Environmental News

A curated set of environmental news stories brought to you by the Gottlieb Native Garden team.

Everything You Need To Know About Feathers

From the fluffy down on a swan chick to the brilliant spiral on a King Bird-of-Paradise tail, feathers are remarkable not just in the way they look to the naked eye, but also for their intricate microstructure. 

Innovative birds have an evolutionary advantage

According to the research team led by McGill University, birds with innovative foraging strategies have a better chance of long-term survival.   They also found that bird species with the capacity to develop new feeding techniques were less vulnerable to environmental changes that threaten their populations. 

In the Mountains and Deserts of Utah, Columbia Spotted Frogs Are Sentinels of Climate Change

Mormon pioneers saw the frogs as messengers of clean water. Now, their survival is jeopardized by habitat loss, drought and soaring heat.

This Brutal Pesticide Creates a ‘Circle of Death.’ So Why Is It Making a Comeback?

Carbofuran, a century-old chemical, is increasingly being weaponized against birds and other wildlife, decimating entire food webs.

Designing an end to a toxic American obsession: The Lawn

Residential lawns cover 2% of US land and require more irrigation than any agricultural crop grown in the country.

Spring Migration in California

The birds you can spot near you

Border wall construction expands, despite pandemic, imperiling jaguars and other animals

With the world focused on coronavirus, the federal government paves way for 175 miles of new walls along U.S.-Mexico border, through prime wildlife corridors.

Camera traps in trees reveal a richness of species in Rwandan park

Can Parks Help Save Fireflies?

The most serious threats to fireflies, according to these scientists, were loss of habitat, light pollution and pesticides, with drought, flooding and extreme temperatures as lesser, but still very significant, threats. 

The fate of burrowing owls near Ontario airport up in the air

ONT has not responded favorably to preservation requests