By David Pendered Nov. 3 – The good news for North Atlantic right whales is that their numbers grew slightly in the latest estimated population count. However, the growth is shadowed by pending federal legislation to reduce protections for whales and other marine mammals. First the good news. The population is up by an estimated […]
Environment
Monitoring fish catch after Scotus bans owner-paid monitorsBy David Pendered Oct. 6 — To improve the monitoring of the nation’s fisheries, an environmental foundation is offering grants to groups that devise electronic methods to track fishery catch now that the Supreme Court has halted a program that used human monitors. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with NOAA, is offering […]
Environment
Investors retreat from sustainability bonds in 2025By David Pendered Aug. 4 – North American investors have pulled back sharply this year from purchasing bonds that fund social and environmental projects, a new report shows. For instance, the sale of bonds that fund sectors including renewable energy, clean transportation, energy efficiency, climate change adaption and others plunged by a third in the […]
Environment
Buc-ee’s drawing opposition from environmental advocatesBy David Pendered July 28 – Buc-ee’s is a cultural phenomenon that’s drawing opposition for being just too big, and now Georgians who advocate for sea turtles have joined the critics. In Georgia, turtle advocates say sea turtle hatchlings on Little St. Simons Island are endangered by the high-masted lights installed at the I-95 exit […]
Women Sailors
Irish sisters the stuff of legends in Opti World ChampionshipBy David Pendered July 14 – Adding a new legend to Irish folklore, three sisters sailed for Ireland in this month’s Optimist World Championship. The start of the new tale begins with sisters who sail from a yacht club with a quintessential Irish name in a county with a legend of its own – the […]
Environment
Apalachicola Bay oyster harvests may be reopenedBy David Pendered July 7 – The Apalachicola Bay could be reopened to oyster harvesting in 2026 even though the oyster population remains decimated. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in August is to consider if, when and how the bay will be reopened to oyster harvesting. The commission closed oyster beds to harvesting in […]
Environment
Feds to sell more oil leases in Gulf of America/MexicoBy David Pendered June 30 – Expect more conflicting reports about oil and gas extraction from the Gulf of America/Mexico now that the federal government has announced the pending sale of leases in waters offshore all states that border the gulf. Stakeholders in the potential debate include the Trump administration, opponents to extraction activities in […]
Short Takes
Social, video eclipse legacy media despite distrustBy David Pendered June 23, 2025 – Social media and video content have overtaken legacy media as the go-to source for news in the United States, despite the vast majority of consumers saying they don’t trust it, according to new research by the Reuters Institute. The report’s overview observes that 54 percent of Americans said […]
Short Takes
Army honors three fallen soldiersBy David Pendered June 16 – An Army Green Beret soldier killed in the controversial 2017 Niger Ambush, and two other fallen soldiers, were honored June 12 through the naming of survey vessels by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Savannah District. All three soldiers were from Georgia and were killed in action. […]
Environment
Nursing the Conasauga River watershedBy David Pendered June 9 – Some of the more scenic and biodiverse waterways in Northwest Georgia are the top priority for a new round of environmental improvement grants sponsored by a public-private partnership. The Southeast Aquatics Fund’s 2025 request for proposal observes that the Conasauga River watershed is “a highest priority for funding” in […]
