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Is the way cattle are grazed the key to saving America's threatened prairies?

Lynne Curry

August 19, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

An unlikely partnership between ranchers and conservationists is working together to protect grassland biodiversity on the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in Oregon. The Nature Conservancy has cultivated relationships with landowners in the area to promote sustainable grazing practices. While some ranchers are skeptical about the organization’s intentions in the area, one rancher says they are “a good neighbor” and because of his alliance with the nonprofit, his pastures have consistently achieved good ratings over the years.

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A secret hidden in centuries-old mud reveals a new way to save polluted rivers

Paul Voosen

August 18, 2020 |

Science Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Scientists have transformed a stream in Pennsylvania into a marshy waterway because of a restoration project that removed 22,000 tons of legacy sediment built up by colonial-era farming and logging. After removing meters of mud from the banks of Big Spring Run, native vegetation returned, which resulted in the storage of organic carbon tripling in the restored area and the amount of key pollutants in the stream sharply dropping. Similar restoration projects are being tried in other mid-Atlantic states.

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The Lobstermen of the Eastern Yucatán

Agostino Petroni Sandali Handagama

August 17, 2020 |

Nexus Media News |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Maria Elena Bay

A collective of fishers have adopted sustainable fishing practices to catch spiny lobsters in Maria Elena Bay in Mexico, while also protecting the species. To keep future lobster populations healthy, fishers will measure the tails of their catch and if it’s too small, they will toss them back to sea. Because of their efforts, lobster numbers have risen over the years, though they haven’t reached the levels seen in the 1980s.

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Can an Army of Feral Cats Solve New York City's Rat Problem?

Brendan Crowley

August 14, 2020 |

InsideHook |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York's Hard Hat Cats turns feral cats into working animals, deploying teams in outdoor spaces and indoor workplaces with rat infestations. Breweries, a prison, and other buildings have seen their rat populations plummet once cats are welcomed and cared for. The feral cats come from colonies of rehabilitated animals who have been trapped and neutered. The colonies prove less annoying to people once they are fed. Despite a lack of help from city officials, the working cats have earned their keep by addressing a problem that New Yorkers often complain about.

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How the World's Largest Garbage Dump Evolved Into a Green Oasis

Robert Sullivan Jade Doskow

August 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Staten Island, New York

The former Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island is turning into a public park that will accept visitors in 2021. By capping the trash site with plastic, covering it with soil, and planting native grasses, city officials are restoring the area’s former tidal wetlands and scrublands; nearly 314 plant and animal species have already been sighted. While the successful closing of the dump nearly 20 years ago means that the trash is being sent to other neighborhoods in the United States where people dealing with economic hardship live, the project could be a model for sustainability and urban renewal.

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Aquarium Fish, Hold the Cyanide

Stephenie Livingston

August 13, 2020 |

Hakai Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Indonesia, Bali

LINI for Reef to Aquarium, works with local villagers to implement sustainable fishing practices and restore reef habitats damaged by neurotoxins used to catch fish for the saltwater aquarium fish trade. LINI, with the community’s help, installed cement domes to provide refuges for ornamental fish in 2008. These alternative spots for collecting fish effectively removed pressure from natural reefs and by 2011, live coral cover had increased by 35% and continues to do well today. Villagers also started a land-based breeding program to take pressure off of the coral reefs.

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The Kitchen Garden Series upends the textiles industry by reviving an old Philly tradition: producing local linen

Courtney Duchene

August 13, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pottstown, Pennsylvania

A former costume designer and a farmer in Pennsylvania are partnering together to grow flax to produce their own linen. Since the fashion and textiles industries produce a lot of waste, the duo are reviving the crop that was traditionally grown in the area to raise awareness on the importance of a strong local textile supply chain. While harvesting the crop can be labor intensive and they don’t plan on making a profit from it this year, they hope to show that growing flax could be a staple crop in urban agriculture.

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How Montana Is Cleaning Up Abandoned Oil Wells

Ray Levy Uyeda

August 13, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Abandoned oil wells in Montana leak thousands of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year, so the Well Done Foundation is working to plug up those wells. In about a year, the foundation plugged its first three wells and expanded their program to other states. The data on the state of abandoned wells and its emissions isn’t complete, which makes it difficult to know the full extent of the problem. But, “what’s exciting about this is that we can make an impact one well at a time,” says Curtis Shuck, founder of the foundation.

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Zion National Park's shuttles are falling apart, but there is no funding to replace them. Why?

K. Sophie Will

August 13, 2020 |

St. George Spectrum & Daily News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Springdale, Utah

As part of a collaboration between Zion National Park and the nearby town of Springdale, shuttle buses were introduced to limit the amount of noise in the canyon and deal with issues of over parking. However, those shuttles have now reached the end of their lifespan and threaten to disrupt the flow of tourists into the park. Efforts to replace the buses with an electric fleet, that could also reduce carbon emissions, have hit roadblocks as they’ve been denied federal funding.

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A taste of honey: how bees mend fences between farmers and elephants

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

August 12, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

As the habitats of wild elephants shrink, conservationists in India are developing safer ways to reduce the number of conflicts between humans and the animal. The Wildlife Research and Conservation Society uses chili smoke and beehive fences as natural ways to divert elephants away from farmers’ crops. Since they started, there have been no casualties related to human-elephant conflict. The nonprofit Wildlife SOS uses radio collars to track the herd’s movement and alerts local villagers via WhatsApp of any potential conflicts. However, the success of some methods vary depending on the time of year.

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