News
Finding Tiny Tim: How Oklahoma's citizen scientists contribute to conservation
1+ hour, 30+ min ago (585+ words) OU's Robert Bebb Herbarium is a vault of about 280,000 dead plants dating back to the early 1900s. "We have over 200 of these cabinets that are pretty much full of plant specimens," collections manager Amy Buthod said. One of those specimens is…...
‘Fiesty’ red-tailed hawk dies after suspected electrocution
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (262+ words) The injured red-tailed hawk that landed in my Phoenix neighborhood has died. The rescue organization that found the bird suspects she was electrocuted by a power line. The hawk was nicknamed Feral because a colony of cats had her cornered…...
Rural Oklahoma backpack program encourages kids to learn about invasive species
1+ mon, 4+ week ago (357+ words) The Oklahoma Forestry Services launched a Rural Library Backpack Program in 84 of the state's libraries outside of major metropolitan areas. Kids of different ages can grab a backpack from their local library and get outside to learn about the state's…...
Scientists say they have discovered 20 new species deep in the Pacific Ocean
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (486+ words) Scientists believe they have discovered at least 20 new species in a deep part of the Pacific Ocean. The discoveries were found after researchers from the California Academy of Sciences retrieved 13 reef monitoring devices that had been placed in deep coral…...
How proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act could impact Oklahoma wildlife
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (615+ words) The Trump administration's revisions to the Endangered Species Act could reshape the process of designating land for declining animals and plants and strip blanket protections for species categorized as threatened. Some of the changes would return the law to the…...
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers can earn thousands for soil conservation through state program
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (239+ words) In an effort to improve the state's soil health, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission is paying up to $40,000 to farmers and ranchers to employ regenerative agriculture techniques. The Soil Health Implementation Program (SHIP) uses state funds to reimburse rural and urban…...
Thousands of migrating cranes will stop at an Oklahoma wildlife refuge this fall. Here's how to see them
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (246+ words) Thousands of sandhill and whooping cranes are stopping over at the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County. The species rest and refuel among the salt flats and wetlands during their autumn migration. The refuge is hosting two guided…...
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation caught in crossfire over tribal hunting, fishing licenses
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (579+ words) Attorney General Gentner Drummond gave ODWC until 5 p.m. Monday to rescind policies targeting tribal members hunting and fishing without state licenses on reservations, as well as related pending citations. If department officials don't act, he said, litigation is inevitable. This was…...
Bird flu safety measures leave 4H kids in California without real chickens
3+ mon, 3+ week ago (78+ words) In California, the state veterinarian banned chicken shows to limit the spread of bird flu. That left county fairs across the state devoid of chickens " and their 7-year-old 4H caretakers despondent. Bird flu safety measures leave 4H kids in California without real…...
Oklahoma adds 136 new species to its conservation plan. Many of the newbies are bugs, water dwellers
4+ mon, 1+ week ago (324+ words) Of the newest additions to the state's Wildlife Action Plan, two-thirds are invertebrates. Species of caddisfly and snails, or the Kiamichi willowfly " found in Oklahoma's Ouachita Mountains " could be prioritized for conservation. Well-known animals such as the Texas horned lizard,…...