After a 30-year absence, the plover, a tiny bird, returned to touristy Sauble Beach on the Ontario Peninsula. Now, the town’s residents are arguing over what the beach should be — and how both humans and these endangered birds can share the sand. Pristine white sand is the preferred backdrop for sunbathing, picnics, sandcastles and […]
nature
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Searching for the Mountaintop in Upstate New York
A family confronts its racial past along the Appalachian Trail.
Posted inNonfiction
The Sounds of Silence: A Reading List About Listening to Nature
Kindling a new awareness of the outdoors wasn’t something the author predicted, but it brought a host of realizations — including the discovery of these five thoughtful longreads.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Battle to Save Waikiki Beach
“No longer are coastal cities arguing about whether warming poses a monumental threat, but about the best way to respond.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
These Turtles Fly South for Winter
“Saving each flight’s worth of little lives involves approximately five vans, 1,600 kilometers, four organizations, and 50 people. Without this monumental collaboration across North America’s Eastern Seaboard, other efforts to save the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle from extinction might be futile.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Internet Has a Rat Poison Problem
“How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Did a Legendary Trout Really Ride the Rails from California to Missouri?
“Scientists use DNA to solve genetic puzzles in waters around the world. But in Crane Creek, the mystery got deeper.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Elephant Who Could Be a Person
“In the courts, elephant personhood is a keystone argument, the argument on which all other animal-rights and even environmental arguments could conceivably depend.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can We Move Our Forests in Time to Save Them?
“Trees have always migrated to survive. But now they need our help to avoid climate catastrophe.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
One Hiker’s Peak of Desperation
“He got lost climbing a 13,000-foot mountain. Could his family, his friends and a bartender named Destiny save his life?”