VIDEOS AND LESSONS

Each half-hour TV program is paired with one "deep dive" classroom education video distributed on the Into the Outdoors Education Network to teachers and students nationally along with free classroom lesson activities that encourage real-life learning about wildlife conservation.

FREE EDUCATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

All of the educational videos and classroom curriculum are distributed open-source nationally to every state/federal agency, and that free distribution extends to the entire conservation community of educational institutions, school districts, orgs and corporations to use freely to enhance their educational programs.

EMPOWER CRITICAL THINKING USING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

And finally, all of the entertainment and educational media content in this program employ key psychological and production elements that empower kids to think critically for themselves using their sensibility and value systems. Research shows that these sophisticated media and educational techniques can be 400% more effective at shaping someone’s perception as opposed to trying to tell someone what to think.

EDUCATIONAL DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS

PAST & PRESENT PARTNERS

Give us a call to learn more about a partnership role that can make your story part of the actual program content.

Call Kylie 608-609-2531 or email kyliec@discovermediaworks.com