Animals

Invading Asian Carp Need No PR Firm

October 26, 2010

Non-native Asian carp are knocking (or flopping) at the door of the Great Lakes, and they certainly do not need any help with publicity. They’re doing the job pretty well on their own, generating and receiving a great deal of attention from ocean coast to coast, not just on the shores of our inland waterways. The New Yorker magazine’s latest issue contains an article by Ian Frazier (subscription required to view full article) about the threat the carp pose to…

Bioneers 2010: Dispatch from an Earth Community Movement

October 19, 2010

Once again, the 3-day Bioneers mother-ship has landed and departed, and a thousand pods of social and environmental change have dispersed across the globe, refreshed and re-energized. Or to use the less technological metaphor by Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry Institute, “This is kind of a seasonal migration ceremony, Bioneers. If we were migrating birds, this would be our staging ground, where we come and talk about what we have hatched this year and what breeding was like.” The…

The Brilliant Beaver: Architect, Hydrologist and Master Builder

October 14, 2010

I have been thinking a lot about water lately, which immediately makes me think about beavers. They are fascinating, beautiful, complex and intelligent mammals, whose ability to positively transform the landscape and create new habitat is unsurpassed. To learn a little bit more about the important keystone species, our amazing friend the clever beaver, listen to Sir David Attenborough share some beaver facts in these excellent documentary videos from the BBC:

Sanctuary City: Haskal and the Haiku

September 25, 2010

As Klaus eventually made his way home to finally meet his mate, many thoughts drifted through his head. It had been months since he had seen Haskal, and was eager to embrace his sweet furry face. He knew that he should hurry, but so many different things so easily captured his interest. The forest was incredibly diverse and full of life; there seemed to be something to learn from every cloud, wasp and leaf. He passed a young tree on…

Sanctuary City: Organic Architecture

September 11, 2010

His love of architecture had once again caused him physical pain. As Klaus was swiftly floating down the Chehalis River, en route to reunite with Haskal, he noticed an especially lovely wasp nest hanging from a young tree. Although he was already late, he scurried up the river bank to get a closer look. It was clearly the work of the Baldfaced Hornet, Dolichovespula maculata, and quite beautifully executed.

Michigan Oil Spill Raises Serious Questions

July 30, 2010

Poor government oversight of an oil pipeline company contributed to a major environmental disaster in Michigan this week. As workers tackle a 1 million gallon oil spill in Michigan’s Kalamazoo River, citizens are eager to volunteer to help with oil-soaked wildlife. But public officials are discouraging them. According to one report, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and wildlife officials are saying asking volunteers not to to rescue oil-covered wildlife from the river and surrounding areas. “While the sentiment is appreciated, the…

Sanctuary City: Beaver, Washington

July 29, 2010

The sun’s rays were beginning to break through the river mist as Haskal J. Lonesome finished digging his way to the edge of Beaver, Washington. For several days he had traversed the moss-draped rain forests, and floated for part of his journey on a broken branch, as it drifted for miles down the waters of the Sol Duc River. Haskal’s thick moist pelt shivered in anticipation when he finally entered the perimeter of the village.

Sanctuary City: Beavers

July 7, 2010

“We, the North American beavers, Castor canadensis, are what is known as a ‘keystone’ species. Unlike your kind, we play a critical role in maintaining the health, structure and balance of ecological communities. Our dams and labor create new habitat where multitudes thrive; subsequently, relative to our biomass, we have a disproportionate influence upon species diversity and stability. We are integral allogenic ecosystem engineers; and just as with a keystone in an arch, the entire structure collapses when we are removed.”

Why Biodiversity Matters and What You Can Do on World Environment Day

May 24, 2010

Fast is not always good. Species are becoming extinct at the fastest rate known in geological history, and most of these extinctions are tied to human activity. This year is the UN Year of Biodiversity and it seems as if in the blink of an eye, we are already half-way through it. This was a year that many of us had long looked forward to, perhaps with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. This was the year we had set…

Plastic Garbage Found in Stomach of Dead Gray Whale

April 20, 2010

Biologists discovered a surprising amount of human debris and plastic among the stomach contents of a dead gray whale that stranded in West Seattle last week. Sightings of grays are rare in Puget Sound and extremely unusual in Elliot Bay. But at the end of March, a gray whale was spotted close to the West Seattle shoreline to the delight of many spectators. Scientists were a bit concerned over the sighting fearing the animal may have been looking for food.…

On the Brink of Extinction: Call to Close Cruel and Inhumane Tiger Farms

January 28, 2010

Officials from 13 nations are meeting to discuss conservation efforts to save the endangered tiger. Officials from countries where tigers still roam – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam – are taking part in the Asia Ministerial Conference (AMC) on Tiger Conservation. The conference runs from January 27 to January 30, 2010, in Thailand.

No More Dog and Cat Meat in China?

January 26, 2010

In an effort to prevent animal abuse, China is taking steps to end a centuries-old tradition. Recently proposed legislation would outlaw the human consumption or sale of cat and dog meat, often called “fragrant meat,” which is still considered a delicacy in some parts of China.

Blue Whale Songs Getting Lower – Puzzling Scientists

January 24, 2010

The Blue whale–the largest animal ever to inhabit our planet–has been tracked by researchers since its numbers were perilously close to extinction in the 1960’s. Much of this tracking has been accomplished through underwater monitoring of whale “songs”, which are sung exclusively by male whales. These long, and fairly complex, sonic compositions are believed to be the means by which these whales attract mates. Over the past several years, the world’s blue whales have begun singing a different tune, of…

California Butterflies See Big Declines from Eco Double Blow

January 24, 2010

The Clodius Parnassian butterfly is more common at the top of its elevation range in the California mountains than in the past. Climate change is making things rough for many vertebrate and invertebrate species. But add to this a steady loss of habitat, and many species just can’t adapt successfully to the combined stresses. From the coastal lowlands to the coniferous tree lines of Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, scores of species of butterfly are in an existential fight for…