The Urban Farmer
“If there was only one tree like that in the world, you would think it was beautiful. But because there are so many, you just can't see how beautiful it really is.” -Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A large city can be a world filled with tall buildings…
Down By the Sea
"Some beach somewhere, there's a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair. Palm trees are growing, warm breezes blowing. I picture myself there, some beach somewhere." -Anonymous The breezy salty air of the beach allows for refuge and relaxation from the outside world of our lives. It seems to…
The Tourism Dilemma
“One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller Eco-tourism is defined by the World Conservation Union as “Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature that promotes conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for…
Born to Be Wild: A Life in Captivity
What's the reality of being inside a zoo, for the animals and for the people who love and care for those animals? There's a lot of joy, and there's a lot of loss. -Thomas French Passionate debates between animal activists and zoo-lovers are constantly occurring on the argument if…
Animal Behavior, GIS, and Birds
“Birds make any place a chance for discovery, they make a garden seem wild, they are a little bit of wilderness coming into a city park, and for a bird watcher, every walk is filled with anticipation. What feathered jewel might drop out of the sky next?” - David Sibley,…
Protecting Gorillas Against Humans
“When you realize the value of all life you dwell less on past and concentrate more on the conservation of the future.” -Dian Fossey Human conflict provoked by war zone areas endanger not only the lives of humans but of the animals that inhabit the area. More than 70% of…
The Perils of Palm Oil
Palm Oil is a type of edible vegetable oil that is derived from the palm fruit that originated from West Africa and the use of it in the international market expanded significantly as a result of the British Industrial Revolution. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are the top three countries that…
What’s All the Buzz About?
"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few." (Emily Dickinson) The gentle buzz of a bee gliding on a lazy breeze in summer is a common spectacle observed from youth. …
Saving The Rainforests of the Sea
Our underwater landscape is rapidly disappearing. The Coral Reef, a once beautiful array of color and beauty is becoming scarce as pollution and other factors create an inhospitable habitat. Coral Bleaching is shocking divers as the once vibrant coral turns shades of white and fades into a dead brown. This…
Turn Out the Lights
Light, it’s all around us. Residents in intensely populated areas are accustomed to the constant illumination from artificial street lights and blazing bright highways. While a constant supply of light can be useful, it also can be harmful. A typical city-lit sky is a hundred times brighter than a sky…