My interest in the natural world led me to study ecology and evolutionary biology, but after all my schooling I found myself confined to the laboratory studying the arguably inconsequential minutia of blood parasites in birds. Seeking to use my scientific background for something a little more relevant to the world, I was fortunate to be offered a position with NRDC working on endangered species issues. Having tried my hand with a biotech company, the National Park Service and even the Environmental Protection Agency, I have a special appreciation for the type of good work done here by my colleagues at NRDC.
Posted May 17, 2013 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Happy Endangered Species Day! To cap off our week-long series on farmers and fishermen who support endangered species protections for salmon and other fish in the Bay Delta, we present this video of Jacky Douglas, captain of the Wacky Jacky, a...continued→
Posted May 13, 2013 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
With Endangered Species Day coming up this Friday, a new website called Voices for America’s Wildlife is being launched that highlights stories of people from all walks of life who support protections for America’s endangered species. Many of the stories...continued→
Posted January 28, 2013 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
As Aldo Leopold once pointed out, not everyone makes it to Alaska – just like not everyone makes it to heaven. I am one of the fortunate ones who has been to Alaska and as a result I feel like...continued→
Posted November 13, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
With wolf hunts underway in Idaho and Montana, we are headed back to court to challenge the latest removal of Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in the state of Wyoming. Wyoming and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service left...continued→
Posted October 31, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about our work on bats and whitenose syndrome, but what better day than Halloween for an update. Fortunately, this year the news is not all bad. While whitenose syndrome, the fungus that has...continued→
Posted August 31, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Today the Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the end of endangered species protections for wolves in the state of Wyoming. Normally, the ‘recovery’ of a species from the endangered species list is something to celebrate, but in this case,...continued→
Posted August 21, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Fighting for a clean, healthy environment is my job. Literally. As a scientist for NRDC, I work to protect our endangered wildlife and wild lands on a daily basis. I find it challenging and rewarding, but it also means...continued→
Posted August 10, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska supports the world’s greatest wild salmon fishery. And now scientists have a new understanding why: water temperature and stream flow. Variation in the temperature and flow of streams is key to supporting not just Bristol Bay’s...continued→
Posted June 8, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
I recently got back from the annual meeting of scientists working on white-nose syndrome and I have to say – although white-nose syndrome (the fungal disease causing mass bat die-offs) is a depressing topic – this continues to be one...continued→
Posted May 1, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
In part two of a three part series that the Sacramento Bee is rolling out on Wildlife Services, reporter Tom Knudson focuses on the ecological impact of the federal agency responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of predators each year. ...continued→
Posted April 25, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
A new genetic study suggesting that polar bears have been around longer than previously thought has raised questions regarding the future of the species. Although there have been many estimates as to how long polar bears have existed – varying...continued→
Posted March 30, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
There’s this great story out of Pennsylvania about a group of 4th graders that have decided to hold a bake sale and donate the money to support research efforts on the fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, that is devastating bat...continued→
Posted January 27, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
A new study has documented a decline in songbird populations in Arizona as a result of climate change. What gets less attention in this story is that this decline is caused by elk over-browsing the plants that provide cover and...continued→
Posted January 18, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Yesterday the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced a new estimate of the number of bats that have died due to whitenose syndrome – the mysterious fungal disease that is devastating bats in the Eastern US and Canada. Working with...continued→
Posted January 7, 2012 by Sylvia Fallon in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Earlier this week Yellowstone National Park released its ‘State of Conservation’ report in which it outlines its financial needs for improving or maintaining the park’s values as a World Heritage Site. Among its top priorities, the Park identifies the need...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
