A growing body of evidence suggests that biodiversity loss increases our exposure to both new and established zoonotic pathogens. Restoring and protecting nature is essential to preventing future pandemics. So reports a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) paper that synthesizes current understanding about how biodiversity affects human health and provides recommendations for future research to guide management. [Read more…] about New Study Considers Wildlife Diversity And Zoonotic Disease
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Bald Eagle Numbers On The Rise
In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the latest population estimate for Bald Eagles. Some 316,000 eagles now cruise the skies in the Lower 48 — more than four times the previous estimate, from 2009. [Read more…] about Bald Eagle Numbers On The Rise
New Technology Being Deployed At Lake Agawam Algal Blooms
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the start of a new research project to evaluate the potential efficacy of ultrasonic devices to reduce harmful algal blooms (HABs) on Lake Agawam in the village of Southampton on Long Island. [Read more…] about New Technology Being Deployed At Lake Agawam Algal Blooms
New York’s Whaling Industry: Some History
In 2011, the nonprofit Gotham Whale recorded just five humpbacks spotted off New York City. Since then, the number has soared. By 2018, sightings had jumped to 272. Less than a year later, 377 whales of different species were observed.
A recent Discover Magazine article cites two main factors that drive the increasing presence of whales. [Read more…] about New York’s Whaling Industry: Some History
The Northern Harrier: One Unusual Hawk
Erie was perched on a sunny branch when I met her on a cold day in March. She turned her head this way and that to survey her surroundings at the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS).
She is a slender hawk, brown above, with a dark-streaked, buff breast and a long, barred tail. A ring of light-colored feathers surrounds her face, giving her a facial disc similar to that of an owl. [Read more…] about The Northern Harrier: One Unusual Hawk
New Study Considers Birds and Bacteria Arms Race
Cornell Lab of Ornithology scientists have been tracking the effects House Finch eye disease for more than 25 years. The disease causes red, swollen, watery, or crusty eyes. Afflicted birds can recover, but may die because they cannot see well enough to find food or avoid predators.
The latest analyses, based on the observations of Project FeederWatch participants from eight Northeast states, addresses the long-term impact of the disease on House Finch populations and points to the role of the finch immune system in the bird vs. bacteria battle. [Read more…] about New Study Considers Birds and Bacteria Arms Race
Juvenile Eel Monitoring Getting Underway
All along the Hudson River estuary, teachers, students, and local residents will be donning waders and venturing into tributary streams to participate in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) ongoing research on migrating juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata). [Read more…] about Juvenile Eel Monitoring Getting Underway
Waterman Fund Grants Support Northeast Alpine Stewardship
The Waterman Fund awarded a record amount of funding to northeast alpine stewardship groups this year. Each year the Waterman Fund awards grant funding to support education, research, and trail projects in northeast alpine areas. This year, the fund awarded just over $65,000 in support of six projects. [Read more…] about Waterman Fund Grants Support Northeast Alpine Stewardship
Tracking Your Internet Carbon Footprint
According to the International Energy Agency, global internet usage and time spent online has skyrocketed in recent years, seeing a 40 percent increase in just two months beginning in February 2020. [Read more…] about Tracking Your Internet Carbon Footprint
Ed Zahniser On American Wilderness History
The history of achieving the 1964 Wilderness Act in the U.S. Congress is commonly seen as an eight-year legislative struggle. The first wilderness bills were introduced in Congress in 1956 — in the House of Representatives by John P. Saylor of Pennsylvania and in the Senate by Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota.
The Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3rd, 1964. My father, Howard Zahniser, primary author of the Act, had died in May 1964. My mother, Alice, attended the White House signing, and President Johnson gave her a pen he used. Three years later President Johnson sent me a letter telling me I was being drafted for two years of US Army service. [Read more…] about Ed Zahniser On American Wilderness History