Home/Posts Tagged ‘Alaska’
Posts Tagged ‘Alaska’
Natural disasters, Pollution, May 2nd, 2012,
95% of debris from the 2011 tsunami that devastated parts of Japan will end up in that swirling vortex of plastic and other rubbish – the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but some will hit the shores of North America. Lighter debris has already reached places like Alaska, where a Japanese teenager’s football washed up on Middleton Island. The man who found the ball is married to Japanese woman, who was able to read the teenager’s name plus the name of his school. Amazingly, a moving crate containing a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a set of golf clubs was found on…
Tags: Alaska, America, British Columbia, debris, japan, tsunami
Animals, Conservation, Wildlife & Flora, Jan 25th, 2012,
Alaska’s main animal predators are now at risk of being shot from helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. It is already legal to bait and snare bears in Alaska, a practice even some hunting advocates find inhumane. In order to increase the hunting of caribou and moose in the state, Alaska’s Board of Game has lifted a ban on the aerial shooting of grizzly bears, a threatened species in most US states. State wildlife officials may now cull grizzlies by shooting them Sarah Palin style – from the sky. But its not just the bears that are at risk. It is…
Tags: aerial, Alaska, bears, grizzly, shooting, wolves
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 13th, 2010,
The melting of ice caps on the Polar Regions due to global warming along with illegal hunting and trade of endangered polar bears has pushed government authorities to take steps and have the Critical Habitat Provision of the Endangered Species Act implemented. This act proposes that two hundred thousand square miles of Alaskan territory will converted as protected shelter for polar bears. If passed, the bill could influence control of oil and gas exploration and drilling around the area. The law involving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge entails not only the bear’s protection, but also those areas that support the…
Tags: Alaska, endangered species, Polar bears, Wildlife & Flora
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 16th, 2010,
This week’s Creature Feature takes us to the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska to find a species that is one of the most endangered in the world. The Boreal Felt Lichen (so named for its appearance) is a foliose cyanolichen and one of the most endangered lichen species in the world. When dry, the lichen appears to be gray-brown in color and when wet, the lichen turns to a nice shade of slate-blue. Underneath, you’ll find white coloring and the top of the Boreal Felt Lichen is pocked with reddish-brown spots. This fuzzy plant has lobes that can grow…
Tags: Alaska, Boreal Felt Lichen, boreal forests, Canada, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, damp places, fir, moss, Newfoundland, Norway, plant, Sweden
Green living, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 30th, 2010,
School is ending, summer is rearing it’s blistering hot head, and the vacation season is upon us. Will you take to the beach again this year, or perhaps go camping in the mountains? Have you been eyeing one of those Caribbean cruises or thinking of trudging through an over-crowded amusement park? While some destinations may offer green hospitality or eco-friendly activities here and there, much of the world has yet to catch up with eco-tourism. However, some places have definitely gone above and beyond the call and are worth mentioning in this list. Check them out: 10. Norway First, we…
Tags: adventure, Alaska, australia, biodiversity, borneo, California, Costa Rica, eco accommodations, eco destinations, eco lodging, eco vacations, eco-tours, ecotourism, expedition, Galapagos Islands, Green, journey, Kenya, Nature, New Zealand, Norway, sustainable, The Amazon, top 10 list, travel
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 18th, 2010,
A legal victory occurred this week for Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. US District Judge, John Bates, dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of Southeast Alaska civic and business leaders. This group challenged a 2008 management plan for the forest that was developed by the Bush administration. The plan would leave 3.4 million acres of the 17 million acre forest open to logging and other development. Approximately 2.4 million acres of remote and roadless back country would have been included in the 3.4 million acres. According to the Southeast Conference and the Alaska Forest Association, the plan did not meet…
Tags: Alaska, largest US national forest, lawsuit, protected land, Tongass National Forest, victory
Climate Change, Science & Technology, Uncategorized, Jan 18th, 2010,
As the years roll by, the Earth’s waterways become more and more polluted. Sometimes, it may be due to litter or the illegal dumping of waste. In other cases, oil spills or pipe bursts happen. Over the past year alone, we saw quite a few incidents, including spills in the Timor Sea and San Francisco Bay, plus the more recent pipe burst in China that caused thousands of gallons of oil to be swept away; some clear to the Yellow River. There is, however, one oil spill incident that still stands out when compared to all the rest: the 1989…
Tags: 11 million gallons, 1989, Alaska, biodegrade, contamination, Exxon Valdez, gravel beaches, oil spill, Pollution, Prince William Sound, research, study
Climate Change, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 31st, 2009,
It seems good fortune may finally be smiling down upon the polar bears of North America. The US government is planning to designate over 200,000 square miles in Alaska as critical habitat for the polar bears. Although the bears are merely listed as a threatened species by US standards, it is enough to garner them a hefty amount of protection; mainly due to the fact that climate change has caused quite the loss of Arctic sea ice, which the bears depend on for survival. The critical habitat that is to be set aside will cover 200,541 square miles (519,399 square…
Tags: Alaska, Climate change, endangered species, Polar bears, Wildlife & Flora
