Four critical habitats that nurture marine life

 A wide variety of ocean creatures rely on sea grass, sand, Sargassum and mangroves. Each of these habitats faces serious threats. Read more here. 

Sea turtles hard hit by Texas winter storms

The Arctic air mass that battered Texas starting around Valentine's Day reached the Gulf of Mexico, creating conditions that left thousands of sea turtles cold stunned. As of Wed. Feb. 17, rescue organizations had recovered more than 4,000 of them along the Texas coast. Read more here. 

Tips for camping with your dog

 Pitching a tent with your pup can be great fun, but it pays to be prepared. Some tips for making it a great trip for both of you. 

Rare plants disappearing in Big Bend

 Thieves are stripping the rare living rock cactus out of Big Bend National Park, while people remove ocotillo and yucca from the area for landscaping. Read about the consequences of removing plants from these habitats. 

Increased concern over animal and plant extinctions

Recent scientific papers say the extinction rate for vertebrate animals is greater than we thought and that two in five plant species are at risk of disappearing. Read more here. 

Saving Seagrass

 Underwater seagrass meadows have disappeared around the globe. But they may be some of the easiest coastal ecosystem to restore -- and they sequester significant amounts of carbon. Read more here. 

The saga of the Mexican gray wolf

Back in March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it counted at least 163 Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico and Arizona. That continued an encouraging upward trend, but that same month, official authorized the killing of four of the wolves. Read more about this species and its uncertain future here.