Flora & Fauna: A threatened tree and its bird; bear hunting; the expensive loss of seed breeders; broadband for turkeys

Clark's nutcracker
(Photo by Emilie Chen, Flickr)

"The unlikely love story of an endangered tree and the little bird who eats its seeds," is an interesting article by Matt Simmons, a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Narwhal. "Alana Clason studies mountain ecosystems and leads an extensive, complex restoration project in northwest British Columbia focused on protecting whitebark pine, an endangered tree species. . . . Whitebark has been in decline for over a century. . . . Studying the bird — a member of the corvid family called Clark's nutcracker — is one part of figuring out how to keep the tree around for generations to come." Clason told Simmons, "The nutcracker is the only dispersal agent for whitebark."

Floridians have had enough and are putting the squeeze on their problematic python population. "Though Florida is a hot spot for invasive species, pythons are particularly tricky — a January study by the U.S. Geological Survey called them 'one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe," writes Rachel Fobar of National Geographic. "Over the last few decades, these gigantic reptiles have wrought havoc on the state's ecosystems. . . . Certain data shows that killing the pythons one by one is the best option compared with trapping, using dogs, luring snakes using pheromones, and other methods."

A different three bears.
(Photo by Parth Panchal via Lancaster Farming)

Some people go on bear hunts to harvest a bear, but Stephanie Speicher of Lancaster Farming went on her hunt to see one in the wild and bask in the Apex predator's majesty. "When our friend came walking into our cabin saying someone got a bear, I thought he was pulling my leg," Speicher writes. "Later that night, we took a walk down the road to see the bear (a dead bear still doesn't count in my quest, by the way). . . . He was about 200 pounds and was a beautiful animal. . . . I might never get so close to a bear again, so I took the opportunity to give him a little pet on the head. Bears have very soft ears for anyone wondering."

The U.S. is losing its public seed breeders while corporations work on consolidation. "Public plant breeders — often academics at land grant universities — are typically focused on creating plant and seed types that remain in the public domain, meaning the final product is available to any interested researcher or farmer. But public breeders are becoming all the more rare," reports Shea Swenson of Ambrook Research. "The companies control major seed-breeding programs, which then patent and restrict other breeders from access to the crops' genetics — resulting in fewer and more expensive options for row crop farmers."

Photo by Jake Hilton, Hakai

This hurdle-climbing baby green sea turtle can be a poignant reminder, "Even with good intentions, humans can still cause harm," writes Jake Hilton for Hakai magazine. "Hatchlings must make a perilous journey from nest to ocean. . . . this little hatchling was struggling to navigate through sandy footprints that onlookers had left in its path. . . . The spectators were innocently observing the newborns and inadvertently created an extremely difficult terrain for the turtles—slowing them down, making them more vulnerable to birds, and tiring them out more than nature intended. This would put them at greater risk of being preyed on by marine species once they entered the ocean."

Turkey farmers in Minnesota think better broadband could help farmers raise healthier chicks and fight bird flu, reports Christopher Vondracek of the Star Tribune. Poor internet connection can cause farmers "a range of problems," but seeing birds in person or on a camera is the best way to detect possible illness. "The addition of cameras could help give producers the ability to remotely monitor their animals for concerning signs — from a school event or even at the house during supper."

Smokey Bear's message has been the same for
80 years. (Photo by Jeenah Moon, AP)

After 80 years of fire prevention teaching, Smokey Bear needs "to get with the times," writes Sammy Roth of the Los Angeles Times. "Can't Smokey do more than advise us on campfire safety and backyard debris burning? . . . I'm hardly the first person to wonder if Smokey's message could expand. . . . Former Forest Service smokejumper Sarah Berns made a similar argument, writing that Smokey 'needs to become an unfiltered, microphone-wielding, unmuzzled spokesbear' capable of deeper public education. . . . Maybe Smokey could warn people against living in the wildland-urban interface?"