第一屆大猩猩兒童高峰會9月26日在紐約市舉行，徵求年輕朋友參與協助瀕危山區猩猩和非洲人民，並探討野生動物保育的急迫性和相關的人道議題。
這場高峰會和後續的猩猩救援行動源於2007年夏天十隻猩猩遭到屠殺──在目前全球僅存720隻的情況下，柯林頓全球行動計畫做出展開高峰會的決議。目前有380隻猩猩棲息在剛果共和國的維拉崗（Virunga）國家公園。
柯林頓全球行動計畫是前總統柯林頓所成立的柯林頓基金會執行的一項計畫，聚集全球領袖，集思廣益討論全世界共同面對的幾項挑戰，例如急遽消失的生物多樣性，共商解決之道。
大猩猩保育活動邀集數位當代頗富盛名的學者，包括肯亞保育學家李基博士(Dr. Richard Leakey)，和野生生物保護組織Wildlife Direct創辦人、南非聖公會主教同時也是激進份子和諾貝爾和平獎得主屠圖(Desmond Tutu)。
透過柯林頓全球行動計畫牽線，烏龜池塘出版社(Turtle Pond Publications)、李基博士的野生生物保護組織和屠圖主教的和平基金會(Peace Foundation)是這場猩猩救援行動的合作夥伴。
李基博士在2005年創立野生生物保護組織，主要工作在募款和提高公眾對於世界上數種瀕危物種的關注。去年幾篇由剛果東部森林巡守員撰寫的部落格，喚起全球面對剛果共和果境內山區大猩猩所面臨的危機。
部落格募集的捐款款讓官方野生生物保育單位---剛果自然保育機構---得以持續保育行動，儘管叛軍和政府軍交手的烽火區正好是猩猩的棲地，而雙方為爭奪地盤的衝突危機從未終止。
兒童猩猩高峰會將成為合作網的一份子，參與者會討論青蛙池塘出版的童書「尋找米薩：山區猩猩彼此救援的真實故事」，是由暢銷組合哈克芙家族(Craig, Isabella, Juliana Hatkoff)、攝影師葛斯(Peter Greste) 、生態學者卡呼卜(Paula Kahumbu)博士合力撰寫，卡呼卜也是野生生物保護組織的政策和合作夥伴負責人。
在高峰會尾聲，與會者將簽署一份全球兒童行動約定(Kids Global Act Pact)，承諾將採取行動，創造改變。
全球各地學生都可透過網路廣播參與高峰會，並以電子郵件向與會者提問。
除此之外，青蛙池塘還架設米薩專屬網頁，提供關於山區猩猩的最新訊息，資訊來源是野生生物保護組織的巡守員和激進運動人士的部落格。
The first Kids Gorilla Summit, which is happening on Friday in New York City will enlist young people to make a commitment to help endangered mountain gorillas and the people of Africa. The summit will explore the connection between the urgency of wildlife preservation and inter-related humanitarian issues.
This event and the gorilla conservation campaign it spearheads were born out of a commitment to action made at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative shortly after last summer's massacre of 10 of the world's remaining 720 mountain gorillas, of which, 380 live in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park.
A project of the William J. Clinton Foundation established by the former U.S. president, the Clinton Global Initiative convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, such as the planet's dwindling biodiversity.
The gorilla conservation campaign brings together some of the world's most respected names such as Kenyan conservationist Dr. Richard Leakey, founder of Wildlife Direct, and South African Anglican Archbishop, activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu.
Turtle Pond Publications and Scholastic, in association with Dr. Richard Leakey's Wildlife Direct and the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation through the catalyst of the Clinton Global Initiative, are the partners in this effort to protect the mountain gorillas.
Dr. Leakey started Wildlife Direct in 2005 to raise awareness and funds for conservation in some of the worlds most endangered and dangerous places. Operating deep in the jungles of eastern Congo, blogs written by rangers last year alerted the world to the crisis facing mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Funds raised through the blogs have enabled the Congolese wildlife authority, the Congolese Nature Conservation Institute to continue wildlife conservation activities on the ground despite the ongoing crisis that pits rebels and government troops against each other for control of the area inhabited by the gorillas.
The Kids Gorilla Summit will now be part of that community. Participants will discuss the new children's book, "Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own, published by Scholastic Press. It was written by the best-selling team of Craig, Isabella and Juliana Hatkoff, photographer Peter Greste, and ecologist Dr. Paula Kahumbu who is in charge of conservation, policy and partnerships at Wildlife Direct.
At the end of the summit, participants will be asked to sign the Kids Global Act Pact, which will declare their commitment to taking action to make a difference.
Students nationwide can participate via a live national webcast at http://www.scholastic.com/miza and will be able to email questions to participants.
In addition, http://www.scholastic.com/miza and http://www.miza.com, created jointly by Turtle Pond and Scholastic, will offer students up-to-date information on the gorillas brought from Wildlife Direct's field-based blogs written by the Mountain Rangers and other activities and resources.
