National Wildlife articles from October 1999

National Wildlife archives from October 1999

A Solution on Paper.(National Wildlife printed on totally chlorine-free paper)
October 1, 1999... Americans take pride in our nation's leadership on issues from business to environmental protection. Often it's warranted. Yet this publication-while itself enhancing conservation knowledge and commitment-offers striking evidence that America...

BATTLE OF THE TITANS.(sperm whale, giant squid)
October 1, 1999... What happens when a sperm whale clashes with a giant squid in the depths of the sea? The serpent threw up its tail from 25 to 30 feet in a perpendicular direction, striking the whale by it with tremendous blows. . . . They again went down...

Though Your Garden May Be Fading, It's Still Filled With Seeds of New Life.(collecting seeds for habitat restoration)
October 1, 1999... Autumn's here and it's time to harvest. Though your flowers may have faded and your plants begun to droop, your garden remains filled with promise. Thousands of seeds are ripening, and they could provide the foundation for next year's expansion...

Can American Motorists Yield The Right-of-Way to Wild Creatures?(Florida panther)
October 1, 1999... Florida's panthers had a problem. Cars traveling through the Everglades on Highway 84 were picking off one or two of the endangered cats each year. With only 30 to 50 panthers in existence, each death was a major loss. When authorities decided...

HOMELESS ON THE RANGE.(Sonoran pronghorn)
October 1, 1999... Its speed is legendary, but the pronghorn can't outrun changes to its habitat in the American West John Hervert has an eagle's-eye view of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn. Every week Hervert, an Arizona Game and Fish Department biologist,...

If You Think Your Pollen Allergies Are Worsening, You're Probably Right.
October 1, 1999... Physician Joseph Callanan hardly needs to ask his patients to know how they're feeling. All he has to do is examine the contents of a simple device mounted on the rooftop of his Boise, Idaho, allergy clinic, where two slender glass tubes...

Another Reason Not to Tailgate.(pollution inside cars)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Next time you think of your car as a haven from smoggy air, consider this recent finding from a California study: As you drive, the air in your vehicle could be 10 times more polluted than the air outside. "We're learning that peoples' highest...

Pushy For Love.(lizards)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... When a male lizard does a few fast push-ups without exposing the blue patch on his underside, he's speaking the language of romance: Females know he's courting because his display is brief and he hides his threatening belly. That's the finding...

The Desert's Fragile Skin.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... History buffs may be thrilled to learn that tank tracks from training maneuvers supervised by General George S. Patton in 1940 still are visible in California's Mojave Desert. But the marks are alarming to ecologists. That's because healthy...

Built-In Snorkel?(elephant fetus)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Elephants' ancestors may have started out as aquatic creatures that used their trunks as snorkels. That's how researcher Ann P. Gaeth and colleagues at the University of Melbourne in Australia interpret evidence they recently examined from...

WELL-ARMED CREATURE.(octopus luminescence )(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... When is an octopus sucker not really a sucker? When it glows and is not capable of sticking to surfaces. That's one of the recent discoveries by marine biologist Sonke Johnsen and colleagues at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Florida...

Eight Ways You Can Fight Runoff Pollution.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... A good hard rain can do a wonderful job of cleaning off a car, a driveway or a sidewalk. But that swept-away grime, called runoff, is not so wonderful when it ends up in our drinking water, rivers and oceans. Across the nation, runoff pollution...

NWF Rallies Public Support To Save Everglades.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... As Congress ponders an unprecedented $8 billion plan to restore the Everglades, the National Wild-life Federation (NWF) and the nation's other large conservation organizations are rallying the public to help save the "river of grass." ...

Guide Tells Dentists How To Dispose Of Mercury Safely.(Northeast Natural Resource Center)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... NWF's Northeast Natural Resource Center is tackling mercury pollution by a different route-the local dentist's office. Dental waste is one local contributor to mercury contamination that has resulted in warnings about eating fish from Lake...

More Towns Register Community Habitat Plans With NWF.(Backyard Wildlife Habitat)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... It's an idea that's catching on around the country: Entire communities are banding together to preserve space for wildlife in private yards and common areas. Three towns have registered their habitat plans with NWF, signifying their goal...

Government Modifies `No Surprises' Policy For Habitat Plans.(Habitit Conservation Plans)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Under pressure from NWF and other conservation groups, the Clinton administration has backed away from its ironclad guarantees to landowners who agree to Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). The plans are land-use agreements between the...

Court Upholds Right To Deny Permits To Mine Violators.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... In an important victory for NWF and the U.S. Interior Department, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has upheld the government's right to prevent violators of coal-mining reclamation and pollution laws from receiving new mining...

Grand Rapids Project Generates Creative Schoolyard Habitats.(butterfly gardens)
October 1, 1999... One by one, the 22 Catholic elementary schools of Grand Rapids, Michigan, are creating butterfly gardens, woodland trails and sensory paths that double as wildlife havens and outdoor learning labs. It's all part of a three-year project of...

Wildlife Week Teachers' Kits Available On-Line.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Teachers can get a head start on planning for National Wildlife Week 2000, scheduled for April 16-22, by downloading lessons from NWF's web site. For the first time, Wildlife Week teachers' kits will be available on-line rather than by...

Lake Superior Kayakers Support Water Quality.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Five men recently kayaked 85 miles across the rough, cold waters of Lake Superior to help NWF publicize the need to designate the world's largest freshwater lake an "Outstanding National Resource Water." It took the men 25 hours to paddle from...

Missouri Affiliate Wins Court Victory On Conservation Tax.(Conservation Federation of Missouri case)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the state's 1/8 percent conservation sales tax must be used only for conservation and cannot be considered part of the state's total revenues. The decision is a victory for the Conservation...

Virgin Islands Group Embarks On Massive Mangrove Restoration.(St. Croix Environmental Association)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... When Hurricane Hugo swept through the Virgin Islands in 1989, it destroyed many of St. Croix's mangrove swamps, vital habitat for the island's marine and bird life. Now, with the help of the St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA), an...

NWF Offers Free Video To Boost Conservation Funding.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... This fall is make or break time for some of the most important environmental legislation ever to come before Congress-bills to provide permanent conservation funding that would be safe from annual budget battles, says Jodi Applegate, NWF's...

Bald Eagle Recovery Success Result of Decades of Effort.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... Decades of effort by NWF and other conservation organizations to rescue the bald eagle from extinction in the 48 contiguous states have paid off in remarkable recovery for the national symbol. Over the years, NWF has been deeply involved in...

Readers' Views.
October 1, 1999... Southwest Birds After reading your article on birds that range in the Southwest along the U.S.-Mexico border ["Bordering On Extremes," June/July 1999], I can understand why we've seen some new species lately in the trees that line the back...

WHEN NATURE GOES NUTS.(wildlife nurtured by acorns)
October 1, 1999... An astonishing array of animals are linked in some surprising ways to the mighty oak and its bounty More than 200 years ago, seven-year-old Ep-hraim Farrar walked to the front of a schoolroom in Ipswich, New Hampshire, and recited a verse...

Taking Notice of An Ecological Event.(oak trees' decline)(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... A major ecological event is taking place in this country right now, but few people know about it. That's because the press has provided little coverage of recent studies showing that the mighty oak tree, which has dominated our nation's eastern...