Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rescue Message Added To Video

The National Arbor Day Foundation announced recently the inclusion of a public service announcement (PSA) for its Rain Forest Rescue program on Buena Vista Home Video's release of Jungle 2 Jungle, starring Tim Allen, a foundation member.

The PSA's placement on Jungle 2 Jungle's video release is the second such placement for Rain Forest Rescue on a Buena Vista Home Video; the first was Medicine Man starring Sean Connery.

The 60-second PSA informs the audience about continued treats to rain forest areas, which are homne to more than half the planet's plant and animal species and help keep the earth's atmosphere in balance.

People are encouraged to help save rain forests by joining the National Arbor DAy Foundation. Each $10 contribubtion will save 2,500 square feet of rain forest and fund public-education programs. Contributors to Rain Forest Rescue have helped save nearly a billion square feet of threatened rain forest to date, in many critical locations.

"The National Arbor Day Foundation introduced Rain Forest Rescue with the Medicine Man release. Since then, 209,000 contributors have helped Rain Forest Rescue fund significant preservation projects," John Rosenow, foundation president, said.

Rain Forest Rescue has partnered with local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and The Nature Conservancy in a variety of projects.

For example: The Sierra De las Monas area in Guatemala Received support for the purchase of threatened forest land, while promoting sustainable agriculture in border regions already cleared. In the Rio bravo reserve in Belize, the program has expanded the protected area, and funded local forest rangers to fight illegal poaching, tree theft, and looting from ancient Mayan ruins.

The Talamanca-Caribbean Corridor is a unique green belt from the mountains to the shores of Costa Rica - perhaps one-of-a-kind on this planet, that Rain Forest Rescue has helped preserve.

In Mexico's El Ocote Forest Reserve, Rain Forest Rescue has expanded the reserve's area and worked with local farming and environmental groups to help farmers use sustainable techniques, increase health services and encourage home gardening, while helping landowners develop land-use plans that are environmentally friendly.

"Thanks to Buena Vista and the Jungle 2 Jungle PSA placement, we're looking to expand to the heart of the Amazon to protect some of the most important sites on earth," Rosenow added. "This is a wonderful opportunity for people who care about the rain forest to help savve these unique and irreplaceable areas."

One of the program's goals is the expansion of preserved lands in Brazil's Pantanal Region, recognized as one of the world's largest ontinuous freshwater ecosystems and most biologically diverse areas. The expanded Pantanal National Park will serve as a much-needed safe haven for endangered animals and a reserve of rare trees and plants.

To contribute to Rain Forest Rescue using your credit card, call 800- 372-3267.