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Sunday, February 16, 2025

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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Endangered Species & Wildlife

The most identified bird in the United States in 2024 was the Northern Cardinal. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, February 14, 2025

Birders ready for count across Maryland

This weekend, birders across the world, including in Maryland, will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

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The largest flock identified in the Great Backyard Bird Count was a group of four million bramblings in Germany. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, February 14, 2025

Bird count begins today, across VA and worldwide

This weekend, Virginians will participate with other birders around the world in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Thousands of birding enthusiasts …

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Virginia motorists collide with many animals, including bald eagles, according to Meg Gammage-Tucker, president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Advocates push for program to decrease wildlife collisions in VA

Virginia is the ninth-likeliest state for a driver to hit wildlife but environmental advocates are working to change it. One in 76 people in …

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Southern sea otters only inhabit about 13% of their former range and remain absent from the Oregon coast. (Dhayes/Adobe Stock)
Grant helps tribes, nonprofits plan to expand range of sea otters

The push to reintroduce southern sea otters to greater sections of the California and Oregon coast is getting a big boost from a $1.56 million grant f…

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Farmed seafood products make up half of the world's seafood supply, but U.S. production lags, leading to a $16.9 billion seafood deficit in the United States in 2020, according to NOAA. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Industrial aquaculture poised to grow under second Trump administration

The Trump administration aims to increase domestic seafood production through industrial aquaculture but opponents said it puts Maine's coastal commun…

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The Mexican long-nosed bat could only be differentiated from the lesser long-nosed bat by capturing the species in hand and measuring the bat's third finger, according to Bat Conservation International. (J. Scott Altenbach/Bat Conservation International)
Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona

An endangered bat species has been detected in southeastern Arizona. Researchers say the discovery of the Mexican long-nosed bat in the Grand Canyon …

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Osprey, bluefish, red drum and cobia rely on menhaden populations for food. (Adobe Stock)
MD menhaden conservation may benefit from VA bill

Atlantic menhaden weigh less than a pound and measure little more than a foot long but the small fish has big consequences for the Chesapeake Bay ecos…

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Menhaden are a critical part of the diet of ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay region. A study showed when menhaden stocks are low, osprey chicks have a diminished chance of surviving to adulthood. (Adobe Stock)
Conservationists: Study of Atlantic menhaden critical to preserving species

A small forage fish near the bottom of the food chain has a significant effect on the survival of several iconic predators along the Atlantic Seaboard…

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A University of Connecticut study found a growing concentration of certain neonicotinoid pesticides along the state's coast, suggesting potential accumulation and transport of the insecticides.  (Adobe Stock)
Report: Harmful pesticides found in CT rivers, groundwater

A new report showed a growing problem of harmful pesticides in Connecticut waterways. The University of Connecticut study analyzed 20 years of data…

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Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Council members gather around an Eastern hellbender at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2018. The students spearheaded the effort to designate the hellbender as Pennsylvania's official state amphibian. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
Eastern hellbender, PA's state amphibian, faces endangered-species protection

The Eastern hellbender, North America's largest salamander and Pennsylvania's state amphibian, is one step closer to receiving federal protection…

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Omega Protein, a Canadian company, removes an estimated 100 million Atlantic menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay each year. (Adobe Stock)
VA advocates push for study on Chesapeake menhaden

A critical fish species in the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic menhaden, could be declining rapidly. Or its numbers could be growing. There is no data …

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Chronic Wasting Disease was first detected in Wyoming in 1985. According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, as of 2023, the disease had been identified in 92% of the state's mule deer herds and 49% of its elk herds. (Adobe Stock)
After Wyoming's new feedground management plan, CWD elk death 'hits home'

A dead elk found east of Pinedale tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease earlier this month, marking the first such death inside a Wyoming …

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