The Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to find out how bears will react to a new wind project. It will be the first commercial wind project on U.S. Forest Service land and will include 15 turbines.They started tracking bears by using radio collars to see how they move around before the turbines are in place. The collars had many problems, so they started using cameras to track the bears. Now they have data to study bears and wildlife both before and after the wind project begins. Share this story with your students so they can learn more about this wind project in Vermont and its impact on wildlife.
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Sharks can live to be over two hundred years old, and recently a Greenland shark was found who may have lived up to 512 years. These sharks are the longest living vertebrates known to exist. They can be found swimming in the Arctic seas, where researchers are spending time studying the old creatures. Listen to the story to hear more about this fascinating species.
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For years, scientists have been making underwater recordings of orcas, also called killer whales. Orcas spend much of their time in an icy, dark area of the world, the Arctic, where they can be difficult to find, and scientists were hoping the recordings might help them better track and study the marine mammals. Recently scientists started listening to the recordings, which span thousands of hours. Listen to hear the sounds of killer whale calls, and learn what the recordings are teaching researchers about orca behavior and habitat.
Read MoreNew Technology Alerts Communities to Bears
Melting sea ice in the Arctic has forced some polar bears onto land where they are increasingly likely to encounter humans. To help prevent deadly run-ins, researchers at a conservation organization are developing technology that detects polar bears that wander close to a community. “Bear-dar,” as the technology is known, is an example of how humans are adapting to the challenges posed by climate change. Listen to learn more about Bear-dar and why researchers believe it will create safer spaces for humans and polar bears to cohabitate.
Read MoreCURRENT EVENT | February 28, 2024
Climate change is threatening the world’s polar bear population. The sea ice polar bears use for hunting is disappearing, and many experts fear polar bears may eventually go extinct. However, researchers in southeast Greenland have found a surprisingly large number of bears surviving on ice produced from freshwater glaciers that fall from land into the water. For the bears, this is an alternative to the sea ice on which they typically depend. Listen to learn about this surprising find, and why scientists fear it may only offer polar bears a temporary solution to the catastrophic problems caused by climate change.
Story Length: 3:14
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06/16/2022
https://app.listenwise.com/students/events/2587-polar-bears-find-temporary-refuge
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