Biodiversity

"National parks are full of awe, discovery, and even mystery. ... For the past 21 years, the National Parks Traveler has worked to keep the public informed not only on these aspects of the National Park System but on how the National Park Service and Congress have managed these incredible lands that are owned by the American taxpayers. ... Today, however, the Traveler is suspending operations due to insufficient funding."

"Zombie fires are not a new phenomenon, but researchers in Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada have found that with hotter summers and blazing wildfires, fire has the potential to lie dormant in dry undergrowth, even under snow. When the next summer rolls around, with dry conditions, those fires can reemerge."

"The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee proposed bipartisan legislation Friday that would authorize infrastructure and studies addressing flood risk and other water challenges, but the package is slimmer on new projects than past versions."

"Global plans to drill and expand fossil fuel projects overlap with marine protected areas and important fishing grounds, a new report finds."

"When President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Lilly last year to oversee management of the nation’s wildlife refuges and national parks, conservation advocacy organizations raised concerns over how his lack of public lands experience would impact the Department of the Interior’s conservation commitments."

"Cases of Powassan virus disease in New Jersey and New Hampshire have made national headlines in recent months because of the potential severity of the symptoms, which can include neurological problems such as memory loss, difficulty speaking and seizures. "

"In its 52 years, the Endangered Species Act has been a muscular protector of vulnerable plants and animals, invoked to stymie roads, development, and logging or shipping patterns, and shielding entire areas from activity that could edge those species toward extinction. Shifting the political winds to target the landmark law’s clout, the Trump administration has sought more leeway for energy, mining, and other industries that the ESA has interfered with in the name of protecting vulnerable species."

"The Trump administration and a company that is promising to bring long-gone animals back from extinction announced a partnership on Thursday to preserve cells, tissue and DNA from threatened and endangered species."

"A cacophony of honks and quacks greet Jim Faulstich on a spring afternoon visit to a shallow lake on his ranch on the South Dakota prairie. Hundreds of birds have landed in the wetlands for a drink, to feed, or to rest on their journey north. There are lots of ducks and gulls, but no whooping crane — which would be difficult to miss standing five-feet tall in the shallows foraging for food."