Posts
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| Bald Eagle / Photo by USFWS/Volunteer Charlie Lister 2017 |
- Numerous threatened and endangered species have been affected by natural disasters this year, including the Mexican Spotted Owl and Attwater's Prairie Chicken. The Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and Imperial Amazon were among the endangered birds affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
- Genome mapping is changing the way that bird species are classified, but genetics are not necessarily the only way to define a species.
- Northern Spicebush berries are strongly preferred by migrating Gray Catbirds over non-native berries.
- Golden-crowned Sparrow chicks can recognized the song of their species from the first note.
- Endangered Ridgway's Hawks thrived after being translocated to set up an additional population in a new protected area on Hispaniola.
- Here are some suggestions for native trees that have beautiful fall foliage and provide food and shelter for birds.
- The endangered Helmeted Hornbill, on verge of extinction, was found at a new site outside of their known range in Borneo.
Environment and biodiversity
- The Interior Department wants to hike admission fees at 17 prominent national parks to $70 per carload (or $30 per pedestrian or cyclist). There is a public comment period on this proposal until November 23.
- Be careful to remove GPS or specific location information from photos of rare or endangered species posted online.
- The Trump administration wants to sell oil and gas drilling leases for 77 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico, which is basically all of the Gulf that has not been leased yet. The Gulf of Mexico is still feeling the effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Even without a spill that magnitude, we can expect the sale to result in more small spills (with are still harmful) as well as more greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere.
- The Commerce Department has written a (so far secret) report on whether to open national marine sanctuaries to oil drilling.
- New research suggests that the worst-case scenarios for sea level rise could happen sooner than expected.
- Without rapid climate action, the New York City area could see Sandy-like disasters every 5 years by 2050. While a lot of work has gone into recovery and future resiliency, regional efforts to address sea level rise have lagged behind.
- The EPA prevented three of its scientists from speaking at a climate change conference in Rhode Island. The incident was the latest in a large trend of preventing the agency's climate data from reaching the public.
- Colombian scientists are planning expeditions to catalogue biodiversity in areas that were previously inaccessible due to the country's long-running civil war.
- The budget resolution contains a provision fast-tracking votes on selling off public lands.
- NOAA recommends keeping the North Atlantic Right Whale on the endangered species list.
