Nature & Wildlife
Today, in what seems to be our never-ending search for happiness, we often describe our longings as the quest for “quality of life.” That idea and the coinage of that phrase, though, actually date back to the 1960s and 1970s, when they were often used in debates about social crises and social progress.
Nature & Wildlife
Animals see the world through all kinds of different eyes: from simple ones that can only tell the difference between dark and light, to complex eyes that can see colors and perceive depth. It was once thought that animals, including cats and dogs, could only see in black and white.
Conservation
Deep beneath the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) and atop a submerged volcano, an ancient coral reef was just discovered by an international group of scientists. It’s the first to be documented inside the protected area since it was established in 1998.
Nature & Wildlife
Highly social and very vocal, African penguins are native to the waters of South Africa. But these endangered birds are now struggling to survive the human impacts and the unfolding climate crisis of the Anthropocene. However, their climate story goes back much further than our modern epoch.
Conservation
Our national parks aren’t only “America’s best idea,” as environmentalist and nature writer Wallace Stegner called them. These special places are the backbone of national conservation programs.
Conservation
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, don’t offer just a safer way for wildlife biologists to observe their subjects; they’re often less costly, more efficient and more precise than traditional approaches. While researchers are still navigating the challenges and complexities of mixing wildlife and drones, the technology holds incredible potential.
Conservation
On the last Friday in April, we will mark the annual National Arbor Day. This year, that date is April 28. Much like Earth Day, Arbor Day celebrates nature. Its main purpose is to encourage people to plant trees. Some communities also take this opportunity to organize litter-collecting events.
Conservation
I like to think that Earth Day and I have a personal relationship. I remember participating in the first one as a demonstrator on April 22, 1970. At that time, there was no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act and no Environmental Protection Agency.
Conservation
It was in 1999, I think, when I went to a writers’ convention and participated as a panelist for a discussion on environmental-and-nature writing. One of the questions from a member of the audience directed to all of us on the dais was: “What keeps you up at night?”
Conservation
Although you may never have heard of it, spirulina is among the world’s most popular alternative-protein foods. This nutrient-filled and antioxidant-rich blue-green alga is highly sustainable, risk resilient, and grows in both freshwater and saltwater.
Conservation
Teaching our children to care for the Earth and its many natural habitats is probably the best investment in the future that we could ever make.
Nature & Wildlife
Known for their long, black ear tufts and ability to hunt ghostlike across the surface of deep snow, Canada lynx are the elusive, midsize cats (hardly bigger than a large house cat) that feed almost exclusively on snowshoe hares.
