Scarlett’s Superstars

By Anne Cissel

Kids like you can make a difference for wildlife and the environment. Meet some inspiring young heroes who have turned their love of animals into action!

Do you have a story to share about helping wildlife and the environment? Email us at buzz@nwf.org. We love hearing everyone’s stories, but we are able to feature only a few of them. All submissions become the property of the National Wildlife Federation.

Jack Dalton, Orangutan Conservationist

It all started when Jack was 8 years old during a visit to the Memphis Zoo. That’s where he learned that orangutans are very cute, very smart, and very endangered. (They also have red hair—just like Jack’s!) LEARN MORE ABOUT JACK!

Karsyn Sterns, Wildlife Photographer

When Karsyn Sterns was six years old, her father gave her his old camera. By the age of 11, she had photographed more than 270 different types of birds. Karsyn enjoys sharing her love of nature and wildlife with others. LEARN MORE ABOUT KARSYN!

Miles Fetherston-Resch, Kids Saving Oceans

Miles Fetherston-Resch (age 10) loves the ocean. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and he always wanted to take care of ocean life. At first, he began donating his allowance to groups that help protect the ocean. Then, he started a business called Kids Saving Oceans, which sells environmentally friendly products made from recycled materials. So far, he’s raised $30,000 to help clean up the oceans. LEARN MORE ABOUT MILES!

Quinn Reed, a Friend to Snakes

Quinn Reed (12) from Minnesota loves wildlife, and she’s always been especially interested in snakes. Last spring, Quinn helped with a snake survey in a prairie near her home. During a five-mile hike, she was able to capture three bullsnakes and to record information about their size and markings. The biggest one was seven feet long! LEARN MORE ABOUT QUINN!

Mallayka Ianna Oddenyo, International Young Eco-Hero Award Winner

When Mallayka was six years old, she took a boat ride with her mom on Lake Victoria near her home in Kenya. She was heartbroken. “I saw a dead fish floating in the water with its head stuck inside a plastic bottle,” Mallayka says. “My eyes were opened to the pollution in the lake and all the plastics in the nearby landfill.” Then she knew she had to act. LEARN MORE ABOUT MALLAYKA!

Anusha Vaish, Insect Guardian

A school project in second grade sparked Anusha’s interest in insects. “I just found them fascinating,” she says. Sadly, insects are being hurt by pollution, pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change. When she learned this, Anusha was determined to make a difference. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANUSHA!

J.P. Mackey, Bumble Bracelets

Bees are incredibly important. Without their pollinating power, many flowers, vegetables, and fruits wouldn’t exist! Unfortunately, pesticides, habitat loss, and disease threaten bees’ survival. J.P. Mackey, 13, of Reston, Virginia, wanted to help. LEARN MORE ABOUT J.P.!

Rylee Brooke Kamahele, The Catalyst Club

Rylee Brooke Kamahele knew about the problem of plastic trash in our oceans. One day in 2016, she saw it up close in Hawaii, where she lives. While snorkeling with a friend, she helped a sea turtle with fishing line wrapped around its fin. She knew she wanted to do more, so she started brainstorming. LEARN MORE ABOUT RYLEE!

Madhvi Chittoor, Madhvi 4 EcoEthics

Madhvi Chittoor, 9, was just 5 years old when she learned how harmful plastic trash is to wildlife. By age 7, she’d written and published a book about plastic pollution. She had also founded Madhvi 4 EcoEthics, which works to reduce pollution from Styrofoam and other plastics. LEARN MORE ABOUT MADHVI!

Trinity Favazza, Amphibians Rock

When Trinity Favazza, 14, was very young, she would explore the woods near her Detroit-area home with her family. One of her earliest memories is of listening to wood frogs singing in the spring. That’s when her love of frogs and other amphibians began. LEARN MORE ABOUT TRINITY!

Topher Jones, Lonesome Larry Project

Topher Jones, 13, first learned about endangered salmon at his school in Boise, Idaho. Salmon hatch in rivers, and then they spend time in the ocean until it’s time to return and lay eggs. But Topher learned that, years earlier, sockeye salmon were so endangered that, at one lake in Idaho, only a single salmon had returned. LEARN MORE ABOUT TOPHER!

Kate Gilman Williams, Author of Let’s Go on Safari

When Kate was 7 years old, her family took her on a safari in Africa. She was amazed by the rhinos, elephants, and other animals she saw. She learned that many of them struggle to survive when people take over their habitat. Kate knew she had to do something. LEARN MORE ABOUT KATE!

Justin Sather, For the Love of Frogs

Have you ever had an idea that seemed too big to become a reality? Well, meet Justin Sather. His idea was pretty huge: Find a way to help frogs all over the world survive. LEARN MORE ABOUT JUSTIN!

Asha and Jia Kirkpatrick, Orangutan S.O.S

Two sisters in England, Asha and Jia Kirkpatrick, watched a news show about threats to orangutans. They found out that a large cereal company still used palm oil from the plantations that destroyed rainforests. The girls started an online petition asking the company to stop doing business with these plantations. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASHA AHD JIA!

Sophia Spencer, #BugsR4Girls

Sophia Spencer’s love of bugs began when she was just two years old. When she and her family were visiting a butterfly sanctuary one day, a blue butterfly landed on Sophia’s shoulder. The little creature seemed happy with Sophia—so much so that a guard had to carefully remove it when Sophia’s family was ready to go home! LEARN MORE ABOUT SOPHIA!

Anna Du, Trash Detector

A few years ago, 12-year-old Anna Du was looking for sea glass and pretty shells at the beach near her home in Massachusetts. But every time she stopped to pick up something colorful from the sand, she realized it was plastic trash! LEARN MORE ABOUT ANNA!

Addy Barrett, Ape for Gorillas

What would you do to help save an endangered species? Would you let someone throw a pie in your face? How about a whole bunch of pies? That’s what 12-year-old Addy Barrett did—all to help protect mountain gorillas. LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDY!