wetlands

In the 1950s, the US pet trade began importing caimans; decades later, they may be competing with native crocodilians in the Everglades wetlands

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The spectacled caiman, a small crocodilian, now lives in parts of the Florida Everglades. (Wikimedia Commons)

There’s a small reptile that looks like a baby alligator somewhere in the Florida Everglades, living far from its home in Central and South America. That’s the story of the spectacled caiman. According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers news release, caimans have been established in Florida since the 1970s and were spotted there … Read more

In 2021, Ted Turner transferred nearly 80,000 acres of Nebraska prairie to his ecoagriculture institute; the ranch became a research site for wetlands

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In 2021, Ted Turner transferred nearly 80,000 prairie acres to his ecoagriculture institute. (REUTERS)

What if one of the best ways to protect nature is to treat the land like a classroom? In 2021, Ted Turner created exactly that kind of place. He transferred almost 80,000 acres of prairie land to the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture, which became a laboratory for wetlands and bison. One of the projects of … Read more

Scientists found a 9-million-year-old capybara relative’s tooth in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of Earth’s driest places; the water-loving animal adds evidence that the region once supported wetlands and a much wetter climate

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Scientists found a 9-million-year-old capybara relative's tooth in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of Earth's driest places; the water-loving animal adds evidence that the region once supported wetlands and a much wetter climate

The newly discovered tooth provides another reason to reconsider how the region looked in the distant past, the report claims. The Atacama Desert is a landscape where water is measured in millimetres, not rivers. Today, parts of this vast Chilean desert receive almost no rain, making the discovery of an animal that depended on plentiful … Read more

In 1934, America created a $1 conservation stamp for duck hunters; it has since helped protect more than 6 million acres of wetlands

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In 1934, America created a $1 conservation stamp for duck hunters; it has since helped protect more than 6 million acres of wetlands

The Duck Stamp. Image Credit: BirdNote In 1934, the United States introduced a small annual stamp that linked waterfowl hunting directly to wetland conservation. The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 16 March that year, required waterfowl hunters aged 16 and over to buy a stamp. The first one … Read more

In 1997, two young scientists bought 116 acres beside New Hampshire’s Bear Brook State Park; 25 years later, they placed the entire farm under conservation protection for wetlands, forests and wildlife

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In 1997, two young scientists bought 116 acres beside New Hampshire’s Bear Brook State Park; 25 years later, they placed the entire farm under conservation protection for wetlands, forests and wildlife

Bonk and Trowbridge had planned to conserve the property since they bought it Laura Bonk and Phil Trowbridge bought 116 acres of undeveloped land in Allenstown, New Hampshire, in 1997. The couple were young scientists and outdoor enthusiasts at the time. They recognised the importance of the property, which lies along the northern boundary of … Read more

Engineers dredged 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the Mississippi River and used it to build seven islands; six years later, the $25 million McGregor Lake project has restored 270 acres of aquatic habitat and protected 22 acres of wetlands

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Engineers dredged 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the Mississippi River and used it to build seven islands; six years later, the $25 million McGregor Lake project has restored 270 acres of aquatic habitat and protected 22 acres of wetlands

For years, sand dredged from the Mississippi River was removed to keep one of America’s most important waterways navigable. At one restoration site, engineers found another use for that material, building islands. The US Army Corps of Engineers has completed a $25 million habitat restoration project at McGregor Lake in Wisconsin, where about 500,000 cubic … Read more

For half a century, Massachusetts’ Mill Brook ran beneath a downtown parking lot; Athol has now uncovered it, created 12,000 sq ft of wetlands and turned 53,000 sq ft of pavement into vegetation

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For half a century, Massachusetts' Mill Brook ran beneath a downtown parking lot; Athol has now uncovered it, created 12,000 sq ft of wetlands and turned 53,000 sq ft of pavement into vegetation

For decades, a stretch of Mill Brook in Athol, Massachusetts, was hidden beneath asphalt, largely out of sight beneath what had become a downtown parking area. This month, the small central Massachusetts town celebrated a very different landscape: the stream is flowing in the open again, new wetlands surround it and much of the former … Read more

In 2017, a 64-acre golf course built for workers at England’s Rugeley Power Station closed; nine years later, work is turning it into wetlands, meadows and ponds with a 1.5km public trail

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In 2017, a 64-acre golf course built for workers at England’s Rugeley Power Station closed; nine years later, work is turning it into wetlands, meadows and ponds with a 1.5km public trail

For years, the land beside the River Trent in Rugeley had a very different purpose. It formed part of the former Rugeley Power Station site and included a golf course used by the station’s staff. According to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the course closed in 2017, and the 64-acre site is now being transformed into a … Read more

In 2002, concrete rubble from Baltimore’s demolished Memorial Stadium was reused in a Maryland living shoreline; the project restored 400 feet of coast and created two acres of tidal wetlands

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In 2002, concrete rubble from Baltimore’s demolished Memorial Stadium was reused in a Maryland living shoreline; the project restored 400 feet of coast and created two acres of tidal wetlands

Restored living shoreline along the Chesapeake Bay. Source: Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center Tons of crushed concrete from Baltimore’s former Memorial Stadium are getting a second life as the foundation for a growing coastal ecosystem along the Chesapeake Bay. In 2002, environmental engineers placed thousands of cubic yards of clean stadium rubble along the shores of … Read more

California turns 67 acres of former farmland into wetlands and grasslands; restored Carr Lake landscape opens September 20

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California turns 67 acres of former farmland into wetlands and grasslands; restored Carr Lake landscape opens September 20

The project is designed to recreate a historic wetland landscape that existed in the area more than a century ago California is turning 67 acres of land once used for agriculture into a restored floodplain with wetlands, grasslands and public trails. The restoration area at Ensen Community Park in Salinas is being developed by Big … Read more