Ding Darling NWR, FL
Bird of the Day: Mangrove Cuckoo
Ding Darling NWR, FL
The 2012 Iscol Environmental Lecture
The David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University hosts (click to the left):
Peter Matthiessen takes us on a journey to Arctic Alaska, where climate change is the new reality. In this fragile ecosystem, potentially severe negative effects of large-scale fossil fuel development—especially offshore prospecting and drilling—are already taking their toll on the Arctic sea ice and permafrost, on Arctic wildlife, and on indigenous peoples such as the coastal Inupiat and the Gwich’in Dene (“caribou people”).
Chenille Plant (Acalypha hispida)
The chenille plant is a tropical flowering shrub naturalized in plenty in the Western Ghats of India. This tender perennials grows to a height of 8-10 ft and the soft hanging flowers resemble both the fabric chenille and the tail of a cat; hence it is also known as red hot cat’s tail. This ornamental flower is found in high range homes and spice gardens, made popular by its feathery long flower.
Bird of the Day: Cooper’s Hawk (Rancho Mirage, CA)
Really, IKEA?
We have mentioned on more than one occasion when an otherwise admired company does something worthy of outrage. Our site is not dedicated to outrage, but when it is called for, we encourage it. Click the banner above to go to the story in The Guardian; following the quote below, click the image after the jump to go to the original, incriminating evidence about the ecological crime Ikea is accused of committing through one of its subsidiaries:
Protect the Forest, Sweden, a nature conservation organisation, has documented that Ikea, through Swedwood, clear-cut areas of old-growth forest containing 200-600 year-old trees in the northwest of Karelia, near the Finnish border, a process that is having deep ramifications on the invaluable forest ecosystems.
Thiruvathira Kali, Traditional Dance of Kerala
Since La Paz Group started working in Kerala last year, we have been in learning mode, especially with regard to cultural traditions. Dance is an essential part of Kerala’s cultural fabric. Thiruvathira kali is one of the typical dance forms here. This is a female group dance made up of simple, elegant steps. In ancient times, women performed this dance in their homes during festivals and functions, giving it the Malayalam name aka Kaikottikali: aka-inside + kaikottikali-play claping hands. Lore has it that Thiruvathira Kali is remembering Lord Siva taking Parvathi as his wife. The group of women dress in typical Kerala style — mundu and neriyathu and the hair in a bun, adorned with jasmine garlands — and perform this dance during festival seasons. Kaikottikkali spreads the message of joy and also illustrates the emotions of a married woman towards her beloved and of the unmarried woman longing for one. Continue reading
Hampi Conservation
In advance of Amie’s visit to Hampi in a few weeks, at which time we hope to hear more on this story, for now a few images and words from The Guardian:
Half a million pilgrims and tourists come to Hampi’s 2,000 temples and ancient stones each year. Conservationists want the site in Karnataka state restored to its medieval glory – but the price is the eviction of those who live in its old bazaar
Low-Impact Voluntourism
Guest Author: Denzel Johnson
Tourism is a big industry. In some countries it’s their largest. A fair amount of people who travel come from developed regions and visit less developed countries with the aim to help. No one can fault another person for wanting their travels to have a positive impact, but what happens when voluntourism causes more harm than good?
This question led me to form an opinion about what type of tourism is acceptable. I began with the premise that travel has positive implications on the traveller and used myself as an example. Having graduated from High School last summer, I set off to travel and explore the Americas. In England, that is referred to as a Gap Year, wherein a student takes the year off between High School and College (University) and in this year can travel, work or do nothing. My situation is a little different because I am travelling on a scholarship from the Royal Geographic Society but the benefits are the same. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Horned Lark
Alpha, NJ
Jasmine flower
Being native to tropical and subtropical regions, the many species of jasmine are either deciduous, evergreen, erect or climbing shrubs commonly found in India’s Western Ghats. It is widely cultivated throughout the world for its fragrant character. Continue reading
Nature’s Other Side
Click the image above to go to an article, not for the faint of heart, about why encounters with real, wild nature are more valuable than those most of us have, which are increasingly sanitized, gentle and unreal:
…Ecologically speaking, this sanctified nature is not nearly enough. “We live more and more in an enchanted illusion of what nature is, which I think is counterproductive to conservation,” says the Cornell University biologist Harry Greene. It’s the back half of that statement—counterproductive to conservation—that contains surprises… Continue reading
Beauty of Jordan: Rummana
There are dozens of Wadis (valleys) in the Dana Biosphere Reserve, most of which I haven’t been to. Each has its unique landscapes and geological features – such that if you show a local a picture of just about any place he will recognize its location. Chances are, he also will have a story relating to it – quite possibly about the time he lived there when he was younger. Jabal Rummana is a campsite overlooking Dana – common spotting grounds for Ibex, as well as other wildlife, the valley itself is a breathtaking sight. For a panoramic view, Continue reading
Whale Wonders
Click the UCP banner above to see more on this new book:
“Preternaturally hardened whale dung” is not the first image that comes to mind when we think of perfume, otherwise a symbol of glamour and allure. But the key ingredient that makes the sophisticated scent linger on the skin is precisely this bizarre digestive by-product—ambergris. Despite being one of the world’s most expensive substances (its value is nearly that of gold and has at times in history been triple it), ambergris is also one of the world’s least known. But with this unusual and highly alluring book, Christopher Kemp promises to change that by uncovering the unique history of ambergris. Continue reading
Beauty of Jordan: Sheep in Shobak
A Bedouin man herds his sheep up a hill overlooking Wadi Araba, where Feynan is only barely covered by mountains. Continue reading
Nurturing Nature
Dog domestication may have given anatomically modern humans an advantage over Neandertals. Studies of modern-day hunters suggest that dogs help people hunt more efficiently and ensure a more plentiful food supply. Here, a Mayangna hunter in Nicaragua works with his dogs to pursue an agouti (a rabbit-sized rodent) in a hollow trunk. The best dogs sometimes help these indigenous hunters bring in more than 50 kilograms of meat per month. Photo, Menuka Scetbon-Didi.
(Click the image above to go to the story in Scientific American):
One of the classic conundrums in paleoanthropology is why Neandertals went extinct while modern humans survived in the same habitat at the same time. Continue reading
Preparing for CUBs in the Galápagos
Over the summer, I’ll be working with youth in the community of the second largest island of the Galápagos archipelago, Santa Cruz. This central island is the touristic center of the archipelago, and Puerto Ayora, its capital, is the most populated (and thus, urban) area in the islands. In particular, my goal is to engage students of the Unidad Educativa Modelo Tomás de Berlanga, a bilingual non-profit school five minutes from the center of Puerto Ayora, and create a youth-led project that focuses on habitat awareness and improvement, participatory science, and the arts, specifically through birds.
I will try to apply the framework of the Celebrate Urban Birds program to the Galápagos, using a list of around 16-20 focal species to teach those I can reach on Santa Cruz about citizen science as a tool for conservation and research while hopefully deepening an appreciation of their surroundings. I aim Continue reading
Yellow Allamanda (Golden Trumpet)
Yellow Allamanda is an evergreen, tropical shrub naturalized in the Western Ghats of India growing vigorously to a height of 2m and above. The plant’s main attraction are its yellow, trumpet shaped flowers, Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Greater Yellowlegs
Basking Ridge, NJ
A Road Less Traveled
Guest Author: Denzel Johnson
The positive thinker regards life as an adventure where the rewards are in the risks and the pleasure in responding to the challenge.
A card printed with that quote has sat in my wallet since setting off last year for my journey through Latin America. I convinced myself that my philosophy as a traveller should somehow reflect these words and the card was meant to encourage me to step off the beaten track and venture where others wouldn’t consider a destination.
Having recently just spent a good portion of my gap year in solo travel through South America, I not only found myself on my own but always more positively challenged because there was no one else I could rely on. Continue reading
Wild Periyar: May 27, 2012
Two days ago I camped with friends in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. We had wonderful sightings: a herd of elephants with a baby, a single bison grazing in the forest, and a bear (a very lucky sighting but from a long distance). It was nice to spot animals at a very close distance and to catch them on camera. I visit the reserve frequently as an official forest watcher, but it is a different experience for me every time.- Mr. Salim
Organikos 