-
Native Alaskan tribe’s lawsuit fights ANWR drilling
Michelle R. Matisons Natural ResourcesJuly 31 was a fateful day in the climate change struggle. Just as the Gwich’in tribe of Alaska and Canada launched an important anti-drilling lawsuit, Greenland’s ice sheet lost 12.5 billion tons of ice in one day. Although an offshore drilling ban was recently upheld by Alaska federal court for some Arctic areas, the Trump administration seems set on drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's (ANWR) 1002 Area, with speculated returns of up to 9 billion gallons of oil. The Gwich’in tribe, along with the Wilderness Society, Alaska Wilderness League, and Defenders of Wildlife, want to keep the oil in the ground.
-
A climate of change: What should your organization do?
Linda Popky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe data show the earth is getting hotter — hotter now than it’s been since records were first kept in 1880. The rise in temperature affects animal and marine life and causes potentially devastating dangers for people. What should we do about it? How involved should businesses and associations be on this issue? Will support one way or the other help or hurt your business? Here are a few points to consider.
-
Advancements in AI that are disrupting, reshaping the oil and gas industry
Joseph Zulick Science & TechnologyThe oil and gas industry has a reputation of being relatively slow to adopt new technologies. Within the past few years, though, it has moved beyond reliance on paper and pencil, physical labor, and machines. Volatility in world commodities markets has pushed companies to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. And because of the Fourth Industrial Revolution industry players are finding attractive solutions. This article examines the ways in which oil and gas companies are looking at AI as a tool to optimize performance.
-
Study: More mosquito-borne infections associated with early season hurricanes
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareHurricanes and other heavy rainfall events (HREs) can affect the transmission of vector-borne infectious diseases in the southern coastal United States and other temperate areas of the world. Stagnant water left in the aftermath of a heavy rainfall event provides rich breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which increases the likelihood of human infection. The timing of a hurricane has a significant influence on a storm’s effect on the spread of these infections, such as West Nile virus, Zika, chikungunya and dengue, according to the result of new study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
-
Interior Department announces proposal for hunting, fishing expansion
John McAdams Recreation & LeisureHunters and anglers received some good news earlier this month when Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced plans to further expand hunting and fishing opportunities on dozens of properties managed by the National Wildlife Refuge System all over the United States. You're right if you're thinking you've heard news like this before: then-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke made a similar announcement expanding public access for hunting and fishing on National Wildlife Refuges a year ago. The plan announced by Secretary Bernhardt opens additional public lands to hunting and fishing on top of those opened last year.
-
America’s best whitewater rafting trips
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureSummertime is clearly the best time for whitewater rafting as melting snow and dam releases power up rivers across the country. All rivers hosting commercial rafting trips are graded from mild to wild based on a rating system ranging from Class I to VI. If it’s a beginner or family-friendly rapids you seek, book a Class I or II trip. For more thrills, move up to a Class III trip. Class IV and V trips can get really rowdy and outfitters usually recommend or require guests to have previous rafting experience. Forget Class VI rapids. They are deemed unrunnable.
-
The final word on what the legislative session meant for outdoorsmen in…
John McAdams Recreation & LeisureThe 86th Session of the Texas Legislature is in the books. As previously discussed, there were two pieces of legislation under consideration that were of particular concern to sportsmen and women. One pertained to hog hunting in the Lone Star State while the other involved a sales tax holiday on firearms, ammunition, and hunting supplies. First, we’ll start with the news on the hog hunting front. SB 317 was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 31. The bill takes effect on Sept. 1 and amends state law to permit hunters to take feral hogs on private land without possessing a hunting license.
-
Youth climate change lawsuit controversy continues
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalSeven-generation sustainability is the idea that we should only impact the earth in a manner that can sustain itself seven generations into the future. We may be far from that sensibility today, and time is running out, but young people are making a notable contribution to nothing short of planetary survival. From jobs to health to education, many issues connect to the planet’s future, and the young will bear the greatest brunt of any negative ecological developments.
-
Urban farming in the US: Breaching the urban-rural divide
Lucy Wallwork Waste Management & EnvironmentalFarming is one of the oldest professions there is. But as society has urbanized, we have gradually lost our connection with the industry that puts food on our plates. One jarring survey in the U.K. found that nearly 1 in 10 elementary school children think that tomatoes grow under the ground. In parallel with urbanization has come the severing of our relationship with the people and land that grows our food. But now we are hearing that a new urban revolution in food is apparently sweeping through our city centers… so, can urban farming change our relationship with food?
-
Climate science’s growing bipartisan appeal
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentFlorida became embroiled in an interesting controversy a few years back. It was widely reported that then-Gov. Rick Scott placed a cabinetwide moratorium on using climate change terminology. Now, in an informative about-face, the Sunshine State’s current governor, Ron DeSantis, has instituted a new climate science position held by Florida Chief Science Officer Dr. Tom Frazer. This position is just one example of the growing appeal of climate science across party lines.
All Natural Resources Articles