SAVE THE DATE!

Our world is experiencing a sixth mass extinction. Instead of an ice age or meteors, humans are instigating this unnatural event. 500 species faded into extinction in the past 100 years. Over 60 percent of global wildlife disappeared in the last 50 years. And more than 16,000 plant and animal species currently reside on the endangered species list. The responsibility for this catastrophe transcends national borders, political spectrums, and religious ideologies.

We must make a choice. We can be complacent OR we can rise together to fix the crisis our species created.

The Concert for Conservation grew out of a determination to elevate awareness of the sixth extinction, specifically within the faith community. Looking through both an ecological and spiritual lens, the interconnectedness of all creatures and habitats is clear. The church, therefore, has a moral and spiritual responsibility to join the frontlines of wildlife conservation by educating its community on the sixth extinction and providing ambitious solutions.

The 2019 and 2020 Concerts for Conservation feature the red wolf, an iconic North American species. The 2022 concert will feature the hellbender–a giant aquatic salamander endemic to our region and the only living member of the genus Cryptobranchus.

Please join us at 3:00 pm on October 23rd at Waynesville’s First United Methodist Church for this powerful fundraising event full of music, art, and a community coming together to support the hellbender. More info coming soon!