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Take Action

Spruce Up Your Celebration

Surprise your guests with a tree; they restore wildlife habitat and make great party favors! More >

Dining for Wildlife

Stop by your local farmstand, pick up a few veggies and protect a puma. More >

Drive Safely

Reduce the rate of motor vehicle collisions with wildlife; don't litter.
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So who is Gerry Renner, and how did she pick up so beautifully on the children's interest in the lost mountain lion cubs? "I was raised by my father to believe that heaven on earth is in nature... he had a deep relationship with nature and a fondness for children," she says. Gerry lives in and loves the Black Hills region of South Dakota, describing the ecosystem as rich in diversity from one mountain valley to the next. The protection of diverse habitat like that found in the Black Hills is critical to the expansion of cougar populations. An increasing number of puma citings have been confirmed in Midwestern states such as South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri and Illinois but their continued success depends on our actions.

Together with friends and neighbors that include scientists, botanists, artists, landscape naturalists and many others, Gerry is a co-founder and board member of the Norbeck Society, named in honor of conservationist and former governor, Peter Norbeck, who created Custer State Park (a stones throw from where the puma cubs were found). The Norbeck Society advocates for the stewardship, restoration, and enjoyment of public lands, and is working to ensure a conservation legacy for future generations. Currently they are working with the National Forest Service to designate areas in the Black Hills which will be protected from motorized vehicles, to ensure the preservation of land for animals and plants.

Gerry Renner was so attuned to her students, so dedicated to "bringing the children into their citizenry," that twenty-six children were introduced to conservation, government, science, mathematics, geography, art, and culture - in ways that stemmed from and involved their own hearts. Gerry and her class gave and received gifts of generosity and community involvement which far transcend textbook learning, and that will help to prepare these children to contribute to the preservation and beauty of the land she so loves.

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