Wildlife and Habitat
Deer hunting season is underway is some parts of the country – and will soon be in others
Whether you are for or against deer hunting, one thing is certain − deer overpopulation carries a heavy price tag. [Read more…] about Deer hunting season is underway is some parts of the country – and will soon be in others
Throughout much of the Northeast, trees have just lost their autumn finery – soon their fallen leaves will turn into fertilizer.
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Maples, oaks and other trees are now, for the most part, barren. In residential landscapes, fallen leaves have been raked, bagged, and sent to the dump. The lawn reigns. But in the forest, it’s a different story. [Read more…] about Throughout much of the Northeast, trees have just lost their autumn finery – soon their fallen leaves will turn into fertilizer.
The year of the acorn?
Every few years for reasons unknown to biologists, all the oak trees in a landscape produce a huge crop of acorns. This is called a mast year. In California, mast years are simultaneous among stands of blue oak throughout the state. [Read more…] about The year of the acorn?
A comeback for the American chestnut?
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The tall, stately American chestnut once dominated our eastern forests. Sturdy wood from chestnuts was used for furniture, floors, and telephone poles, and its prolific nuts were a favorite food for people and wildlife. [Read more…] about A comeback for the American chestnut?
Clear-cutting the ocean floor
We’re all familiar with the environmental damage that can be caused by clear-cutting rainforests. So it is unfortunate to hear that a similar scenario is being played out underwater, in our oceans. Research shows that trawling for fish can disturb the seabed in ways comparable to slash-and-burn clear-cuts.
Trawling is on the increase, in part because of improvements to fishing gear. Nets are dragged on the ocean floor to catch bottom dwellers like cod, shrimp, and scallops. As these species are overfished, trawlers go farther out to sea, or use nets equipped with rubber wheels to navigate rocky areas and coral banks that were once safe-havens.
Research has shown that ocean floors once complex in topography and rich in marine life have been scraped bare by trawling. As ocean floors are flattened, and sponges, corals, and giant kelps are damaged. Loss of habitat threatens an array of ocean life, including young fish. And sediment loosened by trawling clouds the water and reduces its oxygen content.
Researchers studying trawling have written that, “with the possible exception of agriculture, we doubt that any other human activity physically disturbs the biosphere to this degree.”
Remediating seafloor damage will probably involve limiting what kind of trawling equipment can be used in sensitive areas and establishing no-trawl zones as underwater wildlife sanctuaries.
We must balance the need to feed and shelter our population and to provide jobs with the desire to protect the environment. That’s why our policymakers need the best information science can provide—so that they can make informed decisions about critical environmental issues.
Web Links
Ploughing the Deep Sea Floor (Nature, September 23, 20123)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v489/n7415/full/nature11410.htm
Disturbance of the Seafloor by Mobile Fishing Gear
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998.0120061180.x/abstract
Photo, taken on June 20, 2011, courtesy of Mike Baird via Flickr.
American agriculture and the albatross
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Fertilizer supplies key nutrients to plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In the early 20th century, chemists learned to synthesize nitrogen fertilizer in the lab, sparking the Green Revolution. [Read more…] about American agriculture and the albatross
Sportsmen and conservationists
I started watching birds as a teenager, under the tutelage of a sportsman who took me hunting for grouse, woodcock, and duck. I watched him read the weather, the vegetation, and the fallen leaves for signs of game. In the off-season, he was also a birder. What he really enjoyed was being outdoors. [Read more…] about Sportsmen and conservationists
Protecting the little fish to preserve big fish
Programs to bring back populations of large fish, like cod and tuna, often rely on limiting the catch of these species. But restoring large fish also means protecting the smaller fish that they eat. [Read more…] about Protecting the little fish to preserve big fish
Will warmer winters mute fall foliage?
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Leaves change color in the fall when deciduous trees and shrubs stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment that lets plants obtain energy from sunlight. Shortly before leaves are shed, they put on a colorful show. [Read more…] about Will warmer winters mute fall foliage?
Invasive species: good, bad, or neither?
When we hear about the devastation caused by invasive species like emerald ash borers and hemlock wooly adelgids, it is easy to believe that all invasives should be killed. But in fact many well established invasives have neutral or even positive qualities: witness the popular sport fish rainbow trout and large-mouth bass. [Read more…] about Invasive species: good, bad, or neither?
Fall color in New England – is it endangered?
This time of year, the Northeast comes alive with fall color: hillsides full of scarlet, orange, plum, and amber leaves set off against the lush dark evergreens. [Read more…] about Fall color in New England – is it endangered?
Autumn leaves – not just a colorful display
We’re all familiar with the dramatic changes in our deciduous trees during the fall. First, the leaves turn a bright red, orange, or yellow. Then they brown and fall to the ground. [Read more…] about Autumn leaves – not just a colorful display
The environment used to be a bipartisan issue
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“Shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our water?”
That’s from the State of the Union Address of 1970, during wartime, by a Republican president.
Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. Clean air, clean water, open spaces-these should once again be the birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.”
Richard Nixon, an unlikely environmental trail blazer, went on to call for the most comprehensive environmental program in America’s history. Under his leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed.
Finally, the U.S. had a central authority overseeing environmental protection. And that was just the beginning. Nixon empowered the EPA to let us all breath a little easier by signing the Clean Air Act Extension of 1970. Under it, we saw reductions in harmful emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead.
Water got cleaner too. Nixon proposed the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, which allowed the EPA to set and enforce federal drinking water standards.
It wasn’t all rosy. Nixon subjected environmental regulations to rigorous cost-benefit analyses and vetoed the Clean Water Act. But his legacy stands as a reminder that environmental progress doesn’t have to follow party lines.
Photo courtesy of Iberia Airlines via Flickr.
There is life in dead trees
It’s that time of year again. Many of us are tidying our yards before winter sets in. But if you spot a dead or dying tree on your property, and it doesn’t pose a safety hazard, consider leaving it alone. [Read more…] about There is life in dead trees
Oxygen in our atmosphere: what is the source?
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We often hear the phrase “Have you thanked a green plant today?” That’s because plants provide nearly all of our food, fuel, and fiber. And during photosynthesis, plants give off oxygen to the atmosphere. Sometimes, we hear that the Amazon rainforests are the lungs of the Earth—taking up carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen to our atmosphere. [Read more…] about Oxygen in our atmosphere: what is the source?
Toxins escalate West Nile virus warfare
This summer, right after the 10th person died from West Nile virus in Dallas, the city decided to begin large-area spraying for mosquitoes using the relatively benign pesticide known as Duet. [Read more…] about Toxins escalate West Nile virus warfare
Does Glacier National Park need a new name?
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Located in Montana, Glacier National Park owes its rugged topography to the carving action of massive sheets of ice. Its mountain ranges bear evidence of glaciers from the last ice age – with U-shaped valleys, knife-like ridges, and lake-impounding moraines. [Read more…] about Does Glacier National Park need a new name?
The fight against invasive species
Invasive species – plants, animals, and microbes introduced to regions beyond their native range – carry a global price tag of $1.4 trillion dollars. They are responsible for the loss of natural resources and biodiversity, damages to infrastructure, and an uptick in infectious disease. [Read more…] about The fight against invasive species
Australia’s climate change report card
