Marine scientists and fishers alike know that grass beds are valuable as nursery habitat. A new Conservancy-funded study puts a number to it (and a pretty one).

Intrepid Conservancy birder Tim Boucher leaves the snow behind and heads to Guatemala in search of the rare and unusual Horned Guan.

Also in this week’s best of the web: blue-blooded horseshoe crabs, Javan rhinos, hitchhiking pseudoscorpions, and cave-dwelling crocodiles of Gabon

Sandhill Cranes congregate in great numbers at night, crowded together in flooded fields. How can California conservationists accurately count them. Enter a new tool in bird monitoring: the drone.

Fighting dams is in the environmental movement’s DNA. But is it time to change? Freshwater scientist Jeff Opperman argues that science-based collaboration offers a better future for rivers and fish — and the people who depend on them.

As conservation science increasingly draws from sophisticated models and genomics, does natural history still have relevance? Benjamin Kilham, a dyslexic who has made significant contributions to bear research, builds a powerful case for field observation in his book, “Out on a Limb.”

Each year, more than 500,000 cranes congregate along 70 miles of Nebraska’s Platte River. Want to see one of the world’s great wildlife spectacles? Our blogger takes you to the heart of the action.

Also in our best of the web: how wind turbines might quiet hurricanes, real-time tracking of deforestation, and biocontrol for quagga mussels in Lake Powell.

Meet NatureNet Fellow Daniel Karp and learn about his plan for decision support tools that will help farmers evaluate the benefit of preserving natural habitat.

Everyone is talking about the record low count of monarchs at their overwintering site in Mexico, but what is really happening to these butterflies and why does it matter?

LED? CFL? What’s the best light bulb for the environment? Scientist Craig Leisher has been experimenting with light bulbs in his own home, weighing the pros and cons. His message: don’t be an early adopter.

In hydrology, a concept known as stationarity allows us to define events using time statistics, like the “one in a hundred years flood.” Dr. Giulio Boccaletti argues that it’s time to retire this concept.

In Tasmania, blogger Alison Green came across a strange sight: poo cubes, and lots of them. What animal might have left this sign? Join her as she tracks down this fascinating creature.

Smaller areas of high intensity wood production or larger areas of lower-impact logging? It’s not a simple question — and maybe not even the right one.

Also in our best of the web: transgenic chestnuts fights back, conservationists take a cue from Wiki-leaks, rats rule the Earth, and protein moves to the roof.