An Array of Utopian Flowers
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Defensible Space: My Wildfire-Appropriate Retrofit Journey – Part I
Posted on November 16, 2018 | 1 Comment -
KXL Blocked – How Indigenous People Will End Tar Sands Pipelines
Posted on November 12, 2018 | 1 Comment -
Mythological Journey to the Aztec Underworld
Posted on October 10, 2018 | 1 Comment -
Confronting Wildfire: Retrofit Communities, Not Forests
Posted on September 17, 2018 | 1 Comment -
San Onofre Nuclear Waste Dangers Compound
Posted on September 4, 2018 | No Comments
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WilderUtopia in 102 Languages
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Wildlife Archive
Wolves Howl in 21 Different Tongues, So to Speak
Posted on March 24, 2017 | 1 CommentAs US Republicans take aim at wolves in Alaska, research into their vocalizations found multiple identifiable "dialects" that establish differences between species.
Killing Washington’s Protected Wolves for Rancher’s Bottom Line
Posted on August 28, 2016 | No CommentsWashington State's move to extirpate an entire pack of wolves near the Canadian border for the infraction of killing a few alien domestic cattle grazing public lands is reprehensible. That wildlife agencies would kill any wolves to benefit the profit margin of private businesses utilizing public resources is an outrage. George Wuerthner writes how the tragedy of this slaughter of wild predators repeats itself over and over throughout the West.
The Bear: Grizzly King and the Wilderness Homeland
Posted on March 3, 2016 | No CommentsWatch the 1988 French film The Bear, by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the story of an orphaned cub and a grizzly in the end of the 19th Century wilderness of British Columbia. The story is based on the 1912 book by James Oliver Curwood.
Millions of Wild Hybrid Coywolves Roam Eastern US
Posted on January 1, 2016 | 1 CommentA new animal species has emerged in front of scientists’ eyes in eastern North America. With the emergence of coyote-wolf hybrids, called the coywolf, millions of these wily predators now roam at the edge of cities like Chicago and New York.
Wild Yellowstone Bison Conflict with Cattle Ranchers, Lose
Posted on December 11, 2015 | No CommentsWild bison will be allowed to migrate out of Yellowstone National Park and stay in parts of Montana year-round under a move by Gov. Steve Bullock. The decision won't end the slaughter of some bison that roam outside of the park, yet pushes against the collusion between cattle ranching interests and wildlife managers using the threat of brucellosis to justify private property and development rights over the spirit of the wild.
Mass Species Extinction and Wilding the Wilderness
Posted on November 14, 2015 | 1 CommentChristopher Ketcham writes on our continuing anthropogenic (human-caused) extinction, and the ineffectual and often misguided attempts at appeasement for the destroyers of wilderness and consumers of the Earth's bounty. E.O. Wilson's push for parks and wilderness connected by corridors: half for us, half for them, might just be the answer.
Protecting the Sage-Grouse in a Sea of Natural Gas
Posted on September 15, 2015 | No CommentsWhile stopping short of full endangered species protections for the Greater Sage-Grouse, the Obama-era Fish and Wildlife Service implemented land use plans to restrict energy development and grazing in the expanse of northwestern U.S. desert called the Sagebrush Sea, depicted in a 2015 documentary. The Trump Interior Department attempted to amend that plan to open up more commercial activities. We feature here an essay on Wyoming's core plan attempts to salvage the state's last populations in a landscape dominated by energy development.
California Sea Lion Suffering Warming Pacific, Disappeared Sardines
Posted on April 21, 2015 | No CommentsSick, starving and dying sea lion pups are washing up on the shores of California in record numbers this year. The culprit? An unusual blob of record warm water parked off the North Pacific Coast for a year and a half, affecting circulation and weather patterns with no relief in sight. Hence, sardine fisheries have collapsed with wildlife heading north.
Silencing the Thunder: Bison Management in Yellowstone
Posted on March 18, 2015 | 1 CommentThe amazing bison, revered by native societies, survives despite its continued sacrifice at the demand of the cattle industry. While slaughter continues at the borders of Yellowstone National Park, bison managers consider alternative management policies. Also watch the documentary, "Silencing the Thunder."
Disappearing Cod: Sustainable Populations Require Long-Term Action
Posted on January 2, 2015 | 5 CommentsThe NOAA is shutting down cod fishing for six months, from Provincetown, Mass., up to the Canadian border, in an effort to reverse plummeting numbers of the iconic fish in the Gulf of Maine. Jeffery Bolster argues humans have depredated the Atlantic’s fish stocks for centuries, and the focus on short-term fixes only compounds the problem.
An Orangutan’s Journey Though Palm Oil Killing Fields
Posted on December 8, 2014 | No CommentsThe film "Green" documents deforestation and orangutan extinction in the Indonesian rainforest. It is a silent film (without narration) presenting the treasures of rainforest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations.
Living With Wolves: Science Must Inform Politics
Posted on July 22, 2014 | No CommentsReviled by ranchers and hunters, managed through "harvesting" by state wildlife agencies, with ardent conservationists its last hope, the gray wolf has cut a controversial wake in the North American landscape ever since it was reintroduced from Canada in 1995. Watch the film on Earth Focus.
Hear the Buffalo – A Film By Gene Bernofsky
Posted on March 12, 2014 | 1 CommentHear the Buffalo is a heartfelt plea to preserve the last wild bison roaming Yellowstone National Park, their significance in Native American culture, and the ongoing injustices they experience by attempts to manage populations outside the park in Montana.
Last Wild Bison Persist Despite Montana Wildlife Politics
Posted on March 12, 2014 | 2 CommentsA twenty-year old activist blocked the access road to Yellowstone National Park’s Stephens Creek bison trap, preventing more of the last wild bison from being shipped to slaughter. As well, the Montana Supreme Court recently supported efforts to expand bison migratory habitat north of the park in the Gardiner Basin.
Bear Witness: First Nations Protect Grizzlies in British Columbia
Posted on December 31, 2013 | 1 CommentA documentary film, Bear Witness, chronicles the efforts of Canadian Coastal First Nations to protect grizzly bears from sport hunters on the British Columbian coast.
Jay Mallonee on Roaming with the Wolf Pack
Posted on August 26, 2013 | 2 CommentsPolitics, not sound wolf scientific research, has influenced the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s efforts toward removing gray wolves across the country from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Jay Mallonee, researcher from Wolf & Wildlife Studies, has found that left alone, wolves regulate their own populations with highly sophisticated social interactions within the pack. Unfortunately, the hunting and ranching lobbies don't support the theory we should learn to live with top predators as a necessity for ecosystem health.
Sharkwater: Sea Shepherd Battles Shark-fin Poachers in the Pacific
Posted on July 15, 2013 | 1 CommentRob Stewart's beautifully shot documentary "Sharkwater," set in the Galapagos and Isla del Coco of the Pacific Ocean, refutes those who vilify the shark as a killer of humans, insisting they do not wish to eat us. He also films Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson's attack on the Costa Rican shark fin poachers, which has led to international charges for the famous defender of the sea.
Wolves Forsaken By Wildlife Agencies, Hunters and Ranchers
Posted on June 11, 2013 | 3 CommentsPresident Obama's Department of the Interior announced the national delisting of all wolves except the Mexican wolf. Prominent conservationists argue this is wrong-headed because (1) the wolf isn’t really recovered, and (2) Existing state management is so bad that the “recovered” population will soon decline to nothing but a tiny token population.
Wildlife Crossings: Animals Survive with Bridges and Tunnels
Posted on May 19, 2013 | 6 CommentsProviding crossing infrastructure at key points along transportation corridors is known to improve safety, reconnect habitats and restore wildlife movement. Throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North American, wildlife crossing structures have been implemented with demonstrable success.
Wolf Wars: Anti-Science Haters Propose Ending All US Protections
Posted on March 27, 2013 | 1 CommentWestern environmental groups oppose the anti-scientific "political" Endangered Species delisting of gray wolves across the U.S. by Fish and Wildlife Service. Reduced wolf numbers will reduce positive ecological effects of these top predators and permit barbaric hunting methods.
California Condor: Overcoming Extinction, A Symbol of Renewal
Posted on March 6, 2013 | 2 CommentsThe California Condor Recovery Program has defied the odds to rescue from oblivion the last of the prehistorics and icon of Native Californian cosmology. Threats such as lead ammunition, microtrash, and sprawling land development threaten these impressive gains of an endangered species. The film "The Condor's Shadow" documents this struggle.
George Wuerthner: Habitat Conservation, Not Hunting, Saves Grizzly Bears
Posted on January 4, 2013 | 1 CommentWildlife Agencies advocate hunting helps grizzly recovery. The best available science, however, suggests predators including bears, wolves, mountain lion and coyotes have intricate social interactions that are disrupted or damaged by indiscriminate killing from hunters and trappers. Habitat protection is the main way to protect the fledgling population of grizzly bears as well as avoid human-bear conflicts.
Howler Monkeys Among the Maya: Divine Patrons to the Artisans
Posted on November 15, 2012 | 1 CommentJohn Lloyd Stephens, who documented important Maya sites in Central America in 1839, described howler monkeys found at the ruins of Copán as "grave and solemn, almost emotionally wounded, as if officiating as the guardians of consecrated ground." Today, in sites such as Tikal, they remain standing guard over the ruins, sharing space with hundreds of tourists.
Santa Ana Mountains: Vestige of Wild Coastal Southern California
Posted on May 5, 2012 | No CommentsFollowing the footsteps of Willis E. Pequegnat, a biologist from the 1930s who explored the wild Santa Ana Mountains in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, this video field journal logs the wonders and threats to this thriving resource.
Elephants in Borneo: Need Lowland Forest Range
Posted on March 9, 2012 | 2 CommentsForest fragmentation and destruction is imperiling the Bornean elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), according to a new paper published in PLoS ONE. Using satellite collars to track the pachyderms for the first time in the Malaysian state of Sabah, scientists found elephants sensitive to habitat fragmentation from palm oil plantations and logging.
