We know that Bill Gates made a lot of money from Microsoft and since he left the company, he's been very busy spending it.
One of the latest projects he's funding is the Omniprocessor, which turns human waste into renewable energy and drinkable water. How drinkable? Gates demonstrated by drinking a glassful himself.
"I watched the piles of feces go up the conveyer belt and drop into a large bin," said Gates. "They made their way through the machine, getting boiled and treated. A few minutes later I took a long taste of the end result: a glass of delicious drinking water. The occasion was a tour of a facility that burns human waste and produces water and electricity (plus a little ash). I have visited lots of similar sites, like power plants and paper mills, so when I heard about this one—it’s part of the Gates Foundation’s effort to improve sanitation in poor countries—I was eager to check it out. The water tasted as good as any I’ve had out of a bottle. And having studied the engineering behind it, I would happily drink it every day. It’s that safe."
The Omniprocessor was created to simultaneously address the issue of poor sanitation in developing countries and their frequent lack of adequate drinking water and electrical power. Waste piles up in latrines or in open fields, or it's trucked away and dumped somewhere, maybe in a nearby body of water, causing the spread of disease. But western-style toilets require sewage lines and treatment plants that aren't feasible in many places. The Omniprocessor, designed by Seattle-area engineering firm Janicki Bioenergy, reinvents the sewage treatment plant.
In the Omniprocessor, sewer sludge is fed into tubes and boiled, producing water vapor which is purified for drinking. The dry solids are then fed into a fire, which creates steam to fuel a steam engine that drives an electricity-producing generator. That energy in turn fuels the machine, with excess available for other needs. The water burns the waste at temperatures of 1000 degrees Celsius, so high that there's no smell. The next generation of the machine could process waste from 100,000 people and produce about 22,700 gallons of drinkable water and 250 kilowatts of energy a day.
"If we get it right, it will be a good example of how philanthropy can provide seed money that draws bright people to work on big problems, eventually creating a self-supporting industry," said Gates. "Our foundation is funding Janicki to do the development. It’s really amazing to see how they’ve embraced the work; founder Peter Janicki and his family have traveled to Africa and India multiple times so they can see the scope of the problem. Our goal is to make the processors cheap enough that entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries will want to invest in them and then start profitable waste-treatment businesses."
The Omniprocessor turns sewage into water and electricity. Photo credit: GatesNotes.com
Those entrepreneurs would make money from the sludge they remove from the environment, and the water and electricity they create.
Later this year, Janicki will set up the first Omniprocessor in the field in Dakar, Senegal.
"They’ll study everything from how you connect with the local community to how you pick the most convenient location," said Gates. "They will also test one of the coolest things I saw on my tour: a system of sensors and webcams that will let Janicki’s engineers control the processor remotely and communicate with the team in Dakar so they can diagnose any problems that come up. If things go well in Senegal, we’ll start looking for partners in the developing world."
"The history of philanthropy is littered with well-intentioned inventions that never deliver on their promise," he said. "Hopefully, these early steps will help us make sure the Omniprocessor doesn’t join the list."
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Visible satellite image of Tropical Storm Kyle and Tropical Storm Josephine as of 9:10 a.m. EDT Saturday, August 15, 2020. RAMMB / CIRA / Colorado State University
By Jeff Masters, Ph.D.
The record-busy 2020 Atlantic hurricane season brought another addition to its bevy of early-season storms at 5 p.m. EDT August 14, when Tropical Storm Kyle formed off the coast of Maryland.
<p>Kyle arrived well ahead of the previous earliest appearance by the Atlantic season's eleventh named storm – Katrina on August 24, 2005. Seven other Atlantic storms have set similar records during this already-hyperactive 2020 season.</p><p>However, the majority of 2020's impressive herd of early-season storms have been short-lived; only two made it to category 1 hurricane strength. As a result, the Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE – a measure of the total destructive power of a hurricane season – has been unusually low for the first 10 storms of a season, according to statistics <a href="https://twitter.com/splillo/status/1294293510896508930" target="_blank">tweeted by Sam Lillo</a>:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2020 currently has a total ACE of 23.6 through 10 storms. Though the 10th storm is ongoing, it's becoming more apparent that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Josephine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Josephine</a> is unlikely to be a big ACE producer.<br>The lowest ACE on record from the first 10 storms is 27.2, in 2013. <a href="https://t.co/4xC0ZObNcV">pic.twitter.com/4xC0ZObNcV</a></p>— Sam Lillo (@splillo) <a href="https://twitter.com/splillo/status/1294293510896508930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>Notwithstanding its historic timing, Kyle is not expected to bring major impacts to land. As of 5 a.m. EDT Saturday, Kyle was located 280 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, moving east-northeast at 21 mph with top sustained winds at 45 mph.</p><p>Kyle was over the Gulf Stream, where waters were a record-warm 27-28 degrees Celsius (81-82°F), which is about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6°F) above average. <a href="https://tropicaltidbits.com/sat/satlooper.php?region=12L&product=ir" target="_blank">Satellite images</a> showed that high wind shear resulting from strong upper-level winds out of the southwest were keeping the low-level center exposed to view, and all of Kyle's heavy thunderstorms were confined to the east side of the center. High wind shear will affect Kyle throughout the weekend, and it is unlikely that the storm will become a hurricane.</p><p>Well-defined steering currents will take Kyle rapidly to the east-northeast over the weekend, and Kyle's winds and rain are not expected to impact any land areas. By Monday, Kyle will leave the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and move over cold waters, bringing an end to its brief life as an inconsequential tropical storm.</p>
Tropical Storm Josephine Also No Threat to Land
<p>Meanwhile, the season's record-earliest tenth named storm, Tropical Storm Josephine, was also struggling with high wind shear as it traced out a path over the open ocean.</p><p>At 5 a.m. EDT Saturday, Josephine was located about 310 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, moving west-northwest at 15 mph with top sustained winds at 45 mph. Josephine is expected to bring one to three inches of rain over portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend. Josephine will encounter steadily rising wind shear through Monday, peaking at a very high 30 – 35 knots. This high shear is likely to destroy Josephine's circulation by Monday, before the storm can affect any other land areas.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/08/tropical-storm-kyle-forms-unlikely-to-affect-land/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>. </em><em></em></p>
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Could a Solution to Marine Plastic Waste Threaten One of the Ocean's Most Mysterious Ecosystems?
2h
Oceans
The Ocean Cleanup
By Ute Eberle
In May 2017, shells started washing up along the Ligurian coast in Italy. They were small and purple and belonged to a snail called Janthina pallida that is rarely seen on land. But the snails kept coming — so many that entire stretches of the beach turned pastel.
<p>An unusual wind pattern had beached the animals. And for the people who walked the shore, this offered a rare encounter with a wondrous ecosystem that most of us have never heard about: The neuston. </p><p>The neuston, from the Greek word for swimming, refers to a group of animals, plants and microorganisms that spend all or large parts of their life floating in the top few centimeters of the ocean. </p>
<p>It's a mysterious world that even experts still know little about. But recently, it has been the source of tensions between a project trying to clean up the sea by skimming plastic trash off its surface, and marine biologists who say this could destroy the neuston.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDQxMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTM3Mzc4OH0.RRSzJ3S_-_n_MT3O8Hv7ivXp10NFphGSpuwcJ41Z9Ho/img.jpg?width=980" id="4502c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0bedf5213c7219148958b44ada7ed068" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
The Ligurian coast has been swept by snails turning its color pastel.
A World Between Worlds
<p>The neuston comprises a multitude of weird and wonderful creatures. </p><p>Many, like the Portuguese man-of-war, which paralyzes its prey with venomous tentacles up to 30 meters long, are colored an electric shade of blue, possibly to protect themselves against the sun's UV rays, or as camouflages against predators.</p><p>There are also by-the-wind sailors, flattish creatures that raise chitin shields from the water like sails; slugs known as sea dragons that cling to the water's surface from below with webbed appendages; barnacles that build bubble rafts as big as dinner plates; and the world's only marine insects, a relation of the pond skater.</p><p>They live "between the worlds" of the sea and sky, as Federico Betti, a marine biologist at the University of Genoa, puts it. From below, predators lurk. From above, the sun burns. Winds and waves toss them about. Depending on the weather, their environment may be warm or cool, salty or less so.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDQxMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDgwMzEzOX0.YyfU2rRrhVW0eUknqJDrNfmxiKiXwEO1-_IlD4dX6Oc/img.jpg?width=980" id="28a68" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="803ddde352047db41905c204e6bbf4f7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Sea snails can make up the neuston.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDQxNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzczNDk0N30.kbCaqQhYWf2oD9bRnQ2z0SeA_Zj_rK0L4GpjBcTS1nk/img.jpg?width=980" id="8229e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="87c41c8c5fbd16a0174dc33fbcffaff9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Velella velella jellyfish living on the surface of the ocean.
<p>But now, they face another — manmade — threat from nets designed to catch trash. A project called <a href="https://theoceancleanup.com/" target="_blank">The Ocean Cleanup</a>, run by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, has raised millions of dollars in donations and sponsorship to deploy long barriers with nets that will drift across the ocean in open loops to sweep up floating garbage. </p>Collecting With the Current
<p>"Plastic could outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050. To us, that future is unacceptable," <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/green-entrepreneur-sets-sights-on-great-pacific-garbage-patch/a-38855785" target="_blank">The Ocean Cleanup</a> declares on its website.</p><p>But Rebecca Helm, a marine biologist at the University of North Carolina, and one of the few scientists to study this ecosystem, fears that The Ocean Cleanup's proposal to remove 90% of the plastic trash from the water could also virtually wipe out the neuston.</p><p>One focus of Helm's studies is where these organisms congregate. "There are places that are very, very concentrated and areas of little concentration, and we're trying to figure out why," says Helm.</p><p>One factor is that the neuston floats with ocean currents, and Helm worries that it might collect in the exact same spots as marine plastic pollution. "Our initial data show that regions with high concentrations of plastic are also regions with high concentrations of life."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDQxNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzY1OTczMX0.nHoWh6AKVB6qdcj0rzVvmW4o_UM-FWvI-HpgsPM44D0/img.jpg?width=980" id="d8112" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d51ddd9e77c34738dd4634cf3ba9bc5e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Waste collection in the Pacific Ocean heralded by The Ocean Cleanup.
<p>The Ocean Cleanup says Helm's concerns are based on "misguided assumptions."</p><p>"It's true that neustonic organisms will be trapped in the barriers," says Gerhard Herndl, professor of Aquatic Biology at the University of Vienna and one of project's scientific advisors. "But these organisms have dangerous lives. They're adapted to high losses because they get washed ashore in storms and they have high reproductive rates. If they didn't, they'd already be extinct."</p><p>Helm says they just don't know how quickly these creatures reproduce, and in any case recovering from passing storm is very different from surviving The Ocean Clean Up's systems which could be in place for years.</p>Communication Breakdown
<p>The Ocean Cleanup invited Helm to a symposium on the topic in December, where both sides presented their points of views and didn't seem to find much common ground. Since then, direct communication between them has stopped, says Helm. "They're not interested in talking to me anymore."</p><p>Both sides agree that much is still unknown about the neuston. But one thing that has been established is that most of the oceans' fish spend part of their lifecycle in the neuston. "More than 90% of marine fish species produce floating eggs that persist on the surface until hatching," Betti says.</p><p>The Ocean Cleanup has undertaken one of the few studies into this ecosystem, collecting data on the neuston on the relative abundance of neuston and floating plastic debris in the eastern North Pacific Ocean during a 2019 expedition to the Pacific Garbage Patch, an area where plastic pollution has accumulated on a vast scale. But it is not yet sharing what it has found. The information was being prepared for publication in an as of yet unspecified journal, probably some time next year, an Ocean Cleanup spokesperson said. </p>Inshore Solution?
<p>Helm believes the best way to tackle the marine plastic problem would be to position the barriers closer to land — across river mouths and bays — to catch garbage before it reaches the sea.</p><p>"Stopping the flow of plastic into the ocean is the most cost-effective — and literally effective — way to ensure that it's not entering our environment," she says. </p><p>As for the plastic already floating in open waters, she does not believe it is worth sacrificing parts of neuston and wants to see more research first. </p><p>The Ocean Cleanup has made barriers across rivers a part of its mission. But it is also going ahead with its original vision of pulling trash from the open water. In late 2018, the project deployed a 600-meter, u-shaped prototype net into the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/environment-conservation-plastic-oceans/a-54436603" target="_blank">Great Pacific Garbage Patch</a>. </p><p>The system ran into difficulties, failing to retain plastic as hoped, and needing to be brought shore for repairs and a design upgrade, after which Ocean Cleanup says it gathered haul of plastic that it will recycle and resell to help fund future operations.</p><p>Over the next two years, the project hopes to deploy up to 60 such barriers to collect drifting flotsam. Helm isn't the only one concerned about these plans.</p><p><span></span>"We should think twice about every action we take in the sea," Betti says. "In nature, nothing is as easy as we think, and often, we've done a lot of damage while trying to do a good thing."</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/environment-conservation-plastic-oceans/a-54436603" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2646992655#/" target="_self"></a></em><em></em></p>
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Wildlife Rehabilitators Are Overwhelmed During the Pandemic. In Part, That’s a Good Thing.
4h
Popular
Feeding an orphaned bear. Tom MacKenzie / USFWS
By Hope Dickens
Molly Craig's day begins with feeding hungry baby birds at 6 a.m. The birds need to be fed every 15 minutes until 7 at night. If she's not feeding them, other staff at the Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn, Illinois take turns helping the hungry orphans.
<p>When the center's resident birds, opossums, squirrels and other wildlife aren't being fed, cleaned or cared for, Craig, Fox Valley's director of animal care, finds herself trying to answer the seemingly ceaseless stream of calls from concerned citizens who've come across a hapless animal and don't know what to do about it.</p><p>"Phones have been ringing off the hook," she says.</p>
<p>Fox Valley and other wildlife rehabilitation centers across the country have seen a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/health/coronavirus/wildlife-rehabilitators-animals-north-massapequa-1.44755961" target="_blank">large increase</a> in calls from the public since coronavirus-lockdown orders took effect in March. <a href="https://www.wildliferescueleague.org/" target="_blank">Wildlife Rescue League</a> in Virginia, a help line that gives advice or directs callers to local rehabbers, reports their calls have increased by 62% compared to last year, with staff now fielding more than 50 a day.</p>
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCyl8hhiHt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Can you say “cute”?! Thank you Sandy Royal for these adorable tulip nests! Our baby birds are very happy to have them, including this here baby Robin. You can also hear him asking for food... again! #donations #creative #sewing #knitting #nests #artsandcrafts #artstohelp #babies #babyseason #babybirds #robin #wildlife #wildliferescueleague #wrl #wildliferescueleagueva #tulip #tulipnests #babybird #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabber #constantfeedings #volunteers #allvolunteerorganization #northernvirginia #virginia #virginiawildlife #creativity #gratitude #thankful #grateful</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wildliferescueleagueva/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> WildlifeRescueLeagueVA</a> (@wildliferescueleagueva) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-07-24T23:40:13+00:00">Jul 24, 2020 at 4:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>In any other year, this increase in volume wouldn't surprise rescue centers. Spring is the normally their busiest season. It's when birds make their spring migrations, snakes and bears come out of hibernation, and many animals <a href="https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/spring-behavior" target="_blank">time their mating behaviors</a> to produce young as the days get warmer. This means people can encounter fledgling birds hopping on the ground, fawns lying still alongside a trail, or baby cottontail rabbits curled up in the grass. To humans they appear to be orphaned, when in fact the parents are usually keeping a watchful eye nearby or gathering food. Injuries also increase this time of year as lawnmowers nick rabbit nests, young squirrels fall out of trees, and birds encounter domestic cats or fly into windows.</p><p>"People have a tendency to panic," says Beth Axelrod, president of the board of directors at the Wildlife Rescue League. "They feel empathy for an animal that they think is in need, which is good, but that puts them into panic mode, and they feel like they want to get this animal help right away."</p><p>But this year things have shifted into overdrive. The pandemic has changed our normal routines — more people are spending time outside and becoming aware of the wildlife in their backyards or local parks.</p><p>It's not that there are more orphaned or injured animals, it's that people are paying more attention.</p><p>"People are home, they're bored, they're looking out the window, they're going on walks, they're actually paying more attention, or they have the time to look an animal up and find out where it's supposed to go, " says Melissa Anahory, programs and operation assistant at <a href="http://woodlandswildlife.org/" target="_blank">Woodlands Wildlife Refuge</a> in Pittstown, New Jersey.</p><p>Woodlands Wildlife Refuge has taken in 250 more animals than this time last year. At Fox Valley, they're up 1,000 animals. Several rehabbers I reached out to for this article were unavailable for interviews because they were so overwhelmed with constant animal intake and care.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCK-LtWgo50/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCK-LtWgo50/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCK-LtWgo50/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">One of our latest releases. #opossum #wildliferehabilitation</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wildrehab/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Woodlands Wildlife Refuge</a> (@wildrehab) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-07-03T07:24:02+00:00">Jul 3, 2020 at 12:24am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Wildlife rehabilitators in big cities aren't experiencing the same surge in calls as their more suburban or rural counterparts. Downtown Washington, D.C. is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/04/28/wildlife-agencies-are-fielding-more-calls-restrictions-keep-residents-home/" target="_blank">seeing fewer calls</a> than its surrounding counties. In Manhattan, Jerry Basford, a volunteer and board member at the <a href="https://www.wildbirdfund.org/" target="_blank">Wild Bird Fund</a>, says he isn't surprised. "Fewer cars on the road means fewer pigeons getting hit."</p><p>What did surprise Basford, though, was the increase in donations. Both online and onsite donations have doubled.</p><p>"We thought our donations were really going to dry up," he says. "You know, people out of work, et cetera. And it's been just the opposite. It almost seems like people really want to do <em>something.</em>"</p><p>People who bring animals to wildlife rehabilitators tend to become donors, explains Anahory. This year that means the more animals that come in, the more donations they receive to help rehabilitation centers stay open during the pandemic.</p><p>Beyond donating money, volunteerism is on the rise — or at least, the desire to volunteer. The Woodlands Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife Rescue League and the <a href="https://owlmoon.org/" target="_blank">Owl Moon Raptor Center</a> in Boyds, Maryland, have all seen an uptick in requests to volunteer. Jaci Rutiser, a longtime volunteer at Owl Moon, says there have been so many requests to help since the start of the pandemic that they've had to start a waitlist.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwbvFPAxlK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwbvFPAxlK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwbvFPAxlK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Our baby dormice have done a lot of growing up in 1 week. They came in after a cat killed their mother, luckily these two were unharmed but require a lot of care to get them ready for release. Our lovely volunteer Angela has taken these two home to care for them until they are old enough to go back to the wild. #dormouse #hazeldormouse #wild #wildlife #wildliferehabber #wildlifevet #wildlifecare #baby #cute #handrear</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_aid_vets/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> wildlife_aid_vets</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-08-11T17:05:33+00:00">Aug 11, 2020 at 10:05am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Unfortunately, for wildlife rehabilitation centers, the threat of COVID-19 has meant cutting volunteers and limiting the amount of staff that can be present at the same time. Many wildlife rehabilitators who are licensed to practice in their homes have shut down their operations because the risk of exposure to illness is too great. The animals that would normally go to them are now going to the centers that have remained open.</p><p>This places additional stress on workers and volunteers. Axelrod says a typical summer was already demanding, with up to 30 calls a day. "So having over 50 calls a day is even more challenging."</p><p>Craig points out that a lot of the calls Fox Valley receives are from people who don't understand normal wildlife behavior — and that means more opportunity for education.</p><p>"Most of our calls are from people finding animals in their yard or out on nature walks," she says. "And since so many more people are doing those things right now, we're getting a lot more of those kinds of calls. A lot of them we're able to give advice over the phone, and the advice is typically, that's a natural behavior. Leave it be."</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHMEZejGaK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHMEZejGaK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHMEZejGaK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Sunday morning cuteness! Check out the video! Fledgling Ruby Throated Hummingbird 💕 #ibr #iowabirdrehab #iowa #birds #iowabirds #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabber #nature #birdrehab #birdrehabilitation #hummingbird #rubythroatedhummingbird</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iowabirdrehab/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Jenni B</a> (@iowabirdrehab) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-07-26T16:39:48+00:00">Jul 26, 2020 at 9:39am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>The pandemic may be unprecedented in our experience, but experts says this desire to do more follows patterns we've seen during other tumultuous times. Alison Cawood, marine ecologist and citizen science coordinator at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, notes that big changes such as elections or natural disasters often inspire spikes in people wanting to do something bigger than themselves, whether it's reporting a species on a citizen science app or calling a wildlife rehabilitator about an injured animal.</p><p>"When things are more stressful, I think a lot of people want to do something to help," she says. "You can't fix whatever the big thing is, but here are these things that you <em>can</em> do. You can help the environment."</p><p>What happens next? As many states ease lockdown restrictions, and as summer turns to fall, wildlife rehabilitators expect they'll soon experience a well-earned reprieve from tending to baby animals and answering continuous phone calls. But this period — and rehabbers' efforts — could leave a lasting impact. Thanks to them, many people will be returning to work or classrooms better informed about the wildlife that exists around them.</p><p>And those concerned citizens and rehabilitators may emerge from this first perilous chapter of the pandemic knowing that, because of their attention, thousands of animals have been given a second chance at life.</p><p><em><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/hopedickens/" target="_blank">Hope Dickens</a> is a Maryland-based photographer and writer.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/wildlife-rehabilitators-covid/" target="_blank" style="">The Revelator</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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By Douglas Broom
"Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people," said former U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt.
<p>Covering <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">almost a third of the Earth's surface</a>, forests are home to <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/forest-habitat#:~:text=Forests%20are%20home%20to%2080,%2C%20animals%2C%20fungi%20and%20bacteria." target="_blank">eight in 10 animal and plant species</a>. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the world's forests include over 60,000 species of tree, all of which absorb CO2 as they grow.</p>
<p>But all is not well in Earth's woodlands. Only <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">half of all forests are still intact and only a third are primary forest </a>– naturally occurring woodland composed of native species where human activities have not disturbed the natural ecology.</p><p>Over 20,000 tree species are at risk and over 1,400 of them are on the critical list, according to the FAO. Estimates suggest 420 million hectares of forest have been lost since 1990 and although the rate of loss has slowed, 10 million hectares were lost between 2015 and this year.</p><p>So the FAO is <a href="https://twitter.com/FAO/status/1286164178819047424?s=20" target="_blank">using Twitter</a> to remind the world of these five hidden benefits of forests.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDM3Ni9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjI4NjI2M30.iT-XMYV52oZPXZ_0Z2R1XGRdtPHToar1Im4vID3k-1g/img.png?width=980" id="cedaf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="28dcdfb8445c616888d229ee657f0901" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
So the FAO is using Twitter to remind the world of these five hidden benefits of forests.
<p><strong>1. Forests Nurture the Soil</strong></p><p>As well as stabilizing soils and preventing erosion – which <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degradation" target="_blank">quickly occurs where trees are felled </a>– <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">forests are home to soil microbes</a>, which together with insects, birds and mammals, play a crucial role in enriching and maintaining soil quality.</p><p><strong>2. Forests Absorb Carbon</strong></p><p>Forests act as 'carbon sinks', trapping and storing CO2. NASA estimates that <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/nasa-finds-good-news-on-forests-and-carbon-dioxide" target="_blank">tropical forests absorb 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2 every year</a>, while a study in 2017 estimated that forests would <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/44/11645" target="_blank">absorb a third of the atmospheric carbon </a>needed to keep global warming below 2C by 2030.</p><p><strong>3. Forests Provide Food for Millions</strong></p><p>More than <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">86 million people depend on forests for their livelihoods</a>. Globally, 1 billion people rely on wild foods including meat, insects, plants, mushrooms and fish. As well as <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">providing edible plants</a> and <a href="http://www.fao.org/forestry/food-security/en/" target="_blank">protecting water sources</a>, forests also provide shelter for animals kept by forest dwellers.</p><p><strong>4. Forests Are Natural Aqueducts</strong></p><p>Forests provide "relatively pure water", not just for indigenous peoples, but also for <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a1598e/a1598e10.htm" target="_blank">some of the world's largest cities</a>, according to the FAO. One-third of the world's metropolises get all or part of their drinking water from forest-protected areas, including Bogotá, Jakarta, Karachi, Madrid, Mumbai and Singapore.</p><p><strong>5. Forests Host 80% of Earth's Biodiversity</strong></p><p>Forests are home to <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/forest-habitat#:~:text=Forests%20are%20home%20to%2080,%2C%20animals%2C%20fungi%20and%20bacteria." target="_blank">80% of the world's animals, plants, fungi and bacteria.</a> They include <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/" target="_blank">almost two-thirds of all plants,</a> three-quarters of all birds, 80% of amphibians and 68% of mammals. The most biologically diverse and complex forests are tropical rainforests, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, because rainfall is abundant and temperatures are consistently high.</p><p><strong>One Trillion Trees</strong></p><p>The World Economic Forum has launched <a href="https://www.1t.org/" target="_blank">an initiative to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees</a> to help curb climate change. Research has shown the importance of nature-based solutions, such as conservation, restoration and reforestation, in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. But, these must take place alongside other measures, particularly decarbonizing industry.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/five-hidden-benefits-forests-climate-change/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>
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A bald eagle flies over Lake Michigan. KURJANPHOTO / iStock / Getty Images Plus
A Michigan bald eagle proved that nature can still triumph over machines when it attacked and drowned a nearly $1,000 government drone.
<p>The rogue eagle tussled with a drone operated by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) July 21, the <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/mienvironment/0,9349,7-385-93394-535800--,00.html" target="_blank">department announced Thursday</a>. EGLE asked the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) if it could issue a citation against the eagle, but the department said it had no authority over non-human <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a>.</p><p>"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do," a DNR spokesman said. "Nature is a cruel and unforgiving mistress."</p>
<div id="8ea22" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc370b31e6e769409784c7396fce9aef"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1293889288183013377" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Shoreline-mapping EGLE #drone sent to watery Lake Michigan grave by U.P. bald eagle: https://t.co/cpt7Gx8kkG… https://t.co/2SeaNgzDIX</div> — Michigan EGLE (@Michigan EGLE)<a href="https://twitter.com/MichiganEGLE/statuses/1293889288183013377">1597322220.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The drone, a $950 Phantom 4 Pro Advanced, was helping to map the Lake Michigan shoreline for erosion when the eagle struck.</p><p>EGLE environmental quality analyst and drone pilot Hunter King said he had commanded the drone to return from a mapping expedition near Escanaba in Michigan's Upper Peninsula because of weak satellite reception. He was watching it head back through a video screen when the image began to rotate violently.</p><p>"It was like a really bad rollercoaster ride," King said.</p><p>When he looked up, the drone had disappeared, and an eagle was racing away. A couple who had been birdwatching nearby said they had seen an eagle attack something, but did not know it was a drone. The eagle appeared to fly away from the incident unharmed.</p>
<p>"The attack could have been a territorial squabble with the electronic foe, or just a hungry eagle. Or maybe it did not like its name being misspelled," EGLE wrote.</p><p>After the eagle struck, the drone took 3.5 seconds to plummet into the water, <a href="https://apnews.com/d1d82d7519063f09911b7cde3cd8465a" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported</a>. During that time, it sent 27 warning notifications, including one indicating one of its propellers was missing, likely torn off by the bird.</p><p>King and the couple tried and failed to find the fallen drone, EGLE said. Later attempts to recover the drone based on data pinpointing its location in the water also proved unsuccessful due to poor visibility.</p>
<p>It is not unusual for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/birds" target="_self">birds</a> to attack drones, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bald-eagle-takes-down-michigan-government-drone-n1236687" target="_blank">NBC News reported</a>.</p><p>"Hunting birds, such as eagles and hawks, are especially dangerous," <a href="https://3dinsider.com/bird-drone-attacks/" target="_blank">3D Insider wrote</a>. "They can be very territorial, and they will treat any flying object as a prey."</p><p>The Dutch police have even trained eagles to take out quadcopters because of the increased use of drones to smuggle illegal drugs or commit other crimes.</p><p>But EGLE's drone was not doing anything illegal. Instead, it was providing a beneficial service by mapping erosion to help communities respond to high water levels. To save future drones from falling in the line of duty, the department is considering using "skins" or other adjustments to make them look less like seagulls.</p>But while the bald eagle attack was bad news for the drone, it is ultimately a positive sign for the formerly <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered species</a>, <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/08/14/flight-lake-michigan-eagle-drone-escanaba/3372889001/" target="_blank">The Detroit News pointed out</a>. The birds' Michigan population has soared from just 76 in the early 1970s to around 2,500 today.
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The peloton ride passes through fire-ravaged Fox Creek Road in Adelaide Hills, South Australia, during the Tour Down Under cycling event on January 23, 2020. Brenton Edwards / AFP / Getty Images
A professional cycling race in Australia is under attack for its connections to a major oil and gas producer, the Guardian reports.
<p>Santos, an Australia-based oil and gas company is the title sponsor of the Tour Down Under, a prestigious stage race held each January at the beginning of the professional cycling calendar. </p><p>Race organizers were forced to shorten or modify stages of in 2017, 2018, and 2019 due to extreme heat and in 2020 the peloton rode through areas hit by bushfires. </p><p>Organizers with Fossil Free South Australia criticized the hypocrisy of the event, so directly affected by climate change, for accepting sponsorship from an oil and gas company.</p>
<p>The interplay of professional cycling and climate change are myriad, if ironic. </p><p>Though cycling is promoted the world over as a form of low-carbon transportation, multiple World Tour teams are sponsored by fossil fuel companies and Middle Eastern petro-states, and the carbon footprint of the infrastructure around the professional peloton — from international air travel between races to the caravans of cars and motorbikes that follow the peloton on the road — is enormous. </p><p>Yet professional riders feel global warming's impacts acutely. One stage of last year's Tour de France saw temperatures above 40°C (104°F) with temperatures on the road, directly above the scorching pavement, as much as 20°C (68°F) hotter.</p>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/aug/12/this-is-a-wake-up-call-how-will-pro-cycling-address-its-own-climate-crisis?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=93243956&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-89WdLT7XpWfvv3jnnmmZpN3ni_6AliBFTGSoRav6n9xGLRpezRzt0F0MGkhxKJlTzP49ynOGwQ4Wj17C7xOOIyhaORDMf-AtPkEy04YOyhfdCEvKM&utm_content=93243956&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">The Guardian</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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UQ study lead Francisca Ribeiro inspects oysters. The study of five different seafoods revealed plastic in every sample. University of Queensland
<p>Researchers bought raw samples of popular seafood from a market in Australia, including 10 oysters, 10 farmed tiger prawns, 10 wild squid, five wild blue crab and 10 wild sardines, reported <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8619413/Microplastics-sample-seafood-purchased-market.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>. At least trace levels of plastic contamination were found in each, with the highest content found in sardines, according to the research.</p><p>The scientists used a new technique to identify and measure five different types of plastics contained within the tissues of each sample of seafood simultaneously, reported <a href="https://www.intrafish.com/sustainability/new-study-finds-plastic-traces-in-all-seafood-samples/2-1-857286" target="_blank">Intrafish</a>. They did so in order to better understand the potential harm <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/microplastics" target="_self">microplastics</a> in seafood could have on human health, lead author Francisca Ribeiro said in a <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2020/08/research-reveals-microplastic-content-levels-seafood" target="_blank">University of Queensland press release</a>.</p>
<p>The study, published by the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland in <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.0c02337" target="_blank"><em>Environmental Science & Technology</em></a>, found greatly varying amounts of plastic in each of the different types of seafood tested as well as in the individual species, said a <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/homepage/title_809571_en.html" target="_blank">University of Exeter press release</a>.</p><p>"From the edible marine species tested, sardines had the highest plastic content, which was a surprising result," Riberio told the University of Queensland. "Another interesting aspect was the diversity of microplastic types found among species, with polyethylene predominant in fish and polyvinyl chloride the only plastic detected in oysters."</p>
<p>Riberio compared the exposure levels to microplastics in the University of Exeter release: "Considering an average serving, a seafood eater could be exposed to approximately 0.7mg of plastic when ingesting an average serving of oysters or squid, and up to 30mg of plastic when eating sardines, respectively …. For comparison, 30mg is the average weight of a grain of rice."</p><p>The new method is a "major step forward" towards plastic quantification techniques in seafood because it allows results to be reported in a mass unit, something wasn't possible before, noted the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2020/08/research-reveals-microplastic-content-levels-seafood" target="_blank">University of Queensland release</a>.</p><p>"We can now define what microplastic levels can be considered harmful to human health," Ribeiro said in the release.</p>
<p>The plastics found by the scientists are commonly used in plastic packaging and synthetic textiles, including polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and poly (methyl methacrylate), reported <a href="https://www.intrafish.com/sustainability/new-study-finds-plastic-traces-in-all-seafood-samples/2-1-857286" target="_blank">Intrafish</a>. Polyvinyl chloride was found in all samples, while the plastic found in highest concentrations was polyethylene, the world's most popular plastic, reported <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8619413/Microplastics-sample-seafood-purchased-market.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>.</p><p>These plastics frequently end up in waterways and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/oceans/" target="_self">oceans</a>, where they continue to break down into microplastics, very small pieces of plastics that are often eaten by marine creatures of all sizes and types. Microplastics are absorbed by plankton, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bioaccumulation" target="_self">bioaccumulate</a> as they are <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/shark-plastic-stomach-2646956951.html" target="_self">carried up the food chain</a> and eventually end up on our plates, reported <a href="https://www.energylivenews.com/2020/08/13/your-seafood-platter-might-contain-a-hidden-ingredient-plastic/" target="_blank">Energy Live News</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/people-eat-microplastics-2638716775.html" target="_self">Humans are exposed to microplastics</a> not only in the seafood we eat, but also through bottled water, sea salt, beer, honey, and even dust that settles on our meals, the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/homepage/title_809571_en.html" target="_blank">University of Exeter release</a> said.</p><p>"We do not fully understand the risks to human health of ingesting plastic, but this new method will make it easier for us to find out," co-author Tamara Galloway said in the release.</p><p>The next phase of the research will seek to identify the sources of the plastic contamination found in the seafood tested, noted the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2020/08/research-reveals-microplastic-content-levels-seafood" target="_blank">University of Queensland release</a>.</p>
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