There are more than 7,500 active offshore oil and gas drilling leases in the United States. These major industrial facilities
have tremendous impacts on the ocean floor, water and air quality, and fragile marine ecosystems. A crisis such as an oil
spill can wreak havoc on coastal wildlife habitat, destroying critical wetlands, estuaries and beaches.
Tragedy in the Gulf
On April 20, catastrophe struck the Gulf of Mexico with the explosion and sinking of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig,
which killed 11 crew members and left many others injured. And the environmental destruction is only beginning. Remnants of
the rig are releasing at least 5,000 barrels (200,000 gallons) of toxic oil into the Gulf every day. Threatening at least
400 species, at least 19 vital wildlife refuges, and communities dependent on the Gulf’s multibillion dollar commercial
and recreational fishing and tourist industries, the spill is poised to become one of the nation’s worst environmental
disasters
WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2010 – President Obama today announced that new exploratory drilling off the coast
of Alaska that was set to begin as soon as July 1 has been put on hold until at least 2011.
World Wildlife Fund has urged the administration to halt new offshore drilling until proper safeguards are in place to
ensure it can be done safely and until the regulatory failures that likely contributed to the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
are identified and corrected.
Imagination in Flight: This Summer at Carolina Raptor Center Join the fabulous flight crew at the
Festival area this summer for Birds in Flight demonstrations. All weekend events are included in one new admission price so
you don't have to miss a thing. There is something different to do almost every half hour all weekend long. Click here for the new flight schedule.
More Active Sun Means Nasty Solar Storms Ahead
* Courtesy of Yahoo News *
The sun is about to get a lot more active, which could have ill effects on Earth. So to prepare, top sun scientists met Tuesday to discuss the best ways to protect Earth's satellites and other vital systems
from the coming solar storms.
Solar storms occur when sunspots on our star erupt and spew out flumes of charged particles that can damage power systems.
The sun's activity typically follows an 11-year cycle, and it looks to be coming out of a slump and gearing up for an active period.
"The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity,"
said Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division. "At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented
sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we're getting together to discuss."
Fisher and other experts met at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum, which took place in Washington, D.C., at the National
Press Club.
People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. But smart power grids, GPS navigation,
air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity.
* NOVA Magnetic Storm, courtesy of PBS Television, is an in-detail, easy to understand explaination of Global Climate
Change and finally explains the scientific side of global "warming."
"Every year Defenders of Wildlife organizes and promotes Sea Otter Awareness Week, a week full of events hosted around
the country, that focus on sea otters. We want to educate you about the integral role that sea otters play in the nearshore
marine ecosystem, the threats to their recovery, and what can be done to save these playful and popular animals."
Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week
September 12, 2010- September 18, 2010
Nationwide
*Courtesy of Defenders.org*
Every year Defenders of Wildlife organizes and promotes Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week, a week
designated to raise public awareness of the serious obstacles facing the nation's wildlife due to its transportation
infrastructure – both by roadway deaths and through habitat fragmentation.
Transportation infrastructure, though vital, cuts through the habitat of wildlife populations and creates the danger of
wildlife-vehicle collisions. Each year in the US more than 200 people are killed in collisions with deer, elk and other wildlife;
more than 1.5 million animals are estimated to be hit on roads; and the cost of property damage caused by collisions surpasses
$1 billion. For some wild populations, roadkill added to other threats such as habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change
and invasive species, is severely reducing their viability.
Bears play a vital role in nature, but they are facing many threats. And as human and bear interactions increase, conflicts
sometimes occur. This is one threat we can do a lot to eradicate just by becoming more bear aware.
Bear Awareness Week
is a perfect opportunity to learn more about simple steps you can take to reduce the chance for conflicts with our furry friends
– and to do your part to protect bears wherever you live.
Get Bear Aware this year: Take action,
find an event near you, or just learn more about bears and tell your friends to raise awareness about the threats they face.
Antarctic Ice Growing, Not Shrinking
*Courtesy of Fox News*
Ice
is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental
ice cap.
The results of ice-core drilling and sea ice monitoring indicate there is no large-scale
melting of ice over most of Antarctica, although experts are concerned at ice losses on the continent's western coast.
Antarctica has 90 percent of the Earth's ice and 80 percent of its fresh water, The Australian reports. Extensive
melting of Antarctic ice sheets would be required to raise sea levels substantially, and ice is melting in parts of west Antarctica.
The destabilization of the Wilkins ice shelf generated international headlines this month.
However, the picture is very different in east Antarctica, which includes the territory claimed by Australia.East
Antarctica is four times the size of west Antarctica and parts of it are cooling. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research report prepared for last week's meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Washington noted the South Pole had shown
"significant cooling in recent decades."
