Articles by Grist staff

Ammonium drifts into national parks

You may not be able to smell cow poop in Yellowstone, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain National Parks, but the air there has become increasingly contaminated with nitrogen compound ammonium, says a recent report from the National Park Service. Possibly originating in concentrated animal feeding operations, ammonium in the three parks — as well as six […]

Swans a nuisance in Connecticut

To many, swans are a picture of beauty and grace — but to others, they’re miscreants hell-bent on environmental destruction. In Connecticut, mute swans — considered an invasive species — can eat eight pounds of shoreline plants per day and, in the process, uproot an additional 20 pounds of vegetation. Their gluttony can disrupt ecosystems, […]

U.S. population will be 303.15 million at start of 2008

The U.S. population will hit 303.15 million on Jan. 1, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2008, the country will add one person every 13 seconds. My my, and it seems like just over a year ago we were announcing that the country’s population had hit the 300 million mark. Where does the time […]

New Zealanders seek to save endangered kiwi bird

Since humans began populating New Zealand, some 75 percent of the islands’ indigenous bird species have gone extinct. Due to habitat loss and nonnative predators, it looks as though the same fate may befall the kiwi, New Zealand’s iconic flightless bird. Kiwi populations are estimated to be declining by 2 to 5 percent each year; […]