“The Australian bushfires are still burning and will remain burning for months to come," says Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Over 80,000 square kilometers of land has been ravaged with NASA claiming 306 million tonnes of carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere.
Scientists conservatively estimate that one billion animals have perished not including invertebrates, bats and insects. Today, 113 animal species need "urgent help" to survive.
Starvation and lack of shelter continue to claim animal lives. Millions of bees, a crucial contributor to the nation’s multi-billion-dollar horticulture industry, have perished in the flames. On Kangaroo Island alone one-quarter of the unique Ligurian honey beehives have been lost.
The plight of Australia has ebbed in the news-cycle but the crisis continues. The need for sustained support, both financial and moral, is heightened as attention shifts to other important events such as CVOID-19 and the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that crosses the traditional territory of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia.
Bead by Bead for Australia is a grass-roots campaign aimed at prolonging the conversation while raising much-needed funds for wildfire recovery. Organized by BeadTrails Experience in Summerland, the campaign goal is to raise $10,000 which will be donated to the South Wales Rural Fire Service and RSPCA New South Wales Bushfire Appeal.
Thanks to our Valentine’s Campaign launch we are at 17% of goal in the first month of an eight-month campaign. If you would like to support our friends down under Campaign Beads can be purchased by email and shipped for $8.95 plus tax and shipping. Beads can also be picked up at participating BeadTrails Businesses or BeadTrails Head Office in Summerland, B.C.