Blue Whale Songs Getting Lower – Puzzling Scientists
Archive for the ‘In The Americas’ Category
Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles: 70,000 Square Miles of U.S. Pacific Coast Habitat Proposed
Published on January 5th, 2010
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More than 70,000 square miles of habitat has been proposed for critically endangered leatherback turtles in U.S. waters off California, Oregon, and Washington.
Endangered species protection finally advances in favor of leatherback turtles: The National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a proposal today for 70,000 square miles of critical habitat in the waters off the U.S. Pacific Coast.
Young Lady Rowing Across Atlantic Ocean on Her Own
A young American lady, Katie Spotz, has just started to row across the Atlantic Ocean on her own. Why? Katie, 22 years old, hopes to raise $30,000 for Blue Planet Run and give clean water to 1,000 people by doing this!
Katie just pushed off from Senegal yesterday and is on her way. She hopes to make the 2,500-mile journey in just over 100 days. The map above shows her progress up until now (updated every 20 minutes on her twitter page by Google Earth).
Apparently, she really will not see another human being for the entire trip (although she is sure to have bird visitors — her first one photographed in the picture below). She has not been rowing for long, but apparently she is not new to such adventures.
Atlantic Ocean is Rising Faster than Previous 4,000 Years
Published on December 13th, 2009
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An international team of scientists has determined that the Atlantic Ocean rose faster in the 20th century than at any time in the last 4,000 years, but not uniformly along the coast.
One of the researchers, assistant professor Benjamin Horton in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, says: “There is universal agreement that sea level will rise as a result of global warming but by how much, when and where it will have the most effect is unclear.” He and other researchers have now started to tackle this issue.
Interestingly, the rate of sea level rise in recent years varies according to how far north or south you are on the coast.
Read the rest of this entry »
Cook Inlet Beluga Whales: 3,000 Square Miles of Critical Habitat Proposed
Published on December 2nd, 2009
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The National Marine Fisheries Service has proposed to designate over 3,000 square miles of critical habitat for endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales.
Good news for critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales: The Center for Biological Diversity announced today that over 3,000 square miles of critical habitat has been proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
#3 Portland, Oregon (USA): Great Bicycle City Photo Tour
Published on November 19th, 2009
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With bike weddings, bike parades, hundreds of naked bicyclists, bike fashion shows, popular & interesting cargo bikes, and travelling bike pubs, Portland is #3 on this great bicycle city photo tours list.
Portland has great bicycle facilities (colored bike lanes, bike boxes at intersections, great bike signs, off-road bicycle paths, etc.), a large number of people using the bicycle for transportation, and a bike culture that brings the fun of bicycling to another level.
As a result of these factors and more, Portland was the first large city in the US to achieve the Platinum level Bike Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) — the Platinum level being the highest level possible (above Gold, Silver and Bronze). It is truly a world-class bicycle city now, and the amazing photos in this photo tour help to show that.
Throwing Out Food and Paper Will Be Illegal
Quebec has taken a long hard look at itself, and decided it doesn’t like what it sees.
Its policies simply aren’t working. Overall waste generated has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, with waste going to landfill rising by over 10% in the same period.
One of its key targets was to get 60% of the province’s waste food into composting by 2012 has had to be abandoned: the current figure is only 12% and the target just cannot be met.
However, rather than just trying to fiddle with green taxes, the government has gone straight for the jugular and announced plans to make it illegal to dump rubbish and food waste. Read the rest of this entry »
Wilderness Protection Agreement Formed in North America
With the US and Canada sharing a border while Mexico meets with the United States, in order to protect North American wildlife and wilderness a collaborative effort is necessary, particularly as global climate change is beginning to put many North American species at risk.
Lawsuit Filed to Stop Condor-Killing Development, Save Tejon Ranch
Published on November 13th, 2009
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A lawsuit to overturn the approval of Tejon Mountain Village – a luxury development which will destroy fragile California condor habitat – has been filed by a coalition of environmental justice advocates, Native Americans, endangered species advocates, and local residents.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Wishtoyo Foundation, TriCounty Watchdogs, and the Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment filed the suit under the California Environmental Quality Act in Kern County Superior Court in Bakersfield.
Ross Perot Jr. Wounds Rhino in South African Trophy Hunt, Sues for Second Shot?
Published on November 6th, 2009
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Is Ross Perot Jr. taking legal action over the head of a rhino he shot and wounded during a trophy hunt?
The son of former American Presidential candidate Ross Perot – Henry Ross Perot Jr. – is reportedly engaged in a legal battle involving South African wildlife authorities over the head of rhino he wounded during a trophy hunt earlier this year.
Perot supposedly shot a bull rhino at Mkhuze game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, but the animal escaped. However, Perot believes he’s still entitled to his trophy – the rhino’s head.
