Video Link
Newborn fawn found nestled on doorstep

What did you like best about this video?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Yellow Dog River photo courtesy Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.

Congratulations to the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve for raising an incredible $39,393 in Groupon’s Earth Day Challenge! View their page on the Groupon Earth Day Challenge here.

Pressures to develop areas in and around the Yellow Dog River are increasing as mineral exploration and extraction moves into the small rural communities of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This type of mining, known as sulfide mining, has the potential to create Acid Mine Drainage, which can end up in our Great Lakes.

The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve continues to work to prevent such a travesty and they do a great job.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Photo credit: Bill Butcher/USFWS.

What does a wildlife inspector do? Popular Mechanics of all places has a very informative article titled ”Wildlife Inspector: This Is My Job“.

According to the article, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hires inspectors to stop the illegal wildlife trade—at $10 billion to $20 billion per year, it’s second only to arms and drug smuggling in the black market.

“We have to understand and enforce a range of U.S. and international laws, regulations, and treaties that limit the commercial traffic of endangered wildlife. We must be able to identify thousands of different species. And we verify that live animals are transported humanely,” González, the agent featured in the article, says. “Every day is a new challenge.”

Do you know what a “viewing tube” is? Read the article here.

Did you know that the United States is one of the world’s largest markets for wildlife and wildlife products, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Makoon the bear cub photo courtesy www.facebook.com/SaveBearCubMakoon.

People are urging the Manitoba government to send an orphaned black bear cub to a special sanctuary, according to the article, “Send Makoon to sanctuary, thousands urge“.

Makoon, a baby black bear, was found dying in a ditch in March. The original plan was to take him to the Bear With Us sanctuary in southwest Ontario to receive a year of rehabilitation and then be returned to Manitoba and released at the height of berry season next year.

Manitoba Conservation declined that offer, and are keeping Makoon at a zoo. They plan is to release Makoon into the wild this summer.

Advocates are asking the government of Manitoba, Canada to allow Makoon to be rehabilitated and then released at the age of 16-18 months to give him time to grow larger.

Learn more at www.facebook.com/SaveBearCubMakoon. Sign the petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/makoon/.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Otter 501 is a feature film due in theaters this spring! Watch the moving video trailer below.

Video Link
Official Otter 501 Theatrical Trailer

Learn more in the article,”‘Otter 501′ movie brings a new twist to nature documentaries“.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Video Link
Extremely Rare Footage of Cross River Gorillas

Learn more in the article, “Cross River Gorillas: Rare, Endangered Animals Caught On Tape (VIDEO)“. “A person can study these animals for years and never even catch a glimpse of the gorillas, much less see anything like this,” explained Christopher Jameson, Director of WCS’s (Wildlife Conservation Society) Takamanda Mone Landscape Project, in the article.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Kennecott Eagle Minerals Mine photo courtesy MichiganRadio.org.

Good news! The Huron Mountain Club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula filed a lawsuit against Kennecott Eagle Minerals, according to the story, “New legal challenge filed against UP nickel mine“.

The 250-member Huron Mountain Club owns 19,000 acres of land near the mine, and contends the project will damage the Salmon Trout River, nearby wetlands, endangered species, club members’ property values and a culturally significant site, according to the article.

The club is arguing that activities that can damage these resources require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the lawsuit. ”Kennecott’s unauthorized construction work and proposed operation of the Eagle Mine consequently are illegal,” the suit said.

Kennecott Eagle Minerals is stressing the economic benefits, “jobs” (of course-not that jobs are not ultra important-they are, but companies sometimes stress this factor while ignoring the true costs and long-term damage from their activities that we often end up paying to clean up), the mine provides.

“While we have not had the opportunity to review the claims of the suit, we will vigorously defend our legal position,” Kennecott Eagle President Adam Burley said in a statement. “We will also defend the jobs of our workers and those the project has created in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”

View the article.

Please share! Let’s help end this awful mine!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Zip lines, climbing wall, wildlife, wildlife rehabilitation, overnight retreat, school programs, gift shop, day camp, and much more – it’s a wonderful place to visit. Watch the short video below to learn more, then plan your trip!

Video Link
All About Howell Nature Center Wildlife (HD)

Hours and Location
According to their website, the Howell Nature Center is open daily 9am-4pm. It’s located 6 miles south of I-96, between Howell and Pinckney, 1005 Triangle Lake Road, Howell, Michigan, 48843.

Have you been to the Howell Nature Center? Please comment and let us know.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Photo courtesy stock.xchng.

The USDA Wildlife Services is being sued for outdated, antiquated predator control methods, according to the article, “Suggested reforms for Wildlife Services run the gamut“. Bill Jensen, a rancher featured in the article, no longer relies on the federal government for predator control.

“We’ve pretty much learned how to control coyotes on our own,” said Jensen, whose losses to coyotes have declined 60 percent to 70 percent – from about 50 lambs a year when a federal trapper worked there to 15 to 20 today, according to the article.

Finding ways that ranchers and the public can co-exist with predators and other wildlife is important. As our population grows and wildlife gets pushed out of their habitat due to housing and other developments, we need to learn how to live with wildlife.

The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Wildlife Services specializes in destroying animals considered to be a threat to agriculture, the public and the environment. In the process they have accidentally destroyed many non-target species, including dogs.

“People want to see bears. They want to see wolves. They want to see mountain lions. It’s part of the natural heritage of the United States,” said Michael Mares, president of the American Society of Mammalogists, in the article.

“We should be stewards of the system, not wiping out species and damaging ecosystems.” Now that’s a statement I believe in wholeheartedly.

View the entire article.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

From the IPPY website: The “IPPY” Awards, launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers. Established as the first awards program open exclusively to independents, over 2,500 “IPPYs” have been awarded to authors and publishers around the world.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs) honor the year’s best books from independent and small press publishers. Order your autographed copy of Tea with Lady Sapphire: Sharing the Love of Birds.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.