Fish and Amphibians

In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Heat waves shimmer and rise above the overgrown cranberry bog. Large dragonflies buzz to and fro over the field of cattails, saplings and large green weeds. A red-winged blackbird lands in a leafless tree and begins to sing. In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Work is progressing on the Foothills Preserve and Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Located across from each other on Beaver Dam Road, the conservation parcels are getting a combined makeover so they can be returned to the way they looked more than a century ago. "It’s an ongoing wetlands stream restoration project," says Dave Gould, Plymouth’s director of Marine and Environmental Affairs. "We’re working on some of the smaller ponds for duck habitat, as well as the stream channels where we are creat...

In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Heat waves shimmer and rise above the overgrown cranberry bog. Large dragonflies buzz to and fro over the field of cattails, saplings and large green weeds. A red-winged blackbird lands in a leafless tree and begins to sing. In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Work is progressing on the Foothills Preserve and Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Located across from each other on Beaver Dam Road, the conservation parcels are getting a combined makeover so they can be returned to the way they looked more than a century ago. "It’s an ongoing wetlands stream restoration project," says Dave Gould, Plymouth’s director of Marine and Environmental Affairs. "We’re working on some of the smaller ponds for duck habitat, as well as the stream channels where we are creat...

Malaika Vaz is a National Geographic explorer, adventure sports athlete, wildlife presenter and filmmaker. Based out of Goa, the 23-year-old is the youngest person to have been on an expedition to both the Antarctica and Arctic at the age of 16. She is the only international filmmaker to be awarded the National Geographic ROAR Talent bursary for the Wildscreen Festival in 2016. On International Tiger Day , we speak to Malaika Vaz, who shares her experience with spotting tigers, the role of local communities in protecting them and what we can do to stop hunting and illegal trade. Malaika Vaz Excerpts from the interview: How do you think the pandemic has affected tiger conservation?  Tiger conservation is only possible when the people who live alongside tigers are a conservation priority. Tigers are huge drivers of the ecotourism industry in India, which employs large numbers of people from local communities - and with tourism shutting down, these communities hav...

In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Heat waves shimmer and rise above the overgrown cranberry bog. Large dragonflies buzz to and fro over the field of cattails, saplings and large green weeds. A red-winged blackbird lands in a leafless tree and begins to sing. In the distance, heavy construction equipment rips through the thick undergrowth to create a new stream bed across the wetlands. Work is progressing on the Foothills Preserve and Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Located across from each other on Beaver Dam Road, the conservation parcels are getting a combined makeover so they can be returned to the way they looked more than a century ago. "It’s an ongoing wetlands stream restoration project," says Dave Gould, Plymouth’s director of Marine and Environmental Affairs. "We’re working on some of the smaller ponds for duck habitat, as well as the stream channels where we are creat...

Biodiversity , Editors' Choice , Environment , Featured , Headlines , Latin America & the Caribbean , Regional Categories , Sustainability , TerraViva United Nations Biodiversity Could indiscriminate hunting lead to an outbreak of another zoonotic disease in Trinidad and Tobago. In this Voices from the Global South podcast our correspondent Jewel Fraser finds out. PORT OF SPAIN, Jul 23 2020 (IPS) - Most of  the countries in the Caribbean have done a great job of containing the COVID-19 pandemic, with a few notable exceptions, namely, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A University of Oxford study highlighted Trinidad and Tobago as being among the most successful. However, management of wildlife and illegal hunting in that country remains ineffective.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists 66 endangered or vulnerable species in Trinidad and Tobago, including fish and amphibians. A few, like the Piping Guan, are listed as critically endangered becaus...

Various forms of mercury are released naturally by volcanoes and weathering of rocks and soil. Human activities, such as mining or burning fossil fuels, can also release the element into the environment, where aquatic microbes can convert it into the toxic form, methylmercury. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology have shown that dragonfly larvae, collected from national parks as part of a citizen-scientist engagement program, can serve as sentinels for mercury bioaccumulation. High levels of methylmercury can cause cardiovascular and neurological problems in people and impair reproduction in fish and other wildlife. Sentinels are organisms used to detect risks to humans from environmental hazards. So, by monitoring total mercury and methylmercury levels in sentinels, scientists can have an early warning system for when levels get dangerously high. But finding an ideal sentinel for monitoring mercury nationwide has been tricky -- the same fis...

Be careful what you wish for. Since the invasive Northern snakehead first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2004, the predatory fish has, surprisingly, been well-received by some anglers. Even though the invasive fish can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, some anglers like the fact that they’re here because, well, they’re fun to catch. That’s unsettling. Snakeheads are aggressive fish with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and a head larger in proportion to its body, which means it can consume a prey species of all sizes. Snakeheads are native to China, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission believes they’re present in the lower Schuylkill and Delaware rivers. The invasive fish recently turned up in the lower Susquehanna this spring as well. That’s bad news, and it’s even more concerning that some are heralding the arrival of the snakehead for the simple reason that they’re fun to catch. While a snakehead can smash a topwater lure with a vengeance and put up a wicked fight, that s...

Be careful what you wish for. Since the invasive Northern snakehead first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2004, the predatory fish has, surprisingly, been well-received by some anglers. Even though the invasive fish can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, some anglers like the fact that they’re here because, well, they’re fun to catch. That’s unsettling. Snakeheads are aggressive fish with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and a head larger in proportion to its body, which means it can consume a prey species of all sizes. Snakeheads are native to China, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission believes they’re present in the lower Schuylkill and Delaware rivers. The invasive fish recently turned up in the lower Susquehanna this spring as well. That’s bad news, and it’s even more concerning that some are heralding the arrival of the snakehead for the simple reason that they’re fun to catch. While a snakehead can smash a topwater lure with a vengeance and put up a wicked fight, that s...

We humans haven’t exactly been thrilled by this year’s cool, wet start to summer. But our wild fish and amphibians sure have been and, if plants could talk, they’d totally agree.  Growers throughout the Sea to Sky region are reporting some of their best crops ever. With my tiny, but flourishing, patio garden, I’ll modestly count myself amongst them. And if you’ve been out on the trails getting your “nature bath” lately, I bet you’ve spotted some of the best-looking wild berries in years. Step 2 is bothering to stop and taste a few. If you do, you’ll discover that this year’s wild berry crop is also one of the tastiest ever. Last weekend, I was amazed how many people simply kept walking (or jogging) as we were gorging like hungry critters on sweet, delicious thimbleberries and Saskatoons (some call them service berries). So here’s a friendly nudge from me and ecologist and Whistler Naturalists founder, Bob Brett: Get out there and enjoy a wild berry feast.  To get you star...

Be careful what you wish for. Since the invasive Northern snakehead first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2004, the predatory fish has, surprisingly, been well-received by some anglers. Even though the invasive fish can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, some anglers like the fact that they’re here because, well, they’re fun to catch. That’s unsettling. Snakeheads are aggressive fish with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and a head larger in proportion to its body, which means it can consume a prey species of all sizes. Snakeheads are native to China, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission believes they’re present in the lower Schuylkill and Delaware rivers. The invasive fish recently turned up in the lower Susquehanna this spring as well. That’s bad news, and it’s even more concerning that some are heralding the arrival of the snakehead for the simple reason that they’re fun to catch. While a snakehead can smash a topwater lure with a vengeance and put up a wicked fight, that s...

Return to homepage × You have run out of free articles. You can support our newsroom by joining at our lowest rate! Already a subscriber? Loading&hellp; No thanks, return to homepage. × Sign Up Today and Support Local Journalism Enjoy more articles from Butte's Most Trusted Information Source. Subscribers can log in for unlimited digital access Elkhorn Mountains Bureau of Land Management Montana and Dakotas A U.S. magistrate judge has recommended that a Bureau of Land Management prescribed burning project in the Elkhorn Mountains be halted as a court case proceeds. Judge Timothy J. Cavan made the recommendation Monday on BLM’s Iron Mask Project northwest of Townsend in response to a lawsuit from Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council. The case will now need to go before a U.S. District Court judge for a final determination. The Iron Mask Project calls for cutting juniper and limber pine along...

A U.S. magistrate judge has recommended that a Bureau of Land Management prescribed burning project in the Elkhorn Mountains be halted as a court case proceeds. Judge Timothy J. Cavan made the recommendation Monday on BLM’s Iron Mask Project northwest of Townsend in response to a lawsuit from Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council. The case will now need to go before a U.S. District Court judge for a final determination. The Iron Mask Project calls for cutting juniper and limber pine along with prescribed burning on about 5,000 acres northwest of Townsend. The project included planning for a roughly 5,600-acre property the agency acquired through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and provides for a “forage reserve” grazing system, which would allow livestock grazing in cases where other grazing allotments were unavailable due to circumstances such as drought or wildfire. The groups, which successfully sued BLM to halt the project in 2018, filed suit again in M...

Return to homepage × You have run out of free articles. You can support our newsroom by joining at our lowest rate! Already a subscriber? Loading&hellp; No thanks, return to homepage. × Sign Up Today and Support Local Journalism Enjoy more articles from Helena's Most Trusted Information Source. Subscribers can log in for unlimited digital access Elkhorn Mountains Bureau of Land Management Montana and Dakotas A U.S. magistrate judge has recommended that a Bureau of Land Management prescribed burning project in the Elkhorn Mountains be halted as a court case proceeds. Judge Timothy J. Cavan made the recommendation Monday on BLM’s Iron Mask Project northwest of Townsend in response to a lawsuit from Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council. The case will now need to go before a U.S. District Court judge for a final determination. The Iron Mask Project calls for cutting juniper and limber pine alon...