Editor's Note: Feeling the Wonder

Editor's Note: Feeling the Wonder—and the Pain

Lisa Moore, Editorial Director
Conservation
Jun 01, 2021

Sunrise paints the sky above Mount Moran and the Snake River in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

WITH EVERY ISSUE OF THIS MAGAZINE, we hope our readers will find at least one article that draws them in, whether through gorgeous photographs, compelling science or new perspectives that inspire wonder—perhaps even pain.

Sending an issue to press is a bit like giving birth. Mothers aren’t supposed to have favorites, but I confess a special fondness for this issue’s article about animal altruism (A Greater Good) because of what I learned and felt. It reveals surprising acts of kindness among some species, such as a young chimpanzee who brings a mouthful of water to an elder too weak to fetch her own. We aren’t supposed to anthropomorphize, but I’d call that love.

Lisa Moore, National Wildlife Editorial Director

We humans can also show loving devotion to the animals that share our planet. Consider the “Coral Mama” trying to save Florida’s dying reefs by growing corals in a lab (Spawning a Solution) and learn how researchers at zoos and aquariums are protecting species at risk in the wild, from tiny Panamanian golden frogs to golden lion tamarins (Life Keepers).

Humans are sometimes less loving when it comes to our own species, as our nation’s current racial reckoning makes clear. The movement to change the common names of birds named for racists of the past (What's in a Name?) may be one small step towards healing. Nature is for all of us, and all must feel welcome. When that day comes, wildlife, habitats and people will thrive as never before.

SHARE YOUR VIEWS: nweditor@nwf.org or @MooreWildlife