Save the Buckeye Campaign
A diverse coalition of environmentalists, public health advocates, outdoor enthusiasts and agricultural interests launched a campaign to save the Ohio Buckeye from migrating north to Michigan. Recent scientific studies project that many state plants, like the Ohio buckeye tree, could shift outside their historic ranges because of global warming.
“Global warming could send our beloved Ohio State University mascot and state symbol north to Michigan,” said Tom Bullock, Pew Environment Group’s Ohio representative. “Ohioans need to know that it’s not just the buckeye that is threatened by global warming—our health, economy and environment are also at risk.”
“As a diehard Buckeyes fan, the only thing worse than losing to Michigan would be giving them our mascot,” said Ohio State University student Kristen Arnold. “This is one thing Buckeye and Wolverine fans should team up on: work together on global warming so they keep their wolverines and we save our buckeyes.”
Scientists predict that global warming could have significant impacts on Ohio beyond the buckeye tree, including greater drought and increasingly severe storms and floods, altered growing ranges impacting crops and wildlife habitat, lower water levels for Lake Erie and more heat and air quality-related illnesses.
“Ohio sportsmen know Ohio’s climate because we’ve spent decades in duck blinds, tree stands, and fishing boats. We see today that climate change is already disrupting Ohio’s forests, fish and wildlife,” said Jim Wentz of the League of Ohio Sportsmen.
Save the Buckeye is a coalition of Ohio organizations working to bring global warming solutions to our state and nation. It is calling on the next president of the U.S. and Ohio members of Congress to take bold action in 2009
to address global warming by cutting global warming pollution 80 percent by 2050.
For more information about the Save the Buckeye campaign visit www.Savethebuckeye.org