Cross-disciplinary scientific research and discovery is empowered by mining and re-use of Earth observational data. Data rescue efforts are key to preserving and making data resources accessible that are at risk of being lost forever when researchers retire or die, or when data formats or storage media become obsolete and unreadable. Internationally, several initiatives are trying to promote data rescue through grant competitions, awards, special journal issues, scientific sessions at meetings, and town hall discussions. Gaining participation and support for these efforts is integral to their success. This Town Hall will showcase and discuss several data rescue initiatives in the Earth sciences, and also present finalists and the recipient of the 2015 International Data Rescue Award.