According to researchers the African elephant is actually two different species of elephant - a development with big implications for conservation. We talk with Alfred Roca, a researcher at the University of Illinois who specializes in genetics and wildlife conservation, about the differences in the elephant and what that means for its survival.
What’s wrong with garlic mustard? Probably nothing in itself, but garlic mustard is one of many plants that can produce bad effects when propagated them in the wrong place. Natural areas in Illinois are definitely the wrong place for garlic mustard, where it can crowd out native plants, depriving insects and the animals that eat them of an important food source, depriving birds of the cover they need for nesting, and more.
The Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is the only Illinois waterway with the designation “National Wild and Scenic River.” But there's a potential accident waiting to happen: a shuttered Dynegy power plant to the north contains three ponds of toxic coal ash in the river's floodplain. These are virtually guaranteed to wind up in the river eventually as the Middle Fork itself meanders toward these coal ash ponds
The work of conservation can be inspiring and uplifting, but not so much when schemes to put profits ahead of the public good threaten local and global ecosystems
