[If this email is not displaying correctly, click here for an online version.]

A Holiday Gift for Animals and Ecosystems

Dear ~first_name~,

This year, make a difference by doing something different. Frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles and their kin are depending on folks like you to save them. But, this is a long process, with all sorts of obstacles along the way. Read on to see why we need help from you.

First, we have to find species, which takes extreme effort in the field. In thousands of hours of work in the wilds of Ecuador, we have discovered as many as 30 new species of frog. Each of these new species is found on only a few hilltops in coastal Ecuador. Under siege from overgrazing, habitat destruction and climate change, some of these animals might be gone forever if we don't find and name them.

But that is easier said than done. The process of naming a species takes long hours and hard work over many months, and in the meantime, species may be going extinct that we don't even know about!

This is where you can help. With your generous, tax-deductible donation of any amount, you can give our scientists and collaborators the means to name these species and give them the protection they deserve. You can give a donation in your own name, or in the name of a friend or family member who we will personally acknowledge.

We are a charity worth supporting, and you will not find a more unique opportunity to give a holiday gift for yourself, your friends and family, and especially the reptiles and amphibians that are depending on you.

Paul S. Hamilton, PhD
Executive Director, RAEI

P.S. -- If everyone who is getting this announcement gives just $10, we can run field operations for an entire year!! Pass the word!