JRS is always happy to be on the leading edge, so we are excited to learn that March 19th is a brand new holiday, Taxonomist Appreciation Day!  Taxonomist Appreciation Day is the invention of Dr. Terry McGlynn, Associate Professor of Biology, California State University Dominguez Hills.  Writes Terry on his blog post today at Small Pond Science:

“We are deep in a taxonomic crisis. Our own species created the planet’s sixth major extinction event and we are lacking the expertise to understand what we are rapidly losing. Taxonomic work is the foundation for understanding how to save what we can and make plans for the future. Any fix to the taxonomic crisis requires a recognition of the essential nature of the work of taxonomists and systematists, and the value of museum collections and those who use them to explain our world.”

In celebration, Buzz Hoot Roar featured a taxonomy pun contest for the occasion, from whom we ‘borrow’ the illustration above (Buzz Hoot Roar is a graphics-driven blog that shares and/or explains a scientific concept in 300 words or less). Hug a taxonomist today.