Wildlife

Rewilding the USA West

A new study suggests that increasing the numbers of wolves and beavers in federal lands across the western United States could help reestablish habitats lost during the past two centuries. The proposed Western Rewilding Network would cover nearly 190,000 square miles in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Only a small fraction of the former wolf and beaver populations still exists across the region, with no beavers left in many waterways. Lead author William Ripple of the Oregon State University College of Forestry says that by felling trees and shrubs to construct dams, beavers enrich fish habitats, increase water and sediment retention and maintain water flows during drought.

Cyclone Victims

A subtropical cyclone swirling off the coast of southern Brazil washed ashore hundreds of Magellan penguins that were migrating northward to breed. Most of the 620 penguins driven onto the sandy beaches along the Santos Basin were found dead.

“Penguins can’t fly and ended up drowning since the wind and waves were too strong,” said Andre Barreto, head of the cleanup operation. “We underwent a cyclone with gales of over 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) along the Santa Catarina coast.” The cyclone also caused flooding and wind damage.

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