KCETLink Secures $8,600 on Kickstarter to Launch Comprehensive Online Resource Guide on CA Wildlife

A "Citizens' Guide to

California Wildlife" will be developed as the backbone for KCET.org's recently

launched ReWild initiative with renowned environmental

journalist Chris

Clarke

Burbank, Calif. - Nov. 14, 2013 - KCETLink, the national independent public

transmedia network, has announced that it has raised $8,615, exceeding its goal

by $1,100, on the crowdfunding website, Kickstarter, to develop a definitive

resource guide about California wildlife for KCET's newly launched online ReWild

initiative.

Written by renowned environmental journalist Chris Clarke, along with

KCET's editor-in-chief of blogs Zach Behrens, "A Citizens' Guide to California

Wildlife" is free to the public and will be developed as a longstanding

reference guide to law, legislation, and human and environmental factors

impacting California's struggling wildlife. The guide, which will include

comprehensive databases, FAQs and other interactive tools and features, is

expected to become available at KCET.org/Rewild in the first quarter of

2014. 

"We are happy that our inaugural fundraising campaign on

Kickstarter was such a success and are pleased to be able to provide a

resource of such enormous value to the community," said KCET's Behrens.

"When we broke stories such as our investigation revealing a pattern of

water bird deaths at solar desert facilities on our renewable energy blog, ReWire,

we realized there was a need to cover more wildlife issues. The field of

wildlife reporting will benefit greatly from having an authority like

Chris Clarke serve as a watchdog and guide to these issues."

The Kickstarter campaign, which ran Oct. 14 through Nov. 13, 2013, received

87 backers from around the globe raising a total of $8,615.  The fundraising campaign was created in

conjunction with the launch of ReWild, a weekly blog on KCET.org written

and edited by Clarke, which covers the threats to California's wildlife, the

people who are working to restore California's wildlife habitat and those who

could be doing a better job accounting for their impacts on that wildlife.

The initial rollout for "A Citizens' Guide to California Wildlife" will deliver information around wildlife issues in digestible

increments, such as an

easy-to-read directory of wildlife species of concern in California, a

layperson's guide to complex concepts like Critical Habitat and "take permits,"

and hints for staying on the right side of wildlife protection laws.  The Guide will provide clarity in the

seemingly conflicting information on California's

wildlife from state, federal and international groups who each have their own

take on which species face the biggest threats; and wildlife laws on the

Federal, state and international levels.

ABOUT KCETLINK

KCETLink is the new national independent public

transmedia organization formed by the merger between KCET and Link Media.

 A viewer-supported 501c(3) organization, its content is distributed

nationally via satellite on DirecTV and DISH Networks, in Southern and Central

California via broadcast, as well as through various digital delivery systems.

 KCET and Link TV are services of KCETLink. For additional information

about KCETLink productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and

events, please visit kcet.org or linktv.org.

ABOUT CHRIS CLARKE

Chris Clarke is a natural history writer, editor and

environmental journalist who has been reporting on California wildlife issues

since 1989. In addition to KCET.org, Chris' writing has appeared in

nationwide. Since 2011, Clarke has written for KCET.org and has played an

instrumental role in KCET being named a finalist in the advocacy journalism

division of the prestigious Los Angeles Press Club Awards for two consecutive

years.   

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