Environmental Almanac

The statewide moose population in New Hampshire peaked at about 7,400 animals in the 1990s, but even then, moose numbers in the north country never reached levels biologists had anticipated the habitat could support. Why weren’t there more of them? And why did their numbers then begin dropping off?

People who go looking for beauty in the woodlands of central Illinois tend to get excited about the months of April and May, when showy beauties like Virginia bluebells carpet the woodland floor. But if you wait until April to get out, you may already be a month late for the emergence of the first flower of spring.

Despite their heedless ways and the dangers posed to them by human traffic, squirrels are in no danger of extinction--so why do they deserve our attention? Tune in for an answer from University of Illinois student Laura Schultz.

Connecting the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Basin seemed like a good idea in 1900. Tune in to hear why that's an idea whose time has come and gone.

How can we protect sea turtles, birds, night-flying pollinators and other wildlife? By updating our lighting practices.

If you’re looking for energy and inspiration this month—and who’s not? —let me call your attention to the state of the environmental community in central Illinois, and some of the ways it has flourished over the past year.

Much of the pleasure of Christmas Bird Counts is discovering surprises. Tune in to learn what the author and his team found this year in Champaign County.

Who knows how long a compass plant incorporated into campus landscaping will live? As it turns out, that question has been answered.

What weighs less than a nickel and can fly 500 miles in a single stretch? Tune for the scoop on the smallest bird you'll see in Illinois!

How far do urban residents have to go to tune into the natural world? Not far at all, especially where streams flow.