by Bill Schlesinger Enacted in 1972, the Endangered Species Act is widely regarded as having saved various species with low population numbers from extinction. The number of individuals necessary to…
by Bill Schlesinger The current heated debate about the importance of saving old-growth forests is muddled by confusion about what constitutes an “old-growth” forest. Is old growth a forest that…
climate change map by Bill Schlesinger As warm-blooded organisms, humans and other mammals have a normal body temperature that is slightly above the average temperature of their evolutionary environment. The…
Close up image of a young skunk walking toward the camera. Summer in Wisconsin by Bill Schlesinger When I see a road sign for Quail Run Lane in a new…
by Bill Schlesinger Most folks who live in the eastern United States, particularly in New England, are likely to have experienced more than one close encounter with White-Tail deer. In…
by Bill Schlesinger I recently reviewed some plans for a proposed new apartment complex in Durham, NC. I was surprised to see that the footprint of the building accounted for…
by Bill Schlesinger Agriculture is the world’s top user of surface water, and irrigation is increasingly used to extend agriculture to marginal lands and seasonal climates to maintain crop yield. …
by Bill Schlesinger “Boys, I may not know much, but I know chicken shit from chicken salad.” – Lyndon B. Johnson North Carolina, long known for embracing concentrated animal feeding…
by Bill Schlesinger As a scientist, I am worried about the term environmental justice. Scientists measure things, amassing data to test hypotheses and observe trends. Environmental scientists know how to…
by Bill Schlesinger Within the past decade or so, the global carbon cycle has become the subject of newspaper articles, cocktail party conversation, and public policy. Most of us are…