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NATIVE PLANT CONSERVATION
In 2009, Montana's Big Hole staff began monitoring an invasive plant threatening native habitat. 17 years later, spotted knapweed estimates stood at just 8% of its 2012 peak, showing strong controlLong-term monitoring and control efforts have significantly reduced spotted knapweed at Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana. Monitorin...
In 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park funded Ravensford wetland restoration. 10 years later, volunteers had planted 500 native seedlings and removed 157,000 invasivesA decade of restoration work has helped transform the 10-acre Ravensford wetland in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After invasive pla...
In 2015, California EPMT discovered Japanese knotweed along Lagunitas Creek. 2 years later, treatment cut knotweed by 93% on National Park Service land, a major gain nowJapanese knotweed can spread quietly along waterways, making an early discovery especially valuable. In 2015, California’s Early Detection ...
In 2010, Minnesota's Hay Lake was targeted for a 46-lb annual phosphorus reduction after nutrient pollution caused impairment. 12 years later, farm practices helped secure delistingIn 2022, Hay Lake triumphantly exited the impaired waters list, a commendable feat driven by rigorous nutrient reduction initiatives launch...
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 1966, Marlon Brando bought a remote Pacific atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; today, its protected beaches are a major nesting site where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings were recorded in one seasonMarlon Brando bought a Polynesian atoll named Tetiaroa after discovering it while filming Mutiny on the Bounty. More than five decades late...
In 2023, Arizona State University began planning a 1-2-acre pollinator garden by Phoenix’s Salt River. Today, the project aims to restore habitat and support pollinatorsA pollinator demonstration garden is planned for South Central Phoenix. This project aims to create vital habitat for declining pollinator ...
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 2004, Iowa listed Kent Park Lake as impaired after nutrient and sediment runoff harmed clarity. 20 years later, monitoring showed it met algae and turbidity standardsKent Park Lake in Johnson County, Iowa, experienced water-quality problems linked to nutrient and sediment delivery, resulting in its place...
Georgia won UNESCO World Heritage status for the 636-square-mile Okefenokee Swamp to bolster conservation; the result raised global attention around a wetland home to 15,000 alligators and hundreds of speciesGeorgia's Okefenokee Swamp received UNESCO World Heritage status. This recognition highlights its rich biodiversity and vital role as a car...
Reforestation with Drones? How aerial seeding technology is bringing new life to Gran Chaco's threatened ecosystemDrones are emerging as a game-changer for tree planting in Argentina’s Gran Chaco, with conservationists deploying biodegradable seed capsu...
California lost 60% of its coastal dunes since 1850; now a 30-acre restoration project in Santa Monica is fighting sea-level riseSanta Monica Beach Dunes Restoration Project is designed to restore a portion of this historic ecosystem. The Santa Monica Bay National Est...
In 2012, Ray Milewski and students set research plots at Pennsylvania's Tannersville Cranberry Bog. 10 years later, researchers cleared shrubs to help rare native plants return to the bogIn 2012, Ray Milewski and students established research plots at Pennsylvania’s Tannersville Cranberry Bog. A decade later, researchers cle...
In 1968, Hawaii introduced 8 mouflon sheep for trophy hunting. 36 years later, thousands were threatening native vegetationIn 1968, eight mouflon sheep were introduced into Hawaii Island for hunting purposes. By 2004, their numbers soared to over 2,500, causing ...
In 2003, a businessman bought a 23,000-acre estate to restore it; now it's home to a million trees and red squirrelsBusinessman Paul Lister transformed Scotland's 23,000-acre Alladale estate into a wilderness reserve, planting one million native trees and...
In 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin & his wife Paula bought barren land in Hawaii and turned it into 19-acre forest with 3,000+ palmsW.S. Merwin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, transformed a barren plot of land in Hawaii into a thriving palm sanctuary. Initially focused o...
In 1914, USDA researchers imported Australian melaleuca seeds into the United States. 100 years later, the fast-growing tree had conquered 500,000 acres of South Florida after being planted to help dry the EvergladesAustralian melaleuca seeds were imported to the United States in 1914 for agricultural purposes. Later, the Army Corps of Engineers planted...
In the 1990s, a predatory flatworm was released in Samoa to control giant African snails; it later drove native island snails toward extinctionBiological control efforts introduced the New Guinea flatworm to Pacific islands. This predator began hunting native land snails, pushing t...
A UK tenant farmer made environmental changes years ago. In 2024, she helped create England's largest temperate rainforest nature reserveIn a remarkable ecological achievement, Borrowdale, Cumbria, is now home to England's largest temperate rainforest reserve. This initiative...
In 1500s, Spanish explorers introduced pigs into North America. Now areas where they roam free have fewer invasive speciesAlthough wild pigs have long been viewed as destructive invasive species, recent findings reveal they also play a surprising role in curbin...