On November 1, 2009 acclaimed actor Edward Norton will take to the streets of New York City with three Maasai Warriors from Kenya, leading a team of 30 runners in the New York City marathon. They are running to raise awareness and funding for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT).

The mission of MWCT is to preserve healthy ecosystems and biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa by promoting conservation and creating sustainable benefits for the community. The legendary wilderness of Africa’s vast grassland ecosystems and the traditional culture of the Maasai people both face daunting challenges to survive and co-exist in a sustainable manner. Population pressures, subdivision of land and  overdevelopment, climate change and drought (like the one devastating Kenya currently), competition between livestock and wildlife…all represent serious threats to this wilderness and the Maasai way of life.