"Discover Earth's Species - Before It's Too Late"

ESF's incoming president, Dr. Quentin Wheeler, had an opinion piece published on the National Geographic website about the importance of conducting a comprehensive inventory of the earth's plants and animals. He wrote, "If we play our cards right, the 21st century will be remembered as the golden age of species exploration. Citizen and professional scientists working together, combined with coordinated international inventories and strategic investments in infrastructure, can ensure that we preserve as much biological diversity as possible and at least some knowledge of the rest."

Wheeler will host a Twitter chat at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20. Ask @DeanWheeler about how to save Earth's rare species. You can follow his Twitter feed and use #NatGeoLive to tweet questions.

Wheeler, the founding director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University, will take over as ESF president in January as Dr. Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., steps down after nearly 14 years in office.