Articles by Grist staff

As If Trees Didn’t Have Enough to Worry About

As landowners age, future of family-owned forests in U.S. is unclear An interesting phenomenon is sprouting up among American landowners — or forest-owners, to be precise. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. forests are privately owned, most by families and individuals, the majority of whom are 55 years old and older. More often than not, aging […]

Birds of a Feather Decline Together

Common American bird populations have dropped sharply Populations of 20 common American bird species have declined by at least half in the last 40 years, according to a new analysis from the Audubon Society. Hard-hit species include the whippoorwill, meadowlark, common tern, field sparrow, ruffed grouse and — our favorite to say — common grackle. […]

Bill of Fights

In exclusive blog post, Kerry calls for energy progress and laments GOP roadblocks Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) swung by our blog Gristmill yesterday to post about the ongoing tussle in the Senate over a bill intended to reform the U.S. energy system. He and his allies are pushing for 20 percent of U.S. electricity to […]

Buffalo and Behold

Herds of migrating wildlife survive and thrive in southern Sudan Wildlife populations are thriving in, of all places, war-wracked southern Sudan. The first aerial wildlife survey of the country taken in 25 years found herds of more than a million gazelle and antelope, migrating in formations up to 30 miles across and 50 miles long. […]