Insights From A Peace Corps Volunteer
By Sandra O’NeillIt’s March 16, 2006. I’m in the back of a pick-up truck riding down a slick mixture of mud and clay. The truck’s wheels search for traction in places where the road has split into child-sized crevasses. It’s the rainy season in Madagascar, and water has transformed a…
What do baby sea turtles, Mt Rainier, and your backyard have in common?
There are of course some clear differences. After watching “Touching the Void” last night, I have zero inclination to find my way to the top of anything that steep, or that cold. While I thoroughly enjoy the outdoors, clinging to survival while climbing further UP doesn’t do it for me. A great…
Let Kids Be Active Outside
By Lina YounesRecently my daughter’s elementary school started a program to encourage students to increase their physical activities outdoors. The program entitled “Fun, Fit and Grow” is largely modeled after the First Lady’s Initiative, Let’s Move. The main objective is to promote healthy…
Ayudemos a los niños a hacer ejercicios al aire libre
Por Lina YounesRecientemente la escuela elemental de mi hija inició un programa para alentar a los estudiantes a practicar deportes y actividades al aire libre. El programa se asemeja a la iniciativa de la Primera Dama de Estados Unidos, “Movámonos”. El motivo principal consiste en…
Science Wednesday: Durham’s Journey to Sustainability
Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.By Jing ZhangEach time I visit downtown Durham, North Carolina, I am pleasantly surprised and impressed by the improvements and renovations. Areas such as the American Tobacco Campus have successfully…
America Recycles!
By Suzanne RudzinskiI’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, recycling became more mainstream in America. Here in Washington, DC you’ll find separate bins for your recycling next to waste bins. Major manufacturers and other leading manufacturers are recycling tons of materials annually…
Pollution Prevention from Local to National
By Angela MillerThree years ago I relocated to Washington, DC from Michigan to work for the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR). Growing up along the Lake Michigan shoreline and near several inland lakes nurtured my reverence of nature and its connection to humanity. The community I grew…
Get Your Heat On!
By Chandler von SchraderFor better or worse, cold weather has arrived and it’s time to “get your heat on.” You may have already switched your thermostat over to the heating mode and had one of those “please, please, please start” moments! While you are waiting to hear that familiar…
Keeping the Pests Away
By Lina YounesRecently, I had a bug infestation in my pantry. Nope. I’m not talking about cockroaches, ants or rodents. There were numerous small beetle-like bugs attacking foods like flour, dry cereals, and even boxed pasta products. I was surprised to see the infestation given the fact that…
Asegúrese de mantener las plagas lejos del hogar
Por Lina YounesRecientemente, hubo una infestación de insectos en mi alacena. No se trataba de cucarachas, hormigas ni roedores. Numerosos insectos que parecían minúsculos escarabajos estaban atacando alimentos como las harinas, cereales secos y cajas de fideos. Me sorprendió ver la infestación…
Microbial Biocontrol Symposium Proceedings
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- The Proceedings for " Microbial Biocontrol of Arthropods, Weeds, and Plant Pathogens: Risks, Benefits and Challenges " held Nov 28-Dec 1, 2010 are now available. Presentations and Presentation summaries are available for…
NAPPRA (Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis) -- Comment period extended
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reopening the comment period for a notice that advised the public that we have determined that 41 taxa of plants for planting are quarantined pests and 107 taxa of plants for…
Unlikely Stowaways: Weed Seed Travel to Faraway Places on Cars, Trucks and ATVs (Oct 19, 2011)
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Unlikely Stowaways: Weed Seed Travel to Faraway Places on Cars, Trucks and ATVs (Oct 19, 2011) When you take your four-wheel drive out for a spin this fall, you might be bringing home more than memories. Researchers at Montana…
Invasive Plant Distribution Maps - Northern Region
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service has created a series of downloadable invasive plant distribution maps for its Northern Region (includes 24 states). The distributions on these maps portray…
White-Nose Syndrome Research Funding - 2012 Request for Proposals
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- White-Nose Syndrome Research - FWS-R5-ES-12-001 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to announce the availability of new funding for projects related directly to the investigation and management of white-nose syndrome…
Culprit Identified: Fungus Causes Deadly Bat Disease (Oct 26, 2011)
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Culprit Identified: Fungus Causes Deadly Bat Disease (Oct 26, 2011) The appropriately named fungus Geomyces destructans is the cause of deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, according to research published in the journal…
Don't Panic: The Animal's Guide to Hitchhiking (Oct 21, 2011)
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- Don't Panic: The Animal's Guide to Hitchhiking (Oct 21, 2011) New research suggests that hitch-hiking, once believed to be the exclusive domain of beat poets and wanderers, is in fact an activity that daring members of the…
West Nile virus transmission linked to land use patterns, 'super-spreaders' (Oct 20, 2011)
Posted by USDA's National Invasive Species Information Center -- West Nile virus transmission linked to land use patterns, 'super-spreaders' (Oct 20, 2011) In most places, only a few key species of bird "hosts" and mosquito "vectors" are important in transmission of…
What was the extent of ash deposition from the largest Yellowstone eruptions?
During the three giant caldera-forming eruptions that occurred between 2.1 million and 640,000 years ago, tiny particles of volcanic debris ( volcanic ash ) covered much of the western half of North America, likely a third of a meter deep several hundred kilometers from Yellowstone and several…
What are black smokers?
'Black Smokers' are named for the soot-like appearance of the ejected material billowing out of the 'chimneys'. This substance is super-heated water with very high concentrations of dissolved minerals. As the super-heated water meets the very cold ocean-bottom water, the dissolved…
