Tag: urban conservation

A Conservation Scientist’s Advice on “Green” Light Bulbs

February 25, 2014 | by: Craig Leisher | 10

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.

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Birders: Report Forest Pests During the Great Backyard Bird Count

February 12, 2014 | by: Leigh Greenwood | 0

The Great Backyard Bird Count is one of the largest citizen science efforts in the world. Learn how participants can expand their impact by reporting invasive forest pests.

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Citizen Science: Survey Katydids in Your Neighborhood

September 8, 2013 | by: Jon Fisher | 2

That night music you hear coming from the trees? At least in part, that’s coming from katydids. Despite their ubiquity, very little is known about these charismatic critters. But you can help. Grab your smart phone and head into your neighborhood for a katydid census! Blogger Jon Fisher gets you started.

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Citizen Science: Reveling in Urban Ecology

January 30, 2013 | by: Jon Fisher | 2

I’ve always lived in cities, and I’ve always loved nature, but for most of my life I took the concept of “wild animals” in cities for granted. Sure, there are some birds, and squirrels, but so what?

It wasn’t until I took an urban ecology class that my eyes were opened to how much you can learn just by watching wildlife in a city.

One of our major assignments for the class was simply to observe wildlife in two different types of urban locations every week for a semester, and write a paper about everything we learned.

I managed to spot about 40 species without any formal training or expertise, and since then the way I perceive urban wildlife has completely changed. If you want to give it a try, I’ve outlined a few tips to help you get started.

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