Nature & Ecosystems

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) — U.S. conservation groups have renewed their call for Congress to clean up 70 lead paint-contaminated buildings at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
The American Bird Conservancy and two Hawaiian groups — the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Hawaii Audubon Society — said the buildings have been responsible for the [...]

EDGEWATER, Md., Feb. 2 (UPI) — U.S. scientists say they’ve found evidence that forests in the Eastern United States are growing faster than they have during the past 225 years.
The Smithsonian Institution ecologists focused on the growth of 55 stands of mixed hardwood forest plots in Maryland. Geoffrey Parker, who has tracked the trees’ [...]

CORVALLIS, Ore., Feb. 1 (UPI) — U.S. scientists say they’ve determined some studies involving the impact of forest fires may have grossly overestimated the amount of carbon dioxide released.
Oregon State University researchers say some past approaches to calculating the impact of forest fires have overestimated the number of live trees that burn up and [...]

LARGO, Fla., Jan. 27 (UPI) — Residents of Largo, Fla., are struggling to deal with 38 tons of dead fish removed from area lakes in recent weeks, officials say.
Gary Morse, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman, said the tons of dead fish removed from Largo-area lakes during the last two weeks represent a [...]

MANILA, Philippines, Jan. 25 (UPI) — A group of international power companies has donated a $1 million hydroelectric project to help save legendary rice terraces in the Philippines.
Deterioration of the massive rice terraces — dubbed the “stairway to heaven” and the “eighth wonder of the world” — prompted UNESCO in 2001 to include them [...]