#conservation

#conservation

As the sun descends behind the Sierra de la Giganta mountains, I join the end-of-day procession to Loreto Bay National Park, a protected marine area in the Sea of Cortez. Fisherfolk, families, and out-of-towners stroll the Malecón, a mile-long esplanade that traces the water, watching as the sea turns the same sherbet hues as the evening sky. Seabirds dive-bomb for their dinner, and when a gray whale spouts remarkably close to shore, I hear myself gasp.

On a grey day in early June, a commercial plane landed at Norfolk Island Airport in the South Pacific. Onboard was precious cargo ferried some 1,700km from Sydney: four blue plastic crates with LIVE ANIMALS signs affixed to the outside. Inside were thumbnail-sized snails, hundreds of them, with delicate, keeled shells. The molluscs' arrival was the culmination of an ambitious plan five years in the making: to bring a critically endangered species back from the brink.

There isn't a nook or cranny in the Almaden Valley that Ali Henry hasn't spent time in. She grew up here, camping, boating and fishing with her dad and her grandparents. Those long, sun-drenched days on the water often finished with fresh-caught trout sizzling over a campfire. Today, Henry is devoting her life to preserving and celebrating some of her favorite childhood hangouts as Santa Clara County Parks' first-ever woman chief park ranger.

The idea of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to organising it, is Jane's. Jane said she would like this to happen. And I think it's because of the very special relationship she had with us, he said. Goodall's grandson, Merlin van Lawick, welcomed the award. The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement for the continuation of that work, he said.

These are just some of the ways that books can be damaged, as seen on a recent afternoon at the Weissman Preservation Center. Students in "Texts in Transition," a GenEd class taught by Professors Ann Blair and Leah Whittington, were visiting the Weissman Preservation Center to witness textual preservation firsthand.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- When this monarch butterfly hits the sky it won't be traveling alone. In fact, an energetic team of researchers will be following along with a revolutionary technology that's already unlocking secrets that could help the entire species survive. "I've described this technology as a spaceship compared to the wheel, like using a using a spaceship compared to the invention of the wheel. It's teaching us so, so much more," says Ray Moranz, Ph.D., a pollinator conservation specialist with the Xerces Society.

66 million years ago, a giant asteroid hit the earth at a whopping 45,000 miles per hour and changed the course of life on our planet. Today, the American Museum of Natural History is telling the story in a fascinating and educational new exhibit called "Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs." Impact transports visitors to a time before, during and after the catastrophic event occurred via interactive installments, immersive videos and realistic displays.

When the Bayeux Tapestry makes its historic visit to the UK next year, it will need to travel in a container that is exceptionally resistant to vibrations. That's one of the conditions applied to the transfer, which the government has just revealed, ensuring that the precious tapestry does not experience more than 2 millimetres of vibration per second on its trip to London.

The mystery of when, how and perhaps most importantly why a giant naked figure was carved into a dizzyingly steep hillside in the English West Country has been a source of wonder and intrigue for centuries. Future generations may come closer to solving the puzzle of the Cerne Giant after the National Trust stepped in to buy 340 acres of land around the 55-metre (180ft) figure. The planned purchase is expected to clear the way for more archaeological investigations around Britain's largest chalk hill figure, which looms over the rolling Dorset landscape.

Eels are the stuff of nightmares - slimy, snakelike creatures that lay millions of eggs before dying so their offspring can return home to rivers and streams. They've existed since the time of the dinosaurs, and some species are more poorly understood than those ancient animals. Yet they're also valuable seafood fish that are declining all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to help stave off extinction.

Outdoor art can become a crucial element of a place's identity, but long-term and permanent pieces face particularly complex conservation issues. As these works weather the elements-which can include intended and unintended public interaction-they are subjected to damage and decay, leaving those in charge of their care with the difficult and costly task of ongoing maintenance. But who exactly is responsible can be complicated, leading to disrepair, litigation and even the eventual removal of works.

A biologist has shared the heartwarming moment he found one of the rarest flowers in the world, breaking down in tears over the discovery. Dr Chris Thorogood, associate professor of biology at the University of Oxford, had trekked day and night through the jungle to hunt for the incredibly rare Rafflesia hasseltii. These elusive plants only grow in the tiger-patrolled jungles of West Sumatra, Indonesia and bloom for only a few days.

He's taken up the mantle of keeping the world's zoos in check at an interesting time, when their role in modern society is the subject of heated debate, with rows about lonely gorillas or penguins kept in a basement seem to erupt every week. Keeping wild animals solely for entertainment purposes was socially acceptable some decades ago, but there are now far more concerns for their welfare and the conservation objectives of their captivity. This particularly applies to animals such as elephants, which need large spaces to roam and in the wild have complex relationships within giant social groups.

Some people just use one bow their whole life, said Baker said from his home in the United Kingdom. The bow is really their voice. The violin, you just have a string, and you put your fingers down. But the way the sound comes out all comes from the bow.

Our BLM partners were finding out at the same moment,

Not only is the painting-along with 39 others by Caravaggio and an international cast of Caravaggisti, as the Baroque artist's followers are known-making a rare trip from Florence to the U.S., it is presented unconserved, in its original state. "Maybe the varnish is a little yellow, or there are a few scratches," Thomas explains. "But you are seeing the brilliance of the artist's hand, which is unsullied and untouched."

This wildly popular, family-friendly experience features hundreds of ALL new, larger-than-life animal lanterns throughout the Zoo. Each lantern tells the story of the ongoing journey of wildlife, the importance of every species on our planet, and Oakland Zoo's commitment to conservation. This year's experience includes new themes - explore the future of Oakland, learn about coexisting with wildlife, swim through the reef to see colorful underwater creatures, go on a safari through the savanna to spot iconic African animals,

As cities sprawl ever outwards, they bring their big lights with them, and the once-dark night skies overhead are being lost. But in New Zealand, thanks to its low population density, the skies have remained surprisingly dark, and over 96 percent of its landmass still has views of the Milky Way at night. DarkSky International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the night sky, has identified some of the best spots for witnessing the wonders of the cosmos across the island country.

Although the saltmarsh sparrow ( Ammospiza caudacuta) is considered endangered internationally, it's not legally recognised as such in the United States. Because these birds live only in the tidal salt marshes of the US Atlantic coast, this lack of legal recognition limits the support and protection available for their conservation.

For years, limited flights, visitor caps, and steep environmental fees kept Fernando de Noronha notoriously difficult to access, especially for international travelers. This kept the remote Brazilian archipelago wild and rugged, its volcanic cliffs and crystalline waters luring mostly domestic travelers in search of Brazil's most pristine beaches. But now a new direct LATAM flight from São Paulo, Brazil's main travel hub, makes it easier for foreign visitors to fly in.

Following an HIV diagnosis in 2000, thespian-turned-lepidopterist Liam O'Brien leaned into his passion for butterflies as a source of wonder. After decades of observing, counting, and (responsibly) capturing these scaled winged beauties, he became an ambassador for the species. In his debut book Butterflies of the Bay Area and (Slightly) Beyond: An Illustrated Guide, O'Brien chronicles 135 varieties of butterfly with vim and vivid hand-painted illustrations to introduce readers to the breadth and beauty of butterfly biodiversity of this region.