Cullowhee Native Plant Conference 2025
The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference is the premier native plant conference of the south. The conference occurs each 3rd week of July. The conference includes hikes, speakers, and activities. Three
Earth
Scientist leaves Retirement to create Life-Savings Viruses
Bacteriophages are bacteria-eating viruses. There are more types of phages on earth than there are grains of sand. Phages have the potential for many life-saving uses but are still highly
Hawaiian Island erased from Hurricane
East Island, part of the the Hawaiian Island, is gone due to Hurricane Walaka in 2018. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-east-island-lost-to-hurricane-walaka-french-frigate-shoals-climate-change_n_5bcf2a8ee4b055bc9484e803
Earth’s Extinction Events
Five major extinction events have occurred on earth in the past 450 million years. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-earths-biggest-mass-extinctions-stack-up Be an earth steward.
Morgan Freeman creates Bee Sanctuary
Morgan Freeman converted his 124 acre property into a bee home. He imported 26 bee hives from Arkansas to help boost the bee population. He planted flowering plants and feeds
Lazuli Bunting spotted in Ohio
Lazuli bunting bird spotted in Ohio. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/rare-bird-lazuli-bunting-ohio Be an earth steward!
Silent Spring
A controversial, but poignant book published 1962 revealed an awareness between nature and humans. Silent Spring started the environmentalist movement. As humans we have a large impact on the environment
Several Types of Fungi eat Plastic
Several species of fungus have been discovered to consume plastic. These fungi can assist with the plastic waste problem by eating and breaking down plastic into simpler compounds. Notable plastic
Bering Straight Ice is Missing
For several years in a row, the Bering Straight Ice is missing. Scientists believe this is due to climate change and rising temperatures. Indigenous populations in the area rely on
Humans Contributing Animal Extinction
Humans are contributing to the extinction of the world’s megafauna due to our need for meat. https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-are-quickly-eating-the-world-s-largest-animals-to-extinction It’s going to take all of us.
Extremely Rare Bird Spotted in USA
A hobbyist photographed an extremely rare bird, a blue rock thrush, at Hug Point State Park in Oregon. A prior sighting in Canada in 1997 was rejected, as these birds
The Sixth Extinction
We are possibly living the sixth extinction. Elizabeth Kolbert explores this potention loss in her book ‘The Sixth Extinction’. She investigates the prior five extinctions and talks with world experts