Even though humanity is facing more formidable challenges than ever before, we have never been closer to achieving our best. We have the knowledge and tools to fix our problems. Not just shallow fixes that treat the symptoms, but the deep fixes that cure the disease.

Nearly twenty years ago, Dr. Bruce Stein, chief scientist for the National Wildlife Federation released a study that forever redefined Alabama. The 2002 report compared US states for their total number of species. The report changed my life.

In defiance against the landslide of grim facts and forecasts, I am taking stock of the many reasons to be hopeful about the future of biodiversity. And I dare say that there are reasons to celebrate.

Each of you, no matter your chosen path, has tremendous potential to enact powerful, beautiful, and positive change wherever you go. Please, don’t be shy or scared of using your knowledge and unleashing your potential. The world needs you now more than ever.

Spring is finally here and Dr. Paul Johnson and his team of biologists from the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center (The AABC) are gearing up for another season of rescuing the Southeast’s most vulnerable aquatic species from extinction.

In 2013 Apalachicola Bay slipped into a deep ecological coma following a harsh drought. Now the Supreme Court of the United States will decide the future of one of the Southeast’s most important river ecosystems.

If I could stand before the nine justices and share a single lesson from the science of ecology to inform their decision, it would be this… Healthy ecosystems are assets for humanity. Sick ecosystems are liabilities.

The news was disappointing. But after reading the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion on Florida v. Georgia, it was clear that Florida didn’t stand a chance. I hadn’t been rooting for Florida or Georgia. I was rooting for the river and the people whose lifeways depend its health.

The best plan for the Apalachicola arose from a small band of citizens. Convinced that state leaders were not going to create the basin-wide management plan that’s needed, the group built a grassroots alliance of influential stakeholders to develop a science-based plan for sharing the river’s waters.

A network of organizations across Alabama is already working to build a better future, and there’s room in their ranks for you. All are working towards the same goal—a safe and prosperous future for everyone.

This is a repost of tips offered as an appendix to my post “I live in Alabama. Can I do anything about climate change?”