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Yale Environment 360 – “President Donald Trump’s first budget would eliminate all of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $73 million in annual funding for restoring Chesapeake Bay. It is a radical break with decades of federal policy that ironically comes just when investment in the nation’s largest estuary appears to be paying off. “After decades …
“During the long saga of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan – an ongoing, multilayered disaster that exposed about 100,000 residents to harmful contaminants and lead and left them even as of early 2017 advised to drink filtered or bottled water – local and regional audiences used online search engines as a way to both …
Outside – “Professor Leah Gerber is one of the country’s leading proponents of what’s called species triage, a practice where conservationists use data and models to figure out how to spend our limited endangered species dollars as efficiently and effectively as possible. The practice has been used by governments in Australia and New Zealand, but …
The Atlantic Council Report, April 2017 – “No one can be complacent about geopolitical risks these days. The shocks and surprises of the past few years show how easily assumptions about liberal markets, international relations, conflict, and democracy can be shaken. Geopolitical volatility has become a key driver of uncertainty, and will remain one over …
Axios Sneak Peak: Here are the executive orders coming this week, per a White House source with direct knowledge: “Executive Order Improving Accountability and Whistleblower Protections at the Department of Veterans Affairs”: “This Executive Order will establish, in the Department of Veterans Affairs, an Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. The Office will help the …
Putting a value on injuries to natural assets: The BP oil spill. Science 21 Apr 2017: Vol. 356, Issue 6335, pp. 253-254. DOI: 10.1126/science.aam8124 “When large-scale accidents cause catastrophic damage to natural or cultural resources, government and industry are faced with the challenge of assessing the extent of damages and the magnitude of restoration that …
Lawsuit Is First to Challenge Constitutionality of Congressional Review Act – “In the first constitutional challenge of its kind, the Center for Biological Diversity today sued the Trump administration for repealing protections for wolves, bears and other wildlife on Alaska’s national wildlife refuges. President Trump signed legislation on April 3 — rushed through Congress under …
The Arctic Ocean as a dead end for floating plastics in the North Atlantic branch of the Thermohaline Circulation. Science Advances 19 Apr 2017: Vol. 3, no. 4, e1600582. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600582 “The subtropical ocean gyres are recognized as great marine accummulation zones of floating plastic debris; however, the possibility of plastic accumulation at polar latitudes …
GlobalTreeSearch: The first complete global database of tree species and country distributions – “This article presents, for the first time, an overview of all known tree species by scientific name and country level distribution, and describes an online database—GlobalTreeSearch—that provides access to this information. Based on our comprehensive analysis of published data sources and expert …
Biologists are developing a deeper understanding of how the terror felt by prey creates a major — and greatly under-appreciated — behavioral dynamic that ripples through all kinds of ecosystems. By Jim Robbins, April 11, 2017, Yale Environment 360. “…The 1995 reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park led to seminal research on the ecology …
“The president invited American manufacturers to recommend ways to cut regulations and make it easier to get their projects approved. Industry leaders responded with suggestions to remove more than 150 regulations and painted the clearest picture yet of the dramatic steps Trump officials are likely to take in overhauling federal policies.”
“National Park Week is America’s largest celebration of national heritage. It’s about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations, and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks! It’s all happening in your national parks. The National Park Service is once again partnering with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of …
