While some people may ask for gifts on a birthday, Temples Scott Hecker had a larger picture in mind.
Hecker turned 67 this week and asked for donations to the International Conservation Fund of Canada. This fund funds actions to support the environment.
He said that it is not about the money. It is about letting people see the wonderful things that are happening.
The ICFC also has an American branch called the International Conservation Fund. This fund collects donations for projects in the tropics that aim to protect ecosystems and help heal the planet’s climate.
Hecker stated that it was about biodiversity and climate change. The Amazon and large tropical forests are where most of the weather we see in the world comes from. Therefore, protecting biodiversity, endangered species, and tropical ecosystems should be our top priority.
Hecker felt that raising awareness about this work was an important consideration for his birthday. Hecker stated that the motto of the organization is “Where nature needs us most”, which reflects his feelings about the subject.
He said that it was a positive message and that he loved it.
He said that he has raised a few hundred bucks so far and that he hopes more people will learn about ICFC. After many years of working with AudubonSociety chapters to protect piping plovers along New England beaches, he became involved in the organization. He applied for a grant from ICFC to continue this work because of the migratory patterns that plovers use to migrate to the Bahamas.
Before I left the door, I said to them, “If you ever need anyone to help you with work, I would love to be there,” Hecker said. He became an assistant grant-maker for the ICFC two years later.
Hecker’s main focus is on his area of expertise: conservation in support migratory birds that winter at the tropics. He stated that many birds from North America, including some considered common, spend their winters at the tropics, which are becoming increasingly endangered habitats.
He said that this work is so important that he wants others to learn as much as possible about it. He happened to have an ad he had designed for a local campaign for Electric Earths and decided to put it up on his Facebook page as a birthday present.
There are many people who do this. He said that they often choose to support a charity on their birthday. It’s impossible to predict when someone will come up with a huge gift.
Visit ICFC to learn more and donate icfcanada.org. To donate to Heckersfundraising, visit hisFacebook page.