There’s no use crying over spilled milk—just turn it into ecofriendly plastic instead. That’s the advice from David Schiraldi of Case Western Reserve University, who has developed a process to make a foam-like material using casein, milk’s most abundant protein, and sodium montmorillonite, a type of clay.
The method is environmentally friendly—its only byproduct […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Online Map Creation
www.aquarius.geomarde/omc/omc_intro.html
Online Map Creation (OMC) is an amazing resource for anyone needing to make a map. You can create Postscript-formatted maps of just about any locality by inputting geographical coordinates. OMC is a subset of GMT (Generic Mapping Tools) software developed by scientists at the University […] Read More »
By Robin Meadows
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Maine’s Kennebec River was renowned for its magnificent runs of salmon, sturgeon, and other anadromous fish until their migration was blocked by the 1837 construction of Edwards Dam in Augusta. Opposed by citizens of Maine before it was even built, the privately-owned dam stood for more […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Roads and conservation just don’t mix. Already blamed for spreading invasive species and increasing sediment in steams, roads can also block gene flow in animal populations, according to new research in the August issue of Conservation Biology.
This is the first study showing that roads can isolate populations […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Many conservation biologists have been skeptical of population viability analysis (PVA), which wildlife managers use to predict species’ extinction risks and rank management options. But in a pair of recent papers, researchers show that while some PVA models can underestimate extinction risk, they are reasonably accurate when used […] Read More »
By Ron Hiebert
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Which invasive species cause the most serious ecological threats? And, which are most amenable to management? With more than 100 alien plants on many wildland sites and the daunting prospect of long-term expensive management strategies, these are not academic questions. Many managers may be inclined to […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Many of us do best in familiar environments, and the same is true of plants used for restoring ecosystems, according to new research in the August issue of Conservation Biology. This is the first study showing the importance of both genetic and environmental similarity when transplanting wild plants.
While […] Read More »
By Gary Paul Nabhan
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Not far from the U.S./Mexico border, Mark Larkin grows a dozen vegetable crops as well as fruits and pasture grasses. One season he noticed that honeybees were nearly absent from his fields and orchards along the Rio Santa Cruz floodplain. Larkin is what you […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
People love living on lakes, but they may be damaging the ecosystems they treasure. Compared to lakes with no residential development, lakes with many houses along the shoreline have bluegill sunfish that grow more slowly and are smaller for their age, according to new research presented in the […] Read More »
By Jason Van Driesche & Roy Van Driesche
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Prevention is a concept that does not come naturally to most Americans. We are a culture that places full faith in our ability to emerge victorious from battle no matter what the odds, and the American approach to danger and uncertainty […] Read More »
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Thanks to conservation efforts, U.S. deer densities are the highest they have been in 100 years. But the downside is that too many deer may be bad for forest birds, according to new research in the August issue of Conservation Biology. This is the first study showing that deer […] Read More »
By Sarah DeWeerdt
Winter 2001 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
Something was rotten in the state of amphibia. Chatting casually in the hallways at the first World Conference of Herpetology in 1989, scientists shared story after story of mysterious declines and disappearances among various species of frogs.
Once, for example, a certain ridge in the […] Read More »
