10 Top National Wildlife Refuges To Explore

For the traveling naturalist, there's a lifetime of adventures to be found on national wildlife refuges. But with 560 refuges, where to start? Our blogger offers up his favorites for birds and other wildlife, from spotting tropical specialties in Texas to hiking amongst bighorn sheep in Oregon.

Matthew L. Miller

The Klepto-Octopus and Other Adventures in Coral Reef Restoration

A thieving octopus? Dolphin volunteers? Welcome to the unexpected cast of characters encountered during coral reef restoration.

Kemit-Amon Lewis

Coral Reefs Soften Ocean’s Fury for Millions of Coastal Dwellers

Coral reefs harbor great diversity and absorb an amazing 97% of the energy from incoming waves. Restoration is < 1/10th the cost of building more breakwaters.

Marty Downs

Northern Elephant Seals: A Dramatic Conservation Success

Northern elephant seals were declared extinct, a victim of the blubber trade. Today, you can see thousands on California beaches, and the population continues to grow. The story of a dramatic (and often unheralded) conservation success.

Matthew L. Miller

Pupfish: Conserving a Mojave Desert Survivor

Sure, desert pupfish are tough. Hot water temperatures? They thrive in it. Creeks saltier than the ocean? No problem. But now pupfish face a bigger challenge -- people and their need for lots of water.

Matthew L. Miller

Island Biogeography Theory Misses Mark for Tropical Forest Remnants

Species losses due to habitat fragmentation may be less bleak than predicted under the island biogeography theory, says a study of bat biodiversity in Costa Rica and Panama.

Marty Downs

Plight of the Bumble Bee: Conserving Imperiled Native Pollinators

You've probably heard about the loss of honey bees. But did you know native bumble bees face even more alarming declines? These vital pollinators are disappearing due to pesticides and habitat loss. You can make a difference -- right in your backyard.

Matthew L. Miller

Logging Carbon by Trailing Loggers

Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) is good for our carbon footprint, right? Not consistently, say Conservancy scientists studying logging practices in Indonesia.

Marty Downs

Chasing Cod: Tracking a Fish to Save an Industry

Cod is as much a part of Eastern Massachusetts as the Red Sox. But the fishery has been in long-term decline. Can tracking cod help save them...and an industry?

Misty Edgecomb

The Grouse in Winter

Self-made snow igloos, "reverse" migrations and big sagebrush. The unusual ways 3 grouse species survive and thrive in deep snow and frigid temperatures.

Matthew L. Miller

Bear Nap by the Camera Trap

Does a bear sleep in the woods? Camera Trap Chronicles features a time-lapse video of a black bear's ten hour nap underneath a camera trap.

Matthew L. Miller

Camera Trap Chronicles: Wildlife of North Idaho’s Working Forests

Grizzly bears and moose and flying squirrels, oh my. Check out the critters captured via camera trap images on Conservancy projects in North Idaho.

Matthew L. Miller