Welcome to ReWild

For the last 16 months KCETLink has been breaking ground with its blog ReWire, taking an unvarnished, critical look at the world of renewable energy. We've gotten a lot of great feedback, both supportive and critical, for the work we've done there. But there's more to the environment than renewable energy and the climate change it seeks to address.

Take our wildlife: mammals and birds, fish and frogs, insects, mollusks and plants. California has more wildlife species than any other state, and many of those species live only in California. From the salmon of the Klamath River to desert tortoises in the Salton Basin, the state's wildlife has long been asked to make way for our society's economic pursuits. It hasn't gotten the best of the deal in the process.

Today we're launching ReWild, a blog that will report on wildlife issues in California the way ReWire covers the world of renewables. And we can use your help to make sure ReWild lives up to its full wild potential.

Starting today, we'll bring you news each day about California's wild living things, the good news and the not so good news. We'll report on groups trying to help wildlife species and watchdog the federal, state and local agencies who are charged with keeping that wildlife thriving.

The centerpiece of ReWild will be our Citizens' Guide to California Wildlife, which will be a comprehensive and helpful roundup of all the information you can imagine about our state's wild residents, from information on protected species to guides to all the laws that regulate your interactions with wildlife. In a time when federal agencies' websites have gone missing, having an independent guide like our Citizens' Guide to California Wildlife becomes especially important. We've launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the first version of the Guide, and we'd love it if you'd consider helping us out with a donation.

There are other ways you can help us as well. We thrive on reader tips and suggestions. Do you know a local group working to save a local wildlife population? Does your nearby bird sanctuary need more fans? Are you concerned about the effect a new development in your town will have on the salmon in your stream, or the flat-tailed horned lizards on the neighboring alluvial fan? Do you work as a biological consultant on a destructive project and you're looking for a place to blow the whistle? Let us know.

And of course, we can always use your help spreading the word about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever communities you take part in.

Our plan is to work with agencies, non-profit groups, and people who are just concerned about protecting California's diverse wildlife to help us bring an independent viewpoint to our reporting on the state's wildlife news.

So check out our Kickstarter -- we've got some pretty good swag lined up for contributors, including a desert tour guided by yours truly. And spread the word about our new project. We hope to do for wildlife reporting with ReWild what we've done for energy with ReWire: keep the agencies on their toes, write about underreported problems and breaking good news, and just generally help you stay as educated and informed as you want to be.