National Wildlife Photo Contest entry by Helen Anderson.

Branching Out for Wildlife

Volunteers plant trees in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest.

In Clermont, Flordia, 300 trees were planted to support the Florida Scrub-Jay (an threatened species). Boy and Girl Scouts, students for the local elementary school and adult volunteers worked together to improve wildlife habitat, by planting more food sources and places for the jays to raise their young. These birds — unlike the common bluejay — are less afraid of humans and enjoy some interaction, as 10-year-old volunteer Lauren discovered. Our volunteers planted scrub oaks, red cedars and longleaf pine trees.

In Mukilteo, Washington, about 40 kids and their parents planted about 200 conifer trees on March 23, a beautiful sunny day. When participants arrived to do the planting, Mukilteo Community Development Director Patricia Love welcomed volunteers and explained why we were planting trees, as team members demonstrated how to plant and talked about the benefits of the trees to forest animals. Planting in a forest understory is not the easiest type of planting to do, but the kids were enthusiastic and planted from one to 10 plants each.

Children from the Harbour Pointe Middle School who were there to perform community service helped during the two-hour event, but most kids planted and then did a scavenger hunt or vice versa. All the plants were planted and each planter was given flagging to tie onto the tree limbs to locate the plants for follow-up maintenance. Planting western red cedars, western hemlocks and grand firs will add to the evergreen forest of the this northwest community and help with water quality for the Puget sound.

Planting trees continues to be a vital way to make a difference for not only wildlife but future generations, who will have a cleaner and better environment due to our work today. You can still donate today to help wildlife and those future generations>>

When I did field work with the National Park Service a few years ago along the National Mall, I hugged trees on a daily basis. Well, by that I mean, when checking for the DBH (diameter at breast height) of specific trees, I often had my arms wrapped around trees. Not in a uniform, I am sure it looked like I was just a visitor to D.C., taking some time out of my day to embrace the tree for a moment of gratitude. And, well, why shouldn’t I?

Summer foliage in the National Mall. Flickr photo by Lia.

As director of the Urban Forests Program at American Forests, I have had the opportunity to learn about what cities across the U.S. are doing to make their urban environments better places to live. With more than 80 percent of the U.S. population living in urban areas, and that number exponentially increasing, cities across the country are seeking ways to promote community well-being, connect to nature and live in healthy vibrant communities. One key way to do this is through urban forests.

While the term might seem like an oxymoron at first glance, it is not. American Forests defines urban forests as “ecosystems of trees and other vegetation in and around communities that may consist of street and yard trees, vegetation within parks and along public rights of way and water systems. Urban forests provide communities with environmental, economic and social benefits and habitat for fish and wildlife.” Thus, urban forests are not only about the trees in the city, but rather, they are a critical part of the green infrastructure that makes up the city ecosystem.

The Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Flickr photo by NCinDC.

Yet, one of the challenges that we face living in urban environments is the tendency to think nature only exists “out there” — somewhere in the mountains, in the large parks or reserves, somewhere far away from our own backyard. But this just isn’t the case. If you look out your window, I bet you can see at least one tree or some greenspace. And this greenspace not only improves our own human health and well-being, but it is increasingly critical for maintaining the biodiversity of our planet.

Urban forests provide critical habitat to wildlife in cities, especially those reliant on migration corridors for their species’ survival.  A 2010 study showed that even small patches of urban forests are key for migrating birds, such as Swainson’s thrush, a species that is declining throughout much of its range. In urban areas in Minnesota, approximately 35 bird species nest in or are permanent residents of urban forests, three of which are species of state conservation concern: the northern flicker, chimney swift and brown thrasher.

As, Douglas Tallamy, chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, notes: 

“Every time we bulldoze a native plant community, we are reducing the amount of food available for our fellow creatures … We can no longer landscape with aesthetics as our only goal. We must also consider the function of our landscapes if we hope to avoid a mass extinction that we ourselves are not likely to survive.”

Proposing to use native plants as a key to avoiding this mass extinction, he urges “as gardeners and stewards of our land, we have never been so empowered to help save biodiversity from extinction, and the need to do so has never been so great.”

Thus, whether it is a tree in a backyard, along a city street, on a rooftop or in a tiny plot on a city corner, take a moment to think about value of the trees. Embrace them for all they provide.

Shall I even say … hug them.

Melinda Housholder is the Director of the Urban Forests Program at American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country. Melinda directs American Forests’ initiatives to advance the understanding and use of science-based measures of urban forests’ ecosystem services and to raise awareness of the values of sustainable urban forests across the country. She often writes for the American Forests’ Loose Leaf blog on current urban forest issues. Prior to joining American Forests in 2011, she worked at the National Park Service in Washington D.C., as well as with the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group and the Jane Goodall Institute. She holds a M.S. in Sustainable Development & Conservation Biology and a M.P.P in Environmental Public Policy from the University of Maryland.

I was on the show to promote the 75th annual National Wildlife Week, and I have to say, I was so impressed by Molly when she was immediately able to identify a pretty obscure animal called a binturong (or “bearcat”) that I brought out for the pre-segment tease.

I asked her how she knew what it was, and she told me that her kids are big animal lovers, and through them she’s learned about a lot of different species. Given that National Wildlife Week is about connecting kids to nature and teaching them about wildlife, I just thought that was the coolest thing ever (and yes, I’ll be sending Molly a package of Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr. magazines for her kids).

Watch the full segment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Learn how you can celebrate National Wildlife Week and help NWF’s effort to plant 75,000 trees for wildlife >>

Today Show host Hoda Kotb, NWF Naturalist David Mizejewski, and Actress Molly Ringwald

A scrub jay lands on Lauren Wagner’s hand. Photo by Neva Wagner.

We’re planting trees on the Scrub-Jay Trail, a habitat restoration project designed to provide a safe haven for the federally threatened Florida scrub-jay, Florida’s only endemic bird. During National Wildlife Week, we will introduce 500 trees into the scrub habitat, consisting of chapman oak (quercus chapmanii) and myrtle oak (quercus myrtifolia) which provide excellent cover, nesting and food supply for the jays. In the transitional sandhill zones, we’re planting 100 flatwoods plum, southern red cedar and longleaf pine.

Prior to the planting, we provide the volunteers with an educational session, utilizing the NWF provided curriculum. Additionally, we discuss the trees the scrub-jay and its companion species need for their existence.

On day 1, three families were planting scrub oaks on the western end of the Trail when we heard the distinctive call of the scrub-jay. As soon as we spotted the jay, 10 year old Lauren Wagner extended her hand and to her amazement, the scrub-jay flew down and landed on her hand where it stayed for at least 30 seconds.  This is the same life-changing scenario that involved eight year old Sarah Morningstar, six years ago. She went on to become an active proponent of scrub-jay habitat protection. (see Ranger Rick February 2011 edition) We’re hoping Lauren will follow in Sarah’s footsteps.

Nate Daugherty and Chase Daugherty planting trees for National Wildlife Week. Photo by Neva Wagner.

The Branching Out for Wildlife program is proving to be a big hit with kids and families, and National Wildlife Week activities are high on our list of annual projects.

Help NWF reach its goal of planting 75,000 trees. Please donate today>>

Fishing in the Florida mangroves.

There I was, a mosquito biologist on a hot summer day, knee deep in the mud of a mangrove swamp bordering the Indian River Lagoon, the long estuarine system along the Florida east-coast.  I had given up trying to get a “biting count” (believe it or not, you actually try to count the number landing on you in one minute…an ‘index’ of misery!).

I had stood in this very spot two weeks before, and there were none, but shortly after that the tide had risen sharply, flooding the mangrove swamp and apparently hatching the myriad of saltmarsh mosquito eggs secreted in the mud.  I had missed finding the larvae, a critical part of any control effort.

Frustrated, I jammed my dipper, the long-handled scoop which is the main tool of the mosquito larvae sleuth, into a small puddle. No larvae, of course, but four small fish darted frantically about in the dipper. Always interested in fish, I glanced at them and could not immediately identify them, so I placed them in a bucket.

Sometimes it is the smallest things that are life-changing: this simple act, placing the four little fish in a bucket, has led to over 25 years of research and insights into the remarkable life of a very unusual fish.

The mangrove rivulus is the only known vertebrate which is a selfing, simultaneous hermaphrodite, able to “clone” themselves.

The “well known” part was due to a very unusual sex life: this is the only known vertebrate which is a selfing, simultaneous hermaphrodite—they “clone” themselves. Adult rivulus have a complex reproductive organ, and internally self-fertilized eggs are laid which hatch into exact genetic duplicates of the parent…with some exceptions, as you shall see. Oddly enough, pure male rivulus, which differ from the “herms” in having a bright orange/red tint, had been caught in the wild, but their function was unknown: sexual reproduction had been documented in the lab but never in the wild…but more on this later.

Covered with mosquito bites, I kept glancing in the bucket on the way back to my office that day. Once I got an ID on my fish, a few days later I was back in the mangrove swamp, peering at the small puddle where I had collected the fish. But this was no common puddle! I immediately recognized it as a water-filled land crab burrow. With a quantum leap in collecting technology, I plunged a small net into the murky depths of the burrow, and withdrew it with 5 more rivulus.  A few more dips, and I had a total of 13.  I was floored to realize that I had just collected more rivulus in one location than anyone ever had before.

Setting traps for rivulus in Florida mangroves.

More than a Hole in the Ground

After gently placing the fish back in the burrow, I left, wondering if this association was mere coincidence.

The great land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) is a large blue crab found throughout the shorelines of the tropical Atlantic, but it is actually a terrestrial crab. It digs burrows in saltmarshes and mangroves and sometime inland for some distance. The burrows are dug to the depth of groundwater, typically about 2-3 ft. deep, and the crab uses the pool of water to moisten its gills.

I began to suspect that the “scarcity” of rivulus had more to do with “looking in all the wrong places.” I was right. I checked crab holes far and wide, in every saltmarsh and mangrove swamp where my job led me. In the ensuing years, I have collected several thousand rivulus, and not just in Florida: I have found them in Belize, and also in Honduras, the Bahamas and Cuba.

The relationship seems well established. So, in Florida at least, rivulus is not as rare as originally thought, but still rare enough to warrant designation by the state as a “Species of Special Concern” and collection is prohibited without a permit.

Fish or Amphibian?

Early in my burrow-peering days, I found that sometimes rivulus would be out of the water, stuck to the side of the burrow, well above the water line. This behavior apparently offers the fish a means of avoiding poor quality water. During these aerial jaunts, the fish becomes torpid and respires through an extensive capillary network in the skin and fins.

My colleague Dr. Patricia Wright from the University of Guelph in Canada has been studying the physiology of emersion in her lab for years, and her findings are remarkable. My own lab study has shown that they can live at least two months out of the water in damp habitats: when re-flooded after 66 days, they were skinny, but eager to eat and devoured mosquito larvae immediately!

The adaptive value of emersion was dramatically revealed when I came upon a macabre scene inside a crab burrow where dozens of small minnows had been stranded by receding tides.  Not as hardy as rivulus, the minnows began to die and rot, and I observed several rivulus emersed above and on the rafts of floating corpses, waiting for conditions to improve.  A week later, when all trace of the dead fish was gone, only live rivulus were left in the burrow.

It turns out that rivulus will also occupy small, shallow pools at higher elevations in the mangroves. These pools flood and dry intermittently with higher tides or heavy rainfall. It is rare to find other fish species here, as they die when the pools dry. In Belize, my colleagues William P. Davis and Bruce J. Turner and I were puzzling over where the rivulus went when such pools dried.  We had assumed that they would retreat to adjacent crab burrows or burrow into masses of mangrove leaf litter.  It turns out that there were other housing options when your pool dries up.

Dr. Eric Reyier and I performing a visual census. I’m wearing pink “tags” for labeling filed sites.

The Birds and the Bees

Speaking of sex (were we?), I have already alluded to the mysterious presence of male fish in an hermaphroditic species. Why would nature find this necessary? We know that male fish regularly show up in laboratory colonies of rivulus, and rearing the developing eggs at lower temperatures (~ 20° C /68° F) produces a high percentage of males, but low temperatures are not a common phenomenon in the tropics.  So, my colleagues and I were shocked in our initial collections in Belize to discover that fully 25 percent of the population was male, and this high ratio has now persisted for over two decades. A few stray males have shown up in Florida, and a couple from the Bahamas and Honduras, but something strange is going on in Belize, because there the fish is reproducing sexually.

Apparently, in the presence of these flashy males, the herms somehow suppress internal self-fertilization (a fascinating physiological problem in itself!) and lay unfertilized eggs, which are then fertilized externally by the males.  Of course, in the murky confines of a crab burrow (not the most romantic of settings), this has never been observed, but geneticists can tell by looking at the DNA that ‘sex’ is happening here!

When some wild Belize fish produce self-fertilized eggs in captivity, the offspring are not genetically identical. This means that at some point in prior generations, sexual reproduction occurred. Cloning has taken a lesser role here. Why? We don’t know. And the real puzzler is why would you need sex in an animal that appears to be eminently successful without it? After all, if you are distributed from southern Brazil to central Florida and throughout the entire Caribbean and western tropical Atlantic, you must be doing something right.  This extensive range does speak to the advantages of ‘waif dispersal’: it only takes a single individual to found a population.

As they say, much remains to be done, but I thank my lucky stars that I did not discard that dipper full of murky water on that fateful, mosquito-ridden day 25 years ago.  I still stalk the mangroves and look for other miracles. And there are others out there, to be sure.

D. Scott Taylor was raised in east central Florida and has a PhD in marine biology. His career interests are in mangrove fishes, where he has studied at field sites in Belize, Honduras, Cuba, the Bahamas and coastal Florida, battling mosquitoes the entire time.  He is currently a land manager with the Brevard County (Florida) Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, charged with managing and restoring Florida’s diverse natural habitats.

This guest blog is part of our 2013 National Wildlife Week celebration of trees and the wildlife that depend on them.

NWF’s recent report Wildlife in a Warming World: Confronting the Climate Crisis details how wildlife and wild places across the nation are already dealing with climate change. As we celebrate the many wonderful ways trees touch our lives and benefit wildlife during this year’s National Wildlife Week, we also take a moment to step back and consider what climate change means for trees today and into the future.

Forests Facing New Climate Challenges

The trees that define the landscape in many parts of the United States are expected to undergo significant range shifts in the decades to come. As temperatures increase and patterns of rain/snow change, many tree species will have to find ways to adjust. And, this means that the birds, mammals, and other wildlife that depend on these forests will also have to adjust, not to mention the livelihoods and communities that are closely tied to the many services provided by the forests.

Here are a few examples of what climate change means for our forests:

• In the Rockies, forests are facing major changes as a result of droughts, wildfires, and insect outbreaks, all fueled by the warming conditions. More than 6 million acres of pine forest in Colorado and Wyoming alone have been devastated by mountain pine beetle outbreaks, drastically affecting the heart of the region’s tourism industry. The loss of white-bark pine has wildlife managers worried about the impacts on wildlife—including grizzly bears—that depend on pine nuts as an important food source.
• As the Southwest faces more intense and frequent megadroughts, chances are that we won’t be able to have forests in many of the places they are currently found. A recent study based on tree-ring analysis found that these megadroughts are now happening about 14 percent of the time, up from about 5 percent during the past 1000 years. If we keep polluting at the same rate, the Southwest could be in megadrought conditions 80 percent of the time during the second half of this century.
• In Alaska, forests are already beginning to encroach on the tundra. Wildlife species that are specifically adapted to tundra conditions are especially at risk. For example the arctic fox is facing new competition from forest-adapted red foxes.
• Climate change is projected to make parts of the Northwest much less suitable for many of the conifers for which the region is famous. In Washington State, for example, Douglas fir could be lost from over 32 percent of its current range.
• In the Northeast, spruce-fir forests are expected to recede up mountain slopes as temperatures become too warm for their survival, to be replaced by oak-dominated forests. Eastern hemlock is expected to be lost across most of its U.S. range as warmer winter temperatures allow the destructive hemlock woody aldegid to survive and spread. Many wildlife species rely upon the year-round cover of these evergreen species.

Conservation Approaches Branching Out, Too

Forest and wildlife managers are realizing that our approaches to conservation need to match the new challenges confronting our forests. When making plans for how and where we protect forests, we now need to think about possible shifts in forest ranges, changes in wildfire and pest outbreaks, and the impacts of more heat waves, droughts, and heavy rainfall events.

National Wildlife Federation is helping lead efforts to make conservation efforts climate-smart. For example, in a project to restore Ohio’s Black River, NWF made recommendations about which tree species to plant based on climate model projections of how tree ranges will shift. Our efforts with rural landowners in Alabama have helped them understand the value of longleaf pine as a native species that is more resilient to climate extremes than other pine species.

At the same time, conservationists, city planners, and water managers are looking to trees and forests as a way to increase the resiliency of our communities to climate change. Trees are critical infrastructure for cities and towns, and tree plantings, like those NWF is urging for National Wildlife Week, can help create more shade and reduce the need for air conditioning during heat waves. Healthy forests also help soak up heavy rainfall, reducing the likelihood of downstream floods while providing natural filtration for drinking water.

Don’t Forget Carbon Storage

When it comes to climate change, perhaps the most compelling reason to protect our forests and urban canopies is the crucial role trees play in removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it for a long time. In fact, the regrowth of trees in the Northeast currently offsets about 16 percent of the nation’s carbon pollution from burning coal, oil, and gas.

Trees are a bigger part of the carbon pollution equation than many people realize.  That’s why NWF is working hard to fight deforestation in the Amazon and support forestry programs here at home. And, that’s why we hope that you’ll take a moment to plant a tree (or even better, a LOT of trees!) this year.

The photographer’s grandson exploring the woods behind their North Carolina home. Photo by Em Sartor.

Did You Know?

• Trees provide a comfortable home for all sorts of animals and birds
• Trees offer us shade and protection from the elements
• Trees give us fruit and nuts to eat
• Trees are natural monkey bars for kids to climb on
• Trees help keep our air safe and clean

Now that you know a little more about trees, here are some Activi-trees to do in your own backyard or local park!

Poe-tree

Some wonderful words have been written about trees. Use your creativity to dream up the perfect ode.

What you need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein, “Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer, “The Lorax,” by Dr. Seuss

 Steps:

1. Read a book with tree verse like the ones listed above.
2. Go outside and look at a tree for inspiration.
3. Brainstorm about what you think and feel about trees.
4. Write your ideas down in a poem—it doesn’t have to rhyme!
5. Ask mom or dad to type it for you, if you want.
6. Invite your friends to a Poe-tree Reading!

Adopt-a-Tree

Make nature your own by getting up close and personal with one special tree!

Susan Koomar

What you need:

• A small notebook
• Pencil
• A tree in your backyard or local park

 Steps:

1. Ask your mom or dad for a small notebook.
2. Find a favorite tree.
3. Visit the tree in each season to watch its progress.
4. On each visit note how the tree changes, and sketch a picture.
5. Introduce friends to “your” tree and see what they observe!

Tree-rific Picnic

Trees give us so many delicious foods. Create a tree-theme picnic and you’ll have it made in the shade.

What you need:

• A tree in your backyard or a local park
• A picnic blanket
• A picnic basket, backpack or tote bag
• Tree foods such as apples, pears, almonds, and olives

 Steps:

1. Research what kinds of foods grow on trees.
2. Ask mom or dad to help you pack a tree-theme picnic.
3. Bring your picnic to a shady spot under a tree and enjoy your snack!

Plant a Tree

Spring and Fall are the best times to plant a tree. NWF wants to plant 75,000 trees this year and you can help. Visit Trees for Wildlife and order tree kits or get step by step instructions on how to plant and care for a tree. It’s as easy as one, two, tree!

Trees are pretty special, so why not find one to play with today? Whether you swing from a tree tire swing, watch birds make a nest, climb up a tree or just give one a hug, it’s good for you to Be Out There and tree-mendously entertaining!

Celebrating trees are just a few of the ways to help NWF get 10 million kids outside by 2015. Learn more about why you should Be Out There at nwf.org/beoutthere. Learn more about trees and download an awesome tree poster at nwf.org/wildlifeweek.

Photo by Jerry Patterson

See more of Jerry Patterson’s photos on Flickr >>

Celebrating National Wildlife Week

The theme for National Wildlife Week 2013 is “Branching Out For Wildlife” and today, day 3, focuses on the tree trunk. Many species, including great horned owls, use cavities in tree trunks as places to seek refuge and raise their young. Learn more ways that trees benefit wildlife and people >>

Also, celebrate National Wildlife Week by donating to our tree bank today! You can help us reach our goal of planting 75,000 trees this year>>

National Wildlife Week is National Wildlife Federation’s longest-running education program designed around teaching and connecting kids to the awesome wonders of wildlife.

Volunteers plant trees for nature center in West Atlanta

Urban areas experience increasing amounts of paving and land development that convert large areas of spongy natural land to hard surfaces that cannot absorb water.  When rain hits paved-over or built-over areas, it runs off directly into storm drains and eventually into area streams and rivers.   A hard, fast rain, with no vegetation or natural land to slow it down can hit these water bodies with such speed and force that it will result in flooding and severe erosion problems.  Downstream areas such as bays and estuaries can get deadly slugs of sediment and chemical pollution from these run-off surges.

Anyone who has stood under a tree at the beginning of a rain shower (not advisable in lighting storms) knows that tree canopy absorbs falling rain.  In urban areas this can reduce water run-off by as much as 10 percent and that can make a huge difference in the speed and erosive force of the rain shower.  That is one reason trees are increasingly becoming a standard design feature for automobile parking lots which, left uncovered, are huge run-off generators.  These same parking lots are also heat on hot summer days and contribute to spikes in temperatures know as “heat islands.”  Tree canopy is an effective coolant in these areas and that is likewise good for local wildlife and water.

Trees also need water to grow and can help consume excess water in urban areas.  Urban planners and designers are paying more and attention to filling remaining “plantable” spaces in cities and suburbs with trees.   The recent trend of planting areas called “rain gardens” in parking lots and other developed areas that are specifically designed to capture rain water and help it percolate into the ground.  This absorption is facilitated by tree planting.

Please be sure to visit the original post to read the whole thing, and learn about the ways NWF is partnering with the National Aquarium to protect the Chesapeake Bay and other coastal areas.

Also, celebrate National Wildlife Week by donating to our tree bank today! You can help us reach our goal of planting 75,000 trees this year>>

Douglas-fir trees in Oregon. Trees are home to numerous wildlife species, and provide many benefits to humans as well. Flickr photo by Tom Brandt.

National Wildlife Week 2013 is all about trees – we are Branching Out for Wildlife! Trees are an invaluable resource for wildlife and for people, yet we often take them for granted. Trees provide us with oxygen, with paper and wood products, with fruit and nuts, with cleaner air and water, with shade and so much more. Wildlife find food, cover, places to raise their young and even water in trees. Our world needs trees!

As part of National Wildlife Week we are featuring 45 different wildlife species so you can learn about them in depth. We have 10 tree species, 9 mammals, 8 birds, 8 invertebrates, 4 amphibians, 3 reptiles, 2 fish, and even one fungus! See if you can discover the many interesting relationships between these species.

For instance, the red tree vole and northern spotted owl both live in forests dominated by Douglas-fir trees. Indiana bats sometimes roost under the shaggy bark of shagbark hickory trees. The dusky-footed woodrat likes to line its nests with California bay laurel leaves. The mangrove rivulus fish can survive two months out of water in mangrove forests. And the Louisiana pine snake likes to eat pocket gophers, which in turn like to eat the roots of quaking aspen trees.

How to Celebrate

There are lots of things to do during National Wildlife Week. Learn all about the trees and wildlife, download our Mega-poster of a tree (it’s over four feet tall!), play games with our Wildlife Trading Cards, organize a tree planting event, donate to our tree bank, or simply get outside and climb a tree or look for wildlife in your own backyard or neighborhood.

And please let us know, how do you plan to celebrate National Wildlife Week!

Help us reach our goal of planting 75,000 trees. Please donate today>>