Christmas Bird Count Adventures

Texas abounds with opportunities to participate in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, including several locations that routinely rank at the top nationwide. Some also involve a bit of adventure. Read the article in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.

Protecting Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep can catch a bacteria from domestic sheep that causes pneumonia in the wild sheep and, often, death.And you thought your relatives made you sick. Read more in this PBS Nature blog post.

For jellyfish, brains are over-rated

Jellyfish lack brains, yet carry out sophisticated functions and a complex reproductive cycle.Read more about the nervous system that makes that possible in this post for PBS Nature.

Nature's Art in Marfa

Known for its trendy art galleries and installations, Marfa also boasts beauty of another kind: in the landscape. See it on a tour with Rangefinder West Texas Expeditions.

We'll have less beer and pay more for it

Thanks to climate change, we'll be paying a lot more for a cold beer. That's bad news not just for beer drinkers but also for the sizeable industries that make, move and serve it. Read more here.

Citizen Science Projects

These days, much research depends on the input of citizen scientists, people who make and record observations on everything from the wild animals they see to how many mosquito larvae are in a discarded bottle. These three projects could use your help figuring out the effects of climate change.

Coral's big summer

On coral reefs around the world, certain species practice impressive mass spawning. Read about the spawning event at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in this post for the PBS Nature Blog.

Texas species vulnerable to losing ESA protections

Despite research that shows Americans overwhelmingly support the Endangered Species Act, Congress and the current administration continue to try and weaken it. These Texas species, already affected by climate change, could be especially hard hit by any loss of protection.

Too much of a good thing

Another post for the PBS Nature Blog's summer of love, this one about recent Sargassum blooms. While the floating algae provide habitat and food for a wide variety of marine life in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean, blooms are taking it a bit too far.

Sea turtle summer of no love

As reptiles, sea turtles lack sex hormones; an embryo becomes male or female depending on the temperature in its nest. Hotter times thanks to climate change threaten to turn the sea turtle future too female. Read more about the problem in this post for the PBS Nature blog.

Science by the Sea

Find your inner marine biologist at these Texas destinations, where laboratories, nature reserves, and aquariums offer the chance to learn more about those beaches and bays we all enjoy so much.  Read the full article in Texas Highways Magazine.

A tribute to Tony Amos

Oceanographer Anthony Amos patrolled Port Aransas beaches for decades, creating an unparalleled database and rescuing scores of sea turtles, birds and other creatures. He founded the Animal Rehabilitation Keep, now the Amos Rehabilitation Keep. Tony died in September, 2017. Here, his friends and colleagues talk about his work and legacy.

Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

This piece on tagging sharks is part of a series of articles in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine looking at the Gulf of Mexico. Follow tagged sharks at https://www.ocearch.org/tracker.

Diving into issues affecting the Gulf of Mexico

The July issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine features a series of articles about the Gulf of Mexico produced by yours truly and the magazine editor, Louie Bond. This piece looks at threats to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

Border barriers threaten biodiversity in the Rio Grande Valley

The Texas Rio Grande Valley supports a thriving ecotourism industry, attracting birders and wildlife watchers from all over the world. Local communities, conservation groups and government agencies worked for decades to protect habitat in the Valley. More barriers on the border put all that work, and the wildlife, at risk. Read about it in The Revelator.

The Birds and the Bees: attracting pollinators

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department has guidelines for landowners who want to create habitat for pollinators such as native bees and butterflies -- and perhaps get a tax break, too. Read more about the program in the June issue of TPW Magazine.

Texan by Nature

This non-profit seeks to spur Texan-led conservation efforts with tangible benefits for people, prosperity and natural resources. Or, as founder and former First Lady Laura Bush says, “to keep Texas, Texas, for the benefit of Texans and wildlife.” Find out how you can participate in this piece for Texas Co-op Power Magazine.

What Killed the Corals?

Scientists continue to search for the causes of a mysterious die-off event on the East Bank of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in July, 2016. Figuring it out could help protect these reefs in the Gulf of Mexico from future events. Read more here.

What's on the Beach

Before you visit the beach this summer, read up on some of the natural features and residents and why they're important. Maybe you'll even show that seaweed some love.

Mattie's at Green Pastures

New owners and new life at an iconic Austin restaurant, the former Green Pastures, now Mattie's. No worries, the peacocks remain! Read about it here.

What Dandelions Taught Me

When my kids were toddlers, they viewed dandelions not as a sign of an unkempt yard, but a wonderland of shimmering orbs waiting for a puff of breath to give them flight. Researchers confirm that our sense of wonder grows less flexible as we age, but we can intentionally preserve some of that childlike approach to the world. Read the essay here.

Wildflower Road Trips

Plan a spring wildflower road trip in Texas! My latest for Texas Highways covers four parts of the state and the amazing sights to see in each. Read it here.

Rising sea temps mean fewer male sea turtles

Hotter seas could make reproduction difficult for sea turtles. Nest temperatures determine whether embryos develop into males or females, with higher temps meaning more females. Read why this is a problem in my piece for Texas Climate News.

Gone Glacier

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the glaciers in Glacier National Park have shrunk by an average of 39 percent since 1966; some lost up to 85 percent of their ice. Glacier NP's glaciers could all be gone by 2030. Read about what that means for the park and its wildlife, like this ptarmigan at Logan Pass.

Saving Sauceda House

An early 1900s ranch house in the middle of Big Bend Ranch State Park is showing its age. Texas Parks and Wildlife staff want to fix it up. Read about this historic structure and the repairs it needs.