Earth Day brings us to Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, where this fuzzy Laysan albatross chick is taking in its surroundings. The chick’s home, unfortunately, has a plastic problem. Midway Atoll is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, not far from the giant gyre of marine debris known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It’s been estimated that some 100 pounds of plastic wash up on Midway Atoll each week, and most of the albatross population has ingested it (they confuse the brightly colored pieces with marine life). For chicks, eating the plastic often proves fatal. But one resilient Laysan albatross named Wisdom has become a symbol of hope. At 68 years old, Wisdom is the oldest known wild bird in the world–and as of 2018 she was still laying eggs. Sounds like a perfect Earth Day mascot.
Meet our fuzzy Earth Day mascot
Today in History
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Who created the Easter Bunny?
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Seville celebrates first world tour
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Presidents Day
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Autumn’s swan song
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World Meteorological Day
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Wedded Rocks, Japan
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It s Coffee Day
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Snow buntings take flight
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There was gold in them there hills…
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Happy Lunar New Year!
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Tennis in the park
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Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
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Combating extinction with citizen science
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A fair that s star-studded
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Desert rose of Qatar
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World Wildlife Conservation Day
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A lunar lantern celebration
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India Republic Day
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For the love of bikes
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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Here s looking Atchafalaya
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Super sandy Sweet 16
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Honoring our fallen heroes
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Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil
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Ski touring in Austria
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Eye of the cave
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A winter light show
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Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
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Harvest time in the Palouse