wildlife

In Indiana, Lois Farris cared for family farmland; after her death at 99, her estate left a 400-acre farm for wildlife restoration

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Representative image of a rural farm with open fields, a pond and wildlife in a natural habitat. (AI-genearye/ ChatGPT)

In White County, Indiana, a 400-acre family farm is being transformed to support native wildlife, prairie plants and wetlands, fulfilling a conservation vision that began nearly two decades before its owner’s death. Lois Lynn Lowe Farris, who lived to be 99, left the property to NICHES Land Trust through her estate, ensuring that a significant … Read more

In the 1930s, US agencies planted bicolor lespedeza for erosion control and wildlife habitat; it later reached an estimated 115,550 forest acres

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A fix that grew bigger than planned: Bicolor lespedeza, once planted to hold soil in place, now grows across an estimated 115,550 forest acres. (AI-generated/ChatGPT)

Most generations have a magic fix they believe in. For us today, it might be planting millions of trees. For the agencies in the U.S. back in the 1930s, it was a tough little shrub called bicolor lespedeza. According to the USDA Forest Service’s Fire Effects Information System, it was promoted and widely planted for … Read more

Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love put six acres around his Lake Tahoe home into conservation, protecting its pine trees and wildlife from development

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Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love has placed six acres around his Lake Tahoe estate under conservation protection. (Wikimedia Commons)

Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love has put six acres around his Lake Tahoe home into conservation. The move gives the pine trees and wildlife around the property legal protection from development, People magazine reports. The 85-year-old musician now resides in Incline Village, Nevada. Earlier this year, he put his $43 million estate up for sale, … Read more

A New Jersey wildlife centre is caring for 219 box turtles after hundreds were dumped near a river; rescuers are now building outdoor enclosures so the turtles can spend winter as they would in the wild

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A New Jersey wildlife centre is caring for 219 box turtles after hundreds were dumped near a river; rescuers are now building outdoor enclosures so the turtles can spend winter as they would in the wild

Eastern box turtle (representative image) More than two months after scores of box turtles were found abandoned along a riverbank in Cranford, New Jersey, the rescue effort has entered a new phase. The Mercer County Wildlife Center now reports caring for 219 turtles connected to the July dumping, up from about 190 in early August. … Read more

Florida approved more than $72.6 million to protect 10,770 acres across the state, including 2,700+ acres in a wildlife corridor and 4,500+ acres of working agricultural land under permanent easements

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Florida approved more than $72.6 million to protect 10,770 acres across the state, including 2,700+ acres in a wildlife corridor and 4,500+ acres of working agricultural land under permanent easements

An unfinished waterfront mansion inspired by the Taj Mahal is back on the market in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, with a new asking price of $2.5 million. The 4,402-square-foot property sits on nearly an acre along the Gulf Coast. It was first listed for $2 million in 2016. Ten years after that first listing, and 13 … Read more

A wildlife charity bought 335 hectares in Dorset; two years later, it is one of England’s newest National Nature Reserves

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A wildlife charity bought 335 hectares in Dorset; two years later, it is one of England’s newest National Nature Reserves

Representative Image of a vibrant landscape of chalk grassland and wildflower meadows at Lyscombe National Nature Reserve (AI Generated Image) In March 2024, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Natural England acquired 335 hectares of chalk downland and farmland at Lyscombe, around 10 miles north-east of Dorchester. The former organically managed farm was acquired for nature conservation … Read more

Ontario will permanently protect 969 acres at Echo Lake, where more than 400 wildlife species are already documented; the land is planned to return to Garden River First Nation stewardship within five years

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Ontario will permanently protect 969 acres at Echo Lake, where more than 400 wildlife species are already documented; the land is planned to return to Garden River First Nation stewardship within five years

The property carries significance that extends beyond its ecological value. It was historically part of the Garden River First Nation reserve before colonial-era government reductions altered the community’s original boundaries, explains the online report. At the edge of Echo Lake in northern Ontario, a stretch of forest, wetlands, cliffs and waterways is set to become … Read more

Joshua Tree wildlife crossings planned in California’s Mojave Desert to curb wildlife-vehicle collisions; two State Route 62 structures to protect bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats with $6 million-plus funding

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Joshua Tree wildlife crossings planned in California’s Mojave Desert to curb wildlife-vehicle collisions; two State Route 62 structures to protect bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats with $6 million-plus funding

Two wildlife crossings are planned over State Route 62 near Joshua Tree National Park. (Photo: KTLA) Wildlife crossings are increasingly being used across the United States to help animals safely navigate roads and highways, while reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions. Now, two new crossings are being planned in California’s Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree National Park, in … Read more

In the early 1970s, David Wolkowsky began stewarding a remote island near Key West and hosted famous guests there; decades later the 14-acre Ballast Key became part of a national wildlife refuge

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In the early 1970s, David Wolkowsky began stewarding a remote island near Key West and hosted famous guests there; decades later the 14-acre Ballast Key became part of a national wildlife refuge

A private 14-acre island nine miles west of Key West that once hosted famous writers and Hollywood stars has officially become part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The move completes a conservation effort that lasted for decades. Known as Ballast Key, the remote tropical island was bought in the early 1970s by the … Read more

Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek donated 74 acres in 1998; his $2 million gift helped protect wildlife and open space

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Alex Trebek's 1998 gift of 74 acres in the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy created a vital wildlife corridor for bobcats and coyotes. (AI-generated/ChatGPT)

Los Angeles is a city of traffic, freeways, and nonstop noise. Despite all of this, bobcats and coyotes still call the area home. According to a 2003 study in Conservation Biology, researchers radio-collared 50 bobcats and 86 coyotes between 1996 and 2000. The authors note that for bobcats, protecting enough good open space for adult … Read more