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It often starts the same way. A pair of gloves. A trash receptacle. A stretch of shoreline that’s seen better days.  When our volunteers show up, something shifts.  They bring […]
The post 5 Reasons Why Our Volunteers Are the Heart of the Alliance appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
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A lifelong believer in the power of education, Mayela Padilla Manasjan recognized early on that a college degree could open doors to opportunity. She earned her undergraduate degree in Environmental Systems from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in 2003, followed by a Master of Sci…
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Go looking for information on rare plant population health and it can be surprisingly hard to come by. Plant monitoring, especially over the long term, is a challenge and data have not always kept up with the need. Dr. Michelle DePrenger-Levin and her colleagues at the Denver Botanic Gardens are doi…
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Plants obviously need water to survive, but how do they interact with water in a more physical sense? How plants like trees capture and distribute precipitation can have massive consequences for ecosystem and societal processes. From soil formation to stormwater management, understanding wet plants …
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Plants are habitat! This means that to restore ecosystems, we would be wise to start with plants. Such is the case for the spruce-fir forests of southern Appalachia, which are among the rarest habitat types on the continent. Join me and Kelly Holdbrooks of the Southern Highlands Reserve as we explor…
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Visit the Sonoran Desert and you too will fall in love with its beauty and diversity. It is truly one of the most incredible places on earth. Dr. Ben Wilder agrees which is why he has dedicated his life to understanding the history of the Sonoran flora and using that knowledge to help ensure it has …
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Deserts are difficult places for any organism to survive, let alone plants. Despite the challenges, rich a unique floras have evolved in deserts all over the world which support myriad other forms of life. Restoring these communities in human-disturbed areas is critical in solving so many ecological…
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Who hasn't marveled at the fossilized remains of a dinosaur? Though their lineage lives on today in the form of birds, historically, dinosaurs were once far more diverse. Needless to say, they shaped the world around them just as much as the world shaped them, and this certainly included interaction…
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Marissa Saenger is a fourth-year PhD student studying climate sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Saenger grew up in Clarence, N.Y., and received her undergraduate degree in environmental science and engineering with a minor in environmental policy at Harvard College. Pr…
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Columbus, OH (May 21, 2025) — Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana) introduced important legislation designed to eliminate all lead water lines that still exist in […]
The post Environmental Organizations Celebrate Bipartisan Bill to Remove Ohio’s Lead Serv…
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Sedges (genus Carex) can be an intimidating group of plants to get your head wrapped around, but it doesn't have to be that way. One key element to understanding them is knowing what to look for, which is why I am so excited to talk about a new book/key to the oval sedges - “Carex of Illinois and Su…
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Mangrove forests are dynamic places and so too are the people that study them. From carbon capture and peat formation, to restoration and hydrology, these coastal habitats offer curious minds plenty to ponder. Join me and Dr. Luke Lamb-Wotton as we explore the wonderfully complex world of these coas…
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Wildfires are familiar to those living on Earth today, but what about in the past? How does one go about studying ancient wildfires through deep time? Some of the answers lie in coal deposits. Join me and Dr. Ian Glasspool as we explore how he studies wildfire events dating back hundreds of millions…
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Changes in biodiversity are happening all over the globe. From losses to homogenization, understanding the affects of biodiversity change are paramount to understanding how ecosystems function. Nowhere is this more apparent than with plants. Join me and ecologist Dr. Jake Grossman as we explore the …
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Fossils offer some of the best evidence of how diverse various branches of the tree of life once were. They help us understand speciation and extinction as well as biogeography. Dr. Steve Manchester has spent much of his career using fossilized seeds to understand the ancient histories of flowering …
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You have the opportunity to stand up for wetlands today by telling EPA just how beneficial and important wetlands are for our communities. The Clean Water Act (CWA) protects the “waters of the United States.” This consequential term, referred to by its acronym “WOTUS,” has been heavily redefined and…
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How does one breath life into an extinct tree only known from fossils? There are a lot of answers to this question, but my guest today decided to go digital. Tim Stonesifer is the Assistant Director for Media Technology at Colby College and the person responsible for creating the 3D reconstruction o…
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Our UK coastline is under threat, and now the Marine Biological Association (MBA) is calling on ocean lovers of all ages to take part in the Big Rock Pool Challenge: National BioBlitz 2025, a nationwide citizen science effort to monitor the health of the UK’s coastline and track the spread of invasi…
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River Network announces nearly $3.3 million to local organizations and Indigenous communities for tree planting and maintenance projects, increasing health and happiness nationwide. River Network, a national nonprofit that grows and strengthens local water, justice, and river advocates across the Un…
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One cannot overemphasize the importance of plant/pollinator interactions. The world as we know it would not exist without these complex components of ecology. Getting good data, and more importantly, making those data useful is important in conserving and restoring plants and their pollinators. Join…
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The black belt prairie is a crescent-shaped grassland ecosystem curving through Mississippi and Alabama that supports high biodiversity. Sadly, like grasslands across the globe, the black belt prairie ecosystem continues to be carved up into increasingly smaller chunks of habitat. What is left often…
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Mosses, liverworts, and lichens live in a world of their own. Not unlike the trees they grow on, these tiny organisms must play out the dramas of obtaining the water, nutrients, and light they need to survive, they are just doing so on a much smaller scale. At the same time, they are supporting thei…
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Understanding the relationships among plants can reveal so much about the history of our planet and the mechanisms of evolution. This is why Dr. Peter Quakenbush has spent so much time trying to understand the genus Medinilla. You might be most familiar with Medinilla magnifica as a popular housepla…
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The intricate, hidden processes that sustain coral life are being revealed through a new microscope developed by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.The diver-operated microscope — called the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM, or BUMP — incorporates pulse amplitu…
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World Oceans Month is more than just a calendar event. It’s a chance to celebrate the beating heart of our blue planet—and to remember how closely our lives are connected to the ocean’s health, especially the ecosystems within it. Coral reefs might only cover a small fraction of the ocean floor, but…
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Seeing the drastic effects that deforestation has had on the Amazon, many Amazonian nations have begun to coordinate responses for stronger environmental protection, resulting in increased political and financial commitments for conservation initiatives in the Amazon. In 2023’s Belém Declaration (an…
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We’re proud to announce that we’ve earned the 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition for nonprofit accountability and openness! At Amazon Conservation, we believe that protecting the Amazon rainforest goes hand in hand with building trust. That’s why we make it a…
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Predators like wolves are an integral part of ecosystem health. Moreover, their interactions with their herbivore prey can have major consequences on plant communities. Join me and Dr. Sarah Hoy as we discuss decades worth of data on wolf-moose-plant interactions on Isle Royale and learn how wolves …
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Article photo: Cristina Mittermeier By Bea San Juan Silva | March 28, 2025 South Africa’s oceans are teeming with biodiversity, from vibrant coral reefs to rich fish populations. To protect these vital ecosystems, the country has established a network of 42 marine protected areas (MPAs) – 41 in the …
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Bees run the gamut from generalists to specialists. Whereas the generalists visit a variety of plants for the resources they need, many specialists exist on a single species. Such is the case for at least 20 different bees living in Southwestern North America who specialize on the pollen of the creo…
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DEFRA Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, met with the team behind the Pollack Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) during a visit to Plymouth this week.  Pollack FISP is a pioneering collaboration bringing together recreational charter skippers, commercial fis…
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Leave the leaves! It is a phrase you hear a lot these days, but why is it so important to keep leaves and other plant debris on your landscape? These are the questions that drive Dr. Max Ferlato. Leaf litter and other plant debris provides vitally important habitat for myriad organisms including spe…
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What does it take to save orchids from extinction? Saving Orchids by Dr's Philip Seaton and Larry Zettler showcase the dedicated folks who are making it happen across the world. From why orchids need our help to cultivating in the lab and returning them to the wild, Saving Orchids is an inspirationa…
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Novel approaches are always fun. Nowhere is this more apparent than in today's podcast. We revisit a conversation with Dr. Camille Holmgren from SUNY Buffalo State about her research reconstructing ancient desert climates using pack rat middens. Join us for a fun and interesting discussion that will…
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In a heartening segment filmed for BBC’s Countryfile, presenter Vick Hope joined our team aboard the RV MBA Sepia for a special milestone: the release of young rays back into the waters of Plymouth Sound. The event marks a key moment in the Little Rays of Hope project — a collaborative initiative fr…
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Multiple nations recently signed a first-of-its-kind agreement to boost global wildfire readiness across the globe. The “Kananaskis Wildfire Charter” was signed by each of the countries in the “Group of Seven,” or G7, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Unite…
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Four marine protected areas (MPAs) were honored today with prestigious Blue Park Awards today at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference. The newly awarded Blue Parks are: Cahuita National Park (Costa Rica), Gorgona National Natural Park (Colombia), Kaho'olawe Island Reserve (Hawai'i, U.S.), and Shark Fin Bay M…