Conservation

A keystone species, bison once roamed the American Great Plains in the tens of millions, but were hunted to near extinction. Bison are known as ecosystem engineers because they perform many services for the habitats in which they live, like rolling around and packing down soil in wallows that collect rainwater and grazing on different […]

Quick Key Facts What Is a Landfill?  Most of us barely have to think about our trash. We throw it in a bin, take the bag to the curb, then the garbage truck comes and takes it away. Pretty quickly, our waste becomes invisible to us, but it has to end up somewhere.  Waste comes […]

Bumblebees are essential pollinators, but many species are in a downward spiral that is sometimes a mystery to scientists. In a new study, researchers have found that the increasing temperatures of the human-caused climate crisis may be interfering with climate control in bumblebee nests, threatening future generations. “The decline in populations and ranges of several […]

Following several months of long and heavy rain, officials in Los Angeles have announced that the amount of stormwater captured from October 2023 through April 2024 is an estimated 96.3 billion gallons. As the Los Angeles Times reported, the amount of stormwater captured in late 2023 through spring 2024 is enough to meet water demands […]

A new report from the United Nations’ Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has found that more than 4,000 wildlife species are targeted worldwide for illegal trade, and about 162 countries have active illegal wildlife trading. According to the latest edition of the UNODC’s World Wildlife Crime Report, the third of its kind, more than […]

It’s no secret that humans produce and use far too much plastic. The more than 400 million tons generated each year is polluting our planet and choking our oceans. The plastic crisis is so great that 80 percent of marine debris — from microplastics to fishing gear — is made from plastics, according to the […]

Quick Key Facts Benefits of Native Plants A butterfly feeds on a native coneflower in a pollinator garden of the East Decatur Greenway in Decatur, Georgia. Thomas Cizauskas / Flickr Native plants are indigenous plant species that evolve naturally on land or in the water, and are an integral piece of thriving ecosystems, providing critical […]

The Biden administration announced plans to expand two national monuments in California: the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The move, announced on May 2, will add protections to nearly 120,000 acres of land in the state. The expansion contributes to President Joe Biden’s target of conserving and restoring […]