This story was originally published by Reasons to be Cheerful
3 min read
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here.
Crossing to safety
Habitat loss is a major problem for wildlife. But so is habitat fragmentation, caused by highways and other infrastructure. Reconnecting habitat is the motivation behind such projects as the massive wildlife overpass being built across the 101 Freeway in California, as Contributing Editor Michaela Haas wrote about for RTBC back in 2022.
A bigger, much more ambitious project, known as the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y), would create one enormous connected area all across the Rocky Mountains. As Mongabay explains in a story that caught Michaela’s attention, Y2Y aims to build a 2,100-mile corridor, coordinating among several governments and many smaller projects. Underway since 1997, the effort has already protected more than 24 million acres of habitat and supported construction of over 200 wildlife crossings.
Michaela says:
I haven’t read nearly enough about the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, which is trying to connect a giant area stretching across the Rocky Mountains for safe wildlife migration. It is such an impactful idea.
Whale ho
The Bay Area has begun attracting some new visitors: gray whales that, due to climate change, are now seeking food in new locations on their migration route. Unfortunately, ship traffic makes this a dangerous place for them, and dozens have been killed by vessels in recent years.
As one might expect, the country’s tech capital has turned to tech for solutions. In this case, as Inside Climate News reports in a story shared by Editorial Director Rebecca Worby, a thermal camera picks up the heat signature of a whale’s blow, which an AI platform then uses to detect the animal’s location. That info is uploaded to an online whale tracker that mariners can use to steer clear. The system detected whales more than 6,000 times in its first 10 days of operation.
Becca says:
We reported on Whale Safe and Whale Alert, the apps described in this story, back in 2024. Glad to see they’re now being used in more places.
What else we’re reading
A group of aspen trees can slow or even stop fires, study says. Colorado foresters agree. — shared by Rebecca Worby from The Colorado Sun
Sweden to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in clothing — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from Fashion Network
Stop Saying Kids Can’t Read — shared by Rebecca Worby from WIRED
In other news…
Frequent RTBC contributor Elizabeth Hewitt had never heard of the Bièvre before reading Contributing Editor Peter Yeung’s recent story about the French river’s re-emergence. But soon after, she was in Montreal and picked up the new novel Riverwork by Lisa Robertson.
Elizabeth says:
It follows a protagonist’s philosophical meanderings as she probes the history of a forgotten river and the women who lived around it. So I’m enjoying the poetic coincidence that I picked it up just as Peter reported on the modern revitalization of the Bièvre.
The post What We’re Reading: Building a Massive Wildlife Corridor From Fragmented Lands appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.
