Discover stories in Environments
Traveling Naturalist: 5 Top Spots to See Yellowstone’s Wildlife
Heading to America's first national park? Our blogger points you to the best spots to see Yellowstone's diverse wildlife, including creatures very, very large and those very, very small.
New Study: Coastal Nature Reduces Risk from Storm Impacts for 1.3 Million U.S. Residents
Nature reduces risk from coastal storms for millions of U.S. residents and billions of dollars in property values, says a new study from scientists at the Natural Capital Project and The Nature Conservancy.
Quick Study: Do REDD+ Projects Benefit People as Well as Forests?
They often provide modest but tangible benefits to local communities--and don't encourage land grabs, says a new article co-authored by the Conservancy's senior advisor on forests and climate. But challenges remain to meaningful community participation in these projects.
Bison Bellows and Bones: Student-Scientists on the Prairie
Bison fighting and urinating on themselves? It's just another day at the office for student researchers on TNC's Ordway Prairie.
Quick Study: A California-Style Approach to Sustainable Fisheries
<i>Quick Study is just what it says — a rapid-fire look at a new conservation science study that might turn some heads.</i> <b>The Question(s): </b>For decades, ocean bottom trawling has been the predominate method for catching groundfish (like flounder, halibut and sole) along the U.S. West Coast. But dragging weighted nets across the seafloor is destructive to bottom habitats and can result in large amounts of bycatch (netting of other species, including some that are ecologically valuable). Could a market-based approach to buy out trawl permits, combined with a collaborative effort to identify and protect ecologically sensitive areas, help protect species and a fishing industry?
The Traveling Naturalist: Solid Gold in the Rockies
<i>Introducing The Traveling Naturalist, a new series featuring natural wonders and biological curiosities for the science-inclined wanderer.</i> The Rocky Mountains in the spring are a <b>botanist’s delight</b>, with many hills, mountain meadows and buttes awash in color. Wildflowers – many of them with interesting natural and human histories – can be easily found on your public lands. Some exist in bright but tiny cluster on alpine peaks while others cover meadows in a palette of seemingly solid color. <b>My favorite</b>: the flower that paints many foothills bright gold throughout the West, <a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/balsamorhiza_sagittata.shtml"><b>arrowleaf balsamroot</b></a> (<i>Balsamorhiza sagittata). </i>
The Yucca and its Moth
It sounds too good to be true; two species helping each other survive for millions of years—each getting as much as they give.
Big Fish: Rodent-Eating Trout
Key up the Jaws soundtrack. For years, anglers have claimed Silver Creek's brown trout feed on rodents. Does the science back them up?
Oceans and Climate Change: Protecting the “Invisible”
Coral bleaching, increasing storms, the loss of polar bears: many impacts of climate change are already vivid in our minds. We naturally worry about the things we can see. Huge waves and the loss of big fish and colorful corals get our attention. But what about things we can’t see, like the tiny creatures called plankton? They are also poised for dramatic changes. A recent dive in the sapphire waters of the Caribbean offers a close encounter with plankton. While most of my dive buddies hurry to reach the bottom, I linger as I usually do, pondering the “blue” and looking out for the visible and the invisible. Suddenly, clouds of tiny filaments come sharply into focus. It’s blue-green algae--Trichodesmium--a type of phytoplankton that plays an important role in these nutrient-poor waters. They essentially break gaseous nitrogen’s tough triple bond and convert it into a form other phytoplankton can feed on. What would these waters look like without them?
