Atlanta, Georgia
Bird of the Day: Brown-headed Nuthatch
Atlanta, Georgia
If You Happen To Be In London
John Lockwood Kipling with his son Rudyard Kipling, 1882. © National Trust/Charles Thomas
Kipling is almost a household name for many in our group, but primarily in the context of Rudyard Kipling, the writer of the well-known stories and fables about India. When researching the author a few years back I was surprised to learn about his talented father, whose beautiful illustrations graced the early editions of several of his son’s books.
Rudyard Kipling’s bookplate ‘Ex Libris’, Lockwood Kipling, 1909. © National Trust Images/John Hammond
Those lucky enough to be in London this month can visit the Victoria & Albert Museum for the exhibition Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London.
More of note, not only was the senior Kipling an artist, writer, museum director, teacher, and influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement – he was also a conservationist, distinguished for promoting the traditional textile crafts of India and what is now Pakistan.
The exhibit coincides with Conferences and Symposia related to the 3-year international research project on Kipling’s legacy.
The 19th century Arts and Crafts revival in British India is a fascinating chapter in the international history of art and design. However, John Lockwood Kipling’s career as designer and architectural sculptor, curator and educator, illustrator and journalist, has received little attention. Continue reading
Bumble Bees & Conservation
The rusty-patched bumblebee, once common across the continental United States, has been designated an endangered species. Credit Clay Bolt
One more gift of protection:
A Bumblebee Gets New Protection on Obama’s Way Out
By and
The Obama administration, rushing to secure its environmental legacy, has increased protection for a humble bumblebee. Continue reading
Bear Ears Monuments, Cheering & Detraction
Photo by Josh Ewing/Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition
The Food & Environment Reporting Network updates our understanding of the added significance of Bear Ears Monument, and its detractors:
Bears Ears Monument Is A Win For Tribal Food Sovereignty. Will Trump Undo It?
By Kristina Johnson
Seven years ago, the Navajo tribal council in southeastern Utah started mapping the secret sites where medicine men and women forage for healing plants and native people source wild foods. They wanted to make a case for protecting the landscape known as Bears Ears, a place not only sacred to their tribe, but to many other tribes in the region, going back thousands of years. In one of his final acts in office, President Obama late last month created the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears Monument, in a move that proponents say will safeguard the area’s ecology and guarantee food sovereignty for the region’s Native Americans.: Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Mountain Imperial Pigeon
Mapusa, Goa
Birding By Season
Violet-crowned, blue-throated and magnificent hummingbirds, along with a dozen other bird species, have been recorded at the the Conservancy’s 380-acre Ramsey Canyon Preserve. © Teagan White
Thanks once again to the Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science blog for simultaneously highlighting conservation history as well as inspiration to spend time outdoors. We stand with the TNC and all organizations in support of the legendary legislation that illustrates the core principles of wildlife and land stewardship.
The Audubon Society states it simply, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects birds from depredatory human activities. And the more we involve ourselves in birding activities, the more appreciation and awareness we have for the fragility of our ecosystems and the biodiversity they sustain.
A Birding List for the New Year
Maple Was Always Good, Got Better, And Finally Runamok
When we saw this the other day, it had us thinking that 2017 was already off to a crafty-bottled-flavor start. Now another non-alcoholic liquid we adore, crafted and packaged with flair.
Several among the contributors to this site have connections to maple syrup consumption going back decades, most notably Harrington’s of Vermont circa 1970s. So, combining nostalgia with artisanal and organic, Runamok had us at maple:
Sugarmaker’s Cut™ The Season’s Best Maple Syrup Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Hairy Woodpecker
male – Atlanta, Georgia
2016 Christmas Bird Count at Chan Chich
Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) Sierra El Tuito, Jalisco, Mexico 21/01/2008 © Glen Tepke
The Chan Chich team was recently host to Christmas Bird Count participants from the Belize Audubon Society. Assisted by the Chan Chich guides, the team of ten birders tallied a total of 185 species over a 2-day period. Among the most notable species, was the addition of the Cinnamon Hummingbird, which is the furthest inland record in the country. This tiny coastal hummingbird has been steadily expanding its range inland, but this time it reached Laguna Verde, the natural, spring-fed lake within the Chan Chich conservation area. Continue reading
Adaptation, Climate Change, Winery Operations
Solar panels dot the buildings at the family’s Carneros Hills Winery. Jason Henry for The New York Times
When a family does its homework on the property that represents its livelihood and our own appreciation for their craft, we take note just as we do when the professor teaches:
Falcons, Drones, Data: A Winery Battles Climate Change
Jackson Family Wines is among California
winemakers employing both high-tech and old-school
techniques to adapt to hotter, drier conditions.By
Harvested grapes. Jackson Family Wines is one of the largest family-owned winemakers in the country. Jason Henry for The New York Times
On a misty autumn morning in Sonoma County, Calif., Katie Jackson headed into the vineyards to assess the harvest. It was late in the season, and an army of field workers was rushing to pick the grapes before the first rains, however faint, began falling.
But on this day, Ms. Jackson, the vice president for sustainability and external affairs at Jackson Family Wines, was not just minding the usual haul of cabernet, chardonnay and merlot grapes. She also checked on the sophisticated network of systems she had put in place to help crops adapt to a changing climate.
Walden Pond’s Enduring Lessons
Kevin Hooyman
When a professor does years of research and teaching on a topic related to this particular pond, and then takes the additional effort to share his observations in cogent form as an op-ed, we believe it is worth at least 5-10 minutes of reading time:
What the Muck of Walden Pond Tells Us About Our Planet
By
In 1845, Henry David Thoreau repaired to a cabin in the woods beside Walden Pond “to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach.” During the last two years, my students and I have come to that same pond to see what we could learn from the sediments beneath it. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Short-toed Snake-Eagle
Bangalore, Karnataka
Bojangles & Belize & Chan Chich Lodge
We knew Jerry Jeff Walker was one of the greats, but two things we did not know about him: he is the man who wrote the song Mr. Bojangles (no secret, we just did not know it) and he has considered Belize his second home for a very long time (again no secret, we just did not know it). If you click the banner above you will see more details about the concert series, which sounds like a blast, coming up in a few weeks. But since it is sold out, we still suggest planning for a visit to Belize, in which case you should click the image below.
New Rules, Fishing & Conservation
Divers release a seal from fishing gear. Getting entangled in active or abandoned fishing gear often leads to injury or death in marine mammals. NOAA Marine Debris Program/Flickr
Thanks to the salt folks at National Public Radio (USA) for this news on a rule change that could do for all marine mammals what has already been done for dolphins:
The vaquita is a small porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California, in Mexico. Today, the species is critically endangered, with less than 60 animals left in the wild, thanks to fishing nets to catch fish and shrimp for sale in Mexico and America. The animal is an accidental victim of the fishing industry, as are many other marine mammals. Continue reading
2017, International Year Of Sustainable Tourism For Development
The United Nations, and its subsidiary the World Tourism Organization, are promoting the celebration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. We just celebrated 20 years of working in the sustainable tourism space, and UNWTO’s efforts help focus our attention now on the next decade’s worth of effort:
“With more than one billion international tourists now traveling the world each year, tourism has become a powerful and transformative force that is making a genuine difference in the lives of millions of people. The potential of tourism for sustainable development is considerable. As one of the world’s leading employment sectors, tourism provides important livelihood opportunities, helping to alleviate poverty and drive inclusive development.”
– United Nations Secretary-General, Banki-moon
World Tourism Day Message, 2015
Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Coppersmith Barbet
Bangalore, Karnataka
Avocados Of The Future
Thanks to Wired for this preview of things to come in the world of avocados:
IT’S THE WINTER avocado harvest at the University of California’s orchard in Lindcove, and the fruit jumbled in the back of Eric Focht’s SUV are a palette of earthy tones, some rough and flecked with frosted tips, others green and smooth. The horticulturist selects three miniature fruit, bright green and rotund, which together fit easily in the palm of his hand. “We were thinking of calling it the Lunch Box,” says Mary Lu Arpaia, who oversees the avocado breeding program at the orchard. But for now it’s just an experimental variety, officially known by a string of numbers. It’s too soon to tell if “Lunch Box” will ever be released to the world.: Continue reading
Beverage Innovations, Vegan Spirit Edition
We do not need to repeat our distaste for the word mocktail, nor are we on a dry spell; nonetheless we are happy to see attention to beverages like this (pricey!) one:
SPIRITED AWAY: SEEDLIP SPICE 94 ($39, 700 ML) Continue reading
Fish & Coconuts & Conservation
S.W. Reddy’s discussion of the islands where she carried out empirical research in the behavioral economics vein reminds of some fundamental similarities to Kerala, especially the fish and coconuts part. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy’s Cool Green Science for bringing this to our attention (if you do not have 15 minutes for the video now, save the text below for later reading):
Bringing Behavioral Insights into Conservation Programs and Policies
By Sheila Walsh Reddy
Behavioral science and economics have provided important insights for health, finance, and many other domains, but are largely untapped resources for conservation. A new paper in Conservation Letters helps practitioners tap into behavioral sciences. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Black-naped Oriole
Western Ghats, India
Organikos 