News
- Conservation, nature and cities — or Learning to Love the Pigeon:: This is a wonderful post on the Connected by Nature blog about the ‘Pigeon Paradox’.
- New scientific field will study ecological importance of sounds:: From the ScienceBlog website, this article discusses an emerging scientific field called Soundscape Ecology which “will focus on what sounds can tell people about an area.” The importance of this is that sounds are the first sign of environmental changes and if we’re not hearing them, we may be missing something.
- Expanding to urban Seattle: announcing UW, REI, Seattle Art Museum, PCC Natural Markets certifications:: Salmon-Safe has announced certification of “multiple high profile Seattle-area institutions”.
- Victoria farmer working to bring back buzz of native bees:: This article features a Victoria farmer’s new venture, the Pollinator Enhancement Program which aims to improve habitat for native bees so farmers aren’t so reliant on honeybees.
- Unique Wildlife Tree Graces City of Cranbrook Neighbourhood:: Here’s a story about an effort to create more wildlife trees in the town of Cranbrook.
- Scottish Natural Heritage funds wildlife garden to be tended by female offenders:: From Horticulture Week, this article profiles a program in Scotland which plans to bring in female offenders to tend a wildlife garden to gain experience maintaining a garden.
- Urban conservation: The rules are different here:: This is a great summary from Mother Nature Network about urban conservation and how it’s different than other conservation efforts.
- Moths diversify without changing diet:: From Nature News is a report of a new study that challenges the idea that there is such great moth diversity because of coeveolution and that there may be more to moth diversity than just that.
- Getting Art on Track…And Growing:: Edible Chicago features an update on the Mobile Garden project in Chicago and an interesting profile of the artist behind it.
- Urban Wildlife: It’s More Than Rats and Roaches:: This feature from Baghdad By The Bay discusses some of the urban wildlife found in San Francisco featuring coyotes.
- Owls that lost eggs at construction site to get new home:: From the San Francisco Examiner is a story about a family of Barn Owls rescued from a construction project and moved, eggs and adults both, to a new location.
- New Yorkers come to the rescue of woodcock lost in snow in Manhattan:: Another article about urban wildlife, this time a woodcock lost in New York.
- For birds, the suburbs may not be an ideal place to raise a family:: An article from Science Blog discussing a new study that documents the high rate of fatalities of young catbirds in the surburbs.
- How libraries can connect children and adults to nature, and build support for libraries:: This is a great article from the Children and Nature Network website which discusses ways that libraries that connect kids to nature by offering tool kits, outdoor equipment and more.
- Birding the Met:: This is a great presentation featuring the birds of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- The Wild Things Conference:: Here is a summary of some of the events at the Chicago Wild Things Conference from the Ecological Gardening blog.
- Biomimicry: More Cause for Optimism!:: The blog, A Passion for Nature features a video which gives an excellent overview of Biomimicry.
Designs
- A Green Roof in the Shadow of St. Paul’s:: This case study from livingroofs.org is an interesting example of a sedum mat upgraded to improve biodiversity. The retrofit included the addition of mounds, wood elements, wildflower/hay bundles and new substrates with a native seed mix. The roof also includes boxes for a variety of birds including Swifts, Peregrines, House Martins and Black Redstarts.
Resources
- Snags – The Wildlife Tree:: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a new page for snags with a great amount of information including wildlife that uses snags, the dead tree condo, trees that make the best snags, creating snags and much more.
- Field Guide to Urban Wildlife:: Here is a new book about urban wildlife by author Julie Feinstein.
- Urban Wildlife Guide:: This is a really interesting blog written by the author of the book listed above.
- Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project:: This is a great project in Chicago that hosted the Wild Things Conference, monitors wildlife, restores habitat and does a great many other projects.
- Rain gardening – A guide to green roofs:: This is a video about green roofs from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
