Crossing Boundaries

My class and I loved this! It is funny (and now they will never forget what ecological succession is!)

"large animals were once ubiquitous across the globe. They shaped the structure and dynamics of ecosystems. Their decline, largely caused by humans through hunting and habitat fragmentation, has far-reaching and often surprising consequences, including changes in vegetation, wildfire frequency, infectious diseases, invasive species, water quality and nutrient cycles."

I've got a pdf file of the actual article from 7/15 Science. Let me know and I'll gladly e-mail a copy to anyone interested.

Chris Jordan

A terrific overview of the Green Belt movement that includes a flyover of key regions. GBM Founder Wangari Maathai and GBM project officer Njogu Kahare narrate this 3 minute clip.

"Whether it's red tilapia dying en masse in Thailand or thousands of blackbirds dropping out of the sky over Arkansas it might seem like the entire natural world has given up the ghost. Now this startling new map shows every instance of falling birds and dying fish across the globe over the past few weeks."

Lessons and activities for a formal classroom setting. I heart NY fish - great activities on invasive species!

Live footage showing the nest of a Channel Island Allen hummingbird in Orange County, California. She has been laying 4 to 5 clutches each year for several years.

Overview on the Lab of Ornithology's blog summarizing the Crossing Boundaries trip to Jalisco, Mexico

New aerial photos show an uncontacted tribe on the border of Brazil and Peru in detail. According to a press release by Survival International, the photos "reveal a thriving, healthy community with baskets full of manioc and papaya fresh from their gardens", but a community that is also threatened by illegal loggers from Peru."

Plant and animal extinctions are detrimental to your health. That's the conclusion of a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Nature by scientists who studied the link between biodiversity and infectious diseases. Species loss in ecosystems such as forests and fields results in increases in pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, the researchers found.

Downloadable publications include "Checklist of NYS Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals, Including Their Legal Status"

Great documentaries streamed for free!

"A consortium has formed to develop, support and maintain an on-line, GIS-based, all-taxa invasive species mapping tool, iMapInvasives, focused on serving the needs of land managers, regional planners and others working to prevent, control or manage invasive species. A particular emphasis is placed on functionality designed to aid in Early Detection/Rapid Response (ED/RR) efforts. "

"Wikis are an exceptionally useful tool for getting students more involved in curriculum. They're often appealing and fun for students to use, while at the same time ideal for encouraging participation, collaboration, and interaction. Read on to see how you can put wikis to work in your classroom."

This map is designed to be used as a base map by marine GIS professionals and as a reference map by anyone interested in ocean data. The base map includes bathymetry, marine water body names, undersea feature names, and derived depth values in meters. Land features include administrative boundaries, cities, inland waters, roads, overlaid on land cover and shaded relief imagery.

You are the BEST, Mike!

This interactive investigation explores these questions: - What evolutionary processes have affected the distribution of Earth's species today and in the past? - How do scientists study past evolutionary processes on Earth? - How do graphs and charts help scientists test their hypotheses?

"...birds are now so food-deprived that they take up to twice as long replace their feathers, an annual process known as molt."

A new video series from the National Research Council summarizes what scientists have learned about global warming and climate change.

60 Minutes on CBS News: The Great Migration - Scott Pelley visits Kenya, the site of the great wildebeest migration, and looks at the threats to this natural spectacle comprised of over a million animals.