Dear John,

Like a lot of people this weekend, I followed the advice of scientists and avoided big crowds.

Instead, I did what I often do when the world gets out of sorts: I sought solace in nature and went hiking on some of Arizona's mountain trails.

I immediately felt a sense of peace, connection and quiet. It's extraordinary what happens when we step outside of our noisy, rushed lives and into the wild places that have been there, reliably, for millennia. For me, in southern Arizona, that connection comes from the towering saguaros and cactus wrens and the tracks of nighttime coyotes, exposed by the daylight.

Wild things like these stitch together the planet — the place we call home.

We're entering unsettling, anxious times. But there's also an opportunity here — a chance to slow down, take a deep breath, and recommit ourselves to the wild.

We've launched a pledge this week if you'd like to add your name.

I thought about something else, too, while I was out hiking. Nature will get a reprieve from what's happening. Carbon pollution will, at least for a short time, decline, and humanity's frenzied pace will be dialed back a notch or two.

But at the moment it's hard not to dwell on anxiety and concern for people around the world. I worry in particular for those without access to adequate healthcare and those already suffering the ills of polluted air and water. That's a wrong the Center remains committed to seeing made right.

That fight, and the fight for wildlife and wild places, continues every day. It's doesn't feel the same as it did last week — most of our staffers are working from home — but we're still here, strong and steadfast and ready to do all we can to save this planet.

I remain deeply hopeful about winning those fights, now and after this crisis has passed. There's no other option worth contemplating.

We couldn't be more grateful to have you with us and recommitting yourself to the wild.

If you have a moment and are able, find a way to step outside and into your own slice of the wild this week. Breathe deeply and appreciate what you see. I promise you'll feel a little bit better.

For the wild,