Fat Bear Week has arrived: Fans can vote daily, and the website provides materials for classrooms

What's big, brown, hungry and loves salmon? Alaskan brown bears in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The bears and their voting minions are gearing up for Fat Bear Week, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 23 and chowing down through Sept. 30.

Wait, what? "With the help of this playful competition, Fat Bear Week aims to bring Katmai National Park and Alaska’s brown bears closer to the people who may not be able to visit the park in person," reports Emese Maczko for Forbes. "Anyone can vote daily for which bear advances in the bracket to determine the eventual champion, Katmai's bulkiest brown bear."

Bulk is the aim, and salmon is their game. "To make it into the bracket, bears must first be visibly fat and appear at Brooks River in both early summer and fall, criteria that not all of the park’s bears meet," Maczko explains. "Bears in the brackets often have a compelling storyline that showcases the challenges of survival in Katmai."

No need to vote to join the fat bear fandom. "Voters can follow eight bear cams that provide live video feeds from different locations around the Brooks Camp area of Katmai National Park, Maczko adds. "Anyone can join the live chat, where Mike Fitz, resident naturalist at Explore.org, Christine Kliesrath, ranger at Katmai National Park and Naomi Boak from Katmai Conservancy will answer all questions."

The bears are here to eat and teach. "Classrooms can bring Katmai directly to their students. Teachers may request a virtual program with a park ranger to discuss the bears, the park and Fat Bear Week," Maczko writes. "The park also offers numerous free printable materials for classroom use, available online."

Flora & Fauna: Stealthy Eastern hellbenders; eavesdropping on forests; off-bottom oysters; what do wasps do?

Spotting an Eastern hellbender takes time, luck and 
snorkeling. (Adobe Stock photo) 

Taking a swim in an Appalachian river is the only way to get a glimpse of this stealthy animal that looks like it's part salamander and part alligator: the Eastern hellbender. "These rare salamanders, which can grow to over two feet long, lurk in the wild rivers of Appalachia. To spot one, you’ll need a snorkel, and some luck," reports Mihir Zaveri of The New York Times. "Hellbenders, which can live for 30 years or more, vaguely resemble large underwater lizards. . . . I heard a muffled yell from [my guide] who was floating upstream. I popped out of the water. 'Hellbender!' he shouted. 'Hellbender!'" Zavari's adventure with hellbender-in-action photos is here.

Researchers who want to know more about what's happening in Wisconsin forests have launched an eavesdropping system designed to record the sounds of birds, animals, people, weather and leaves 24/7. "Once a month, researchers hike through the woods in the Baraboo Hills to check on small boxes strapped to tree trunks. The boxes hold microphones that are running 24 hours a day, capturing the soundscape of the forest," reports Bridgit Bowden of Wisconsin Public Radio. "Bioacoustics enable researchers to get a fuller picture of the forest, the species that inhabit it and how they change over time."

Scientists seek ways for bees to spread pesticides that 
are safe for pollinators. (Offrange graphic)

To help crops stay safe from pests and molds, scientists suggest letting pollen-gathering bees do what they do best: The work. "A bumblebee prepares to leave its hive. But first, it passes through a dispenser and picks up a dusting of biofungicide, a pesticide made of mycelium, that it will soon pass on to every strawberry flower it visits," reports Leah Borts-Kuperman for Offrange. "The pest-control formula will then be transmitted from flower to flower by pollinators who will hopefully prevent the farm’s strawberries from developing the gray mold no one wants." Read more about "bee vectoring" here.

An off-bottom oyster harvesters pulls his crop from floating cages. (Photo by E. Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator)

Beset by changes in climate and natural disasters, some of Louisiana's oyster industry is delving into the off-bottom oyster business. "On-bottom culture, where oysters attach to reefs or substrate on the water’s bottom, is and has been the most popular method of oyster harvesting in Louisiana’s waters," reports Elise Plunk for New Orleans Public Radio. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lists the state’s strong interest in off-bottom oyster cultivation as a way to help build resiliency into an industry under threat from sediment diversions. . . . Whether this technique can beat back worsening hurricanes, climate change and the impact of sediment diversions is still undetermined."

When I grow up, I want to be a garlic nerd. A stinky, vampire-busting garlic nerd who grows garlic from garlic seeds, which isn't common. Most garlic doesn't grow from seeds. "Ever since people began cultivating garlic — six millennia ago by some estimates. . . scarcely a single plant was coaxed to produce one solitary seed. And so it forgot how," writes Katherine Cusumano for Offrange. "About 15 years ago, a Missouri farmer named Mark Brown began trying to coax true seeds from his garlic — an attempt, essentially, to undo thousands of years of domestication." Brown's example has been followed by many garlic-obsessed planters working on their own seeds and ideas for improving the spice plant. 

The common wasp is an insect hunter.
(Adobe Stock photo)

Besides building nearly indestructible mud or paper nests and terrifying adults and children alike with the threat of their searingly painful stings, do wasps have a purpose? Ecology researcher and wasp expert Seirian Sumner wants people to know that in the world of insects, wasps are an apex predator. She told CNN News, "Wasps are nature’s pest controllers. Without wasps. . .we would be inclined to use more chemicals to control the populations of the other insects and creepy crawlies that we don’t like: caterpillars, aphids, spiders, beetles – you name it – there is a wasp that hunts it. So wasps are really important top predators in regulating all of those insect populations within the ecosystem.” 

Fur-ever love between animals that are just wild about each other. Barn owls, eagles, beavers and more mate for life.

Barn owls woo their mate with snacks. 
(Unsplash image)

Barn owls find a mate and fly with them for their entire lifespan. When finding their bird of a feather, males will bring a tasty treat to their mate to win them over. These birds spend extra time on this practice, according to an article by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It might not be a bad idea to take a page out of the Barn owl's book.

Coyotes, along with many other animals, breed in the winter. Once they find their mate, they stick with them for life, never straying far. “[They work] together to hunt, den and raise their pups each year,” writes the BC SPCA.

When it comes to beavers, the whole family is involved.
(Unspash image)

Beavers mate for life and embrace fortified family units. The BC SPCA wrote that a Beaver couple will live in a den together and raise their offspring, known as kits, together. Their kits will stay with them for two years, learning the way of the world and helping to raise their younger siblings before going out on their own. These beavers sure do love their family.

Canadian geese show love through acts of service. Staying together for life, they take turns with their responsibilities. The BC SPCA wrote, “The male and female take turns with all their parenting duties, including protecting their nest, incubating the eggs, finding food, and co-parent the young goslings.” Experts in parenting, these birds will occasionally help out other families and raise their offspring together, even adopting orphans from time to time.

Bald eagles symbolize their love and strength
through their nest. (Unsplash image)

The bald eagle love story might be the most romantic. These birds can live up to 30 years in the wild and will stay with their mate as long as they both shall live. Each year the couple will fly back to the same nest, continuously building together. The BC SPCA said, “The ever-growing nest is truly the symbol of a strong partnership.”

One set of Magellanic penguins were together for 16 years. An Ocean Conservancy article, written by Marja Diaz, said it was "one of the longest recorded love affairs" between two of these penguins. Diaz wrote that penguins will impress each other with song and dance, and of course they are always dressed to impress. Magellanic penguins will also take turns protecting their eggs and hunting to provide for each other and their young.

Flora & Fauna: World's oldest whale; all about potatoes; farming extracted land; everlasting lice; why play?

The humpback whale Old Timer in Frederick Sound in southeast Alaska.
(Photo by Adam Pack, NOAA Research Permit 26953 via NYT)

Sometimes seeing an old friend can warm the heart and encourage the spirit. "When Adam A. Pack, a marine mammal researcher, was photographing whales in Alaska’s Frederick Sound this July, he instantly recognized the flukes of an old friend," writes Emily Anthes of The New York Times. "The tail — mostly black, with a wash of white speckles near the edge — belongs to a whale named Old Timer. First spotted in 1972, Old Timer is now a male of at least 53 years, making him “the oldest known humpback whale in the world. . . The last time he had seen the whale, in 2015, was in the middle of a record-breaking, yearslong heat wave. . ."

Where would this country be without potatoes? It's a loaded question. Fluffed, whipped, baked, fried, scalloped, mashed, au gratin. . . Americans do love their taters. But U.S. scientists said, "It's not enough. . . Potatoes deserve more!" Jacob Bunge and Victor Stefanescu of The Wall Street Journal report, "Agriculture companies are applying cutting-edge genetic technology to the dusty brown tubers, aiming to grow bigger piles of spuds that could make for healthier potato chips and french fries. . .while grappling with storage and shelf life."

Ashford Farm has been cultivating lavender for five
years. (Photo by K. Thacker, Ambrook Research)

Not long ago, a coal mine sat on a blown-off mountaintop in West Virginia. The mine extracted that land's wealth and left it barren, but that is not the story's end. "The prospect of putting a farm on a former coal site is highly ambitious and pretty rare — at least in the mountainous Central Appalachian Coal Basin," report Even Andrew and Kristian Thacker of Ambrook Research. "Lavender, however, is a good match for mined terrain because it’s a relatively low-maintenance crop that thrives in dry, rocky soils. . . . But growing something, especially on reclaimed mine land, is a significant challenge."

What's grosser than gross? Lice. "We are in peak lice season, and the lice seem to arrive, always, at the moment when we are least equipped to deal with them. If you’ve endured them even once, odds are you still have at least a touch of lingering paranoia and phantom itching," reports Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post. "They were there when Hannibal and his army crossed the Alps. They were there when both World Wars were fought. Now it is 2024, and we have Mars rovers and artificial intelligence and, still, lice. We can’t change the reality of them. Should we try to change the way we think about them?"

Like everything Mother Nature imbues, play has purpose.
(Adobe Stock photo)

It's the Puppy Bowl! The Kitten Bowl! The Turtle Bowl. OK. May there's no turtle bowl -- yet. But humans do love to watch animals play. Why? As David Toomey writes for The Conversation, "Play has a role in Darwin’s theory of natural selection. As I explain in my new book, Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself, there are many similarities – so many that if you could distill the processes of natural selection into a single behavior, that behavior would be play, Animals forage and hunt in specific ways that don’t typically change. But an animal at play is far more likely to innovate – and some of its innovations may in time be adapted into new ways to forage and hunt."

While the Florida Everglades are home to an abundance of animal diversity, including 360 different species of birds and countless insect species, Burmese pythons are not a welcome addition. The state has battled to control the invasive, nonnative snake's spread with multiple approaches, including capture and kill contests. The state just wrapped up its annual Florida Python Challenge "during which time participants caught and killed the nonvenomous constrictors, which feed on the state's native fauna," reports Joe Hernandez of NPR. Florida offers more opportunities to remove pythons year-round.

Worry over bird flu prevents some states from allowing dairy cow showings; for other states, the fair goes on with testing

Fair competitor Emerson Wemark, 10, reclines with a cow.
(Photo by KC McGinnis, STAT)

For many farming families, more than a year of planning and work can go into having their farm animals compete at summer fairs. Adults and children look forward to getting their animals all gussied up and judged with excitement on par with a major holiday. But this year's showings are a bit different, with vets and animal farmers sharing concern over bird-flu, or H5N1, spreading from lactating cattle, reports Eric Boodman of STAT. Some states or counties have canceled their lactating dairy shows, but other fairs, like many in Iowa, will include lactating cattle showings with required testing as bird flu remains a worry and an annoyance.

The Iowa State Fair takes place in August, and its dairy shows might include hundreds of lactating cows "from a long list of dairies scattered across six different states," Boodman explains. "Just as authorities fretted about Christmas Covid spikes, so vets are trying to prevent trailers from clanking back home with microscopic stowaways replicating in udder cells."

Vets and animal farmers want to prevent H5N1 spread while still holding a binding community event that people have worked all year to enjoy. "They’re hoping to avert inter-species spread. Cow-to-chicken could wipe out a whole poultry flock. Cow-to-pig could put the virus into an efficient mutation machine," Boodman reports. "Though the handful of human infections documented so far in farmworkers have been mild, cow-to-human is a real risk, too. The longer H5N1 circulates in cattle, the more it poses a pandemic risk for us."

Michigan took the step of prohibiting all lactating dairy cow showings, but states such as Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota have taken a testing route, which allows lactating dairy cows to show, if they’re tested for Influenza A within the seven days before they arrive.

Earlier this month the Winneshiek County Fair in Iowa was held and despite testing regulations and some bird-flu anxiety, many families chose to participate. John and Peggy Sparrgrove along with the grandchildren opted to attend. Boodman writes, "These were the events their grandkids had spent all year working toward, and to them, the current threat didn’t justify scrapping the whole idea."

When it came to bird-flu opinions, Winneshiek dairy attendees offered varying degrees of skepticism and agreement. "A dairyman might give a reflexive eye roll about some rules, but also describe them as necessary; you can resent something that makes a tough business tougher and also see why it’s in place," Boodman reports. "One used the word 'propaganda,' then corrected himself, saying the virus is real and must be taken seriously."

Climate change has creatures and plants moving or expanding territories, including mangroves in Georgia

A salt marsh on Sapelo Island, McIntosh County, Georgia.
(Adobe Stock photo)

As the planet warms, flora and fauna are on the move. Sometimes, when animals or plants enter new territory, nothing much changes. Far more often, these moves can cause undesirable consequences. A few movers are shared below, but more can be found here and here.

As temperatures increase along the Gulf Coast, mangroves have spread into the idyllic beauty of Georgia's salt marshes, writes Dan Chapman for the Fish and Wildlife Service. "Mangroves? The tropical plant that shrouds the coastlines of Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America in shadowy, impenetrable greenery? . . . Yup. Mangroves aren't bad. Ironically, one of their major benefits is keeping at bay one of the more insidious effects of a warming world by buffering coasts from ever-rising seas. . . . Mangroves, though, aren't necessarily good either. Georgia's famously beautiful salt marshes. . . could be replaced with mangroves. And the already fragile ecosystem that nourishes migratory birds, fish, crabs, and other animals could be at risk."

Black-legged ticks are moving to climates that have not previously been hospitable to the Lyme-disease-spreading insect. "It's true that the ticks that pass along Lyme disease — which afflicts more than 475,000 Americans each year — are expanding their geographical range, and climate change is one reason why," reports Jeffrey Kluger of Time magazine. Dr. Vishnu Laalitha Surapaneni, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, told him: "We're observing that the tick is moving more into Canada, and higher temperatures do appear to be a key factor. We also see Lyme disease cases in Norway, as well as in the Arctic."

Bumblebees are heading to cooler zones. "There are over 250 species of bumblebees, and they are some of our planet's most important pollinators — without them, we wouldn't have many of our vegetables, fruits, legumes, and other crops," reports the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. "But due to climate change, rising temperatures are forcing bumblebee populations further north to cooler climates. These temperature changes are also causing spring flowers to bloom earlier than normal, leaving less time for the bees to pollinate them."

Flora & fauna: Pigzilla vs. Jaws; daring emperor penguin chicks; growing baby ginger; what's great about limpkins?

Graphic by Lori Hays, Farm Journal

Most humans have a healthy fear of apex predators, which makes sense, but there's another animal that needs to be on the human "danger" list -- wild pigs. "More humans are killed annually by wild pigs than by sharks, a startling new study reveals. By slice, puncture, hook, and gouge, the global number of fatalities from wild pig attacks is rising by the decade," reports Chris Bennett of Farm Journal. John J. Mayer, lead author of the study and wild pig research pioneer, told Bennett, "It's not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people — it's wild pigs, and the numbers are consistently trending up."

There's no explaining the gifts Mother Nature bestows on some creatures. Consider the adaptability of spiders. They can spin fancy and shockingly strong webs for nabbing prey. Their versatility includes living in barns, cabinets, mailboxes, old shoes and even water. Yes, water. "Some spiders make their homes near or, more rarely, in water: tucking into the base of kelp stalks, spinning watertight cocoons in ponds or lakes, hiding under pebbles at the seaside or along a creek bank," reports Amber Dance for Knowable Magazine. "It's not clear what would induce successful land-dwelling critters to move to watery habitats."

Location of Weddell Sea (Wikipedia)

Emperor penguin chicks were hungry and decided to face a 50-foot plunge. "Filmmakers producing a documentary series called Secrets of the Penguins, which will debut on Earth Day 2025 on National Geographic and Disney+, captured the extraordinarily rare scene by drone in January 2024, in Atka Bay, on the edge of the Weddell Sea in West Antarctica," reports Rene Ebersole of National Geographic. "It's the first video footage of emperor penguin chicks leaping from such high cliff, according to scientists."

Baby ginger fetches a good price.
(Photo by W. Errickson via LF)

You don't need to hail from an Asian country to grow baby ginger. "The continental United States imports most of its ginger from other countries — or from Hawaii — but baby ginger can also be grown in the Mid-Atlantic using high tunnels," reports William Errickson for Lancaster Farming. "Baby ginger is harvested at an immature stage before it develops its tough outer skin. It is usually more tender and can be sold at a premium price compared to mature ginger." Learn how to grow and harvest baby ginger here.

If fighting invasive plant species sounds like farmers' work, think again. Anyone near a forest, prairie or even urban sprawl can do their part by learning about invasive plants and eating them. "Foraging for invasive plants with your family can get kids outside and teach them about protecting the planet," writes Jenny L. Bird of National Geographic. Conservation biologist Joe Roman, who runs Eat the Invaders, told Bird, "It's about getting people outside in nature to learn about the history of the area and the potential damage that invasive species can cause." For four invasive species to look for — and how to entice kids to eat them, click here.

Limpkins learned about Louisiana's apple snails and
moved in. (Photo by Jane Patterson via Nola.com)

If Sandhill Cranes and Northern Flickers had babies, they might sound like this bird, unfortunately, named the "Limpkin." And while limpkins have a "call" more like a horror flick sound effect, they have another gift they are willing to share -- their love of Louisiana's invasive apple snails, reports Tristan Baurick for Nola.com. "The limpkin's first appearance in Louisiana a few years ago was cause for celebration. That's because this gangly, shrieking bird from Florida is the mortal enemy of a foreign snail that's been wreaking havoc in Louisiana's farms and wetlands. . . . The vociferous bird gorges on invasive apple snails, helping wetlands and crawfish farms."

Flora & Fauna: A new flower in town; traveling worms; ants go for global domination; what's in a single drop of water?

Firefly Petunia flowers emit light.
(Light Bio photo via Lancaster Farming)

With spring and summer come abundant flowers and plants, but in the botanical world, there's a new flower in town -- a bloom that will delight and surprise. "It's called the Firefly Petunia, the first commercially available bioluminescent plant," reports Therese Ciesinski of Lancaster Farming. "The scientists at Light Bio, Inc., a biotechnology firm in Sun Valley, Idaho, created it by genetically modifying herbaceous plants using genes from bioluminescent mushrooms. . . .These flowers don't reflect the light. The leaves and flowers of this plant have been bred to emit the light."

As a parody of the 1970s sci-fi craze, The Muppet Show put its own space crew, "Swinetrek," into orbit in its famous comedy sketch, "Pigs in Space!" While no pigs have been sent into space yet, aeronautic companies are testing ways to put an equally unusual animal into orbit -- earthworms. "With several national space agencies hoping to establish permanent bases on the moon, humans may find themselves sharing the lunar surface with some unexpected fellow explorers: worms," reports Adam Kovac of Ambrook Research. "Many species of worms can break organic waste into vital nutrients. . . . The critters have proven in the past to be resilient to the stresses of space travel."

Symplocarpus foetidus or skunk cabbage
can melt snow. (Wikipedia photo)

As spring emerges early this year, nature's wonders bloom in glory and subtle delight. For wary nature lovers, the Earth's warming trend can remind them of how vulnerable life is. From thawing frogs to self-heating and somewhat stinking skunk cabbages, writer Daryln Brewer Hoffstot of The New York Times looks at spring and wonders how much of nature is in danger of disappearing.

Humans aren't the only species seeking global domination. Ants are right there with us. "Global ant societies are not simply echoes of human struggles for power. They are something new in the world, existing at a scale we can measure but struggle to grasp: there are roughly 200,000 times more ants on our planet than the 100bn stars in the Milky Way," reports John Whitfield of The Guardian. "Ants form what the ecologist Mark Moffett calls 'anonymous societies,' in which individuals from the same species or group can be expected to accept and cooperate with each other even when they have never met."

Phaeodarians are a type of single-celled protist—not animal, plant, or fungus, which can be found
in deep sea water. (World Register of Marine Species photo)

The phrase "a drop in the ocean" may refer to something unimportant, but in fairness, it is inaccurate. A lot is going on in a single seawater drip: "Drops of seawater teem with life. Scientists estimate that some may contain as many as a million organisms, most too small to see with the naked eye," reports Annie Roth of National Geographic. "But put a drop under a microscope, and you will likely find free-swimming fish larvae, crawling copepods, and peculiar protists."

Ilene is a F3 Valais Blacknose ewe.
(Photo by Dan Sullivan, Lancaster Farming)

"Question: What's cute and cuddly, mows your lawn and costs $20,000? Answer: An F5 domestic purebred Valais Blacknose sheep," reports Dan Sullivan of Lancaster Farming. With their fluffy curling hair and expressive faces, the Valais Blacknose Sheep might deserve to be at the top of your lovability list. Betsy Myers of Valais at Grateful Acres farm in Berk County, Pennsylvania, told Sullivan: "There are only about 19,000 purebred Valais Blacknose sheep in the world. The domestic breed originates from the Valais region of Switzerland." Sullivan adds, "Myers, who works full time as a USDA plant health safeguarding specialist, did not get into sheep breeding for the cash. . . . It was more the cute factor."

Opinion: Further buffalo restoration in the American West should be all about 'integrity' -- not adding to the economy

Writer Elsie DuBray argues that integrity in relationship is the only path forward for the
 healthy return of more buffalo to the American West. (Photo by E. Dubray via The Daily Yonder)

The American buffalo embodies the mystique of the nation's West — bold, massive and distinct. Despite its near extinction in the 1800s, the return of buffalo to western lands has been slow but steady. The buffalo restoration movement now rests on a precipice between deep respect and planning for buffalo to roam as they once did and capitalistic interests.

Writer Elsie M. DuBray, in her commentary for The Daily Yonder, argues that it is at this unique place and time where Indigenous people must focus on integrity in action and legal advocacy to light the way for buffalo's best chance at dignified survival. An edited version is shared below.

Over the past several decades, buffalo restoration has become part of an emerging national conversation. "According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, 20,500 buffalo exist within U.S. conservation herds and 450,000 in commercial herds," DuBray writes. "PBS reports that 82 Tribes manage 65 buffalo herds and programs, and there is even a federal working group under the Department of the Interior dedicated to buffalo restoration, funded by the March 2023 Inflation Reduction Act as part of a 'restoration and resilience framework.'"

Buffalo restoration means more than numbers.
(Photo by E. DuBray via The Daily Yonder)

While buffalo restoration has come a long way through the incredible efforts of Indigenous people and advocates, some problems have emerged. Dubray explains, ". . . in many instances, these successes have cast a shadow under which a complacency within the larger buffalo restoration movement has developed. The optical 'wins' of X many buffalo here and Y over there, for example, may overshadow the way a buffalo program began answering the calls of capitalism as opposed to the calls of our ancestors' prayers. Or the way we brush aside the moral calamity of a feedlot for buffalo when it means a grocery store thousands of miles away may be able to carry a bison tenderloin."

"When done 'in a good way,' as my people like to say, revitalizing ancestral Indigenous food systems has an almost unparalleled potential to heal," Dubray adds. "But there are consequences when values are compromised, as is seen in recent disease outbreaks that once again threaten the hard-fought buffalo herd numbers to a severe degree not seen since the 1800s. We must make a decision about how we are going to carry ourselves forward within this work, and we must make the right one."

Integrity offers a way forward that is both clear and decidedly tough to follow. It includes "our shared and unique cultural values that define our kinship to the buffalo and, inextricably, our responsibility as their kin to protect, honor, and uphold the integrity of the buffalo themselves," DuBray writes. "What exactly are we restoring if we fail to answer this question of integrity? Buffalo must not become solely about numbers – numbers of buffalo or numbers of zeros they add to a Tribe's economy.

"Buffalo restoration, at its core, is about relationships. I ask, how are we going to honor ours?"

Mussels -- 'the unsung heroes of river life' -- are finally making a comeback in the Apalachicola River

The ACF River Basin watershed.
(Wikipedia map)

It's a success story with muscle, or should we say mussels? "Some good news for the Apalachicola River," reports Dan Chapman from U.S. Fish & Wildlife. "After centuries of pollution, drought, sprawl, dredging, straightening, dam-building, and a 'water war' between Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, the iconic river whose headwaters reach into the Appalachian Mountains has something to brag about. . . . Seems the most vulnerable of its riverine residents, the freshwater mussels, are making a comeback. Scientists say the federally endangered fat threeridge, for example, 'is far more abundant and widely distributed … than previously thought.' The same can be said for the Chipola slabshell, a threatened mollusk that lives along a major Apalachicola tributary with headwaters in Alabama."

Fat threeridge mussels
(USFWS photo)

The fat threeridge has come a long way. "In 1981, a biologist certified the last living fat threeridge in a major Apalachicola tributary," Chapman writes. But the river, which has been in distress for over a decade, needs all the mussels it can muster. "Freshwater mussels are the unsung heroes of river life. They suck up water to feed and, in the process, filter out bacteria, pollutants, and sediment. The 'livers of the river' also serve as keystone species, indicators of a river’s health, and the quality of its water. When they’re in trouble, we’re in trouble."

The return of the fat threeridge and the Chipola slabshell mussel means efforts to restore the river are working. Chris Metcalf, who coordinates the federal-landowner Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program with multiple other services, "has worked on 20 projects on five private properties across the Chipola River watershed," Chapman reports. "They’ve protected 74 acres of stream-side habitat, planted 4,000 trees, installed 16 miles of cattle fencing, and restored 10 miles of stream buffers."  Metcalf told him, "All that work has helped to increase the population of mussels and created more habitat for them to thrive and survive."

Chris Metcalf has worked on 20 projects to help improve
mussel water environments. (Photo by Dan Chapman, USFWS)

Not all of the reasons for the mussel's surprising comeback are clear, but the "recovery of the at-risk species is a success story worth celebrating, especially during the 50th anniversary of the landmark Endangered Species Act," Chapman adds. "It is also a much-needed win for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, which, for decades, has dealt with hydrologic, economic, and political decisions beyond its control."

A lack of rural veterinarians puts farms and animals at risk; Congress is considering a plan to address the problem

Student loan burdens can keep new veterinarians
from choosing a rural practice. (AVMA photo)

This narrative appeared in Farm Progress: "445-2511. Long ago, I committed that number to memory," recalls Holly Spangler. "Those were the days well before phones in pockets, when I was a kid with fast legs who could be sent from the lower barn back up the hill to the house with a mission: Call the veterinarian. Near 35 years later, the feel of that number washes over me like an old friend. It's never good when you need a vet. But when they get there? Relief. They'll know what to do."

The "relief" that only a knowledgeable rural veterinarian can give is being threatened for rural areas nationwide. "Rural kids simply aren't applying to vet school," Spangler writes. "Most farm kids dream of being a vet, at least until the reality of biochemistry and eight years of school sets in. . . . At the same time, fewer young people from rural areas want to be large-animal vets. The University of Illinois may be graduating twice as many vet students compared to 30 years ago, but the majority go into small-animal practice instead of large-animal or rural mixed practice."

Besides tough hours and dangerous work, research has found that finances, particularly the burden of student loans, prevent young veterinarians from practicing in rural areas, reports the American Veterinarian Medical Association. "There are veterinarians who want to work in rural areas of America but are unable to do so — for financial reasons. The great news is that legislation pending in Congress would make it more feasible for them," through the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act bill.

If passed, the bill includes "legislation that would extend the reach of the popular Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program to help more food animal and public health veterinarians relocate to rural areas facing veterinary shortages," AVMA reports. 

Currently, the program "helps veterinarians set up practice in locations designated as veterinary shortage areas by the Department of Agriculture. It does this by promising to pay off up to $75,000 of each veterinarian's student loans if they practice in the shortage area for three years," AVMA reports. But despite its benefits, there are still not enough rural vets. "The bipartisan Rural Veterinary Workforce Act would go a long way to rectify the situation. By treating VMLRP awards the same as equivalent awards made to physicians and other human health care providers, it would free up significant funds for new recipients."

To read Spangler's complete essay, "Long live the rural veterinarian," click here. To find out more about the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act, including other options, click here. 

Finally Friday flora and fauna: Traffic-stopping turkey; wonderful olives; meet a hero; the glory of monarchs

This turkey crosses the road when he wants to.
(Photo by Jill Weiss, The Washington Post)

Why did the turkey cross the road? And keep crossing the road? "This was just another rush hour in West Orange, N.J., where the apparently fearless turkey has claimed a hillside along Pleasant Valley Way, tormenting drivers and pedestrians ceaselessly on one of the community's busiest thoroughfares," reports Ronda Kaysen of The Washington Post. "Efforts to capture and move it (including the attempt with a tranquilizer dart) have so far failed."

Johnny Carson famously said, "Happiness is. . . finding two olives in your martini when you're hungry." Carson was onto something. "No food or medicine can do what olive oil can do," reports Meryl Davids Landau of National Geographic. "Scientists say adding more olive oil to your diet can positively impact your health in many ways, from alleviating high blood pressure to helping with weight loss."

Maverick visits students and inspires learning.
(K. Brownfield, American Humane photo via WP)

The world can sometimes feel like a topsy-turvy, sad mess. In dark times, it's good to have a hero. Meet Maverick, a 6-year-old European Blue Great Dane who won the 2023 American Humane Hero Dog Award. "Maverick's job as a therapy dog is to comfort military members and their families from across the country. His go-to move is placing his paw on the person he's seeking to soothe," reports Sydney Page of The Washington Post. "When service members die, Maverick escorts their children to their funerals, and he also visits with service members after unexpected deaths in their units. Each week, he spends time with students at schools and focuses mostly on children struggling with their classes."

Amelia, the Bluefin tuna, began life in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. "Sometime between her birth and 2004, she accomplished her first feat of long-distance swimming, crossing the Atlantic Ocean's entire breadth before arriving off the coast of western Rhode Island," reports Karen Pinchin of Hakai magazine. Read about Amelia's exceptional "catch" by an unusual fishing charter business and its owner, Al Anderson.

A "roost" of migrating monarchs in Mexico.
(Photo by Jaime Rojo, National Geographic)

In many parts of the country, glorious orange, soft red, and brown hues still abound in trees and brush foliage. But perhaps an even greater delight is the migration of monarch butterflies and their fanfare of fall colors once they reach their winter resting grounds.

When considering a hobby farm for goats, cows or sheep, a lot of planning is needed to get started on the right hoof. Chelsea Hill, an adult livestock and 4-H animal science educator, started by "outlining equipment needs, types of shelters, livestock handling systems, health care and water quality," reports Lisa Z. Leighton for Lancaster Farming. "She said having a health-care kit ready is important for day-to-day use, to assist with births, and in the case of parasite issues." Leighton outlines the basic needs and toolboxes for an excellent start here.

Flora and fauna: Bird turned artist; land auctions; a fruit's 'ugly duckling phase;' animal days; can you 'migrate' trees?

Ferrisburgh with his first painting. (Courtesy photo 
 by Anna Morris via The Washington Post)

It's hard to keep a good bird down, and in the case of Ferrisburgh, an American kestrel with an injured wing, you also can't keep him from his dream of being an artist. "Ferrisburgh is headlining art classes in Vermont and drawing crowds with his talented talons," reports Cathy Free of The Washington Post. "A couple of his paintings are now being auctioned at a fundraiser online, and the raptor recently showed off his skills at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science."

Farmland sales hit their peak in the fall and even with today's high interest rates, business is brisk. Jim Rothermich from Iowa Appraisal is "keeping a close eye on this month's land auctions because, as he says, November is the busiest month for land auctions," reports Margy Eckelkamp of Farm Journal. Rothermich told Eckelkamp, "We're getting strong results. High interest rates and sub-$5 per bushel corn is not affecting land market conditions." Read two examples of recent Iowa land sales here. Read about big land auction sales in South Dakota here.

Even ripe quince is rock-hard and must be cooked to
be enjoyed. (Photo by Ralph Walden, The Seattle Times)

Neither apple nor pear, the quince is an exquisite fruit that takes patience and an open mind. "The bewitchingly fragrant fruit. . . does go through an ugly duckling phase, Orchardist Edith Walden acknowledges. The fruits are misshapen and fuzzy," reports Rebekah Dunn for The Seattle Times. "But at the last minute, the color matures to yellow. The fuzz retreats." Walden adds, "And then they start emitting this fragrance; people walk along the road, and they just want to know what that smell is. It's just entrancing."

What do free-range chickens munch on throughout winter? While there are few bugs, "they do like to scratch under a light snow and pick up seeds, and nibble on refuse from the fall garden," reports Jodi Henke of Successful Farming. Here are tips for keeping your chickens fed and safe during cold weather.

When things don't work out in one place -- be it a job, a school, or a region -- humans often move, but what about trees? Specifically, giant sequoias only grow in groves with unique climates and that climate is changing. "The largest trees on the planet can't easily 'migrate' — but in a warming world, some humans are helping them try to find new homes," reports Moises Velasquez-Manoff of The New York Times. "Millions of years ago, redwoods — or their close relatives — grew across the Pacific Northwest. By moving them, [tree ambassador] Philip Stielstra reasoned, he was helping the magnificent trees regain lost territory."

Days dedicated to animals are peppered throughout the year. This illustration features animals with their
own days. Can you find the sea monkey? (Illustration by Armando Veve, National Geographic)

If you love hedgehogs, bears or badgers (oh, my!), you're in luck because there's a day to celebrate almost any creature. Go online and "pick a random day, week, or month, and you'll find an almost disturbing number of observances. . .days referencing animals specifically are plentiful, even crowded," reports Oliver Whang of National Geographic. "The observances' intents are a mixture: altruistic, commercial, historical, fantastical, serious, funny. . . . National Sea Monkey Day exists to celebrate 'the tiny brine shrimp that swim around mail-order aquariums' -- and from little more than that, the holiday not only went viral, it appeared in Newsweek."

More than 100 species of birds will have their names changed -- no longer to be named for humans

The new bird names will help birders identify species.
(Photo by Eric Wengert, Alamy)

In the late 1600s, Shakespeare's starry-eyed Juliet pondered, "What's in a name?" It's a shame that a more reasonable person (instead of Romeo) didn't respond with, "A whole heck of a lot."

Unless one is dazed or tased by love, names matter, even for birds. "The American Ornithological Society has committed to replacing all bird names derived from people to redress the recognition of historical figures with racist or colonial pasts," reports Katrina Miller of The New York Times. These names, the society said in a statement, "can be harmful, exclusive and detract from 'the focus, appreciation or consideration of the birds themselves.'"

In all, the change will rename "more than 100 avian species across the Americas," including "birds such as Audubon's shearwater, a bird found off the coast of the southeastern United States, will no longer have a name acknowledging John James Audubon, a famous bird illustrator and a slave owner who adamantly opposed abolition . . . . The Scott's oriole, a black-and-yellow bird inhabiting the Southwest and Mexico, will also receive a new moniker, which will sever ties to the U.S. Civil War general Winfield Scott, who oversaw the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples in 1838 that eventually became the Trail of Tears."

"'We're really doing this to address some historic wrongs,'" said Judith Scarl, the executive director of the American Ornithological Society. Scarl added that the change would help "engage even more people in enjoying and protecting and studying birds." Miller reports. "Advocates of this change believe that many English common names for birds are 'isolating and demeaning reminders of oppression, slavery and genocide,' according to a petition in 2020 that was addressed to the American Ornithological Society. The petition was written by Bird Names For Birds, an initiative founded by two ornithologists."

Some birders were uncertain about the changes. Jeff Marks, an ornithologist at the Montana Bird Advocacy, told Miller, "I'm not super enthusiastic about it, but neither am I super disappointed about it. . . . We'll lose a little bit of knowledge about some key people in the history of ornithology, and that saddens me. But maybe in the scheme of things, that's just not that big of a deal."

Jordan Rutter, one of the founders of Bird Names For Birds, "said the petition was inspired by what became a momentous encounter in Central Park in 2020, when a white woman falsely reported to police that Christian Cooper, a Black birder, was threatening her," Miller reports. "The Central Park encounter. . . spurred an avalanche of similar initiatives in the sciences against the backdrop of a nationwide racial reckoning." Cooper's fame has led him to host a National Geographic birding show. He told Miller: "There's no reason to have a person's name attached to a bird, because it doesn't tell you anything about the bird."