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Minding Nemo

Tropical Fish Trade Threatens Coral Reef Ecosystems More than 20 million tropical fish and up to 10 million other marine critters are caught each year for the aquarium trade, according to a new report from the U.N. Environment Programme. One of the most destructive harvesting methods involves stunning tropical fish with a near-lethal dose of […]

No More Elks’ Conventions

Wolves Help Restore Biodiversity in Yellowstone Wolves have proven to be a big draw for tourists since they were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, but camera-toting vacationers aren’t the only species they’ve attracted. The park’s population of about 250 wolves seems to be spurring a general improvement in biodiversity, helping to bring Yellowstone’s […]

Orange U Sad?

Illegal Logging Could Push Orangutans to the Brink of Extinction Orangutans could be wiped out within 20 years if illegal logging continues unabated on two islands in Indonesia and Malaysia, the only spots where the animals live, a researcher warned yesterday. As an example of troubling habitat destruction, anthropologist Cheryl Knott of Harvard University pointed […]

Airing It All Out

EPA Launches New Daily Air-Quality Forecasts If terror threat alerts aren’t your thing, maybe you’ll be more excited about the U.S. government’s newest color-coded warning system — for air quality. Starting tomorrow, the U.S. EPA will provide daily forecasts on expected levels of particulate pollution, or soot, in 141 cities. Airborne particulates contribute to heart […]

Thad Miller, Columbia grad student

Thad Miller is studying for an MPA in environmental science and policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Monday, 29 Sep 2003 NEW YORK, N.Y. Greetings to anyone who may be reading this. Since you’ll be getting to know me over the next week, for better or worse, I’ll start off by […]

Going Mahogany Wild

Illegal Mahogany Logging Endangers Amazon Rainforest in Peru Illegal logging of mahogany is escalating in Peru, threatening the Amazon rainforest and a number of indigenous groups that live in its remote reaches. The mahogany trade is strictly governed by international rules, and Brazil has cracked down on logging of the sought-after tree, but mahogany still […]

Enemy Mine I

Landmines Hamper Progress of International Park in Africa If you thought trying to get snowmobiles out of national parks was hard, try landmines. Zimbabwe’s portion of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, an international wilderness that stretches into South Africa and Mozambique, is littered with landmines from the nation’s liberation wars in the 1970s. Getting rid […]

Readers sound off on our back-to-school advice, political proclivities, and more

  Re: Of Classrooms and Closets Dear Editor: Thank you for the feature on earth-friendly, back-to-school clothes and school supplies. While the information is greatly appreciated, however, your timing stinks. My kids, as with most others around the country, have been back at school for nearly a month now, with new tennis shoes and backpacks […]

Umbra on deer hunting

Dear Umbra, My husband kills deer every fall for the “sport” of it. I’m completely disgusted with him and we have bitter arguments. His justification for killing deer is that they will starve over the cold winter and that he is thinning the population so more will survive. My argument is that nature will do […]

Food Chain Reaction

Mid-Century Whaling Caused Marine Ecosystem Collapse, Scientists Say For years, marine biologists in the North Pacific have been puzzled by the seemingly inexplicable decline of Alaskan seals, sea lions, and otters in the region. The problem wasn’t lack of food; in fact, these animals’ prey populations, such as sea urchins, are booming. Now, a group […]