The View From My Boots

Who knew?

2013-05-14T13:12:00.002-07:00

More than ten animals have gone extinct in the 21st century, two of which disappeared this year. Do you know what they were? Perhaps more importantly, will our children know (or care) enough to try and save the species we have left?

Photo courtesy of cfssinc.org via Wikimedia

Cheetah's Best Friend?

2013-05-07T16:58:00.003-07:00

Man's best friend is proving to be a great companion for cheetahs as well. Stray dogs are employed by the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to help cheetahs relax and enjoy captivity. Get the full scoop here.


Photo courtesy of USFWS

The ESA Turns 40

2013-05-03T12:24:00.002-07:00

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, and it only seems natural to celebrate by talking about species that have benefited from the protection this vital legislation has offered.

The gray wolf is a notable ESA success and is up for complete de-listing in the near future. Photo courtesy of USFWS.

Help Kids to Love a Stream

2013-04-26T10:39:00.003-07:00

One of the best ways to help endangered animals is by protecting their habitat, and one of the best ways to inspire the next generation to protect habitat is by helping them learn to love it. Find ideas for exploring a stream with kids here.

A Simple Way to Help Stream Habitat

2013-04-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

There are many ways that we can help improve the quality of our nation's streams, but one of the simplest methods for landowners is promoting the growth of lush, healthy riparian vegetation along stream banks. Learn how here.

In the Arctic, Cold is a Good Thing

2013-04-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

We all perceive the arctic as a harsh and formidable scape of land and sea. All that ice is daunting, making survival of any kind seem like a miracle. But for the species that have adapted to life at the top of the world, a warm-up is far from comforting. Learn why the habitat of the Arctic is threatened by climate change, and discover a handful of Arctic animals that are already considered endangered.

Why does all that ice matter? Photo courtesy of NOAA

Foreign Species Listed by the ESA

2013-04-25T12:56:00.001-07:00

Did you know that over 500 species of wildlife are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act? While the jurisdiction is limited to the affairs of U.S. citizens in other countries, this protection does help to raise awareness of these species' survival needs and also helps provide funding for conservation efforts. If you'd like to see a list of these species, click here.

Foreign endangered species like this slow loris can benefit from the Endangered Species Act.

Photo by Dan Bennett via Wikimedia Commons

Ice Age: The Animals Behind the Movies

2013-04-18T09:51:00.004-07:00

The three main characters we all know from the movie Ice Age and its sequels are based on animals that actually lived during the glacial age that began during the Pleistocene epoch. Manny, of course, is a wooly mammoth, Diego is a smilodon (commonly called a saber-toothed tiger), and Sid is a peculiar creature known as a giant ground sloth. However, the identity of the acorn-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat turned out to be a scientific surprise. Read more here.

Wooly Mammoth photo by Tracy O via Wikimedia Commons

De-extinction in Action

2013-04-17T18:25:00.004-07:00

The magnificent Pyrenean ibex, which fell into the abyss of extinction in 2000, is the one and only animal to have been recreated by means of cloning ... if only for a few moments.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

"Celia," the last ibex in the world, died after being rescued from beneath a fallen tree in the wild. Before she died, though, scientists collected DNA from her skin and preserved it in hopes of cloning her. Using these cells, researchers attempted cloning in 2009. After more than 50 attempts to implant Celia's cloned embryo in a living domestic goat, one embryo survived and was carried to term and born.

This event marked the first de-extinction of all time. However, the newborn clone died just seven minutes after its birth as a result of lung defects.

Find out more about the ibex and efforts to bring it back from the land of the lost here.

Make Way for Maleos

2013-04-17T18:17:00.001-07:00

What is a maleo?

It is one of those rare and beautiful birds that lives in a distant corner of the globe and is at risk of disappearing before most of us even learn what it is.

Photo by Stavenn via Wikipedia

Recently, maleos made the news when three chicks hatched at the Bronx Zoo, which is the only place other than their native Indonesian homeland that maleos can be found.

To learn a bit more about the mysterious maleo, click here.

Is De-Extinction a Word?

2013-03-28T11:53:00.001-07:00

Yes, really it is, and it means exactly what you think it does: recreating animals that have gone extinct.

Image by George Edwards via Wikimedia

This is not a futuristic Jetsons-meets-Jurassic Park concept anymore, friends. In this era of possibility, science will stop at nothing to challenge our ideas of what can be done.

The latest issue of National Geographic examines the genetic research that has already made the cloning of an extinct Pyrenean Ibex a reality (even if it was unsuccessful) and discusses a number of controversies surrounding the subject.

For a list of 10 species that are potentially viable candidates for de-extinction, read my latest article on About.com.

Species Most Likley to Feel the Heat

2013-03-27T11:32:00.002-07:00

Have you ever wondered which species will be the first to suffer the effects of climate change?

It's easy to name the polar bear, but what else?

Photo by USFWS

The IUCN has profiled nine animals that are most likely to be affected by climate change, and the Wilderness Conservation Society followed up with its own list of "Species Facing the Heat."

Learn which species are listed here.

Love Coffee? Read This ...

2013-03-27T09:52:00.002-07:00

Yes, I love coffee. Crave coffee. Wake up looking forward to my first cup.

That said, I'm trying to cut down ... really ... but that's another post.

Photo by Stewart Yu via Wikimedia

Today, I'm talking about how critical our choices of coffee are when it comes to protecting vast tropical habitats and their amazing bird species. Did you know that some of the same birds we enjoy watching in the springtime have wintered in coffee plantations?

It's true.

So, with the same devotion that you fill you bird feeders, read coffee labels. It matters. Learn more about why this is so important here.

His Ideas Can Save the Planet, Period

2013-03-26T13:28:00.002-07:00

Do you know Allan Savory yet?

Photo of Allan Savory courtesy of The Savory Institute

If not, it's time.

After all, this man has the answer to climate change.

Need I say more?

Wolverines

2013-03-19T09:36:00.003-07:00

Did you know that North America's most ferocious predator needs your help?

Photo by Jeffrey C. Lewis / Wikimedia

Don't worry--you don't need to get too close to lend a hand.

Because wolverines use deep snow as an advantage when hunting and denning to rear young, the warming trend associated with climate change is a significant threat to their survival.

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the wolverine under the Endangered Species Act.

Want to know more about how you can make a difference? Click here.

Movies Can Make a Difference

2013-03-18T09:18:00.002-07:00

Sometimes, the best way to learn about--and develop empathy for--endangered species is by watching a good movie.

This is especially true for kids, who are in the midst of developing their perspectives and interests about the world at large. So, I created a list of eight movies that have been tested and approved by my own offspring, ages 6 to 12, and are guaranteed to impart some sort of lasting impression regarding the species that star in them. You can see the list here.

One movie that I forgot to add is called Spirit Bear. It actually inspired my kids to write letters to the Canadian government in effort to help protect the rare white phase black bear from extinction in British Columbia.

Making a list, checking it twice ...

2013-03-06T12:48:00.003-08:00

If you've ever wondered exactly which birds and mammals are deemed endangered here in the United States, I've compiled the most recent list from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for easy reference. It's even organized alphabetically by common name. Check it out here.

Emblem of the USFWS

Of Red Spruce and Flying Squirrels

2013-02-27T11:49:00.001-08:00

They say you learn something new everyday. Some days, though, you might even learn two new things. Like today, for instance, I "discovered" the rare red spruce forest of Appalachia and the lovely little flying squirrels that call the red spruce habitat home.

This is a Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel photographed by the USFWS.

For years, the forest and its squirrel have been in danger of disappearing, but recent conservation efforts are making a difference.

Hey, creative kid conservationists, take a look:

2013-02-27T09:10:00.001-08:00

Kids in grades K through 12 are invited to participate in the Endangered Species Day art contest sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the International Child Art Foundation

Drawing of an Ozark Hellebender by my daughter, age 11.

Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2013. For more information, including judging criteria and an entry form,visit this page: Endangered Species Day Art Contest and Activities.

Something Fishy

2013-02-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

Did you hear the recent news that some of the fish we're buying from grocery stores, restaurants, and sushi bars are really not what we think they are?

In the relentless interest of the bottom line, these establishments are selling us cheap look-alikes (can you hear me sighing?)

It's not really a big surprise. Not long ago, I accepted surimi from a Japanese restaurant when the menu clearly read "crab."


Surimi doesn't come in a shell. Photo by Malagua via Wikimedia.

I want the truth, don't you?

Find out how to make the best choices of fish and seafood here.

If only I'd known ...

2013-02-25T13:06:00.001-08:00

Did you know that the National Geographic Society--long known for its intrepid explorers, amazing photographers, and captivating magazine--offers Young Explorers Grants?

It's true!

In my younger days, I would have given my hair to travel the world as a Nat Geo explorer!

These grants give budding adventurers ages 18 to 25 unique opportunities to pursue research, conservation, and exploration-related project.

How fun would that be?

If you know someone who might fit the bill, find out more about the grants here.

Paul McCartney and the Cayman Turtle Controversy

2013-02-22T15:39:00.003-08:00

Photo by Rich007 via Wikimedia Commons

Sir Paul McCartney, former member of the The Beatles, has expressed public support for the Campaign to Stop the Cayman Turtle Farm and urged the farm to pursue a "more humane, sustainable, and profitable alternative".

McCartney says he does not believe that there is any humane way to farm turtles.

Will the Sequester Stifle the Smithsonian National Zoo?

2013-02-21T12:59:00.001-08:00

As March looms nearer, staff at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C. are nervous about the effect the upcoming federal sequester could have on their facilities--and the animals that inhabit them.

“Our collection is a living collection,” Craig Saffoe , curator of the zoo’s big cats, told the Washington Post. “They need to be cared for every day, no matter what is happening above our heads.”

The Smithsonian plans to weather a potential five percent budget cut mainly by freezing hiring, reducing training, and delaying new construction. Some zoo projects, such as the planned acquisition of cheetahs for their research facility in Front Royal, Virginia, may have to be reconsidered.

Photo by the USFWS

A Rare Find

2013-02-20T13:27:00.003-08:00

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to communicate with Eric Dinerstein, Chief Scientist of the World Wildlife Fund. He contributed a story called "Tigerland" to my 2005 anthology, The Back Road to Crazy. Needless to say, I've been a longtime admirer of Eric's work, both in print and in the field.

So, I was thrilled to find that Eric has just published a new book called The Kingdom of Rarities.

In this global romp through mythic lands, readers get up-close-and-personal with many of the planet's rarest creatures and come away with a new understanding of why they're rare and how conservation might be able to save them from extinction.

Poacher-tracking in the Techno Age

2013-01-31T11:41:00.003-08:00

When you hear the word "drones," it's a common reaction to think Star Wars. All of those robotic gizmos in the movies served functions in their societies. Well, it turns out that our modern civilization is not so far from sci-fi in our technological prowess, and while much of our machinery is made for military operations, some of it is designed to promote peace--the peace of endangered species, that is.

Photo courtesy of USFWS

Curious? Read more about it here:

A Sci-Fi Approach to Saving Endangered Species