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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A female baby mountain lion has been found in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Mountain lions in the recreation area are very isolated as the park is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, agricultural fields, and greater Los Angeles. Therefore, scientists believe that the baby mountain lion is likely a product of inbreeding among related lions with limited mating choices. This could lead to genetic defects and abnormalities in the mountain lions. Listen to learn more about the newborn mountain lion and the concerns about mountain lion inbreeding.
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Residents of Asheville, North Carolina find bears eating out of dog bowls, rummaging through garbage, and shaking seeds out of bird feeders. Instead of controlling the large population of black bears living in the area, the city lets them roam free. Asheville citizens have found ways to coexist with the large and sometimes dangerous woodland creatures that wander into their neighborhoods. Listen to hear a bear-friendly resident share strategies for living safely with local black bears.
Read MoreHighway Crossings for Wildlife Help Species Survive
Mountain lions and other animals rely on the ability to migrate from place to place in order to survive. In Southern California, the combination of imposing highways, population density, and the effects of climate change have isolated mountain lions to such an extent that they are unable to interbreed, threatening their existence. To address this, construction has begun on a wildlife highway that will allow animals like mountain lions to more easily move from place to place. Listen to learn about this unusual, but badly needed, project that is essential to wildlife conservation.
Read MoreCURRENT EVENT | March 13, 2024
A famous mountain lion in southern California recently passed away. Known by the name P-22, the local celebrity had made his home in Griffith Park, near the famous Hollywood sign. P-22’s life and death raise important questions about the impact human population density and development have on the habitat of mountain lions and other wildlife in southern California. Listen to learn about P-22, the struggles mountain lions face, and the efforts underway to better protect their habitat from the urban landscape that threatens it.
Story Length: 3:20
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12/22/2022
https://app.listenwise.com/students/events/2606-hollywood-mountain-lion-leaves-a-legacy
Classroom Discussion Themes