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WILDLIFE HABITAT
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...
COVID lockdowns accidentally created an experiment scientists could never have deliberately run: What happens when the roads and buildings stay, but the people disappear?The COVID-19 lockdowns accidentally created a rare real-world experiment for scientists, as human activity suddenly dropped while roads, bu...
In 2002, Shattuck Chemical agreed to pay $1.25 million for restoration of South Platte River following years of chemical release. 10 years later, the river was restored for migratory birds and native speciesHazardous substances near Shattuck Chemical Company prompted a settlement for restoration projects. Funds supported habitat improvements al...
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...
In 1948, Idaho officials used World War II parachutes to drop 76 beavers into the wilderness in one of America’s strangest conservation experimentsIdaho officials used World War II parachutes to move beavers. Special crates were designed for aerial drops into remote wilderness areas. T...
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 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 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...
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change: Lauren Sánchez's $100 million plan is transforming unused spaces in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Pennsylvania, Indianapolis and other US citiesLauren Sánchezis helping direct Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ $10 billion climate fund. In July this year, the fund announced a $100 million i...
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 the late 1800s, California introduced red foxes for hunting and fur farms; at Seal Beach, they drove light-footed Ridgway's rails down to just 5 pairs in 7 yearsIn the late 1800s, non-native red foxes wreaked havoc on the population of Ridgway's rails, bringing them perilously close to extinction. F...
In the 1960s, a Paradise Valley landowner acquired 2 mute swans for their beauty; by the late 1970s, they numbered 120, prompting a Yellowstone-led removal effort in 1987In Montana's Paradise Valley, the introduction of non-native mute swans, intended to enhance the scenic beauty, led to an unexpected explos...
In 1959, Vermont bought Snake Mountain land but not the timber rights. Seven decades later, the state wants to reunite themVermont's initiative to acquire timber rights will lead to the expansion of the Snake Mountain Wildlife Management Area. By adding 256 acre...
In 1978, Turkey Point workers found 1 crocodile nest when Florida had fewer than 300 left. 48 years later, about 400 live in its canals, turning a nuclear plant into an unlikely crocodile habitatAn unexpected discovery at Turkey Point nuclear plant in 1978 initiated a crocodile recovery. Engineers built canals which created an accid...
In May 2026, Hawaii wildlife crews found 10 endangered caterpillars on Lānaʻi. Weeks later, they found the same moth on Molokaʻi for the first time since the 1940sHawaii wildlife crews recently discovered Blackburn's Sphinx Moth caterpillars on Lānaʻi. These endangered insects were also found in Halaw...
In 1997, couple started with 11 farms; decades later, their 67,000-acre reserve is home to more than 60 mammal speciesA South African couple’s nearly three-decade conservation effort has transformed 11 former livestock farms into a 67,000-acre wildlife rese...
In the 1990s, Disney bought 8,500 acres of Florida ranchland slated for commercial projects; decades later, it forms the core of an 11,500-acre wildlife preserveThe Walt Disney Company's generous donation successfully halted the development of Walker Ranch, transforming it into the Disney Wilderness...
Earlier this year, Los Angeles made 8 trips to Encino Reservoir searching for one endangered bird; they found none, but 60 wildlife species emerged before a 10-acre solar project moved aheadCity biologists made eight separate field trips to Encino Reservoir searching for one endangered songbird. They found zero Least Bell’s vir...
Five generations of one Texas family cared for 1,029 acres of land. In 2005, they handed hundreds of acres over to wildlife instead of developers for protection of 2 species of America's rarest birdsA Texas family chose conservation over development, helping protect 1,029 acres of land cared for by five generations. The Trust for Public...
A Florida couple bought a 45-acre swamp to save it from development; 15 years later, 275 wood storks were nesting there in a thriving wildlife havenA Florida couple purchased a cypress swamp to protect its wildlife habitat. They actively managed the land, creating a thriving sanctuary f...