It’s been years since I have seen a frog, or toad, for that matter. Amphibians, from the Greek word meaning two lives, they are an essential part of our ecological system. Adult frogs eat all kinds of bugs and mosquitos. Called the canary in the coal mine, the rapidly declining frog population is the result of unbridled development wiping out the wetlands that form the basis of life.
Last week while most of us were eating our Thanksgiving dinners, the Convention on International Trade of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, made some historic decisions in Panama about those little critters and enacted protections for turtles, lizards, and 160 other amphibians and 90 shark species. Did you know there were that many species of sharks? I certainly didn’t.
The U.S. is part of the conference pursuant to the 49-year old International Wildlife Treaty. Biological diversity is critical, from the deserts of New Mexico to the Pinelands of New Jersey. Our gratitude this season should extend to the hard-working persons who gave up their Thanksgiving for the future of the planet.
Prayer for the Day
So small and beneath our feet, we hardly notice them,
But, O God, the smallest creatures are part of your creation;
Their sounds muffled in our drive to build on and destroy wetlands,
They look to you, O Lord, to wake us up from our slumber.
Listening to your voice, help us stop unbridled loss of habitat,
So we understand that not all development is good.
In the name of the One who touched the earth,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Already under immense ecological pressure resulting from habitat loss, climate change and disease, the unmanaged and growing trade in glass frogs is exacerbating the already existing threats to the species.
- Danielle Kessler, International Fund for Animal Welfare
In the midst of a heart-wrenching extinction crisis, we need global agreement to fight for all species, even when it’s contentious.
- Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity
Sing to the Lord anew song, God’s praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the coastland and their inhabitants.
Isaiah 42: 10