News & More
As I write this, I have now been officially stuck in my house for 10 days. Here, in Oregon, we’ve been under an Arctic blast for more than a week, and the icy hills and roads where I live have kept us “highlanders” unable to leave our premises.
Conservation
Scenes of devastation from wildfires have almost become a staple of summer in the past decade. In addition to the physical destruction they cause, wildfires release carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the air that contribute to climate change.
Canada & the North
Rising temperatures are causing Earth’s coldest forests to shift northward, raising our concerns about biodiversity loss, an increased risk of wildfires and the mounting impacts of climate change on the people who live in the region. But it’s not only the planet’s forests that are marching northward.
Conservation
During this time of year, a lot of us are thinking about trees. For those who celebrate Christmas, a tree is usually the centerpiece for a family gathering around December 25. But that’s not the only time when we honor trees.
News & More
In June 2022, nature let loose with five inches of rain over just three days in and around Yellowstone National Park, rapidly melting the snowpack that had remained from winter. As the rain and meltwater poured into creeks and rivers, it became a severe flood that could not be absorbed by the already saturated soil.
Nature & Wildlife
Our relationship with forest fires is complicated. Beginning in 1947, one of the world’s most recognizable characters and one of our nation’s most beloved spokespeople, Smokey Bear, told us that “only you can prevent forest fires.” (That slogan was changed to “Only you can prevent wildfires” in 2001.)
Conservation
During the drought conditions in the summer of 2021, wildfires raged throughout the western U.S. For example, as of September 12, 2021, the Dixie Fire is the second-largest wildfire in California history. It might seem ironic, then, to choose this time to talk about wildfires in a positive light.
Travel Tales
A strange, three-sided, metallic monolith was discovered in an undisclosed spot somewhere in Utah’s canyons during a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep on November 18, 2020. The Utah Department of Public Safety workers who found the object determined that the structure was 10 to 12 feet tall and planted firmly in the ground.
News & More
Yosemite National Park’s massive mountains—such as El Capitan, one of the world’s tallest monoliths—and its many waterfalls—such as Yosemite Falls, which drops 2,425 feet and is the highest falls in North America—provide some of the most picturesque and unique views of natural wonders anywhere on the planet.
Conservation
By Karl Egloff, WWF The Pantanal has fascinated me since I first learned about it in a documentary ten years ago. It is a world of contrasts with dramatically different wet and dry seasons, and a land of many uses spanning three countries. Home to the elusive jaguar, other varieties of wildlife, spectacular landscapes, and Brazil’s rich cowboy or “pantaneiro” heritage, the Pantanal is quickly becoming part of every wildlife traveler’s bucket list.
Nature & Wildlife
It’s the day after New Year’s, and we’re just entering into 2018. In Times Square last night, according to the Associated Press, it was the second-coldest New Year’s celebration on record. The temperature was only 10 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City at midnight.
Conservation
This summer, the world lost a Nebraska-size chunk of forests. Logging, expanding palm oil plantations and wildfires are to blame. This continuing deforestation trend could have devastating implications for the climate. Simply put, forests aren’t merely pretty places. We need them.
