National Wildlife articles from August 1999

National Wildlife archives from August 1999

Finding Bright Spots in Dark Conditions.(Editorial)
August 1, 1999... Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott knew they were taking a gamble. Four years ago, the husband-and-wife photojournalist team financed a trip from their home in upstate New York to the Pribilof Islands of Alaska to gather information and take...

Painted Into a Corner.(efforts to save the painted bunting songbirds)
August 1, 1999... Can the country's most colorful songbird pull out of its tailspin? The late bird guru and field-guide pioneer Roger Tory Peterson called it 'the most gaudily colored North American songbird.' Ornithologist, conservationist and South Carolina...

The Art Of Bullying.(behavior of northern fur seals)
August 1, 1999... As violent as life in a northern fur seal colony may be, even this territorial contest between males is really all about social harmony A RICKETY WOODEN catwalk suspended a mere 10 feet above a rocky beach is one of the prime locations on...

For Many U.S. Scientists, the Days Of Hit-and-Run Research Are Over.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... When Brenda Salgado arrived in northern Belize five years ago to begin field studies of black howlers, she quickly realized that her task involved more than just observing monkey behavior. 'It was evident that local villagers had a lot of...

NWF Vaccine Offer Eliminates Last Excuse For Montana Bison Slaughter.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... In a dramatic effort to end the slaughter of bison outside Yellowstone National Park, the National Wildlife Federation has offered to reimburse ranchers who graze cattle near Yellowstone for the cost of vaccinating livestock against the disease...

Shop at On-Line Bookstore, Help Support NWF.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Through a special agreement between BarnesandNoble. com and NWF, it's now easy to buy books on-line and support NWF at the same time. Every time you enter Barnes and Noble's web site through the NWF Bookstore at www.nwf.org and purchase...

Supreme Court Decision Victory For Sea Turtles.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... A four-year legal battle by two Florida citizens to protect endangered sea turtles culminated in victory recently when the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court order allowing them to sue their county government over its beachfront...

Delaware Affiliate: Legacy of Education, Stewardship.(programs offered by Delaware Nature Society)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... With programs ranging from a two-week trip to New Zealand to a one-hour session that introduces toddlers to the feel of a rabbit's fur or a turtle's shell, the Delaware Nature Society reaches 60,000 people a year state- wide with its...

NWF, Affiliate Urge Congress To Revive Conservation Fund.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... One of the most important steps Congress can take toward ensuring long-term funding for conservation is to revive a valuable program already on the books. That's the conclusion of a report by Environmental Advocates, NWF's New York...

Salamander House Contest To Aid Amphibian Studies.(contest to select a housing design that will enable experts to study salamanders to determine the cause of their decreased numbers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Think you can design a house a salamander might want to move into? Send it in, maybe win some cash and help scientists study the causes of amphibian declines at the same time. NWF, in conjunction with amphibian experts at the U.S....

Detroit Sustainable Communities Project To Aid Fishing Access.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Identifying potential sites for a public fishing facility along the Detroit River is the newest project in NWF's Sustainable Communities initiative in the city of Detroit. Along with an NWF urban revitalization program in Detroit known as...

Campaign Persuades Hospitals To Make Mercury-Free Pledge.(some 85 hospitals take a pledge to do away with products that contain mercury)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... As part of an all-out assault on mercury pollution, NWF's Great Lakes Natural Resource Center[umlaut] and Health Care Without Harm, a coalition of health-care professionals and organizations, have persuaded more than 85 hospitals nationwide to...

Arkansas River Project Threatens Two Vital Refuges.(the Army Corps of Engineers is planning a river channelization that would endanger two national wildlife refuges)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... NWF and one of its affiliates, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to abandon a proposed channelization project on Arkansas' White River that would threaten the White River and Cache River National...

Pollution-Control Guide Offers New Strategy.(guides made available for watershed-based trading)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Despite 25 years of progress in cleaning up waters fouled by factory and wastewater treatment plant discharges, more than half of the nation's 2,000 watersheds remain polluted, mainly by runoff from city streets, agricultural lands,...

Court Upholds Rights Of Coalfield Homeowners.(federal appeals court states that coal mining companies must abide with government regulations that protect water supplies and homes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... In a victory for NWF and the Interior Department, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has upheld government rules that protect homes and drinking water supplies from damage by underground coal mining. The regulations require coal...

Forest Service Halts Poisoning on Its Land.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... In response to a formal request from NWF, the U.S. Forest Service has ordered its staff to immediately stop poisoning black-tailed prairie dogs on all public lands administered by the agency. The action is a major victory for NWF, which has...

Exposed: The Strange and Hidden Lives of Naked Mole-Rats.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... When behavioral ecologist Paul Sherman steps into his laboratory at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, he enters another world. The two rooms hold huge labyrinths of Plexiglas tubing measuring 2 inches in diameter through which 106 naked...

Starlings in Decline: Really!(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Believe it or not, starling numbers have fallen by half in the past quarter of a century, and they're still plummeting. Biologists are so concerned that they have recommended the bird be added to an endangered species list. But don't expect...

Perfume-Loving Ocelots.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The perfume industry may have a new, decidedly downscale market. It seems that ocelots at the Dallas Zoo prefer Calvin Klein's Obsession to the fragrances emanating from such favorite sources as snake anal-gland excretions and rat urine. Zoo...

Climate-Change Watch: Recent Findings.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... *Last year ocean temperatures reached record-high levels, leading to tropical coral bleaching, disease and death on an unprecedented scale. Coral was affected in at least 60 countries and island nations, and in some areas much of the coral...

Bundle of Nerves.(foraging behavior of the red knot bird)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... If you poke your finger into wet sand, you'll send tiny water currents rushing through the grains around from your finger. If those currents meet an obstacle such as a shellfish, they'll bounce back toward your finger. That same phenomenon,...

Deluxe Reflexes.(research on cockroaches)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... If you've ever watched cockroaches scurry, you know that the creatures move around obstacles with astonishing speed. Just how fast was recently established by Hebrew University of Jerusalem biologist Jeff Camhi, who used a maze and a video...

DRIVING ON COMPUTERS.(Massachusetts' plans for potholes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... No, this isn't about a new video game. Cars in Massachusetts soon will drive on top of the plastic components of computers and accessories such as printers and scanners, in the form of pothole filler made from the devices. The move is part of a...

Harvesting Benefits of Trees.(the connection between trees and retail)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... money does grow on trees: Two studies of trees around retail stores, from San Jose State University and the University of Washington, have found that good tree-canopy cover correlates with profitable retailing. Shoppers apparently respond to...

AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL.(southeastern Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp)
August 1, 1999... The Okefenokee Swamp's reputation as a forbidding place hasn't deterred stalwart scientists from probing the secrets of this national treasure Being desk-bound might seem like purgatory for a freshly minted wetlands ecologist. But Cyndy Loftin...

WHAT PESTS WANT IN YOUR HOME.(alternatives to pesticides)
August 1, 1999... And how you can thwart them without poisoning yourself REACHING FOR THE BUG spray is the last thing on Sheila Daar's mind, even as a trio of Argentine ants climbs a potted orchid in her Berkeley, California, living room. 'These guys...

To Avoid a Host of Thorny Problems, Seek Out Native Roses for Flower Beds.(the growing of native roses is recommended because of the higher nectar and pollen content that wildlife need)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Like most Americans, you have undoubtedly given them, wanted them and admired them. They're big and flashy and sport names such as 'Cherokee,' 'Fourth of July' and 'American Beauty' that sound as American as apple pie. But like apple pie,...

Opportunity for the Wild.(Congress will be considering important conservation legislation and financing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The spectacular wildlife and wild places that grace these pages seem light- years away from the budget and policy battles that captivate Washington, D.C.; but in reality, they are closely linked. In the coming weeks, your attention to...