Earthjustice, the nation’s premier nonprofit environmental law organization, is pleased to announce its #JoinThePack initiative, an art and social media campaign that spotlights the imperiled gray wolf. Earthjustice has teamed up with the Creative Action Network (CAN) to crowd-source art and design pieces that celebrate the gray wolf by portraying its wildness, mystique, and its general cultural appeal in a playful, uplifting campaign. #JoinThePack will officially kick off on August 26 at an event in San Francisco. Click here for a sneak peek of some of the submitted art.

“Though they are critical linchpins that help maintain healthy ecosystems, in popular culture wolves are so often portrayed as the bad guys. This makes their protection as an endangered species a harder sell,” said Max Slavkin, co-founder and CEO of Creative Action Network. “We’re aiming to combat fear and misunderstandings of wolves by winning over hearts and minds through artwork that celebrates the species and builds a greater appreciation for the iconic creatures.”

2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the reintroduction of gray wolves to the northern Rockies, which has been widely considered one of the greatest achievements of the Endangered Species Act. However, since that time, wolves have faced a near-constant threat of losing their federal protections due to premature delisting decisions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and congressional meddling with the Act. This year both the House and Senate slipped a “rider” into government spending bills that would take away federal protections for wolves in several states, in overriding two federal court decisions that found these states’ management plans did not sufficiently protect wolves. This wolf “rider” would also block judicial review of these court decision overrides, thus stripping citizens of their ability to further challenge these wolf delistings.

“This campaign is meant to strike a playful tone, but the threats to gray wolves are very real,” said Drew Caputo, Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife and Oceans. “The reintroduction of wolves to the northern Rockies 20 years ago has been heralded as one of the greatest achievements of the Endangered Species Act, yet some in Congress are willing to ignore science and toss gray wolves off the Ark for political reasons. We’re excited to partner with CAN to remind people why wolves are worth protecting and to get people howling for their right to continue to exist.”

Creative Action Network (CAN) is a marketplace of original, visual, meaningful artwork, harnessing creative talents for good. #JoinThePack is not a contest, but rather a campaign to spotlight the gray wolf. All designs will be available for sale after August 26 as posters, T-shirts, and more at http://shop.thecreativeactionnetwork.com. 40% of all proceeds go directly to the artists involved. CAN campaigns are crowd-sourced and open for anyone to contribute their own design at: http://thecreativeactionnetwork.com/contribute/join-the-pack. 

Earthjustice wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change.