Restore the native bees

(Thanks to Elizabeth for calling my attention to this one.)

Those remnant wild bees, feral and native alike, might just be the seeds of a solution. And to sow those seeds and foster their growth, we must not till the earth, but do just the opposite: we must take patches of agricultural land out of production, and restore them to natural habitat.

- NY Times (link here)

More manatees

Aided by a string of cold snaps, state scientists counted a record number of manatees in Florida waters this year.

The annual aerial count, conducted two weeks ago, recorded 3,807 manatees, topping the previous high in 2001 by more than 500 animals, according to a report released Wednesday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Wildlife managers cautioned that the aerial counts don't mean the population has suddenly boomed or the endangered mammal is no longer at risk.

- Miami Herald (link here)

Just because there are more manatees does not mean that there are more manatees?

10 days in jail

A software executive has been sentenced to 10 days in jail for authorizing the slaughter of 32 of his neighbor's bison that wandered onto his Colorado ranch.

- AP/Miami Herald (link here)

Bizarre fish

Researchers believe they have solved the puzzle of three seemingly different fish, one all males, one all females and one all juveniles. They're the same fish, and undergo remarkable changes as they mature.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

Wildlife sightings

On Tuesday, I saw two deer at the Wehr Nature Center.

One was a large deer with a nice rack (4-5 points on a side).

Fossil theft

In September, after a yearlong investigation by state and federal authorities, Mr. Murphy was charged with felony theft. Federal agents have also questioned his associates about his other fossil discoveries. The investigations have caused consternation in this small town in the middle of some of the world’s richest dinosaur fields.

- NY Times (link here)

With fossils going for such extreme prices, there is no wonder that theft occurs.

Celebrate Squirrel Day

(My Dad sent me these pictures.)

Albino deer in Grayling, MI

(My brother sent me this one.)

Mojave desert tortoise

From 1996 to 2006, more than $93 million was spent on managing the long-lived reptile [Mojave desert tortoise], records show. That's more than was spent on other species such as the grizzly bear, gray wolf or bald eagle.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

Spare no expense?

Beware javelina

A tourist from the Netherlands who was attacked by a javelina at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has taken the first step to filing a lawsuit against the Tucson facility and Pima County taxpayers.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

One must always be vigilant.

Cockroaches have rights

Yes, it really is now a criminal offense in Britain to abuse an ant, a worm, a slug, cockroach, a scorpion, a stick insect or whatever creature you care to name. The moment you decide to keep it as a pet you are obliged by our Animal Welfare Act to take full account of its welfare needs -- or face a $30,000 fine or a twelve-month prison sentence.

- James Delingpole, Human Events (link here)

Bugs are people, too.

Sturgeon

(Thanks to Mark for this one.)

Thousand-pound sturgeon from Ontario.

Monster wolves

(My father and brother each sent me this one.)

Wolves killed legally in Wyoming.

Deer killers

Three Weyauwega men accused of corralling and running over deer with snowmobiles have been arrested in what a state official described Thursday as an unprecedented thrill killing.

- AP/StarTribune (link here)

If convicted, lock them up and throw away the key.

People like this cannot be trusted.

Sea kittens

http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/about.asp

Heh.

After all, who would want to put a hook through a sea kitten?

Shark attacks

"People need to put the risk in perspective," said John West, curator of the Australian Shark Attack File database. "Many more people die on the roads in one day in Australia than in a decade by shark attacks."

- AP/azcentral (link here)

Wildlife sightings

Today, I saw five whitetail deer at the Wehr Nature Center.

Just before dark, I saw a coyote in the backyard.

Bees protect crops

(Thanks to Elizabeth for this one.)

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/1222/2?rss=1&eaf

Interesting article on how bees protect crops from caterpillar damage.

Save the mouse

The [Colorado Springs, CO] City Council might ask the federal government to remove the Preble's meadow jumping mouse from the threatened-species list.

In its Jan. 27 meeting, the council is expected to discuss petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove federal protection for the 3-inch mouse, which has a tail twice the length of its body and can jump as high as 3 feet.

City officials say restrictions on development to protect the mouse have cost the area millions of dollars. The mouse is thought to exist only along creeks and streams on Colorado's Front Range and part of eastern Wyoming.

- AP/Denver Post (link here)

Whitetail deer

Today, I saw a group on nine deer at the Wehr Nature Center.

One had a small rack (4-6 total points).

Eat more squirrels

While some have difficulty with the cuteness versus deliciousness ratio — that adorable little face, those itty-bitty claws — many feel that eating squirrel is a way to do something good for the environment while enjoying a unique gastronomical experience.

- NY Times (link here)

Interesting article on squirrels in Britain.

January 21

Mark your calendar.

January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2020192_squirrel-appreciation-day.html