San Antonio Zoo’s Post

🌿 Discover the Diversity of Texas Flora! 🌿 Did you know that Texas is home to a rich tapestry of native plants, each playing a vital role in our ecosystem? From the vibrant Bluebonnet to the resilient Prickly Pear, these plants support local wildlife and help maintain soil health. 🌼🌵 But not all plants in Texas are beneficial. Invasive species like the Kudzu vine and Giant Reed can overrun our landscapes, outcompeting native plants and disrupting habitats. 🚫🌱 Let's celebrate and protect our native flora! 🌳 Here are a few ways you can help: Plant native species in your garden. Join local conservation efforts. Educate others about the impact of invasive plants. Together, we can preserve the natural beauty of Texas for generations to come. 💚 #TexasPlants #NativeSpecies #Conservation #InvasiveSpecies #EcoFriendlyGardening

Are wolverines making a comeback in Colorado? With the help of rewilding it sure looks like it. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is proposing legislation to reintroduce these carnivores into the state, marking a historic moment in conservation efforts! The reintroduction of wolverines to the Centennial state could provide a much-needed boost to the species, offering them a buffer population against the threats of climate change and habitat fragmentation. With ample unoccupied landscapes and the potential to support 180 wolverines, Colorado could play a crucial role in increasing the species' North American population. While some believe wolverines will naturally find their way back to Colorado, others argue that a planned reintroduction would ensure the population's genetic diversity and success. Regardless of the approach, the goal of rewilding remains the same: to give these animals a fighting chance to thrive in their natural habitats once again. #Wolverines #Rewilding #WildlifeConservation

One of many reasons to love prairies: DIVERSITY! Native prairie remnants are wildly diverse! Even a small, unplowed prairie can have hundreds of flowering plant and animal species. Many are not found anywhere else on earth. Prairies can offer more diversity than a rain forest, on a smaller scale. These remnants are also vital seed sources for future restoration projects. Because remnants are so rare, this diversity is very important to prairie restoration. You are invited to support NPAT during North Texas Giving Day, which runs from Sept. 1-21. Every dollar you give will be matched up to $10,000! Your gift will go directly toward our education and conservation programs in North Texas. YOU can help protect and restore prairies and expand awareness of their incredible benefits. Some of the many flower species you may see on a North Texas prairie. (Left to right, from top): Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) False dragonhead (Physostegia pulchella) Purplehead sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Lemon bee balm (Monarda citriodora) Pale coneflower (Echinacea pallida) Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) False indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa) Pink Sensitive briar (Mimosa microphylla) Learn more and give at https://lnkd.in/gAs9z7x3

The bog turtle is North America’s smallest turtle, growing only to 4.5 inches in length. Easily recognized by the orange patch on either side of its head, the bog turtle favors open, groundwater-fed wet meadows and bogs dominated by tussock sedge and grasses. Bog turtles thrive in mountain bogs, or isolated wetlands with acidic, wet soil, thick moss and deep layers of mud. These deep mucky soils, fed by groundwater, provide protection from predators and other elements. Short clumps of vegetation let in plenty of sunlight for incubating eggs and basking. If any of these conditions change, a bog turtle population can decline and may eventually disappear from the area. Conserving mountain bogs is a key step in recovering the bog turtle, the smallest turtle found in North America, the sweet pitcher plant, and three other federally-endangered plants. TNC in North Carolina has also recently partnered with other organizations to augment bog turtle populations through a process called head-starting, where juvenile turtles are raised in captivity until one year of age. Read more about these adorable animals: https://nature.ly/45ln2GP.

Bog turtles are the tiniest turtle in North America, and also the most endangered. The main risks to bog turtles are their disappearing habitats, with research estimating that there is only 500 acres of habitat left over the southeast. However, Floyd County has some of the best preserved wetlands for these turtles, according to State Herpetologist J.D. Kleopfer. https://lnkd.in/eW8fR3kE

🐻 Wildlife Wednesday from your Doherty Docent is featuring Coastal Brown Bear "Rubicon" (pictured). He is the largest of our brown bears and tends to be light brown in the summer, while darker in the winter. He uses his size to get what he wants from the others, like extra food or a favorite enrichment item. Though he comes off as large and in charge, he is actually a big softy and enjoys playing with the others. Especially Truckee, whom he seems to be particularly bonded to. I am highlighting him as Oakland Zoo is proud to be hosting the 2024 International Bear Care Group conference, bringing together experts from all over the world who are working to improve global bear welfare and conservation. This year’s conference theme is “Advancing Bear Care: The Next Level” and will focus on issues faced by wild bears ending up in human care as a result of human-bear conflict. We are looking forward to this collective effort in taking action for wildlife! A few fun facts about brown bears: 👃🏻 Brown bears have an exceptionally acute sense of smell, exceeding that of dogs. 👀 Contrary to popular belief, bears are not nearsighted. Their eyesight and hearing are comparable to those of humans. 🏃🏻♂️🏊🏻 Brown bears can run in short bursts up to 40 mph (64 kph) and are excellent swimmers. #born2matter #docentlife #conservationeducation #comeseerubicon #californiatrail The Outlier Project

Guided by the stars ⭐ This #BHM, we're remembering Harriet Tubman with this image from #Landsat 9. The image shows the network of rivers, marshes, canals, and ponds in Dorchester County, Maryland, that Harriet Tubman grew up around and later navigated in the pursuit of freedom. The modern-day landscapes of Dorchester County and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park would be mostly familiar to Tubman. Outside of some urban development around Cambridge, Maryland and other towns, much of the land remains open farmland, forest, and wetlands. Oak and loblolly pine forests and reedy marshes still fringe much of the area’s farmland. But there are some notable differences. Many farms that raised a mixture of crops and animals in Tubman’s time are now used to raise just soybeans and sorghum crops. The most striking changes relate to the water level. In a region where local sea levels are rising and the landscape is sinking at among the fastest rates on the East Coast, many waterways in Dorchester County —especially around Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge — are significantly deeper and wider than what Tubman would have experienced. She would also likely notice marked shifts in the locations of marshes and forests, as well as an expansion of dead “ghost forests” caused by intrusions of salt water. The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on #Landsat 9 acquired this image on Jan. 22, 2024. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etGPWDX3

One of the best things we can do to reverse the climate and ecological crises we're facing is to recognize other creatures on earth as our kin and protect them and help them flourish.

‘First white-tailed eagle in 240 years born in south of England’ Some good news, 1st White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) born in south of England, some 240 years after going extinct there, & following extensive conservation work in recent years, showing how with a little help, #nature can begin to return & thrive. White-tailed eagles are Britain's largest birds of prey, & on average the 4th largest eagle species in the world with a wingspan of around 2.2m up to 2.5m. The Sea Eagle was once widespread across coastal areas of the UK before going extinct about 100 years ago & then being reintroduced in Scotland in the 1970s. Now they’re starting to establish themselves in the south of England too. #sustainability

"The animals have become a flashpoint for disagreements about federal versus state control, the rural-urban divide and the use of public and private property, said Kevin Crooks, the director of the Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence at Colorado State University. "Matt Barnes, a rangeland scientist and former ranch manager, pointed to the creature’s symbolic value: “Wolves are referents for nature in general, and disparate views of what nature is and how we humans relate to or fit into it. How much wildness can be allowed in a working landscape? That’s a question that reflects a deeper question, like: How much wildness can be allowed in a civilized culture?” How well Colorado ranchers fare with wolves, and how well those wolves fare on working landscapes, will be determined by how well we prepare for and respond to conflicts. Good quotes from Adam Baca at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Kevin Crooks at the Colorado State University Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence, yours truly at Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, Karin Vardaman at Working Circle, and three ranchers, two of whom served with me on CPW's Stakeholder Advisory Group.