Resilience and Carnivore Survival in the Matrix
By Cristina Eisenberg / On July 30th, 2014
Why Our Forests Need Fire, Not Salvage Logging
By Dominick A. DellaSala / On December 13th, 2013
For over two decades, I have studied forests from Oregon's amazing coastal rainforests to the fire-adapted forests of the West. In dry forests, there are three issues that reoccur every fire season: (1) forests will burn regardless of what we do; (2) politicians will propose unchecked post-fire "salvage" logging, even in national parks, as a quick fix; and (3) scientists will continue to document the incredible regeneration that takes place after fires and how post-fire logging disrupts forest renewal.
Tool Chests, Toolboxes, and Tool Belts
By Charles C. Chester / On January 28th, 2013
On Monday, June 18, 1883, “Darwin’s bulldog” made a big mistake. Famous for his pugilistic defense of Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Thomas Henry Huxley played a prominent role in English society—and on this particular day he was delivering the inaugural address to the assembled representatives at London’s “great International Fisheries Exhibition.” Over twenty governmental entities, some as far flung as China and Tasmania, displayed their wares at the Exhibition, so this was no small honor for the great English scientist.
Taking a Bite Out of Climate Change: Predators and Carbon Storage
By Rafe Sagarin / On October 8th, 2012
Everyone knows that sea otters are adorable, and larger numbers of people are learning that they play a key role in maintaining ecosystem diversity by preventing sea urchin populations from turning into kelp-forest mowing swarms that leave “urchin barrens” in their wake.
Revisiting Leopold in the National Parks
By Charles C. Chester / On October 2nd, 2012
The US National Park Service protects National Seashores, National Battlefields, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Memorials, and even National Parks. In total, the agency manages 397 “units” across the country and its territories.
#ForewordFriday Trophic Cascades
By Admin / On August 3rd, 2012
Did you read Andrew Sullivan's piece on The Daily Beast on the place of sharks in the ocean? The idea of trophic cascades is starting to enter the mainstream.
The Wolverine and the Refrigerator
By Charles C. Chester / On July 30th, 2012
One of Marvel Comics' most popular characters, Wolverine, was born with the genetic mutation allowing him to recover rapidly from any injury. Combine that with the Canadian [sic] government's program to replace his skeleton with the indestructible metal adamantium, and you have one tough character. The character's eponymous creature is also one tough critter, one that thrives in frozen mountain habitats and has been reported to scare off grizzlies from their kills.
Forests at Risk: Real and Personal
By Admin / On July 9th, 2012
As I gathered with other concerned Coloradans for the “Forests at Risk” symposium in Aspen, Colorado last week, the importance of climate change and forests became immediately clear with the absence of two key speakers.
Resilient Design Can Ameliorate Extreme Storm Impacts
By Joyce Maschinski / On May 7th, 2012
Variable climate patterns are predicted to be the new norm in today’s changing climate. No longer can we rely on our normal precipitation levels or temperatures. Models foretell increased storm frequencies and intensities as sea surface temperatures climb. The impacts of climate change affect all of us and our planet’s rare fauna and biota. Yet we often don’t appreciate the immense responsibility we hold until we’ve had personal experience with an extreme event.
Preparing Autumn Buttercup for Reintroduction: It Takes a Village
By Kristin E. Haskins / On May 1st, 2012
Conservation practitioners face many different hurdles on the path to a successful species’ reintroduction. One of those challenges is having enough propagules. Studies have shown that reintroductions conducted with mature plants are often more successful than those conducted with either seeds or seedlings.