Cara Byington is a science writer for The Nature Conservancy covering the work of Conservancy scientists and partners. A misplaced Floridian living in Maryland, she is especially fond of any story assignment involving boats and islands, and when not working, can be found hiking, kayaking or traveling with her family and friends. Best mammals + herps + birds (so far) in 2024…..eastern indigo snakes, swallow-tailed kites, red-cockaded woodpeckers.
Cara Cannon Byington
Science Writer
Featured Stories from Cara
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Quick and Dirty (Really Dirty) Guide to Bison: Keystone Species Edition
The ways bison graze, poop and wallow touch on everything about the ecology of a prairie. But well, it can be a little messy.
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There’s a Cicada in My Ear
File this Under: Adventures in Cicadas and the Anatomy of a Human Ear, or Hearing Loss is a Small Price to Pay for Taxonomic Certainty
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Nature Journal Confidential
You don’t have to be a good artist or writer to reap the many rewards of keeping a nature journal. You just have to be curious.
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Day of the (Turtle) Dogs
Meet the turtle dogs -- they track and retrieve turtles. For science!
All Stories from Cara
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Coconut Palms Dominate Over Half of Pacific Atoll Forests
First study of its kind shows that decades of coconut palm agriculture have led to deforestation on over 80 percent of Pacific atolls, and coconut palms now cover more than half of the atolls' forested areas.
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Fish Aggregating Devices Could Enhance the Effectiveness of Blue Water Marine Protected Areas
Research from TNC’s Palmyra Atoll suggests fish aggregating devices could increase the time mobile species spend within blue water MPAs.
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How to Catch a Wild dFAD
A small boat, four people, 500 pounds (or more) of rope, netting, floats, rafts and sometimes barnacles. Gloves definitely required.
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A Roadmap for Reducing the Climate Impacts of U.S. Beef
Adoption of selected actions, especially around grazing, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. beef industry by up to 30%.
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Caught on Camera: the Long-Nosed Chilean Shrew Opossum
Camera traps in the Valdivian Coastal Reserve document an increase in sites where one of Chile's least-known marsupials is known to live.
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Meet the Mysterious Long-Nosed Chilean Shrew Opossum
Spoiler alert: it's not a shrew. It's a relict marsupial, and has lived in the forests of Chile's Valdivian Coast for millennia.
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How Trees Can Help Fight Rising Heat in Arid Cities
New science shows increasing greening programs in arid cities could reduce air temperatures near people’s homes by an average of 0.5˚C.
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Small but Mighty: Pacific Island Atolls are Globally Important Sites for Tropical Seabirds
Global conservation efforts largely overlook the important contributions of atolls to the protection, restoration, and survival of tropical seabirds.
