It’s high summer, a time to celebrate life in all its forms. Biodiversity—“the very stuff of life” to scientist E.O. Wilson—is what we explore in this issue. 

We are in a biodiversity crisis—a crisis of mass extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, “Currently, the species extinction rate is estimated between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than natural extinction rates.” 

We can point to many causes, but we can also point to hope. Conservation, at the core of the work of Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities, holds countless tools for helping to slow the loss of biodiversity. 

Solving the problem starts with knowing what we have and where it is. We talked with Larry Master, who was in on the very beginnings of the vast and critical NatureServe network of state and provincial natural heritage programs. These programs keep track of the most imperiled species and ecological communities. He described the important work of Dr. Bob Jenkins of The Nature Conservancy, who coined the motto, “protect the last of the least and the best of the rest,” which guides their work. And Larry, in his retirement, travels the world photographing the last of the least. He shares his work freely to advance conservation, and we feature several of his beautiful images here. 

Brian Donahue tells of an adventure in the early days of the heritage network and its field explorations, including a trip with Larry Master himself. More recent nature adventure stories are told by Grace Glynn and Chris Reidy, of the Vermont and Maine programs respectively. 

The challenges and complexities of conservation are highlighted in a story by Colby Galliher about fish stocking and its impacts on biodiversity, and a story about invasive species by Peter Del Tredici. 

You’ll also find many solutions: Shawn Fraver calls forest managers to allow deadwood to accumulate in the forest. Bob Perschel describes forest management efforts to support biodiversity. Jeff Ritterson explains Audubon’s Foresters for the Birds. And Josh Anderson helps us understand the beautiful diversity in agricultural soils. 

Finally, poems from Bob Perschel and Mary Katherine Creel invite us to love nature and lament its loss.

May this summer, and these writings, call you to action—to get out in nature, to love it, to protect it with all the tools you have.

With gratitude,
The Editors of From the Ground Up

Brian Donahue, David Foster, Marissa Latshaw (Publisher), Alex Redfield, and Liz Thompson (Managing Editor)