Conservation
New Year’s Day 2019: What Outdoor Place Misses You?
My father never had the “urge for going,” as songwriter-singer Joni Mitchell calls it—the desire to travel. I place the blame for that fact squarely on the shoulders of World War II.
Good Nature Travel Blog
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Videos
Video: The Universe Wishes You “A Merry Little Christmas”
On this Christmas morning, I hope you are happy, healthy and spending time with family and friends. During this holiday season, however, it’s the “happy” part of that wish that I found myself thinking about most, precipitated by the often-heard, classic holiday song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, which—some say—is a bit dark.
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Antarctica & Arctic
Video: Using Drone Photography to Protect the Arctic
Growing up in the Arctic regions of Canada made a lasting impression on National Geographic Young Explorer Nansen Weber. When he wasn’t out guiding guests who visited his parents remote lodge on the otherwise uninhabited Somerset Island, he was out exploring—often accompanied by a handheld camera and a camera drone.
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Videos
Video: Travelers, Tread Lightly—the Palau Giant’s Message
If you love to travel, you’ve probably collected a lot of stamps in several, worn-out passports. The one you received from the island nation of Palau, however, may be the most extraordinary: Children of Palau, I take this pledge, as your guest, to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.
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Nature & Wildlife
Esteeming Elephants: September 22 Is National Elephant Appreciation Day
More than 1,500 “national” days have been declared, according to the National Day Calendar. For example, January 2 is National Cream Puff Day. March 4 is Marching Music Day. The first Saturday in May is National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. And don’t forget World Emoji Day on July 17.
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Nature & Wildlife
More Animals and More Biodiversity Mean More CO2 Storing
Forests are important in our warming world. As we burn fossil fuels—such as coal, gas and oil—and cut down and burn forests for agricultural fields, the released carbon dioxide spreads across the planet. That, in turn, captures and traps the solar heat that would otherwise be radiated out into space, and our Earth heats up.
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Conservation
“The Lorax”: Prophetic Warning or Poor Forest Management?
“Way back in the days when the grass was still green and the pond was still wet and the clouds were still clean … .” So starts the tale the “Once-ler” tells in the classic Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) book The Lorax, published in 1971.
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Nature & Wildlife
“Fernweh”: A Farsickness or Longing for Unseen Places
You know when you’ve been away too long. You find yourself feeling a bit wistful for the comforts and familiarity of home, or you get a knot in your stomach when you think about the family, friends or pets you left behind.
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Conservation
Plastic Straws Sent Packing from Scotland and Seattle
There’s a famous, one-word line in the 1967 movie The Graduate, when a well-meaning man advises a young college student, played by actor Dustin Hoffman, to think about the direction of his future. “Plastics,” the man says. It seems as though that future is here. Today, our culture is subsumed by the ubiquity of plastics.
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Conservation
When Playing, Native American Children Are More Likely to Pretend to Be Wildlife
I read about something today that may seem like a small thing to know in the midst of all the news in our lives. But perhaps, deep down inside it, you’ll find a very profound thought and idea. This small item came from a study conducted at Northwestern University in Illinois.
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U.S. National Parks
Video: Walking on Clouds in Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a natural wonder without equal in the world. Here, erosion has crafted both beautifully graceful and strikingly sharp forms, and geology has painted colors that manage to be subtle and brilliant at the same time.
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Conservation
Ranching in Wolf Territory: A New Approach
Conflict between wolves and ranchers is just about as old as, well, as there have been ranchers in the West. Wolves were nearly hunted, poisoned and trapped to extinction in the Lower 48 a few decades ago, due in part to the threat they posed to livestock.