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Human History and Conservation in the Serengeti Explored

Human History and Conservation in the Serengeti Explored

For countless eons, the vast, rolling plains of the Serengeti were a domain where African wildlife roamed freely, with human presence being sparse....

What Makes the Serengeti One of Earth's Most Remarkable Ecosystems?

What Makes the Serengeti One of Earth's Most Remarkable Ecosystems?

The Serengeti is a significant geographical region located in Africa, spanning parts of both Tanzania and Kenya. Specifically, it encompasses the M...

Forester Amelia Napper Advocates for Active Forest Management to Restore Wildlife Habitats

Forester Amelia Napper Advocates for Active Forest Management to Restore Wildlife Habitats

Forester Amelia Napper, associated with the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society (RGS & AWS), is challenging the conventional belief that forests are best left untouched. Through her work, Napper advocates for active stewardship, including canopy openings, young forest creation, and carefully planned treatments, as essential for maintaining healthy wildlife habitats and resilient forests. This approach is highlighted in a new Land Ethic in Action story by the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Napper's efforts aim to educate landowners and community members on the necessity of intervention, particularly given the decline in habitat for species like ruffed grouse and American woodcock due to historical fire suppression and reduced timber harvests. RGS & AWS partners with agencies and landowners on targeted forest management, including timber sales for the U.S. Forest Service, with surplus funds reinvested into habitat work such as prescribed fire, invasive plant removal, and road-stream crossing improv...

The Serengeti's Great Migration Cycle Explained

The Serengeti's Great Migration Cycle Explained

This circular journey, driven by the availability of grazing, begins in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the southern Serengeti of Tanzania. Fro...

SUNY Oswego Offers Guided Nature Walks at Rice Creek Field Station

SUNY Oswego Offers Guided Nature Walks at Rice Creek Field Station

SUNY Oswego's Rice Creek Field Station is offering guided nature walks, providing educational insights into the ecological and cultural history of the 350-acre wildlife preserve. These free walks are open to the general public and are suitable for all ages, covering approximately one mile over gentle to moderate terrain. Naturalists, including current and retired school teachers, lead these walks, discussing the area's history from farmland to a wildlife preserve. They also identify and interpret various discoveries such as animal sightings, plant blooms, and seasonal changes. Participants are encouraged to engage by asking questions, taking photographs, journaling, or sketching. The program details, including topic, duration, and terrain level, can be customized to suit the group's needs and interests. Accessible options are available, with the Purple Trail built to comply with U.S. Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines, accommodating individuals using wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, and other mo...

Plastic Pollution Crisis Deepens as Seabirds on Lord Howe Island Ingest Record Amounts of Debris

Plastic Pollution Crisis Deepens as Seabirds on Lord Howe Island Ingest Record Amounts of Debris

Scientists at Adrift Lab have revealed a troubling increase in plastic ingestion by flesh-footed shearwaters on Lord Howe Island, a remote Australian paradise. After 16 years of research, a recent study documented one young shearwater with 894 pieces of plastic in its stomach, weighing 64.2 grams, which is over 15% of its average body weight. This record-setting incident follows a trend of increasing plastic accumulation in these birds, with previous findings in 2011 of 276 pieces in a chick and 400 pieces in a young shearwater in 2023. Alex Bond, Principal Curator of Birds at the Natural History Museum in the UK, noted that the plastic crisis is worsening, and current actions are insufficient to address it. Experts warn that even with an ambitious global plastics treaty, ocean waste volume is projected to grow until 2050.

Biosphere 2 Showed Just How Complex a Closed Ecological System Could Become

Biosphere 2 Showed Just How Complex a Closed Ecological System Could Become

Biosphere 2 was conceived as a grand experiment to understand and replicate Earth's intricate life-support systems within a sealed environment. Its...

On This Day: Eight People Sealed Themselves Inside Biosphere 2 for Two Years

On This Day: Eight People Sealed Themselves Inside Biosphere 2 for Two Years

The first closed mission of Biosphere 2, a groundbreaking experiment in creating a self-sustaining ecosystem, ran from September 26, 1991, to Septe...

Loud worship and other contrasts set apart Kenya's large community of Quakers

Loud worship and other contrasts set apart Kenya's large community of Quakers

Inside a Quaker meeting house in western Kenya, loud music complete with modern instruments can be heard from a distance

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Encourages Hunters to Aid Conservation Research via Mobile App

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Encourages Hunters to Aid Conservation Research via Mobile App

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is encouraging hunters to contribute to wildlife management and conservation research by recording their wildlife sightings through the AGFC mobile app. This initiative, known as the Deer Hunting Observation Survey, began in 2004 as a logbook for bowhunters and has since evolved into an entirely online platform. Hunters can use the 'Wildlife Surveys' tab in the app to report sightings of game species such as deer, bear, quail, turkey, and furbearers, as well as non-game species like feral hogs. Blake Sasse, Nongame Mammal Program Coordinator for the AGFC, emphasizes the importance of recording all trips, even those without sightings, to provide a more accurate picture of wildlife trends and the amount of time spent in the woods. This data, combined with harvest information and other surveys, helps the AGFC set hunting and trapping seasons to ensure the long-term sustainability of recreational harvest.

Savannah Morning News

‘Jane Goodall of Sea Turtles’ honored for lifetime research | Exclusive

‘Jane Goodall of Sea Turtles’ honored for lifetime research | Exclusive

From a remote outpost on Cumberland Island, naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel led research efforts that saved Georgia's sea turtles.

Montana Wildlife Managers Face Escalating Bear Conflicts Amid Suspected Intentional Feeding

Montana Wildlife Managers Face Escalating Bear Conflicts Amid Suspected Intentional Feeding

Wildlife managers in southern Montana, particularly in Red Lodge, are grappling with an unprecedented surge in bear conflicts, leading to a significant number of bears being euthanized. Daniel McHugh, a bear management specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, reported that six bears, including two grizzlies, had been killed in the less-than-3-square-mile city by late August. The agency has responded to over 200 conflict reports within 15 miles of Red Lodge since spring. These conflicts often involve bears exhibiting unusual aggression, such as stalking and chasing people, and entering human dwellings. Officials attribute this behavior to a scarcity of natural food sources due to a dry winter and late freeze, which drives bears closer to human settlements in search of food. A major concern highlighted by wildlife officials, including game warden Matt Heaton, is the suspected intentional feeding of bears by some residents, which habituates the animals to human presence and food, increasing the likel...