Environment
Blue Ridge Parkway wildlife cam captures Bobcat with meal in mouth A hungry bobcat was caught on a National Park Service infrared nighttime wildlife cam running with a rabbit clamped between its jaws. The National Park Service posted the video to its Facebook page with the caption, “When you grab the last cupcake from the…
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Australian firefighters save a grove of prehistoric trees, of which only 200 remain As wildfires rage across the continent of Australia, firefighters have managed to save a prehistoric grove of Wollemi Pine trees, which grow in a secret location within Wollemi National Park northwest of Sydney. The trees are thought to have existed during the…
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Florida governor announces land purchase in Everglades to prevent drilling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says that the state will buy 20,000 acres of land and spend as much as $18 million to prevent drilling in the Everglades. The land will be purchased from Kanter Real Estate LLC, which had obtained approval for exploratory oil wells…
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North Carolina Division of Parks & Recreation begin to plan 100-mile Wilderness Gateway State Trail Trail planners at the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation are at work on a 100-mile hiking trail called the Wilderness Gateway State Trail that will connect Chimney Rock State Park with South Mountains State Park. There will also be…
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In FY 2019 National Park Service treated more than 230,000 acres of public land to reduce wildfire risk The National Park Service announced that 230,308 acres of public land were treated in FY 2019 to reduce wildlife risks in the parks. Prescribed fire was used to treat nearly 207,000 acres, and an additional 24,000 acres…
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Photo by Ellen Kanzinger Read more about the story of Union Hill, Va HERE On Tuesday, Virginia’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in a case that called into question the legality of placing a compressor station in the Union Hill neighborhood, home…
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Two land deals near Blue Ridge Parkway will protect areas from future development The Conservation Trust for North Carolina has donated a 53-acre Pinnacle Ridge parcel of land in Haywood County to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The organization also recently purchased Thunder Hill Overlook, a 229-acre piece of land near Blowing Rock, with the intent…
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17-acre bog near Pisgah Loop Scenic Highway preserved by Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina Seventeen acres of bog land in Jonas Ridge, bordering the Pisgah Loop Scenic Highway, has been purchased for permanent protection by the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina. Foothills Conservancy says that Southern Appalachian mountain bogs are rare and contain vulnerable ecosystems.…
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Mountain lions killed after eating human remains Three mountain lions in Arizona were euthanized after eating human remains close to a popular hiking trail. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department discovered the human remains last Tuesday during an investigation on the Pima Canyon Trail. Though the mountain lions are not suspected of killing the victim, they…
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Duke Energy and the state of North Carolina have reached a settlement agreement requiring Duke to excavate nearly 80 million tons of coal ash at six facilities around the state. DEQ said in a press release that the excavation is the largest coal ash cleanup in the nation’s history and will result in more excavation…
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Oak trees are suddenly dying around Virginia, foresters say Foresters are noticing a sudden dying of trees around the state of Virginia. “This is acute,” Adam Downing, forestry and natural resources agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension told The Virginia-Pilot. In general, trees die slowly, but these trees are quickly going brown—progressing from healthy to…
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Clothing company Patagonia raises millions for outdoor organizations The outdoor apparel company Patagonia has raised over $10 million in donations for environmental organizations in the US and Europe in just over two weeks. The company is matching those donations, giving a total gift of $20 million to 1,043 grassroots environmental nonprofit organizations. Donations were made…
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Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy purchases land near Roan Mountain The Southern Appalachians Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) recently purchased 51 acres in the Highlands of Roan Mountain. As reported by the Citizen-Times, the land is located on a prominent ridge near the Appalachian Trail. The purchase will protect the vulnerable spruce-fir forest ecosystem, home to birds and…
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Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is named ‘Time’ Person of the Year Swedish climate activist Great Thunberg, 16, is the youngest person to be named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Thunberg is leading a new generation in the fight against climate change, organizing school strikes and climate marches around the world. Time says they…
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World-famous Victoria Falls dries to a trickle One of Zimbabwe’s most iconic natural features, 355-foot Victoria Falls, has slowed to a trickle following the country’s worst drought in a century. While the waterfall does typically slow in the dry season, The Guardian has described this year’s lack of water as “unprecedented.” Water flow in the…
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