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A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—And That's a Good Thing

Ashley Stimpson

July 27, 2021 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

The endangered San Francisco garter snake has made a comeback due to conservation efforts at the San Francisco International airport. They built ponds and wetlands to make the conditions ideal for the snake to thrive and as a result, approximately 1,300 snakes call the property home. While there are still issues with invasive plants and industrial runoff polluting the area, the ecological improvements have helped the snake population’s rebound.

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Next stop, the sea: Sri Lanka's old buses are a new home for marine life

Malaka Rodrigo

July 21, 2021 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, instead of letting old buses corrode in a junkyard they are being sunk in the ocean to serve as fish-breeding sites. Over 60 buses have been dumped in the ocean across three different sites. Scientists looked at factors like depth and wave patters to determine where to sink the buses.

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Tribes Are Leading the Way to Remove Dams and Restore Ecosystems

Lindsay VanSomeren

July 14, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Port Angeles, Washington

After decades of collaboration between the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in Washington state, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other organizations, the Elwha River dams were taken down to restore fish populations and return the ecosystem to its natural state. Grant funding has helped tribal biologists partner with organizations and universities to implement their fish restoration plan. While the work is expected to take years and funding isn’t always guaranteed, the restoration work so far has seen native plants and fish return.

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Chocpocalypse Now! Quarantine and the Future of Food

Nicola Twilley Cynthia Graber Geoff Manaugh

June 22, 2021 |

Gastropod |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Barrow Island, Western Australia

Off the coast of Australia, the energy company Chevron is experimenting with new quarantine management techniques to ensure that any plants and pests don’t hitchhike to new places, which can devastate the global food economy. They’ve redesigned shipping containers to make it harder for insects to tag along and they’ve created a video game to train workers on how to be better at finding these pests in their inspections. Some creatures and plants can slip through the process, but these tools have been successful and could be used in other ways.

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Bringing wild bison and an endangered ecosystem back

Louise Johns

June 04, 2021 |

High Country News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Research suggests that in the 1500s there were 30 million to 60 million bison, 400 years later roughly 1,000 remained. Today, their ecosystem, the Great Plains, is one of the most endangered in the world. However, there is a growing movement trying to change that. Across the U.S. indigenous communities are trying to return bison to parts of their historic range. This article looks at various ways indigenous communities are unfolding different methods to do just that, not only to grow the population, but to return them to their culture.

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Saving Mowers and Wildlife

Kristine Nemec

May 15, 2021 |

Stormwater Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

After the Vermont Agency of Transportation had to release more than 50 northern water snakes that were entangled in plastic erosion control netting alongside a road, the department looked for other products that could get the job done while also protecting wildlife. Many states, including Vermont, have switched to more biodegradable options that use natural fibers and found that there hasn’t been a difference in performance and haven’t seen any wildlife mixed up in the new netting.

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The Bright Side of the Green Crab

Moira Donovan

May 13, 2021 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Nova Scotia

The invasive European green crab was wreaking havoc on the soft-shell clam fishery in Nova Scotia. But fishers, researchers, and park officials worked together to remove as many of them as possible and find an alternative use for them. Their efforts were working: eelgrass meadows and clam populations were rebounding. Now, they’re testing how these crabs can be used in lobster bait, bioplastics, or even fertilizer for gardens.

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Turning oil platforms into reefs

Celestina Olulode

May 11, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Louisiana

After oil and gas platforms reach the end of their working lives, some are being turned into artificial reefs that can create new ecosystems in the ocean. Since the 1980s, 550 platforms have been reefed in the Gulf of Mexico and programs are springing up to help industry make the switch. These reefs can be home to fish and birds, and studies have shown that some species prefer these structures over their natural habitats. While not all environmentalists agree with leaving the platforms in the water, scientists are working to understanding how similar programs can be implemented in other parts of the world.

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The long shot that saved Belize's coral

Veronika Perkova

May 05, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Belize, Placencia

After a hurricane hit the coast of Belize in 2001, it essentially destroyed the coral reefs in Laughing Bird Caye National Park. Lisa Carne wanted to start transplanting coral to regrow the reefs, but it took five years to secure funding to start her project. Restoring coral reefs is a lot of effort, so she founded a nonprofit called Fragments of Hope that hired local residents to help. Because of her efforts, over 85,000 corals have been planted and 89 percent of them survived after 14 years, The techniques used are being applied in other countries like Colombia, Jamaica, and St. Barts.

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The detection dogs tracking poachers and Covid-19

Claire Bates

April 27, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Tanzania

Detection dogs and their handlers can be trained to sniff out any number of problems. In eastern Africa, the Canines for Conservation project has deployed dogs to search for poachers and illegally harvested wildlife products. By tracking poachers from the scenes of illegal kills and finding ivory and rhino horns stashed in warehouses and shipping containers far more efficiently than X-ray methods, the project has contributed to nearly 400 product seizures, higher conviction rates, and elimination of elephant poaching in parts of Kenya. The next frontier being tested: detecting COVID-19 infections.

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