Irreplaceable Goes to Washington

The Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World effort culminated in a showing of the photo exhibit in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Building the week of May 18th and a tremendously successful event in Washington, DC on May 19th that drew a crowd of over 200 people including five United States Senators and two members of the House of Representatives.

Members of the public fill the Senate reception room in Washington, DC on May 19, 2009, to celebrate the Irreplaceable exhibit

At the reception we also unveiled the final photo petition to Congress, a stunning composite image of a polar bear made up of a thousand photographs of individuals around the country who are calling for help for species at risk from climate change.

The finished photo mosaic is unveiled for members of Congress in Washington, DC.

 We had seven honorary co-hosts: Senators. Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)and Tom Udall (D-NM). Trip Van Noppen was Master of Ceremonies and handed out Environmental Champion awards to Senators Whitehouse (D-RI), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Merkley (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), and Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rush Holt (D-NJ).

Earthjustice president Trip Van Noppen speaks at the reception

 All of the members of Congress who received awards spoke about the importance of this issue and pledged leadership. Other guest speakers included Reverend Rich Cizik, Dr. Tom Brooks from Conservation International, and ILCP photographer Tim Laman.

Reverend Richard Cizik speaks about the growing faith movement toward protecting the earth and all creatures

Guided tours of the photos, featured in the Russell Rotunda, were provided for guests throughout the reception.

International League of Conservation Photography representative Tim Laman speaks about the power of images to inspire conservation.

 The reception was very successful and won us praise from several of the Congressional offices involved. Most importantly, it was a tangible demonstration of the strength of support for protecting wildlife in the face of climate change and should help to motivate our political leaders.

Conservation International Scientist Dr. Tom Brooks speaks about the extinction crisis and the potential for change.