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AQUATIC HABITAT CONNECTIVITY
In 2023, Connecticut removed Strong Pond Dam after 20 years of planning. 3 years later, 10 upstream miles are open to fish, reconnecting 20 miles of habitat for wildlifeThe removal of Strong Pond Dam in Wilton, Connecticut, marks a significant achievement in river restoration. This initiative has revitalize...
- Science says flamingos don’t start out pink: Here’s how their food changes the color of their feathers
Canthaxanthin is one of the major carotenoids associated with flamingo coloration. Astaxanthin and other carotenoid derivatives can also co...
In 2021, an Oregon farmer turned 70 acres of his barley farm into a wetland. Four years later it attracts thousands of birds and helps endangered fish surviveIn Oregon, a farmer has transformed seventy acres of barley into a thriving managed wetland, fostering a habitat for countless waterfowl an...
In 1905, a Bohemian prince released 5 muskrats into his estate. By 1914, their population had exploded to 2 MillionIntroduced near Prague in 1905, five muskrats quickly proliferated throughout Europe. Utilizing waterways as pathways, these semi-aquatic r...
In 1997, US Army began Maryland's oyster restoration partnership in Chesapeake Bay. 24 years later, about 600 acres of new oyster bars had been created across MarylandMaryland partnership formally began with the project cooperation agreement executed in February 1997. Restoration sites eventually included...
In 2023, North Carolina's Catawba Lands Conservancy took on 80 acres damaged by erosion and invasive plants. 3 years later, the project aims to bring 1,000 people into restoration nearbyCatawba Lands Conservancy is restoring eighty acres within Mountain Creek Park. This project addresses soil erosion and invasive plant spec...
415 million years ago, giant scorpions the size of a Golden Retreiver prowled Britain — and its story is now rewriting prehistoric historyScientists identified Praearcturus gigas as the largest known scorpion, measuring one meter long. This ancient predator lived approximately...
In 2014, East Bay Regional Park District began restoring Dotson Family Marsh, creating channels that reconnected it to the San Francisco Bay. 6 years later, tidal wetlands had returnedHistory of Dotson Family Marsh helps explain why its recovery matters. The broader 150-acre property was acquired by the East Bay Regional ...
James Cagney and brother bought California grassland in the 1940s; after parts were sold, six decades later the remaining 417 acres became a wildlife havenHollywood actor James Cagney and his brother William once owned hundreds of acres near Ramona, California. Decades later, 417 acres of the ...
In 2018, Natasha Whetzel helped burn 20 acres at Delaware’s Hurley Tract to restore habitat. 10 weeks later, native purple love grass had spread extensively, transforming the site into habitats for birds and pollinatorsConservation work in southern Delaware is helping restore and protect important habitats within the Nanticoke River watershed. At Middlefor...
In 1994, Idaho listed Rapid Creek for sediment impairment. 18 years later, restoration improved habitat scores and Lower Rapid Creek was removed from the 2012 impaired waters listRapid Creek in southeastern Idaho offers a compelling example of how long-term watershed restoration can transform water quality and aquati...
In 2008, Minnesota listed Fish Lake as impaired for nutrients after severe algae blooms. 16 years later, the lake improved enough to be delisted after treatments and restorationThe 2008 impairment designation was an important step because it formally recognized that the lake was not meeting the desired water-qualit...
In 1972, a 3,300-acre preservation effort began protecting the Elk River Chain of Lakes in Michigan. More than 50 years later, monitoring shows water quality remains healthyMore than half a century ago, a conservation effort in northern Michigan set out to protect an extraordinary network of waterways, and its ...
In 2016, NYSDEC and partners removed Shapp Pond Dam after 50 years of blocking migratory fish. 4 years later, restored habitat showed significant gains in stream health and wildlifeThe removal of the Shapp Pond Dam in Dutchess County, New York, helped restore aquatic connectivity and improve stream habitat along the Ea...
In 2004, community partners began tackling Kent Park Lake's nutrient and sediment pollution. 20 years later, the lake met water quality standards and was removed from Iowa's impaired-waters list in 2024Kent Park Lake restoration took 20 years to deliver a result Iowa officials could finally recognize. The lake once struggled with nutrient ...
In 2016, researchers restored 452 meters of Maryland's Muddy Creek with woodchips, sand and gravel. 2 years later, monitoring found suspended sediment fell 73.8%, improving stream functionMuddy Creek is a tributary of the Rhode River and flows through the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, an important site for ecolog...
In 2022, researchers began work on a 3/4-mile Cherry Creek restoration in Pennsylvania. 4 years later, the stream has better habitat, cleaner water and healthier floodplains nowA restoration project along a three-quarter-mile section of Cherry Creek at TNC’s Blakeslee Preserve in northeastern Pennsylvania began in ...
In 2018, New York's Cortland County funded 3 culvert and stream projects. 5 years later, all 3 sites improved from severe barriers to insignificant barriers for better fish passageCortland County projects fit into a broader New York effort to identify and address barriers to aquatic organism passage. New York's Depart...
In June 2026, two tiny eyeless creatures smaller than sesame seeds were discovered in Japan’s hidden groundwater caves, scientists say the discovery could point to a much larger underground worldThe discovery does not prove that the Ryukyu Islands are home to countless undiscovered species living underground. However, it highlights ...
Texas 7th-grader Caden Pohlkamp built an underwater robot to study 12 neighborhood ponds. His surprising discovery about fountains and healthier waterTexas seventh-grader Caden Pohlkamp built an underwater robot to study 12 neighborhood ponds and investigate what makes water healthier. Hi...