Macaws are large parrots found in central and South America that can live up to 60 years in the wild or 80 years in captivity. Most species of macaws that exist are endangered or under threat of endangerment. The main threats to the birds are habitat destruction and being captured for the international bird trade. …
Continue reading “Researchers Create Foster Care for Macaw Chicks”
What is America’s biggest irrigated crop? Is it wheat, soybeans, or possibly corn? In fact, it is grass. Turfgass lawns are present in neighborhoods, suburbia, and golf clubs across the US. Although corn is more widespread than lawns in the US (80 million acres versus 40 million acres, respectively), corn is rarely irrigated, whereas grass …
For years, visitors to Yosemite National Park have experienced severe traffic jams when driving into the park. Those wishing to see this treasure of the US can often expect to wait for multiple hours to get to a parking spot. According to the National Park Service, Yosemite receives over 4 million visitors a year, and …
Continue reading “Yosemite National Park to Require Reservations in 2024”
Many Americans are familiar with the activities of the National Park Service, but there are several other major agencies in the US that oversee various aspects of the environment. One such agency is the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS can trace its roots back to the late 1800s. In 1871, Congress created …
Continue reading “What Does the US Fish and Wildlife Service Do?”
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Park Service (NPS) are widely known as the government agencies that (mis)manage our nation’s natural resources. However, there are many more agencies that are in charge of certain ecosystems, or whose actions have an undue influence on the country’s natural habitat. The United States …
Continue reading “Brief History of the United States Forest Service”
A hundred and five years ago, the last captive Carolina parakeet died at the Cincinnati Zoo. This species of parrot was the only one native to the eastern United States. At one time in American history, flocks of 200-300 of these parrots could be seen in forests from Florida to New York. The parrot has …
Continue reading “Carolina Parakeet: Lost Parrot of the Eastern US”
We usually don’t think about it, but trees can have astounding lifespans. Giant sequoias, for instance, the tallest trees in the world, can live for 3,000 years, and many of the entries in the list of oldest trees in the world are sequoias. Until recently, the oldest tree on Earth was Methuselah, a bristlecone pine …
Continue reading “New Contender for World’s Oldest Tree Found in Chile”
On the Colorado River and crossing the border between Nevada and Arizona lies Lake Mead, a reservoir first created in the 1930s as part of a US Bureau of Reclamation project. At the end of June of this year, Lake Mead dropped to 35.17% of its capacity, the lowest level ever recorded since construction. By …
Continue reading “The Growing Water Crisis in the US Southwest”
I’d written this blog during the winter with the intention of publishing it during the summer months. I then decided on this Thursday since lawn-mowing season is in full swing. But then I saw on an environmental news site that there was a history of lawns piece published last week, so now I look like …
When you think about airships, the tragic disaster of the Hindenburg likely comes to mind. The catastrophe in question occurred in 1937 in New Jersey when the German-built airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire. The inferno, whose cause was unknown (although explanations range from sabotage, static electricity, lightning, and engine failure), killed 35 of the …
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