God’s eye view of God’s country
Maybe it was the frigid temperatures of the polar vortex. Or perhaps it was that crazy cocktail the bartenders at Busboys and Poets crafted specially for the DC Science Café. But as Paul Woods of SkyTruth spelled out the blunt future of environmental remote sensing – that soon nothing will be hidden from view – I thought about wilderness. In truth, I didn’t try the … Continue reading God’s eye view of God’s country
The illogic of Rudolph: Revisited
Back by popular demand (ok, mine), here’s my seasonal rant against Rudolph, first posted in 2011. No, this isn’t an environmental screed. Rudolph and Santa actually seem to live a pretty low impact life in the North Pole, in that small self-contained community powered mostly by reindeer and elves. And I accept the bad biology inherent in Christmas fantasies: talking flying reindeer with electric noses … Continue reading The illogic of Rudolph: Revisited
Small is good
Two studies released this fall highlight the importance of small headwater streams to water quality and land use decisions – streams that often get overlooked, covered up or just plain ignored in maps and regulations. The first, by scientists at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, generated high resolution maps of the entire Potomac River watershed (and surrounding watersheds) and revealed for the … Continue reading Small is good
Slo-Mo
What’s the best way to reach people in this hyper cyber age? Faster? Shorter? Zippier? Read how National Park Service filmmaker John Grabowska is going long, leisurely and literary to capture his crowd in my latest piece for Fluent Magazine (p. 23). Hear his stories of charging grizzlies and more while filming The Ends of the Earth, on November 3 at the American Conservation Film … Continue reading Slo-Mo
Really? Microbe-free ears?
I first wrote about antibacterial soaps and personal care products more than a year ago after I erroneously bought antibacterial Q-Tips. Two recently released studies got me thinking about this topic again. In one, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined illness and death linked to antibiotic resistant “superbugs” and pinned the blame on hospitals and farms for their excessive antibiotic use. The other, … Continue reading Really? Microbe-free ears?