Biodiversity and New York City

Biodiversity and New York City.  You won't hear those words too often in the same sentence, unless you are talking about the lack there of.  Well, last week that changed.  Thanks to my writer friend, Loree Griffen Burns, I was alerted to news of a new frog species.  I am always excited about any discovery of a new species, especially since most are discovered in a rainforest.  But this time I was over-the-moon excited and immediately posted the article on my Facebook page…. This new frog species was not found in a rainforest, but an urban setting right here in my very own state!  It was found in New York City.  New York City, were the population of pigeons outnumbers every other species and the biodiversity among people is far more interesting to that of wildlife!

The frog is a type of leopard frog, in a beautiful shade of green, with it's own distinct call.  In fact it was it's call that got it noticed!

I have thought about the discovery of this frog for days.   When I wrote Keeping Our Earth Green I was bogged down with oodles of daunting issues.  And it was challenging for me to write ways that would encourage kids to make a difference.  I had to constantly focus my brain on the hope for the future.

This little frog did that for me this week like nothing else has!  If something new and special can be found amidst the urban wilds of New York City, then why not everywhere else?  Why shouldn't we get as excited about our own backyards as all of these other exotic and bio-rich locations?  

 I'm sparked! And I'm hopeful!