The popular pastime of birdwatching has many healthy benefits for people and the planet, including immersion in nature — which has been shown to be beneficial for mental health — breathing fresh air, exercise, exposure to natural vitamin D, socializing and building togetherness through birdwatching communities and increased appreciation for nature. There were approximately 15.23 […]
The European Commission has proposed a new law that would cut pesticide use in half by 2030 and completely ban the use of these chemicals near schools, playgrounds and hospitals. The proposal is part of a larger set of goals to reverse biodiversity loss and restore 20% of land and seas by the end of […]
One-third of the original tropical rainforest is gone. One-third of the original tropical rainforest is degraded. One-third of the original tropical rainforest is still intact. Those were the startling findings from the first-of-its-kind State of the Tropical Rainforest report published in 2020.1 Aside from all of the species and animals being harmed by deforestation, tropical […]
Outdoor recreation and the outdoor community have historically been portrayed as predominantly white, male spaces, in my experience, with little attention given to the contributions of queer recreationalists and outdoor advocates. Here are a few of the many queer environmentalists fighting for representation and access to the outdoors for all. Pattie Gonia (they/he/she) Wyn Wiley […]
In the over three decades that Bob Popp has been traipsing through the Vermont woods as the state’s botanist, he had never encountered a small whorled pogonia within the state. He had seen the yellowish-green orchid on excursions to other states, but never in Vermont, where the flower had been considered locally extinct since 1902. […]
When you think of the New York Harbor, you might imagine boats, skyscrapers, a noisy traffic on the nearby streets of NYC. What you may not expect to find are dolphins. But according to a newly released study from Wildlife Conservation Society, the New York Harbor is a popular feeding ground for bottlenose dolphins from […]
President Biden has announced interest in designating the Hudson Canyon, located from the New York/New Jersey Harbor and stretching 400 nautical miles out to the ocean, as the next national marine sanctuary. The Hudson Canyon is the largest underwater canyon in the U.S. side of the Atlantic Ocean, reaching about 2 miles deep and over […]
What is the oldest tree in the world? Up until recently, the record-holder was the “Methuselah” bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains, which has been dated as 4,852 years old, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. However, a contender from another hemisphere is coming for its crown: an alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) in Chile known […]
The Biden administration announced new steps to protect the nation’s oceans in honor of both National Ocean Month and World Ocean Day. These measures include the creation of a new national marine sanctuary and a long-awaited phaseout of single-use plastics from national parks and public lands. “During National Ocean Month, we celebrate the beauty and […]