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Just a little conservation journal...

I generally focus on conservation issues effecting biodiversity, land use/abuse, research, and job opportunities that I have come across. Most of the opportunities come from the Opps page and you can click on the button below to take you there.
Opps

Conservation News ~ April 29 2018

4/29/2018

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  • Newly discovered Madagascan Chameleons have rainbow skin and a nose like Pinocchio: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/newly-discovered-chameleons-have-rainbow-skin-and-a-nose-like-pinocchio/
  • The Forest Service is arresting protestors along the AT:
  • https://www.outsideonline.com/2300611/tree-sitters-trying-save-pipeline
  • 95% of plastic comes from 10 rivers: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4970214/95-plastic-oceans-comes-just-TEN-rivers.html
  • Two newborn Java Rhinos found on camera traps: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/two-newborn-javan-rhinos-spotted-on-camera-in-indonesian-park/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • US urban areas losing trees 36 million trees a year: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/us-urban-areas-are-losing-36-million-trees-every-year-study-finds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • Amur Leopard population triples – to 103: http://therevelator.org/amur-leopard-triples/
  • Snow in the Andes as clean as Canadian Arctic: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-andes-canadian-arctic.html
  • Minnesota court says activists can use climate change as defense in trial: https://thinkprogress.org/minnesota-climate-activists-necessity-defense-appeal-65d5399619cb/
  • Dead Zone larger than Scotland found by underwater robots in Arabian Sea: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/dead-zone-arabian-sea-gulf-oman-underwater-robots-ocean-pollution-discovery-a8325676.html
  • Former child soldier wins Goldman prize for protecting Congo’s wildlife: https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/23/africa/goldman-prize-rodrigue-katembo/index.html
  • Record levels of plastic discovered in Arctic sea ice: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/24/record-levels-of-plastic-discovered-in-arctic-sea-ice
  • World’s oldest spider discovered in Australian outback: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-world-oldest-spider-australian-outback.html
  • First ever footage of Okapi calf in the wild: https://www.okapiconservation.org/first-ever-footage-of-okapi-calf-in-the-wild/
  • Vancouver island rainforest stands are becoming as rare as white rhinos: http://theprovince.com/opinion/op-ed/jens-wieting-vancouver-island-rainforest-stands-are-becoming-as-rare-as-white-rhinos
  • Foxconn just got permission to start draining Lake Michigan to make LCD screens: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wj73x9/foxconn-just-got-permission-to-start-draining-lake-michigan-to-make-lcd-screens
  • US won’t restore Yellowstone grizzly bear protections: https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/us-restore-yellowstone-grizzly-bear-protections-54783496
  • US official appeared to delay protections for endangered species at behest of oil group: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/20/vincent-devito-trump-interior-department-endangered-species-delay-oil-industry
  • Oregon wildlife officials kill wolves in effort to save cattle: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/oregon-officials-kill-wolves-effort-save-cattle-54569648
  • Flint water whistleblower wins Goldman Environmental Prize: https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/stories/flint-water-crisis-whistleblower-wins-goldman-environmental-prize
  • Bottlenose dolphins spotted off Canada’s Pacific coast for first time: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/19/604112728/bottlenose-dolphins-spotted-off-canadas-pacific-coast-for-the-first-time
  • Gorillas are far more numerous than previously thought: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/25/gorillas-more-numerous-than-thought-landmark-survey-endangered-species
  • Dutch rewilding experiment sparks backlash as thousands of animals starve: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/dutch-rewilding-experiment-backfires-as-thousands-of-animals-starve
  • Smothered by smog, Polish cities rank among Europe’s dirtiest: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/22/world/europe/poland-pollution.html
  • Surprising findings reveal desert ants orient to the geomagnetic field: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-reveal-ants-geomagnetic-field.html
  • EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/27/eu-agrees-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides
  • Grizzly bears could make a return to WA: https://crosscut.com/2018/04/grizzly-bears-could-make-return-wa-real-time
  • Mexico arrests traveler smuggling endangered totoaba bladders: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/mexico-arrests-chinese-traveler-with-endangered-fish
  • Endangered Mexican Wolf pups transferred to New Mexico and Arizona: http://kplr11.com/2018/04/25/endangered-mexican-wolf-pups-transferred-to-new-mexico-and-arizona/
  • EPA pesticide approval without endangered species review in Farm Bill: https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/epa-pesticides-endangered-species
  • New oil drilling approved in Carrizo Plain National Monument: http://kcbx.org/post/new-oil-drilling-approved-carrizo-plain-national-monument
  • Rhino poachers shot dead in raids by armed rangers in South Africa: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rhino-poachers-shot-dead-in-raids-by-armed-rangers-vdpsr7f6m
  • Iceland’s beloved Puffin now officially endangered: https://grapevine.is/news/2018/04/23/icelands-beloved-puffin-now-officially-endangered/
  • Galilee Basin seeks approval for monster mine next door to Australia Adani: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-26/clive-palmer-seeks-approval-for-monster-mine-near-adani/9698680
  • French President gave America the climate change speech that US President never will: https://grist.org/briefly/the-french-president-gave-america-the-climate-change-speech-that-trump-never-will/
  • EPA head wants to delete decades of science for the sake of “Transparency”: http://www.iflscience.com/policy/pruitt-wants-to-delete-decades-of-science-for-the-sake-of-transparency/
  • EPA declares biomass plants carbon neutral, amid scientific disagreement: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/epa-declares-biomass-plants-carbon-neutral-amid-scientific-disagreement/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sa-editorial-social&utm_content&utm_term=sustainability_partner_
  • Wind, solar deliver stunning 98 percent of new US power capacity in January, February: https://thinkprogress.org/wind-solar-deliver-stunning-98-percent-of-new-u-s-power-capacity-in-january-february-abc373e272d6/
  • Big business pushes Spanish government to pass climate change law: https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/04/12/inenglish/1523521805_338086.html
  • Scientists accidentally found octopus nursery deep in the Pacific Ocean: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/scientists-accidentally-found-octopus-nursery-deep-pacific-ocean
  • Agriculture Department killed 1.3 million native animals in 2017: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/wildlife-services-04-23-2018.php
  • NY Central Park’s scenic drives will soon be car-free: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/nyregion/central-park-car-ban.html
  • REI rolls out tough sustainability standards for all its brands: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/rei-rolls-out-tough-sustainability-standards-for-all-its-brands
  • One in eight birds is threatened with extinction: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/23/one-in-eight-birds-is-threatened-with-extinction-global-study-finds
  • Two killed, cop among 10 arrested, in Kruger rhino poacher shootout: https://www.news24.com/Green/News/two-killed-cop-among-10-arrested-in-kruger-rhino-poacher-shootout-20180423
  • Invasive Nutria discovery in California’s Delta sets off alarm bells: http://www.recordnet.com/news/20180418/invasive-nutrias-discovery-in-delta-sets-off-alarm-bells
  • Newly discovered Amazon Reef is six times larger than we thought: http://www.iflscience.com/environment/amazon-reef-found-to-be-six-times-bigger-than-thought-and-extends-into-oil-drilling-concessions/
  • Adorable Kangaroo Rat rediscovered after being presumed extinct for 32 years: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/adorable-critter-rediscovered-after-being-presumed-extinct-for-32-years
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Conservation News ~ Earth Day, 2018

4/22/2018

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  • Kangaroo rats missing for 30 years rediscovered in Baja California: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419172701.htm
  • Unprecedented Farm Bill provision allows EPA to OK pesticides without looking at harm to endangered species: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/farm-bill-and-pesticides-04-12-2018.php
  • Asian House Geckos fast invading Australian homes: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-13/asian-house-geckos-fast-invading-australian-homes/9644402
  • Investigation reveals California Fisheries are responsible for killing hundreds of dolphins, turtles, and whales: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/california-fisheries-responsible-killing-dolphins-turtles-whales/
  • Camera traps reveal Amur Leopard population is growing: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-world-s-rarest-big-cat-grows-in-number
  • Colombia grants ‘historic’ protections to rainforest, indigenous groups: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/colombia-grants-historic-protections-to-rainforest-indigenous-groups/
  • Danish Pension Fund cutting 35 oil and gas firms from investment portfolio: https://cleantechnica.com/2018/04/13/pka-danish-pension-fund-cutting-35-oil-gas-firms-from-investment-portfolio/
  • Shipping in historic climate deal: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43759923
  • Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico will take decades to recover from farm pollution: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/22/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico-decades-recover-study
  • Dairy Farm workers found guilty of animal cruelty after torturing cows: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/22/dead-zone-gulf-of-mexico-decades-recover-study
  • Colorado fracking company wants to silence opposition to massive drilling project: https://thinkprogress.org/colorado-oil-company-sues-anti-fracking-activists-40e730bd6203/
  • Wyoming officials want to allow hunters to kill 24 grizzly bears this fall: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/wyoming-proposes-hunt-of-up-to-24-grizzlies-this-fall/
  • National Park Service announces park entrance fee increase: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/national-park-service-announces-park-entrance-fee-increases
  • BP claims an oil spill off Australia’s coast would be a ‘welcome boost’ to local economies: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/bp-claims-an-oil-spill-off-australia-s-coast-would-be-a-welcome-boost-to-local-economies-20180406-p4z867.html
  • Tiger farms flourishing in Laos despite promise of a crackdown: http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2141635/tiger-farms-and-illegal-wildlife-trade
  • Woman bequeaths $1 million to national parks in Washington state: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/woman-bequeaths-1-million-national-parks-washington-state
  • Climate protest lawyer set himself on fire: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43773650
  • Gray ghosts, the last Caribou in the lower 48 states, are ‘functionally extinct’: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/science/gray-ghost-caribou-extinct.html
  • Deadly oil spill devastates Borneo port city: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2018/apr/06/deadly-oil-spill-devastates-balikpapan-borneo-port-city-in-pictures
  • Trudeau promises financial backing for ‘vital’ Trans Mountain pipeline: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trudeau-promises-financial-backing-for-vital-trans-mountain-pipeline/
  • Vessel carrying coal sinks near Sundurbans: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2018/04/15/coal-laden-cargo-sinks-near-sundarbans/
  • Longest-recorded mammalian migration, Doe traverses the Hole on 242-mile migration: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/doe-traverses-the-hole-on--mile-migration/article_0b33235a-295f-501e-a586-99971cd11f91.html
  • Taiwan announces ban on all plastic bags, straws, and utensils: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/taiwan-ban-on-plastic-bags-straws-utensils-contain/
  • Poland broke the law by logging in an ancient forest, EU court rules: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/17/poland-broke-law-logging-ancient-forest-eu-court-rules/
  • Kids are suing Gov. Rick Scott to force Florida to take action on climate change: http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/04/16/kids-are-suing-gov-rick-scott-to-force-florida-to-take-action-on-climate-change/
  • Scientists have accidentally created an enzyme that eats plastic: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles
  • Iceland to resume whale hunting: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/18/iceland-sets-target-of-191-kills-as-country-resumes-whaling
  • Mexican Gray Wolves found dead in New Mexico: http://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/mexican-gray-wolves-found-dead-in-new-mexico/1122954928
  • Pirate fishing tycoon hit with 8.2 million fine in Spain: https://www.seashepherd.org.au/news-and-commentary/news/pirate-fishing-tycoon-hit-with-8-2-million-euro-fine-in-spain.html
  • Whalers kill 3 more orcas in St. Vincent: https://www.iwnsvg.com/2018/04/16/whalers-kill-3-more-orcas-in-st-vincent-video/
  • In North Carolina, hog waste is becoming a streamlined fuel source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/04/17/601857456/in-north-carolina-hog-waste-is-becoming-a-streamlined-fuel-source
  • Colombia’s highest court orders government to protect Amazon Rainforest from rising sea levels: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-deforestation-amazon/colombias-top-court-orders-government-to-protect-amazon-forest-in-landmark-case-idUSKCN1HD21Y
  • Conservation group buys Rainbow Canyon land for wildlife crossing: https://temdev.com/2018/04/11/conservation-group-buys-rainbow-canyon-land-for-wildlife-crossing/
  • Lahontan cutthroat trout species thought to be extinct rediscovered in Utah Creek: https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2018/lahontan-cutthroat-paper
  • Boulder, Colorado is the latest city to sue Big Oil over climate change: https://grist.org/briefly/boulder-colorado-is-the-latest-city-to-sue-big-oil-over-climate-change/
  • Swarms of huge sharks discovered, baffling experts: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/animals-sharks-swarms-oceans/
  • Deep Sea Expedition finds 12,000 marine creatures and over a dozen new species: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/expedition-to-the-indonesian-deep-sea-finds-12000-marine-creatures-and-over-a-dozen-new-species/
  • Two more of Oregon’s Pine Creek wolves were shot from helicopters: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2018/04/17/oregon-authorizes-killing-three-more-wolves-pine-creek-pack/527164002/
  • Alberta lifts eight-year ban on the rehabilitation of orphaned bear cubs: https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/alberta-lifts-eight-year-ban-on-the-rehabilitation-of-orphaned-bear-cubs-1.3890776
  • Beloved wild elephant was just shot dead by a hunter: https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/big-tusker-elephant-killed-trophy-hunt-zimbabwe
  • Coal mining reduces abundance, richness of aquatic life: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-coal-abundance-richness-aquatic-life.html
  • Trudeau and Macron announce a plan to fight climate change together: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/trudeau-macron-partnership-climate-change/
  • US Dept of Interior sides with trophy hunters on removing Zebra protections: https://www.missoulacurrent.com/outdoors/2018/04/zinke-zebra/
  • Low-carbon investment is moving too slowly to rein in warming: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/low-carbon-investment-is-moving-too-slowly-to-rein-in-warming-u-n-warns/
  • At least 5 probes underway into EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s conduct: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/at-least-5-probes-underway-into-epa-chief-scott-pruitts-conduct
  • Kruger National Park screens elephants for tuberculosis: https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1899509/kruger-national-park-screens-elephants-for-tuberculosis/
  • Moke is the first gorilla born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 9 years: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/smithsonian-zoo-western-lowland-gorilla-birth-moke
  • Native tribes on US-Mexico border block President’s National Guard troops from land: https://splinternews.com/native-american-tribe-on-u-s-mexico-border-blocks-trum-1825301911
  • US President prepares for lease sale in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2018/trump-administration-prepares-for-lease-sale-in-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge
  • Half of all coral in the Great Barrier Reef has died since 2016, and is unlikely to recover: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/the-great-barrier-reef-is-unlikely-to-recover-from-catastrophic-coral-bleaching/
  • Germany to put massive restrictions on Monsanto Weedkiller: https://www.ecowatch.com/glyphosate-germany-monsanto-2561181221.html
  • First Bat removed from US ESA list helps produce tequila: https://www.ecowatch.com/bat-endangered-species-tequila-2561223170.html
  • Little Dodo nears extinction:
  • Senate confirms Climate Change Denier to lead NASA: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/radical-conservation/2018/apr/09/little-dodo-manumea-tooth-billed-pigeon-samoa-critically-endangered-hunting
  • Britain just a new record – 55 hours without using the dirtiest fossil fuel out there: http://bigthink.com/brandon-weber/britain-just-set-a-new-record-55-hours-without-using-the-dirtiest-fossil-fuel-out-there
  • New study says ancient humans hunted big mammals to extinction: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/19/604031141/new-study-says-ancient-humans-hunted-big-mammals-to-extinction
  • Texas official says millennials and especially students are responsible for oil and gas work shortage: https://thinkprogress.org/texas-millennials-oil-gas-wayne-christian-8e1377df903b/
  • New ant species from Borneo explodes to defend its colony: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419131116.htm
  • Plastic ‘berg chokes Indonesian river: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43823883
  • Lyft announces carbon offset program: https://e360.yale.edu/digest/lyft-announces-carbon-offset-program-saying-it-will-make-all-rides-carbon-neutral
  • Web of corruption behind SA rhino poaching: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43821674
  • Migratory bird protections stripped right before Deepwater Horizon Disaster anniversary: http://blogs.trendolizer.com/2018/04/migratory-bird-protections-stripped-right-before-deepwater-horizon-disaster-anniversary.html
  • US moves to reverse protections for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna: http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/compass-points/2018/04/18/us-moves-to-reverse-protections-for-atlantic-bluefin-tuna
  • California can label widely used herbicide as possible carcinogen: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/State-can-label-widely-used-herbicide-as-possible-12849147.php
  • One-third of forests aren’t growing back after wildfires: https://grist.org/briefly/one-third-of-forests-arent-growing-back-after-wildfires/
  • Trudeau government increases spending on environment, immigration: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-government-spending-budget-1.4622518
  • Hundreds of sharks and other fish discovered tangled in a ‘ghost net’ drifting across the Caribbean: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ghost-net-fishing-caribbean-sea-dead-sharks-fish-cayman-island-pollution-a8310806.html
  • Exxon must turn over climate change documents: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/13/exxon-must-turn-over-climate-change-documents-mass-court-rules/515442002/
  • HSBC to stop funding most new fossil fuel developments: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/article-hsbc-to-stop-funding-most-new-fossil-fuel-developments/
  • Kangaroo pelted with rocks dies in Chinese Zoo: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/world/asia/china-kangaroo-zoo-death.html
  • Canadian PM faced with pipeline protest in London: https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/19/headlines/canadian_pm_trudeau_faced_with_pipeline_protest_in_london​
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Timeline of Personally Important Ecological Events

4/20/2018

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My professor, Dr. Lanham, had us discuss a timeline of ecological events in the last 100 years that were important to us. I separated my list into environmental organizations, disasters, media, policy, innovation, and personal events. Some events won't make sense to some environmental people (I'm a big nuclear power advocate and think that the Crocodile Hunter is a demi-god, for example) but I felt it was important to list these events for easy access and a reminder next time I forget when Earth First was founded or how much advocacy work has occurred in the last century.

Environmental organizations

When I learned of the environmental organizations in the United States, I didn’t feel alone in my local efforts. I didn’t know anything about the conservation movement as a whole, let alone the history or national players. At the time, I was focused on cleaning wetlands and learning about plants. Understanding that there were organized groups with specific focused on land and biodiversity conservation changed my entire perspective.
1935 – The Wilderness Society is founded
1947 – Defenders of Wildlife was founded
1948 – The IUCN is founded
1951 – The Nature Conservancy is founded
1961 – World Wildlife Fund is founded                          
1967 – Environmental Defense Fund is founded
1970 – National Resource Defense Council is founded
1971 – Greenpeace is founded
1977 – Sea Shepherd is founded
1980 – Earth First is founded
1987 – Conservation International is founded
1988 – IPCC is established
 
Disasters
When I was developing my relationship with conservation I saw the threats to the environment as chronic, persistent, and ubiquitous threats from constant habitat destruction and pollution. While I don’t diminish any of those threats and still see them as the primary causes of concern, I had never experienced the trauma of a major catastrophe as I did with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon event. The impacts of that event motivated an entire shift in how I approach conservation issues.
1928 – Thomas Midgley develops chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
1929 – Swann Chemical Company develops polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)
1939 – DDT was used as an insecticide
1946 – GI Bill allows for low cost loans for the suburban housing boom, and subsequent sprawl to occur
1957 – KB Homes is founded and is the first home-building company to be traded on the NYSE
1969 – Santa Barbara oil spill
1969 – Cuyahoga River Fire
1984 – Bhopal disaster
1986 – Chernobyl
1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill
2010 – Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
2016 – Dakota Pipeline construction started
2017 – President Obama left office
2018 – East China Sea oil spill
 
Media
The Crocodile Hunter was my favorite show as a teenager and I tried to watch every episode possible. When he died in 2006, I was devastated. I built my environmental education programs around his philosophies and from that found that many other people considered his work an inspiration.
1949 – Sand County Almanac is published
1962 – Silent Spring is published
1968 – Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise is taken
1968 – Desert Solitaire is published
1997 – First episode of the Crocodile Hunter airs
 
Policy
The Endangered Species Act, with all of its flaws, is my favorite American policy. It is truly impressive and its scope is a philosophical and paradigmatic shift. I hope that there is a current trend that will involved another shift in intrinsic, holistic, and eco-centric values: nonhuman persons’ rights. The first official declaration of nonhuman persons’ rights is with India declaring dolphins and whales as such.
1970 – First Earth Day
1972 – Marine Mammal Protection Act
1972 – Clean Water Act
1973 – Endangered Species Act
1987 – Brundtland Commission is published
1987 – Montreal Protocol is signed
1992 – The Rio Earth Summit
1997 – Kyoto Protocol
2006 – California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32)
2010 – Citizen’s United Supreme Court ruling
2013 – India declares dolphins and whales are non-human persons
2017 – New Zealand gives legal rights as humans to a river and a mountain
 
Innovation
Until a remarkable lecture I heard in 2012, I had never considered the positive power of technological innovation on conservation other than solar panels. Until then, I had always thought that technology was related to consumerism which negatively affected biodiversity conservation. In this presentation I learned that whale conservation started not because altruism but because refined oil and electricity were cheaper and more efficient than whale oil. The technological innovation decreased the need to exploit whales. Since then, I’ve tried to look at the impact of technology, positive or negative, on conservation.
1954 – The first nuclear power plant generates electricity
1958 – Mauna Loa Observatory begins monitoring CO2 levels
1968 – First formal acknowledgment of the Green Revolution of modern agriculture
1975 – Catalytic converters are included on all vehicles
1984 – Solar Energy Generating Systems opens thermal power station in Mojave Desert
2009 – 9 Planetary Boundaries concept
2017 – Doughnut Economics concept published

Personal
I’m really proud of my personal conservation history. I’ve accomplished a lot in accordance to my values and I’ve worked hard to achieve meaningful conservation metrics. I’ve had several significant events in my personal conservation history. All of the following are memorable but when I saw a wetland restored and opened up to the Pacific for the first time in 100 years in 2006, I saw that it was possible to fix things.

2003 – I started volunteering for environmental causes
2003 - I saw my first California Least Tern
2003 - I saw my first endangered species – a butterfly
2004 - I saw my first California Sea Otter
2005 – I sailed from Boston to southern California via the Panama Canal for an environmental non-profit
2005 - I did my first research on an endangered species
2005 - I saw my first endangered plant – Salt Marsh Bird’s Beak
2005 - I saw my first Western Snowy Plover
2005 - I started my first environmental company
2006 - Bolsa Chica Wetlands are opened to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 100 years
2006 – The Baiji was declared extinct and I baked my first Fuck the World Cake
2006 - I hired my first employee
2006 - I saw my first Peregrine Falcon
2007 - El Nino where giant Humboldt Squid came north from Mexico, bringing Orcas down
2008 - I set up my environmental internship program
2009 – California Brown Pelicans are delisted
2009 - I worked in Chilean Patagonia
2009 - Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority is formed
2009 – Western Peregrine Falcons are delisted
2010 - I advocated in California’s Senate House for the first time
2010 - I worked on swordfish conservation in Hawaii
2011 – The Western Black Rhinoceros was declared extinct and I baked a Fuck the World Cake
2011 - I met Jared Diamond
2011 - I received my first $100k check for environmental work
2012 – A wetland I worked on, Colorado Lagoon, is restored
2013 - I met Joy Zedler
2013 – The Formosan clouded leopard was declared extinct and I baked a Fuck the World Cake
2013 - I received my first contract to work on an endangered species
2014 – Traveled to Iceland as photography assistant
2014 - I saw my first California Condor
2015 - I started my conservation radio show and podcast
2015 - I worked in Montana on technical conservation work
2015 - I worked in New Zealand on duck conservation
2016 - Obama approves federal designation of San Gorgonio
2017 – Chilean Patagonia is protected
2017 - I saw the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

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Conservation News ~ April 14 2018

4/14/2018

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Picture
  • Brazil’s high court curbs executive power to dismember protected areas: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/brazils-high-court-curbs-executive-power-to-dismember-protected-areas/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • NGOs acquire land in Brazil to create wildlife corridor: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/ngos-acquire-land-in-brazil-to-create-wildlife-corridor/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • Coal company fined 2 billion rupiah for illegal waste dumping in Borneo: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/coal-company-fined-2-billion-rupiah-for-illegal-waste-dumping-in-borneo/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • India’s new forest policy draft draws criticism for emphasis on industrial timber: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/indias-new-forest-policy-draft-draws-criticism-for-emphasis-on-industrial-timber/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • ZSL releases list of the 100 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Reptiles: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/list-of-100-most-unique-and-endangered-reptiles-released/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • Scotland powered more than 5 millions homes with renewable energy: http://www.iflscience.com/environment/scotland-just-powered-more-than-5-million-homes-in-one-month-using-renewable-energy/
  • NZ bans all offshore oil exploration:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/new-zealand-bans-all-new-offshore-oil-exploration-as-part-of-carbon-neutral-future?CMP=fb_gu
  • Iran’s Brown Bears are closer to the edge than people have realized: https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/irans-brown-bears-are-closer-edge-people-have-realized-or-perhaps-cared
  • Six Virunga National Park Rangers murdered in DRC wildlife sanctuary: https://www.theguardian.com/weather/2018/apr/09/six-virunga-park-rangers-killed-in-drc-wildlife-sanctuary
  • White House eliminates animal welfare rules: https://www.upi.com/USDA-eliminates-animal-welfare-rule-for-organic-meat-poultry/4501520906485/
  • Keystone Pipeline leak in South Dakota about double previous expectations: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-transcanada-pipeline-leak/keystone-pipeline-leak-in-south-dakota-about-double-previous-estimate-paper-idUSKBN1HE0T7
  • Wyoming researchers discovered a mule deer migration almost 100 miles longer than previous expectations: http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/wyoming-researchers-discovered-a-mule-deer-migration-almost-miles-longer/article_7d402f4e-1225-50e9-89d8-27917b5a82a1.html
  • A North American Climate Boundary has shifted 140 miles east due to global warming: https://e360.yale.edu/digest/a-north-american-climate-boundary-has-shifted-140-miles-east-due-to-global-warming
  • White House weighs rolling back protections for threatened species: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-endangered-species-act-white-house-proposal-threatened-animals-fish-wildlife-service-a8291046.html
  • Sperm Whale found dead in Spain with 29 kilos of plastic in its stomach: https://www.sciencealert.com/whale-found-dead-spain-29-kilos-plastic-stomach
  • Nightmare in New Guinea – world’s largest tropical island is now being targeted by palm oil and logging: https://ramumine.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/southeast-asia-getting-killed-by-logging-and-mining-papua-new-guinea-is-next/
  • Oregon wolf population rises to at least 124; Gov. Brown calls growth ‘encouraging’: http://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/animal/oregon-wolf-population-rises-to-at-least-124-gov-brown-calls-growth-encouraging/283-537848353
  • Tree-sitters oppose Appalachian Pipeline: https://www.fseee.org/2018/04/10/tree-sitters-oppose-virginia-pipeline/
  • Pruitt’s LinkedIn lists him as the “Leading Advocate” against the EPA: https://www.sciencealert.com/yes-scott-pruitt-s-linkedin-really-does-list-him-as-a-leading-advocate-against-the-epa
  • North Okanagan electoral areas consider conservation fund: https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/north-okanagan-electoral-areas-consider-conservation-fund/
  • Oregon authorizes killing two wolves following attacks on livestock: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2018/04/10/oregon-allow-rancher-kill-wolves-following-attacks-livestock/505117002/
  • Indigenous environmental campaigner killed by Myanmar government: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/indigenous-environmental-activist-killed-in-myanmar/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • Netherlands aims to shift to 60 percent plant-based: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=11118&catId=1
  • Cracked undersea pipeline caused deadly oil spill in Indonesia: https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-pipeline-spill-indonesia-2556434833.html
  • Leading elephant conservationist Daphne Sheldrick dies at 83: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/leading-elephant-conservationist-daphne-sheldrick-dies-83-54445645
  • UN biodiversity chief urges half of world more nature-friendly by 2050: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/13/make-half-the-world-more-nature-friendly-by-2050-says-un-chief
  • World’s first road that recharges vehicles while driving opens in Sweden: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/12/worlds-first-electrified-road-for-charging-vehicles-opens-in-sweden​
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Conservation News ~ April 7, 2018

4/7/2018

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  • NOAA publishes global list of fisheries: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/noaa-publishes-global-list-of-fisheries-and-their-risks-to-marine-mammals/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mongabay+%28Mongabay+Environmental+News%29
  • Bahrain discovers huge offshore oilfield: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43644629
  • Brazil creates four massive marine protected areas: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/brazil-creates-four-massive-marine-protected-areas/
  • BP says oil spills can be beneficial to nearby economies: http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/04/bp-says-oil-spills-can-be-beneficial-to-nearby-economies.html
  • Rubber plantation in Cameroon edges closer to UNESCO World Heritage Site: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/rubber-plantation-in-cameroon-edges-closer-to-unesco-world-heritage-site/
  • India bans seal fur and skins just as Canada starts brutal hunt: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/india-bans-seal-fur-skins-just-canada-starts-brutal-hunts/
  • CDFW wildlife officers arrest three for poaching succulents in Humboldt county: https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2018/04/06/cdfw-wildlife-officers-arrest-three-for-poaching-succulents-in-humboldt-county/
  • Louisiana and Minnesota introduce anti-protest bills amid fight over Bayou Bridge and Enbridge Pipelines: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/31/louisiana-minnesota-anti-protest-bills-bayou-bridge-enbridge-pipelines/
  • Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced to five years for killing protected antelopes: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/05/salman-khan-bollywood-actor-guilty-of-killing-rare-antelopes
  • WH Chief of Staff advised US President to fire EPA chief: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/us/politics/trump-kelly-pruitt-fired.html
  • France becomes first country to ban all plastic cups and plates to save environment: https://www.cnn.com/2016/09/19/europe/france-bans-plastic-cups-plates/index.html
  • Finn, the yellow lab, helped save an island of penguins: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/how-finn-the-yellow-lab-helped-save-an-island-of-penguins
  • Indonesian island oil spill larger than Paris, leaves 5 dead: https://www.ecowatch.com/oil-pipeline-spill-indonesia-death-2556835512.html
  • Sea Shepherd saves 25 critically endangered Totoabas at the height of spawning season: https://seashepherd.org/2018/03/28/sea-shepherd-saves-25-critically-endangered-totoabas-in-the-height-of-spawning-season/
  • Mobil knew: CEO discusses links between fossil fuels and climate change in 20-year-old footage: https://www.ecowatch.com/mobil-climate-change-fossil-fuels-2556206118.html
  • Turkey starts construction of its first nuclear power plant: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/turkey-starts-construction-of-its-first-nuclear-power-plant
  • Valuable mid-Atlantic mussel officially listed as threatened: https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-mussel-species-2556252026.html
  • Deadly oil spill in eastern Borneo spreads to the open sea: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/deadly-oil-spill-in-eastern-borneo-spreads-to-the-open-sea/
  • Alaska officials issued an emergency order to shit down wolf hunting after excessive kills: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/emergency-order-closes-wolf-season-along-stampede-trail/
  • Portugal generated enough renewable energy to power the whole country in March: https://qz.com/1245048/portugal-generated-enough-renewable-energy-to-power-the-whole-country-in-march/
  • Kaziranga’s rhino census finds population growing: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/kazirangas-rhino-census-finds-the-population-is-growing-but-more-slowly-than-expected/
  • South Korean company under fire for alleged deforestation in Papua oil palm concession: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/south-korean-company-under-fire-for-alleged-deforestation-in-papua-oil-palm-concession/
  • Global analysis of large carnivore habitats: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-global-analysis-large-carnivore-habitats.html
  • A fierce opponent of the Endangered Species Act is picked to oversee Interior’s wildlife policy: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/04/a-fierce-opponent-of-the-endangered-species-act-is-picked-to-oversee-interiors-wildlife-policy/
  • Pennsylvania Superior Court rules that fracking natural gas from a neighboring property is trespassing: http://www.ehn.org/pennsylvania-fracking-trespassing-2555983611.html
  •  
  • CRISPR can officially be used to modify plant foods: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/crispr-can-officially-be-used-to-modify-plant-foods-usda-says/
  • Judge’s ruling could mean Mexican Wolves allowed to roam north of Flagstaff: http://azdailysun.com/news/local/judge-s-ruling-could-mean-mexican-wolves-allowed-to-roam/article_2eaee923-ee0e-5a17-9791-ee346767f5ea.html
  • EPA chief faces mounting scrutiny for ethics violations: https://www.npr.org/2018/04/03/599145343/epa-chief-pruitt-faces-mounting-scrutiny-for-ethics-violations
  • Shell threatened with legal action over climate change contributions: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/04/friends-of-the-earth-threatens-to-sue-shell-over-climate-change-contributions
  • Interior reconsiders steep park fee hikes due to public backlash: http://nfnews.net/interior-reconsiders-steep-park-fee-hikes-due-to-public-backlash/
  • World’s toughest ivory ban to be implemented by UK: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/wildlife-watch-uk-elephant-ivory-ban/
  • Ithaca College dramatically cuts carbon emissions with move to renewable electricity: https://www.ithaca.edu/news/releases/ithaca-college-dramatically-cuts-carbon-emissions-with-move-to-renewable-electricity-49978/
  • Michigan Oks Nestle water extraction, despite 80k public comments against it: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/03/599207550/michigan-oks-nestl-water-extraction-despite-over-80k-public-comments-against-it
  • Beef-eaters produce half of US greenhouse gas: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=11017&catId=1
  • California Clean Water and Safe Parks Act, Vote Yes on 68: https://www.greenbelt.org/blog/yes-on-68-support-the-california-clean-water-and-safe-parks-act/
  • Virunga National Park Ranger Faustin Birko Nzabakurikiza was slain by Mai-Mai militants: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1244397259025930&id=474596272672703
  • EPA to roll back car-efficiency rules, despite science that supports them: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/epa-to-roll-back-car-efficiency-rules-despite-science-that-supports-them/
  • Bats with white-nose syndrome found in Kansas: http://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/News/Weekly-News/4-2-18-White-nose/Bats-With-White-nose-Syndrome-Detected-In-Kansas
  • New rules make it easier to find oil and noisier for whales: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-marine-mammal-oil-drilling-20180402-story.html
  • Special judiciary on environmental crime established in Peru: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/special-judiciary-on-environmental-crimes-established-in-peru/
  • Traditional landowners reject mining exploration in Papua New Guinea: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/traditional-landowners-reject-mining-exploration-bid-in-bougainville/
  • Newly described Carribean deep-reef zone packed with biodiversity, thousands of new species: http://www.newsweek.com/hidden-ocean-twilight-zone-has-been-discovered-thats-filled-new-species-854921
  • Monsanto concealed effects of toxic chemicals for decades, Ohio AG says in suit: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/monsanto-concealed-effects-toxic-chemical-decades-ohio-ag-alleges-n853866
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