If You Happen To Be in New York City

/ Organikos / 6 Comments

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From today until May 19 the New-York Historical Society will begin hosting a multi-phased exhibition of Audubon‘s early, exuberant period as an illustrator-naturalist:

Audubon’s Aviary: Part I of the Complete Flock

To celebrate the sesquicentennial of the New-York Historical Society’s purchase of the Audubon avian watercolors and the the release of the lavishly illustrated book Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America”―published by the New-York Historical Society and Skira/Rizzoli and winner of a 2013 New York Book Show Award Continue reading →

For Foodie Friends

/ Organikos / 4 Comments

This is the third of the “From Scratch” entrepreneurship-focused podcasts we have sampled, and each one so far has been excellent. The first two had a very strong connection to conservation, which explains why we sampled them first.  This one has no connection to conservation, but there is a great spirit of community embedded in everything Keller says. He is notably clear-headed in acknowledging the role his family played in his development, and how his eventual success was due to people who might not have been expected to support him.  Click the image above to go to the podcast.

Continue reading →

Elderberry – Sambucus nigra

/ Salim.E.I / 1 Comment

Native to the sub-tropical regions of Europe and Australia, Elderberry grows widely in Kerala’s Hill Range gardens above 1000 meters. The clustered berries are an important food for many birds and the flowers are a favorite for honey bees and other pollinating insects.  Continue reading →

Mammals In Modern Habitats

/ Organikos / 4 Comments

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Little did we know that there was an organization called The Mammal Society, let alone that they sponsor such a phenomenal photo competition each year (see some of the prizes offered to understand why so many people contribute).  We appreciate the acknowledgement that wild mammals are increasingly found in domesticated locations, which is not how it should be but here is what it looks like:

In 2012-2013 we ran the first Mammal Photographer of the Year competition for amateur photographers. Judges, including Kate MacRae, AKA “Wildlife Kate”, and photographer Steve Magennis are looking for images that tell a story, show rare behaviour, highlight mammals in a fragile environment, or make the ordinary extraordinary. The aim was to bring mammals into public focus, raising awareness of the issues they face, and hopefully encouraging us to appreciate the species that are often overlooked but essential to the health of our habitats. Continue reading →

Nagarahole National Park – Karnataka

/ Salim.E.I / Leave a comment

Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Nagarahole National Park is located near Mysore in Karnataka, covering an area of 643.39 sq km. This national park is one of the best-maintained wildlife reserves in the country. The name of the park is derived from naga, which means cobra in Kannada (the local language of Karnataka) and hole, referring to streams, or river. The park, also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park, has an  abundance of fauna including spotted deer, wild boar, gaur, elephants, leopard and tigers. Continue reading →

Read, Weep, Act

/ Organikos / 3 Comments

Figure 1. Elephant dung density and range reduction across the Central African forests.

A just-released scientific study documents the destruction.  Roughly 25,000 elephants per year are killed in Africa to feed the demand for ivory in Asia, and the pace has increased in the last decade such that, in another decade, extinction is possible.  A petition that led to one important-sounding announcement provided momentary hope until it was noted that no dates or even vague timelines were committed to.  For now, we have only the clear, cold facts of science and whatever stimulus these findings provide for us to take action:

Abstract

African forest elephants– taxonomically and functionally unique–are being poached at accelerating rates, but we lack range-wide information on the repercussions. Analysis of the largest survey dataset ever assembled for forest elephants (80 foot-surveys; covering 13,000 km; 91,600 person-days of fieldwork) revealed that population size declined by ca. 62% between 2002–2011 Continue reading →

Beauty Of Kerala – Varkala Beach

/ Salim.E.I / 1 Comment

Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

Varkala is situated about 50 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. The area’s topography is perhaps its best attraction; the wide plateau atop steep laterite cliffs offers a grand vista of the sea. Continue reading →

Wild Bees And Crop Yields

/ Organikos / 5 Comments

Wild bees, such as this Andrena bee visiting highbush blueberry flowers, play a key role in boosting crop yields. Left photo by Rufus Isaac/AAAS; Right photo courtesy of Daniel M.N. Turner

We like stories about bees for many reasons, but mostly in relation to the seemingly unrelated topics of food and collective action. In less than five minutes, this podcast news story adds important information to the mix:

Some of the most healthful foods you can think of — blueberries, cranberries, apples, almonds and squash — would never get to your plate without the help of insects. No insects, no pollination. No pollination, no fruit.

Farmers who grow these crops often rely on honeybees to do the job. But scientists are now reporting that honeybees, while convenient, are not necessarily the best pollinators. Continue reading →

Lily Of The Nile (Agapanthus africanus)

/ Salim.E.I / 1 Comment

Although called sometimes called Lily of the Nile or African Lily, Agapanthas isn’t actually in the lily family at all. Native to South Africa, it is now naturalized in much of the hilly regions of Asia and Central America, commonly growing in the high ranges of Kerala above 1000 meters. Continue reading →

A Petition, A Meeting, A Smile

/ Organikos / 4 Comments

th_pm

On behalf of elephants, the 1.5 million people who signed a petition to this end, and all the other people who care about their welfare, including the ecosystems where they continue to exist in the wild, we extend our strongest thanks for this announcement–years late but still very much appreciated. We hope, following the smiling moment at this important meeting, you will back it up with strict enforcement (click the image to the left for the full press release on the CITES website):

On behalf of the Government and people of the Kingdom of Thailand, I would like to welcome all of you to Bangkok, for the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES CoP16. Continue reading →

James Prosek, Come To Kerala!

/ Organikos / 15 Comments

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When we invite an artist to visit us, it is mostly but not always because we think their work would fit well with the natural environments where we work. And, of course, because we love what we have seen of their art. The slideshow above includes current and boyhood illustrations by an artist who would hopefully appreciate our daily attention to his beloved creatures in various places:

…The artist and author James Prosek uses vivid and highly detailed watercolors to capture the natural world. He’s compared often to Audubon, though unlike the 19th-century artist’s focus on birds, Prosek’s work most often focuses on animals with fins instead of feathers. Continue reading →

A Look Back at AguaClara

/ Timothy Chen / Leave a comment

Pure nostalgia. That’s how I felt when I looked through the photos on my computer of my trip to Honduras two years ago. I was reminded by a previous post about my experience with AguaClara, a Cornell project team that designs and builds water treatment plant for impoverished communities in Honduras. The team has grown in size and prestige ever since I left, and it’s garnered multiple awards (from the EPA and Katerva, most recently).

AguaClara team members walking across a narrow suspension bridge in rural Honduras.

Continue reading →