Plant milkweed; help a butterfly

Can you imagine a time where your town is the last place on Earth where people are found living? How about your neighborhood? How about trying to imagine that you and your family are the last humans left surviving on the planet. It's pretty hard, right?

Especially with more than seven billion of us scattered around the globe. Sounds more like science fiction than anything else.

May 15 was Endangered Species Day, and, although I think about things like this often, I thought I would take a moment to write about it now.

Many species of plant and animal exist exactly like how I described things above. Orangutans in Borneo, for example, number around 41,000, which is roughly the total number of people found in Geneva and St. Charles. Giant Pandas on the other hand are estimated to total just over 1,800 which, if I had to guess, is probably close to the size of my neighborhood. And, the Amur Leopard which resides in the Russian Far East has just about 60 individuals left. Period. That's less than my family when you include aunts, uncles, and cousins.

So on Endangered Species Day, I hope that my letter simply helps spread a message that our planet is wonderful and unique. And I also hope that, with seven billion of us and counting, humanity can start doing more to care for all the other species which call this place home. If you'd like to start small, plant some milkweed in your yard for the Monarch butterfly. They could really use our help right now.

Bill Malecki

Geneva