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…
In 2020, a New Orleans project began crushing bottles into sand; six years later, it has diverted 12 million pounds of glass to help rebuild shrinking coastal wetlands
Representative Image (AI-generated) A bottle tossed away in New Orleans does not necessarily have to end its life in a landfill. A project launched in 2020 is giving discarded glass a second purpose; crushing bottles into sand that can be used in coastal…
In 2018, Massachusetts removed the first of two old dams from former cranberry bogs; by 2020, 56 acres of wetlands had been rebuilt and 200+ native plant species had
The removal of three old dams along Massachusetts’ Coonamessett River has turned former industrial farmland into a thriving coastal ecosystem, restoring fish passage and creating 56 acres of natural wetlands. According to feature reports from NOAA…
In the 1940s, Seabiscuit retired to a California ranch; decades later its redwoods, oak woodlands and wetlands became a conservation priority
​George Woolf on Seabiscuit (Image: Wikipedia) For years, Ridgewood Ranch in Mendocino County, California, was known primarily as the place where Seabiscuit, one of America’s most famous racehorses, spent his retirement. After a remarkable racing career,…
New England has battled invasive green crabs for more than 200 years; now people are eating the destructive species in a bid to protect shellfish, wetlands and coastal ecosystems
Since time immemorial, humans have been consuming food derived from the land, air and water. From vegetables and birds to even crabs, there is not much we have not used to survive on. But currently, people in New England are feasting on green crabs not…
More than 100 years ago, red mangroves were introduced to Hawaii; now crews are trying to eradicate them from nearly 2 miles of waterways to restore wetlands and protect endangered birds
Environmental crews and volunteers physically clear thickets of invasive red mangrove trees and tangled stilt roots from a coastal waterway in Kailua, Oahu Environmental teams in Hawaii have launched a major effort to remove invasive red mangroves from…
Mystery Iron Age fort in Shropshire excavated after 40 years as archaeologists investigate its strange wetlands, huge earthworks and unexplained causeways
An unusual Iron Age fort hidden in the former wetlands of Shropshire is being excavated again after almost four decades, giving archaeologists a rare opportunity to investigate one of Britain’s most enigmatic lowland forts. Wall Camp, near Kynnersley and…
In 2003, Chicago’s mayor sent bulldozers to carve six giant Xs into an airport runway overnight, stranding 16 planes; 12 years later, the former airfield reopened with 40 acres of prairie, wetlands and wildlife habitat
Meigs Field in 1997 (Image Credit: Wikipedia) When Chicago residents woke up on March 31, 2003, one of the city’s most recognisable small airports had effectively disappeared overnight. Under orders from then-Mayor Richard M. Daley, construction…
In 1989, Ohio’s Fernald uranium plant stopped production; a $4.4 billion cleanup transformed the 1,050-acre site into wetlands, prairie and forest
Before and after photo of the Fernald Site cleanup For nearly four decades, a site in Ohio was part of the United States’ nuclear weapons production programme. Today, the same land has been turned into the Fernald Preserve, with wetlands, prairies,…
In 2010, Shanghai turned a polluted industrial brownfield into Houtan Park; its wetlands now clean up to 634,000 gallons of river water a day
A similar vantage point pre-park construction and a similar vantage point post-park construction (Source: Kongjian Yu) In 2010, Shanghai transformed a polluted industrial brownfield into Houtan Park. Its wetlands now clean up to 634,000 gallons of river…