Species Get Their Day

May 18 is Endangered Species Day, an attempt to draw attention to plants and animals faced with a very real possibility of extinction.

Extinction is an issue that brings our relationship with the environment right before our eyes. Protecting species means our view of the interaction we have with the natural world needs to go beyond attempts at saving animals and plants to the point that we look at the planetary impacts of our daily activities.

Endangered Species Day is an important reminder about both the rights of species to survive and how we see ourselves within a larger world. For more information about the day, including where to attend an event, click here. For some additional ideas about what to do to mark the occasion, visit this page from the National Wildlife Federation.

The picture for this post is of an Iberian lynx, a striking but highly endangered cat that is now found in the wild only in Spain.