Crossing Boundaries

By Olivia Boulder, a 15-yr-old environmental activist who became well known 5 yrs ago when she offered her bird paintings in return for donations to help birds affected by the BP oil spill. 1. Kids (or anyone for that matter) can do a LOT. 2. The planet needs our help. 3. Politicians (and the people they represent) dislike change. 4. Art creates change. 5. Birds continue to amaze me!

"Have you ever wondered what the tree population and density of the United States looks like? This amazing map shows just that. Created by Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker of Woods Hole Research Center in conjunction with the U. S. Geological Survey Science Center's Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and the US Forest Service, the map was generated based on a series of data sources including readings collected from space-based radars, satellite sensors, computer models, and simply counting trees the old-fashioned way. The map was created for NASA to help determine how the world's forests have the potential to store more carbon in the future."

This interactive map provides layers for population density, mortality risk, and tectonic plates lines.The quakes can be filtered by magnitude and timeline.

Taking Root tells the story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy-a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration.

Kenya's high-elevation forests are the source for most of the water on which the drought-plagued nation depends. Now, after decades of government-abetted abuse of these regions, a new conservation strategy of working with local communities is showing signs of success.

"Ocean Tracks provides access to authentic data collected by migrating marine animals, drifting buoys, and satellites, along with tools that allow you to display and analyze these data to investigate current and important scientific questions about animal interactions with the ocean environment. "

Scientists say they are closer to knowing how, or rather why, the zebra got its stripes. It's an answer that would impress even Rudyard Kipling. Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

"The most interesting finding from the study was that roads impact biodiversity independently of deforestation, via more cryptic forms of disturbance. These disturbances include reduction in habitat quality, increased risk of forest fires, and, perhaps most importantly, the facilitation of human access to undisturbed lands, increasing the potential for illegal logging, poaching, and colonization. "

Includes an interactive infographic showing dots for 4,529 species of mammal, bird, and amphibian at risk of extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. Mousing over the dots shows details of individual species.

AAAS created this website about the science of climate change. It includes a summary of what we know and a collection of 4-5 minute videos with prominent scientists in the field.

NASA's Global Climate Change website hosts an extensive collection of global warming resources, including videos, infographics, quizzes, and interactives.

Lecture 1: Learning from Past Extinctions Lecture 2: Humans, Biodiversity, and Habitat Loss Lecture 3: Rescuing Species Lecture 4: Extreme Life of the Sea Lecture 5: Ocean Species Respond to Climate Change Lecture 6: Dodging Extinction

"Zoomable maps reveal the scope of humanity's influence on Earth-and the innovations aiming to create a more sustainable future"

"even with high-range estimates for renewables compared to low-range estimates for fossil fuels, fossil fuels are responsible for far more bird fatalities than solar or wind"

Reflections by a teacher on the resilience of birds in the face of Hurricane Katrina and how that relates to struggles in the lives of people here and around the globe

During photosynthesis, plants emit what is called fluorescence - a form of light invisible to the naked eye but detectable by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. NASA scientists established a method to turn this satellite data into global maps of the subtle phenomenon in more detail than ever before.

This interactive world map allows users to learn about tree cover loss over time, along with some success stories from around the world. This "dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better manage forests." After first agreeing to terms of use, visitors to the site can navigate to the Map tab to use a sophisticated set of tools that track tree cover loss and gain from 2000 to the present. The Stories area highlights people who are working to conserve and enhance existing forested areas from Ecuador to Egypt.

This resource by Howard Hughes Medical Institute addresses the questions of how species form and why there are so many species. Includes films on Charles Darwin, finch beaks, and evolution of lizards.

"Birds instinct to migrate is often influenced by sudden shifts in temperature, amount of available daylight, moon phases and when strong tail winds are present. Like air quality, pollen count and UV reports, the FLAP Tracker is a Bird Migration Intensity report that alerts you to the concentration of birds as they fly through your region. "