A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:
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When those NASA astronauts splashed down earlier this week, they had a special welcoming committee - a pod of curious dolphins.
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Unfortunately, much of the news of the environment this week emanates from Washington and the new administration there as it continues its slash and burn takeover of government agencies. One action was to plan the closure of the Global Monitoring Laboratory in Hilo, Hawaii, that collects data on global carbon dioxide levels. (Because who need that, right?) The team there had also been posting regular updates on the eruption of the Kilauea volcano.
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The man selected to head the Environmental Protection Agency seems intent on destroying it. The rollbacks at the EPA put people's lives at risk.
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The new administration also appears to be revoking the status of certain national monuments, especially if they were designated as such by the previous administration.
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Oil and gas producers will now be able to run rampant through millions of acres in Alaska that had previously been protected from their depredations.
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The last ten years on Earth have been its hottest on record. Last year was actually THE hottest on record and it saw an unexpected rise in sea levels which was likely related to all those high temperatures.
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As the U.S. government becomes more hostile to protections for the environment, other nations are looking to form alliances to counteract its policies.
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Cosmologists have found evidence that the universe that has been expanding from time immemorial may not always continue to do so.
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Plastic doesn't break down and that causes a very big problem for the environment.
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The new Health and Human Services secretary seems unconcerned about the effects of mercury pollution, even though he once suffered from mercury poisoning.
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An unexpected bright spot for the environment is China which has been a leader in water and soil conservation. As a result of those efforts, the birds have returned.
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Racism has affected and continues to affect science in some strange ways, including the science of geology.
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Some seeds found in bird seed mixes are just "fillers" and serve no useful purpose for birds.
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Sturgeons as a species have survived for about 160 million years. Researchers are hoping to extend that record into the future.
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Avian flu is making a return and those who provide feeders for the use of birds need to be aware of precautions they can take to limit its effects.
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The cleanup of Agent Orange pollution in Vietnam has been halted by the new administration's cost-cutting.
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Reestablishing a coral reef can be hindered by the eating habits of fish that feed on coral.
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It turns out that animal poo can have some unique uses - including helping to save endangered species from extinction.
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Switzerland can teach us a lot about cleaning up rivers.
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The "cost-cutting" measures of the new administration could have catastrophic effects on the Great Lakes region. It also threatens the health and recovery of Chesapeake Bay.
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Snow leopards are rarely ever seen as singletons in the wild but one lucky photographer recently saw FOUR together and managed to record the event for us.
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Deer are becoming urban residents in many places. It's not always a smooth transition.
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It seems that an amazing variety of wildlife have lived their lives on the underside of icebergs.
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New Zealand is home to some very strange critters but a sharktopus? And it furthers that reputation by celebrating the "world's ugliest animal" as its Fish of the Year.
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It is hoped that a new agreement will protect colonies of endangered penguins off the coast of South Africa.
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I didn't stay up to see the Blood Worm Moon total eclipse, but Margaret Renkl tells us about it.
Good afternoon, Dorothy. Thank you for the weekly roundup of environmental news. The litany of bonehead decisions coming out of Washington just keeps growing, and you have to wonder how any of this makes sense. It’s hard not to conclude that this administration has embarked on a deliberate plan to destroy the environment not to protect it. Have there ever been so many cabinet secretaries with no expertise in their field, and so many ideologues? The United States is becoming a pariah. Best wishes - David
ReplyDeleteSadly, I cannot refute anything you say. I just wonder about my fellow Americans who voted for this man. Is this really what they thought they would be getting? Or was it just that the idea of voting for a highly qualified woman was a bridge too far for them? Misogyny still rules, I'm afraid.
DeleteThe snow leopards are magnificent. The 'poo' news was encouraging, too. We have to applaud any good news these days . . .
ReplyDeleteTrue words.
DeleteThe DJT regime will kill us one way or another -- they are worst stewards of the environment ever. Thank goodness for the snow leopards and the Monarch butterflies. One of the few things to make us smile this week.
ReplyDeleteWorst stewards, period, just about covers it. Yes, the Monarchs always make me smile.
DeleteThank you for the articles you shared this week, Dorothy. I am zeroing in on the article about bird seeds, and I am going to look closely at what kinds of seeds are in the bird seed I buy. One way I can do better for the world.
ReplyDeleteWe saw a Monarch in two different parts of Brazoria County last week during our field work monitoring butterflies and field work looking at wildlife for Texas Parks and Wildlife.
It does behoove us all to be aware and to be careful about what we offer our bird visitors to eat.
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