INDIANAPOLIS - A major restoration project is getting underway this summer to save a rare, disappearing habitat in Indiana.

More than 1,000 acres of black oak savanna will be restored by the National Park Service in Miller Woods and Tolleston Dunes, along with 32 acres to be restored at Indiana Dunes State Park. Cathy Martin, parks program coordinator with Michigan City-based Save the Dunes, says the Midwest once had a great abundance of high-quality oak savanna, but just a small fraction remains.

"This area is so bio-diverse it's a true gem, and oak savanna habitat is extremely rare," says Martin. "If you've ever hiked Miller Woods, it's beautiful. You see wildflowers, grasses, big gorgeous oak trees, and it's really a unique place."

Martin says invasive species that limit the growth of native wildflowers and grasses are threatening the black oak savanna habitat in the Indiana Dunes. A savanna habitat is unique because its sparsely distributed tree population allows for the presence of native wildflowers and grasses which require an abundance of sunlight.

Martin says oak savannas also support a broad range of important native plant and animal species, including the federally-endangered Karner blue butterfly. She says they hope to improve the habitat to provide the best possible conditions for it and other species.

"It's something we're crossing our fingers for," says Martin. "Everyone has always loved the Karner blue butterfly and its numbers have gone down. We're not seeing them in the Indiana Dunes anymore, so we're hoping to have them come back to us again."

The restoration effort begins this summer and is expected to continue into 2015. It is a joint effort of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana Dunes State Park and Save the Dunes.


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Ohioans are raising questions about the future of fracking and its environmental and community impacts, following the ARCH2 hydrogen hub open house held Thursday in Canton.

Advocates and residents voiced concerns about the potential risks of expanding fracking infrastructure.

"No community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits," said Ashtabula resident Julie Boetger, who co-chairs the board of directors for the Buckeye Environmental Network.

Boetger noted that such areas as Ashtabula, already heavily industrialized, could face additional challenges from the hydrogen hub, including increased environmental risks and infrastructure demands such as new pipelines and transportation concerns.

Proponents argue that hydrogen hubs offer opportunities for cleaner energy solutions and economic development.

Southeast Ohio residents have expressed similar apprehensions about the potential health and environmental consequences. With fracking already prevalent in counties such as Harrison, some residents say the hydrogen hub would only deepen the region's reliance on fossil fuels.

"We don't want to see more fracking because we know, from peer-reviewed studies, that this means health effects, environmental effects, water withdrawals, radioactive brine," said Harrison County resident Randi Pokladnik. "It's a false promise of green energy."

The ARCH-2 project, which primarily relies on blue hydrogen, has sparked debates about its potential benefits versus its environmental tradeoffs. Pokladnik said that with concerns about transparency and public engagement, Ohioans will keep pushing for more clarity on how these developments might shape their communities and ecosystems.

With a thud, the tranquil sounds of nature are shattered as a bird crashes into a glass window. It's an all-too-common, deadly occurrence that students at one Florida university are working to minimize.

The reflective surfaces of buildings trick birds into thinking they're flying toward the open sky or trees, only to meet a fatal impact. These strikes are responsible for millions of bird deaths every year, and at Florida Gulf Coast University, students and faculty are taking creative steps to tackle this silent crisis.

FGCU ornithology professor Oscar Johnson said bird-window strikes are a major threat to wild bird populations.

"Some studies estimate as many as 1 billion birds die every single year, just in the United States, due to collisions with windows," he said."It's a major problem - obviously is a global problem, it's a national problem, it really happens anywhere. So, anywhere that you live, I guarantee that this is something that needs to be worked on."

So, the school's Ornithology Club teamed up with campus art galleries to create an art installation that deters birds from flying into reflective glass. The design uses repeated patterns of dots or lines to break up reflections, which prevent birds from mistaking the glass for an open sky. The project combines science and art to reduce fatal collisions.

The installation covers a large window at the campus art gallery entrance and features line drawings of local bird species. Johnson said the project aims to expand across campus and beyond, with plans to make the designs publicly available for homeowners and businesses.

"The drawings that we did, we're going to be producing them and depositing them on the FGCU website, where they'll be downloadable," he said. "You just print them out on a piece of paper, put them up against the glass, and you can trace the drawing on the outside of the glass. It is important to have something on the exterior, in order to break up the reflection."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recommends similar tips to curb the problem. Johnson encouraged communities to take proactive steps to protect birds from these avoidable incidents.

The U.S. Forest Service has given the go-ahead for a gold-mining project in central Idaho.

If it receives state permits, the Stibnite Gold Project will be located in the Payette National Forest and become one of the largest gold mines in the country.

John Robison, public lands and wildlife director for the Idaho Conservation League, said it's especially concerning for the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed, where the mine will be located, and because of downstream effects from the mine.

"We're really concerned about the Forest Service's decision that disregarded some recommended protections for the area and some additional sideboards on this mine project," he said, "and both short-term and long-term impacts to public health and clean water in the area."

The Nez Perce Tribe also criticized the decision, saying the mine violates its treaty rights and that the Forest Service noted in its final report that the mine will harm fish habitat.

The company behind the mine, Perpetua Resources, applauded the decision. In a joint statement, Idaho's congressional delegation also celebrated it, saying the mine would increase the nation's supply of critical minerals, reducing reliance on China.

The delegation said the mine will increase the country's supply of antimony, which can be used to make ammunition and batteries. However, Robison said they're overestimating the mine's importance. He said there's only a three-year supply of antimony at the site, and that gold accounts for 96% of the project's profits.

"It really is a gold mine, and the vast majority of gold is used for jewelry or for hoarding wealth," he said. "So, it really isn't a material that society needs."

Robison added that mining of critical minerals is necessary, but should be done in the least harmful way.

"One of the things that we've learned is that we have to do so more responsibly than we've done in the past," he said, "and we're concerned we're going to get the same result from this mine project, which is contaminated landscape that will persist for decades, if not centuries."

The mine project still needs state permits to advance.


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