As one might say, “only a face a mother could love.” That might describe the North American Vultures and Buzzards. Granted, not the most popular or congenital of nature’s birds, but possibly one of the most important to our own environment, ecosystem, and health. The fact is, vultures do more than clean up dead carcasses. They help to prevent bacteria and deadly pathogens from becoming public health issues. Protecting them has allowed them in North America to continue to thrive, but we need to ensure their survival. Their survival is our survival.