Many thanks to David at the Boreal Songbird Initiative for bringing our attention to this week’s story about the Alberta, Canada oilsands development and its effect on bird populations. He sent me an e-mail message just a few days ago with some great links to information about this subject; two of which have been included in today’s post. As always, suggestions for stories pertaining to “all things nature” that you have heard or read are most heartily welcomed by the Nature Blog Network Blog team. That said, here are a few items of interest from the week ending December 5, 2008:
Flora
Will lichens and mosses encouraged to grow due to cleaner air standards turn the limestone surfaces of buildings from sooty gray to a more cheery green?
Natural, artificial, or no Christmas tree at all – the ecological significance of your holiday decorating choice.
Non-native plants get an extra advantage following fires and may make the risk of future fires worse.
Fauna
The University of Reading has collaborated with the National Trust on research which has resulted in one of the rarest moths in the UK returning to Derwentwater in the Lake District.
The news from the Waihee Refuge on the Hawaiian island of Maui is not good; birds vital to the Hawaiian ecosystem continue to be killed by pets and feral animals.
An ancient cave painting from northern Australia depicts a previously unknown species of large bat.
Natural Resources and Public Policy
Opposed by most National Park Service staff but promoted by political appointees in the Department of the Interior, the Bush administration on Friday struck down federal regulations banning loaded guns in most national parks and forests.
Millions of birds could be lost over the next 30 to 50 years due to oilsands development in northern Alberta.
Dr. Jeff Wells discusses this development:
Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency approved a last-minute rule change, long sought by the coal industry, to allow mining within 100 feet of rivers and streams.
Podcasts
BirdNote – Steller’s Jays, Wild Turkeys, Buffleheads, and more
ESA Podcast – the importance of predators in ecological systems
Nature – tsunami prediction, farming in the future
World on the Move (BBC) – starlings, albatross
Green Week in Review – climate change
