Plastics have been around in their current form for decades, and estimates suggest that more than 8 billion metric tons have been created since large-scale production of plastic started in the 1950s. The vast majority of plastic that has been created is still in existence today, resting in ...

Now that summer is winding down and temperatures have begun to moderate, it’s a joy to sleep with a cool, gentle breeze wafting through open windows. The sounds of nature make a perfect lullaby. The voices of owls and frogs subside in September, allowing insect sounds to dominate summer ...

Nature and her creatures are suffering, and they’re calling for our help. The message of the monarchs, Danaus plexippus, a once widespread and iconic organism now threatened with extinction, is but one of many species in unprecedented decline, pleading for our attention and action. Monarchs ...

Of all the flora and fauna in the region, snails are not one I think about very often. On hikes, they fall into the “just” category. Oh, it’s just a snail. Oh, it’s just a crow. Oh, it’s just a dandelion. They are so easy to overlook because they appear commonplace. Ordinary. ...

As summer winds down, we expect cooler, drier air to make life a little more comfortable. But nature is far from predictable. Why hike a favorite trail or canoe a favorite lake if the results are always the same? When I’m outdoors, I hope to see things I’ve never seen before. There is, ...

Mud is the largest non-point source pollution problem facing our lakes, rivers and streams. When soil gets washed into our waterways, it smothers fish habitats, transports dangerous pollutants that threaten water quality and provides the fertile conditions that favor excessive growth of ...