News
- Course Changes Rough on Residents:: An interesting article about the attempt of a golf course to provide habitat and the challenges faced from the neighbors.
- Photo From the Field:: A blog post documenting the installation of a nestbox for Peregrine Falcons on a water tower from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
- Why We Must Learn to Love Weeds:: This is a really interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about the concept of a weed and what that does or doesn’t mean.
- Toads’ epic journey for life, renewal threatened by Highway 6 traffic at Summit Lake:: Here is an article that features the annual movement of toads from uplands to wetlands and their dangerous route across a busy highway that at times kills so many toads the road must be sanded to combat the slick corpses.
- Friday 5: Leafcutter Bee Nest Caps:: A really interesting post from the Dragonfly Woman blog featuring the many types of caps used in by various species of leafcutter bees.
- North Portland’s Kenton – it’s for the birds:: Vaux’s swifts have recently started to visit another site in Portland, while not as big or famous as the roost at Chapman Elementary, 2,000 were counted there last fall.
- City Kestrels:: This is a really interesting blog post from the Backyard and Beyond blog about urban Kestrels nesting in un-maintained spaces in buildings.
- Paint the city green:: This article challenges the idea that development and nature are always in conflict and gives some good examples of how nature can be preserved and how that benefits and improves the development in turn.
- What I mean when I say, ‘Naturalist’:: This is a great post from the Wild Pacific Northwest blog looking at the definition of ‘Naturalist’, what it means and doesn’t mean and gives a great refined definition of the word and concept.
- Nature ‘is worth billions’ to UK:: The National Ecosystem Assessment suggests the value of nature, from ecosystem services such as clean air and food, to culture and health is worth billions in the UK alone.
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Goodbye to grass:: This article features several homeowners who have ditched the grass for a landscaped yard.
- Like moths to a flame:: A fascinating look at the relationship between insects and artificial light and how it affects their ecology.
Resources
- Interview with Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Author of “Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness”:: This is a great interview from The Dirt blog with the author of Crow Planet on the event of the paperback release. I like her challenge of the definition of “wild”.
- Amphibian Habitat Management Handbook:: This resource from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is dedicated to amphibians in the UK but contains a wide-range of information on creating ponds, landscape ecology, restoration and disease.
- Just wild about life:: This is a fantastic article about an upcoming book featuring the wildlife of Sheffield in the UK. I find this idea very inspiring and would love to see this sort of project done in every town and city around the world. It’s a great way to show people who live in a city what is always around them even if they don’t see or notice it.
- The Ensatina Salamander:: Another great post from the Wild Pacific Northwest blog looking at a common Pacific Northwest salamander.
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Book Review: Biophilic Cities by Timothy Beatley:: This is a great book review on Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature into Urban Design and Planning.
- 5 Steps to a Native Bee Cavity Nest::
A detailed look at how cavity nesting bees from Megachile create their nests from start to finish.
Design
- Maryland Port Administration greening an old harbor dumping ground:: Here’s a story about a cove previously used for old ships and debris, now being restored as wildlife habitat.
- BPA Green Roof – Construction Updates:: This interesting roof design under construction in Portland includes shrubs and small trees as well as a stream bed and varying topography.
- A Big Fish in Many Ponds:: This discussion with architect Jeanne Gang, who designed the Aqua Tower and Lincoln Park Zoo’s South Pond in Chicago features the design of the pond for habitat and its transformation into an urban ecosystem.
- Living Green: Students get real-world look at sustainability:: This article features students of an environmental studies course and their project to design and create a certified wildlife habitat.
- Bee hotel and habitat wall full of bees:: This roof design, only two years old is already buzzing with bees who are now nesting in the habitat wall and bee hotels.
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An interesting project in Toronto developing luxury housing for pigeons.
