Do you have someone in your life that you think deserves a federal holiday? Well I do, my grandfather; Tirtha Man Maskey. Even though some people may think that there are many people like him that deserve a federal holiday, my grandfather is different because he has a frog named after my family's surname after he discovered the new species, he made positive changes to wildlife and animals, and he also has many wildlife related achievements. This shows how much he wanted to make the Earth a better place for animals and humans alike.

 First of all, one reason why my grandfather deserves a federal holiday is he discovered a new species of frog and got permission to name it after my family's surname, ‘Maskey’s Burrowing Frog’. During his interview he said, “We went to collect frogs. We took the torches and collected whatever we could find. Next morning when we checked, we found only frogs, so we identified whatever we could and marked them. What we couldn’t identify, we kept for later identification… One day I got an email from him saying that the frog I had collected was found to be a new species… He got permission from the nomenclature society to name the new species of animal and he named it after my surname.” (ecs.com.np). This interview shows that fun can turn into new possibilities. That type of frog is very small and hard to find in the wild, yet he still found it.

Next, another way he deserves a federal holiday is that he has made positive changes to make the wildlife and make it a better place and to help endangered species. First of all, he helped grow the buffer zone project in Nepal, “Just recently we declared the buffer zone… we are telling them not to graze their cattle inside the park. But it was still not possible for us to control cattle grazing, so we declared this buffer zone… After the buffer zone declaration, cattle grazing stopped and the people feel they have to protect this area.” (ecs.com.np) That interview shows how he cares about nature and wants to make it a sustainable place for wildlife and humans alike to thrive.Another thing he did was stop the killing of Rhino and Tiger species, he helped them become classified as an endangered species in Nepal so they won't get hunted anymore which shows his devotion to help endangered species. Next he also helped the endangered species called gharials, also known as gavial or the fish-eating crocodile. “Gharial babies were kept near our office, so I could spend more time with the gharial than the gaur. That’s why I switched my subject and started keeping data on the gharial.” (ecs.com.np). He later got a PHD on gharials.

Last, but definitely not least, another reason why he deserves a federal holiday is his devotion and many achievements that he made working with wildlife. First of all, he is the only person to be appointed Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation four times. Also, he got his Masters Degree at University of Michigan on wildlife Management, and he did his PHD on wildlife and range management from the University of Florida. He specialized in the conservation of gharials. He also started something called the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act which prevents too much grazing at national parks, they did this so parks would be a more family friendly place that is full of nature. After the act was created they could give fines to cattle owners for grazing in the no grazing zones. “People understood the regulation and so they took their cattle in the forest area outside the park and within 3 or 4 years time, that forest disappeared and I couldn’t see a single tree there.” (ecs.com.np). Although some people say he doesnt deserve a federal holiday, I know he deserves one. All of his achievements and devotion to wildlife shows that he deserves a federal holiday, he truly wanted to make a difference to the Earth and make it a better place. A federal holiday is meant for someone who has done great things and my grandfather has done great things.

In conclusion, my grandfather has done many good things which deserve him a federal holiday. He put so much effort in making the world a better place, all of that effort paid off. If you thought of someone that deserves a federal holiday can you say why? The reason why I think My grandfather deserves a federal holiday is because he did many great things in his lifetime and his work is still making a difference in the world to wildlife, animals, and humans. Unfortunately, he is not with us anymore, but his work still continues to make a difference in our world.