MEDIA RELEASE: Honoring Hang Gliding Trailblazer During Animal Activist Appreciation Month
LOS ANGELES, BERKELEY, Calif. (February 1, 2025) — A powerful tribute is being planned to honor Arthur Simoneau, a pioneering hang glider who tragically lost his life fighting the Palisades Fire. Friends, family, and his partner, Lisa Levinson, are organizing a heartfelt celebration of his legacy and unwavering dedication to both the skies and the natural world he loved. Hang gliders will scatter Arthur’s ashes whilst performing a flypast in the “missing man” formation to serve as an aerial salute to Arthur’s courage and activism contributions.
“On what would have been Arthur’s 70th birthday, we hope to give him a ‘pilot’s send-off,’ with a hang glider flying over the landing zone at Kagle Canyon in Sylmar to scatter his ashes. It will mark a full-circle moment — where the end of his journey on Earth becomes the start of a new one in the sky, on the same day he was born.”
The memorial will be the centerpiece of Activist Appreciation Month — a month-long initiative by In Defense of Animals each February to uplift and support those on the frontlines of animal activism.
“Arthur was a pillar of the hang gliding community and had enormous love and respect for nature and animals. He would have expected me to support animal activists through the devastation of the Los Angeles fires, and I’m honored to do so,” said Levinson, a well-known and loved figure in the emerging field of animal activist support.
For Activist Appreciation Month, In Defense of Animals offers presentations on critical animal studies, innovative activist strategies, and healing trauma exposure from animal cruelty with prominent experts in the field. Virtual events include a guided meditation with self-care guru Victoria Moran, author of Age Like a Yogi: A Heavenly Path to a Dazzling Third Act. Two in-person events on February 8 provide opportunities for advocates to feel supported, refreshed, and rejuvenated. Access the full program at www.idausa.org/activistmonth.
“We know activists are busy every day around the world taking action for animals in a multitude of ways, and we want to take time to recognize their efforts and offer support to help them continue this often challenging and heartbreaking journey,” said Lisa Levinson, Campaigns Director for In Defense of Animals. “Activist Appreciation Month is dedicated to their hard work and spreading awareness about ways we can all help.”
In Defense of Animals will also be spotlighting incredible activists on social media throughout the month for their tireless dedication and efforts to help animals, including those who have had historic wins like Bujinlkham Erdenebat who helped pass the first animal rights law in Mongolia and Altamush Saeed who hosted the first animal rights conference in Pakistan.
Activist Appreciation Month Events
February 4
Tule Elk Town Hall with In Defense of Animals’ Jack Gescheidt
4 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 6
Understanding the Humane Myth: Speciesism, Capitalism, and the Misrepresentation of Animals with Lisa Barca
4 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 8
Censored Landscapes with artist and author Isabella La Rocca González
1 - 2:30 p.m. PT, Berkeley Animal Rights Center, 2414 6th Street, Berkeley, CA 94714
Prema Love Healing Hearts Music, Sharing Circle, & Vegan Potluck Dinner
6 - 9 p.m. PT, Corazon Culture Arts & Resource Center, 125 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290
Proceeds to benefit animal victims of the Palisades Fire: www.idausa.org/LAfire
February 12
Healing Trauma Exposure From Animal Cruelty: Lessons from Research and Practice in Violence Prevention with Dr. Roshni Ladny
11 a.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 13
Vegan Catholic Daniel Mascarenhas Invites Us to Love All Creatures
5 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 15
Celebration of Life for Arthur Simoneau
Kagle Canyon, Sylmar, private, invitation only - please contact Lisa Levinson. Do not attend unnanounced or reach out to other family members.
February 19
Celebrate Yourself Meditation with Age Like a Yogi author Victoria Moran
2 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 26
The Revolution of One's Tastes: Strategies for Animal Activists Inspired by India's Swadeshi Movement with Jay O'Shea
3 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
February 27
Activist Peer Support with In Defense of Animals’ Lisa Levinson
5 p.m. PT, virtual, register here
Activist Appreciation Month is part of In Defense of Animals’ Sustainable Activism campaign to support activists’ vital work to help animals.
In Defense of Animals runs a free 24-hour Animal Activist Support Line to assist animal advocates everywhere, regardless of their affiliation. The line offers free counseling and resources for activists, by activists. Counselors are trained in nonviolent communication techniques and most are professional therapists and coaches who practice a vegan lifestyle.
Counselors can be reached by phone, text, email, and online chat at 1(800) 705-0425 at the Animal Activist Support Line. More services can also be found at the organization’s Activist Resource List.
See the full roster of events and register at Activist Appreciation Month.
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CONTACT: Lisa Levinson, lisa@idausa.org, 215-620-2130
Please reach out to Lisa only, no other members of Arthur’s family
In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi since 1983. In Defense of Animals Sustainable Activism Campaign provides emotional and spiritual tools to help people who help animals. www.idausa.org/SustainableActivism
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