Photo Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service

“I asked my grandfather what date in the past when we could have changed and he said the date was 2010,” the little English girl says as the camera scans a dead coral reef sea bed. It is that scary image shown on a video at the Columbus, Ohio Zoo Aquarium entrance. According to the WWF, “As many as 90% of all the ocean’s large fish have been fished out.” Also if we don’t change the current situation, by 2048 all species currently fished are predicted to collapse.

When fish are irresponsibly taken many other species of fish, mammals and birds are also killed and then thrown back into the ocean. One of the most endangered birds the Albatross are injured or killed by fishing equipment. Greenpeace said with top predators disappearing from the oceans at a quick rate we may see an increase in jelly fish which will replace the fish we eat. By eating too much of one type of fish especially slow growing fish it changes the whole ecosystem of the oceans.

With all of this in mind, you may wander what we can do to make a difference for the future of the oceans and our planet. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Ronald Laubenstein/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

We’ve all heard of “nature deficit disorder” and how children these days need to get outside more and relate with their natural environment. It’s easy to agree that this needs to happen, but when it comes to getting the kids out the door and excited to go for a walk, that’s a different story. As parents, we often have the best of intentions, but life and logistics get in the way of execution. Here are some tips for helping you get yourself — and your kids — outdoors and enjoying yourselves.

Be Prepared and Seize the Moment

If you have to spend ten minutes yelling at everyone to get their socks and shoes on before you can even get out the door, then have to spend a half hour looking for the dog’s leash, chances are you won’t have a very good time if you get out at all. Make sure everything is ready. Have your hiking boots or shoes in a special place along with the tick spray, raincoats, any other special gear you might need. If the children have water bottles, have them ready. If you can get out the door quickly once or twice, your success will buoy you up and make future activity a lot easier. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

Although many people have an innate fear of snakes, the common garter snake is unlikely to harm anyone, since they prefer to flee from a larger animal rather than risk confrontation. Unless cornered, garter snakes will slither away rather than attack a person.

Garter snakes eat slugs and small rodents that can wreak havoc on the garden. The presence of snakes, even the ones that won’t eat larger prey, can deter larger animals like rabbits. Garter snakes don’t damage plants and recycle other animals’ burrows, being unable to dig themselves. Encouraging these beneficial reptiles in your yard and garden is easy. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

Although garter snakes as a group are the most common reptile in the U.S., a few of the 13 recognized subspecies of garter snakes are endangered and require conservation plans to manage their populations. The most common pressure threatening garter snake populations is habitat loss. Snakes will live in close proximity to humans, but they need suitable habitat for their semi-aquatic lifestyle, which requires a sunny area for basking and a year-round wet area like a pond, marsh or stream edge. They also need prey, and some subspecies are more picky about dinner than others.

Living in close proximity to humans presents other survival dangers for threatened garter snake subspecies. Roads that warm up before the surrounding ground make good basking areas, until the snake becomes roadkill. Living in suburban yards puts snakes at risk of being run over by lawnmowers. Conversion of snake habitat to agricultural purposes may expose the snakes to agricultural chemicals or alter the surrounding wetlands to reduce prey. Rare garter snakes living in vacant urban lots are susceptible to trapping to be kept as pets, either by the person catching them or for sale on the illicit pet market. Trade in threatened and endangered snakes is for the most part prohibited, but collectors may flout the rules to acquire a rare specimen. While being kept as a pet may actually extend the individual snake’s lifespan, it removes the animal from the breeding population. The one snake may live, but at the expense of producing dozens of offspring. Particularly for these endangered garter snakes, keeping a diverse breeding population in a safe habitat is essential for their subspecies survival. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Gary Stolz/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

In March, Wildlife Wednesday takes a look at snakes.

If you’ve seen one wild snake, chances are it’s a garter snake, the most common reptile in North America, Their prevalence is largely because they aren’t picky about what they eat or where they live. As a rule, if a garter snake can catch and swallow it, a garter snake will eat it. They live in fields, roadsides, yards, vacant lots and ditches as far north as Alaska. If there’s a place to bask in the sun to absorb solar heat, a garter snake probably lives there. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons User R6MaY89

Last week, Wildlife Wednesday took an up-close look at the benefits groundhogs can have in a yard, both for their ecological impact and the fun of watching wildlife. As with any non-disease-carrying wildlife in the yard, if a groundhog isn’t causing a problem, the best strategy is to live and let live.

As a rule, in any battle between humans and wildlife, the animals will win; they simply have more time to devote to the fight. However, not all groundhogs are quite as trouble-free as mine, especially if they get into the backyard garden. Groundhogs start fattening up for their winter hibernation right around the time most garden produce is at its peak, and woodchucks, like most foraging animals, look at a garden as a convenient source of high-quality food. Groundhog burrows under a home, deck or outbuilding can also cause structural damage and undermine a building’s foundations. Those 700 pounds of dirt that the woodchuck chucks out of its burrow don’t hold anything up when they’re piled on the grass. When a groundhog starts causing problems, it’s time for action. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons User R6MaY89

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are common in many areas of the U.S. Though they are generally skittish, they will live in close proximity to humans and may establish burrows under sheds or decks.

My own house came with at least one groundhog in residence, and the main entrance to his burrow is under the outbuilding at the back of the property. I’ve always called it a “him,” though the presence of a second groundhog foraging in late summer may indicate it’s actually a female. By now probably the second or third generation of groundhog to establish in that den, since I’ve lived here longer than most groundhogs live in the wild. (continue reading…)