Narratives & Opinions

Lichens, Pollution, and Us Learning how clean the air of a place is by documenting its lichens… Visit a forested area that’s not near a city, and you’ll see all sorts of lichens decorating trees and rocks. But if you ...

May the Lichens be with You If flowers are commonly placed on a loved one’s final resting place, why shouldn’t lichens be allowed to reside on that loved one’s gravestone? If flowers are commonly placed on a loved one’s ...

Joy of the Fells Citizen Science with EwA "The Fells is a fantastic habitat where we can bring different pieces of the (ecological conservation) puzzle together and lead people to be part of this story as well" Caitlin recently reached ...

Attracting & Retaining Citizen Scientists Some conservation citizen science organizations run projects that can be quickly carried out by citizen scientists without supervision. And for those organizations, a common practice is to motivate people with a few good training events ...

Even Scientists Take Selfies with Wild Animals. Here's Why They Shouldn't. One of the great things about being a biologist is getting to work in the field and connect with wildlife. Through my career, I have enjoyed many unforgettable close ...

 Why Men Trophy Hunt The killing of Cecil the lion (Panthera leo) ignited enduring and increasingly global discussion about trophy hunting [1]. Yet, policy debate about its benefits and costs (e.g. [2,3]) focuses only on the hunted species and biodiversity, ...

"The more you are willing to examine your own assumptions and beliefs—and holds the possibility that you may be wrong—the more you can truly understand" (from The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling) Being a naturalist basically means being ...

Ecological Ethics A&A—From Awareness To Action My friend and I engaged in a profound discussion about ethics. Our conversation delved into the inherent fascination of our species with a limitless growth model, evident in various facets such as our aspirations ...

Our enthusiasm and indulgence for animal captivity is changing yet very slowly. But we can accelerate our pace because it can only be a win-win for science, for the animals, and for us as moral individuals… 'Are zoo animals happy? There’s ...