Overpasses for furry pedestrians

If you heard that a crosswalk was being proposed over a major interstate highway, you would assume it was for pedestrians. But out in Colorado, one proposed overpass is for pedestrians of a more furry nature, namely moose, elk, and other wildlife. According to Environment and Energy Daily, one stretch of I-70 near Vail has been particularly deadly to various species, so plans are underway to design a wildlife overpass. North America has many underpasses, but only a handful of overpasses, and one in Canada has been used by animals nearly a quarter of a million times, dropping wildlife-vehicle [...]

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|2011-02-16T00:00:00-05:00February 16th, 2011|Comments Off on Overpasses for furry pedestrians

Of pelicans and people: CFACT staff visits affected region

By Duggan FlanakinThe nesting grounds of the Louisiana brown pelican are under siege from oil spurting out of the hole in the Gulf of Mexico created by the explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.  The pelican is perhaps the number one symbol of the damage caused by the human recklessness that apparently caused this "accident."  Running a close second, though, are the people of Louisiana, who have already lost jobs both from the oil that is fouling the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and heading inland and from the Obama administration's decision, made against the advice of experts, to [...]

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|2010-07-13T11:32:12-04:00July 13th, 2010|Comments Off on Of pelicans and people: CFACT staff visits affected region

Wolves’ comeback in western Great Lakes poses challenges

Once hunted to near extinction in the lower 48 by the middle of the 20th century, the majestic grey wolf is now on a roll in the Upper Midwest. And the growing number of wolf packs roaming the forests near the western Great Lakes is having an impact on local communities.

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|2014-03-19T15:34:05-04:00June 28th, 2010|Comments Off on Wolves’ comeback in western Great Lakes poses challenges

The po’ouli: Saying ‘aloha’ to this rare Hawaiian bird

Small and stocky with a partial black face described as a bandit’s mask, the Hawaiian bird known as the po’ouli has peaked scientists interest since it was first discovered in 1973.  Known only to exist near the slopes of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, the bird’s numbers have always alarmed conservationists, and now, tragically, the species seems destined for extinction.  The demise of the po’ouli can be attributed to predators like rats and mongoose, as well as diseases being spread by mosquitos.  Efforts to save the last three po’ouli were dashed when one died in captivity and the other [...]

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|2009-08-22T13:05:34-04:00August 22nd, 2009|Comments Off on The po’ouli: Saying ‘aloha’ to this rare Hawaiian bird

Giant pythons slither into Everglades

  For years, many have been establishing new homes in Florida.  But one new resident recently caused quite a stir and has government officials seeking his deportment. That newcomer is not a person, strangely enough, but a new class of wild python snakes that are now infesting the Everglades National Park.  According to CNS News, these Burmese pythons, which were originally native only to Southeast Asia, have been let loose in the wild by pet owners and are now adapting quite easily.  But since they can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh 250 pounds, these animals are [...]

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|2009-08-18T00:00:00-04:00August 18th, 2009|Comments Off on Giant pythons slither into Everglades

Dismal failure of Mexican Gray Wolf recovery program

Eleven years after the Clinton administration launched an ambitious plan to reintroduce the Mexican gray wolf in the desert Southwest, the plan is in shambles -- with dead wolves and cattle attesting to the failure of government biologists and bureaucrats to save the “lobo.” Officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which administers the Endangered Species Act (ESA), originally projected that, as a result of their recovery efforts, some 100 wolves would be thriving in the area by 2006. But, today, the number of wolves in the designated recovery area in the Gila National Forest along the Arizona-New Mexico [...]

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|2009-07-29T11:45:17-04:00July 29th, 2009|Comments Off on Dismal failure of Mexican Gray Wolf recovery program

Numbers of Amur Tigers pounce upward

Conservation efforts to revive Amur tigers have led to the animal’s comeback, and today local timber companies are preserving important areas of its habitat, and hunters are conserving its food supply of wild boar and deer.

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|2014-03-14T16:07:47-04:00October 20th, 2008|Comments Off on Numbers of Amur Tigers pounce upward

Stayin’ Alive with underwater strobes

If you heard that underwater strobe lights were being installed somewhere in Alabama, you might think it was for some new high-tech kind of disco. But actually, these strobe lights are being placed near the intake pipes of a coal-fired power plant, and are being tested as a new way to save fish from being trapped and killed.

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|2013-03-11T12:13:46-04:00March 5th, 2007|Comments Off on Stayin’ Alive with underwater strobes
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