Welcome to the very first Call For The Wild Conservation Foundation Newsletter! If you missed signing up for it, no worries, you can read it all here. We on the CFTW Team are excited to launch this new space dedicated to the stories, science, and people working every day to protect our planet’s wildlife. In this inaugural edition, we’re highlighting conservation efforts that are especially close to our hearts, featuring impactful work from one of our valued Conservation Partner Organizations, uncovering fascinating facts about an unique animal, and introducing you to our founder, Billy Campisciano.
Thank you for joining us at the start of this journey. We hope each edition sparks curiosity, spreads awareness, and strengthens our shared commitment to protecting the wild places and creatures that need us most!
Meet our Partner: Sea Turtle Conservancy
At Call For The Wild, our mission is to educate, inspire, and spread awareness about wildlife conservation and hands-on rescue efforts around the globe. Just as importantly, we work to raise critical funds for the organizations on the front lines, those carrying out essential rescue, rehabilitation, and research to protect vulnerable species. One of these dedicated partner organizations is the Sea Turtle Conservancy, a global leader in sea turtle conservation.
For more than 60 years, the Sea Turtle Conservancy has worked to protect sea turtles around the world. Founded in 1959, it is the oldest sea turtle research and conservation organization on the planet. The Sea Turtle Conservancy works to protect sea turtles through research, education, training, and advocacy. Their team studies sea turtles by tagging and tracking them to learn where they travel and how to keep them safe. They protect important nesting beaches, teach communities how to reduce harmful lighting near shorelines, and create programs for students and teachers to learn about ocean conservation. The Conservancy also runs hands-on volunteer experiences, public events like turtle walks and Tour de Turtles, and operates the Barrier Island Center to educate visitors about coastal habitats. Through all of these efforts, they work to protect sea turtles and the oceans they call home.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy works hard to inspire kids and families to take action, from reducing plastic use, to protecting nesting beaches. By combining science, rescue, and education, this amazing organization helps ensure sea turtles continue swimming in our oceans for generations to come!
Conservation highlight: The Endangered Species Act
Have you heard animals being called “endangered”, “threatened”, or “critically endangered”? These labels show how at risk a species is in the wild. Scientists and conservationists study animals’ populations, habitats, and threats to decide which species need help. These labels are important because they guide the protections and actions needed to keep animals and their environments healthy and thriving!
In the United States, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the law that gives animals and plants these protections. Signed by President Richard Nixon in 1973, the Endangered Species Act identifies which species are endangered, and helps protect the habitats they need to survive. The law also requires the government to create recovery plans to help populations grow, giving species a better chance to thrive. The official authorities that list species as endangered are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (for land and freshwater species) and NOAA Fisheries (for marine species). Around the world, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List ranks species by risk, but only the ESA gives legal protection in the U.S.
Right now, the ESA is facing some possible harmful changes, and some proposed changes could weaken protections for species and their habitats. This could make it easier for pollution, development, and other human activities to harm animals like orcas, sea turtles, eagles, and even small frogs across the country. But you can help!
Tell your elected officials you want to protect the ESA, sign petitions from groups like the Center for Biological Diversity or Defenders of Wildlife, learn about local endangered species and how to protect their habitats, and share the message with friends and family. Every action counts, and together we can help protect endangered animals and the ecosystems they need to survive!
Animal Highlight: The Capybara
Capybara’s are basking in the limelight right now, and for good reason, they are adorable! But what do you know about them? The Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a remarkable animal from South America and holds a special place in the animal world as the largest rodent on Earth. These semi‑aquatic mammals live near water, such as rivers, lakes, marshes, and flooded grasslands, from Panama all the way down to Argentina. Their bodies are built for life around water, with partially webbed feet for swimming, eyes and nostrils high on their heads to see while mostly submerged, and coarse fur that dries quickly when they leave the water. Capybaras can weigh as much as 65 kg (about 140 lbs) and grow over four feet long. As herbivores, they spend much time feeding on grasses and aquatic plants
Capybaras are also very social animals, living in large groups of about ten all the way up to more than forty individuals. They communicate with barks and whistles, and stay close to water for safety, because water helps them escape predators like jaguars, caimans, and anacondas which are common in the South American habitats they call home. These gentle grazers play an important role in their ecosystems by helping shape plant growth and providing food for larger predators, while birds often follow them to eat insects stirred up as the Capybaras move and feed.
Although they are not endangered and are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, local threats like over‑hunting and habitat loss still affect populations in parts of South America, and the wild habitats they call home are always under threat of human development. But you can help protect Capybaras by helping keep rivers and wetlands clean, protecting their habitats, and supporting regulations that protect them as a species.
Meet Call For The Wild: Our Founder, Billy Campisciano!
Here at Call For The Wild our goal is to support animal rescue, rehab, and research, while also spreading the knowledge of environmental conservation all over the world! But do you know why we do it? Billy Campisciano, our CFTW founder, grew up exploring the beautiful landscapes of Southern California and Argentina, spending his days hiking, diving, and surfing. From a young age, he noticed how human activity was hurting wildlife and ecosystems, and he felt a strong need to help protect them.
In 2012, a transformative moment occurred during his volunteer work with a marine life rescue organization in Florida. Spending eight hours aiding a stranded juvenile dolphin in a mangrove, Billy realized that change was essential and achievable to protect these creatures. With unyielding determination, Billy redirected his life path, using his skills to create a business for wildlife conservation. Collaborating with various organizations, Billy applied branding and entertainment business strategies to amplify the messaging and impact of wildlife preservation efforts.
His innovative approaches created successful partnerships and fundraising with some small organizations, developing merchandise and branding strategies to create revenue for these conservation organizations. Billy has a fundamental belief that business and people who benefit from our environment and natural resources should be part of the solution to restoring Earth’s wildlife and wild places. He believes that the experts, organizations, and facilities that are committed to doing the critical work of saving our planet should focus on their mission and not spending their time fundraising, that should be our job. Merging these philosophies created the concept of Call For The Wild.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you for joining us in this exciting first edition of Call For The Wild’s Foundation Newsletter! We hope you enjoyed learning about our partners at the Sea Turtle Conservancy, how laws like the Endangered Species Act protect animals, discovering amazing creatures like capybaras, and meeting our founder Billy Campisciano, who works every day to help wildlife thrive.
Remember, even small actions can make a big difference. Together, we can help keep our forests, rivers, oceans, and wildlife safe for generations to come. Stay curious, stay inspired, and keep it wild!