From Wild Life to Wildlife
Owen Wilson wheels and deals, and megafauna flourish in unlikely places, in this week's Grist List. Sign up to get The Grist List each week by email.
 | NEW IN GRIST Bill of Fights In exclusive blog post, Kerry calls for energy progress and laments GOP roadblocks |
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) swung by our blog Gristmill yesterday to post about the ongoing tussle in the Senate over a bill intended to reform the U.S. energy system. He and his allies are pushing for 20 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, for auto fuel-economy standards to be raised to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and for a ban on new coal-fired power plants unless they capture and sequester their carbon emissions. But even the less ambitious goal of 15 percent renewable power by 2020 provoked a filibuster threat from Republicans yesterday. Voting on amendments will resume next week, and the Democratic leaders will have their work cut out for them as they try to pass a meaningful energy bill by July 4. 
Birds of a Feather Decline Together
Common American bird populations have dropped sharply
Populations of 20 common American bird species have declined by at least half in the last 40 years, according to a new analysis from the Audubon Society. Hard-hit species include the whippoorwill, meadowlark, common tern, field sparrow, ruffed grouse and -- our favorite to say -- common grackle. Bird declines "reflect other things that are happening in the environment that we should be worried about," says study author Greg Butcher. Many of the species inhabit open grassland that is being increasingly encroached upon by suburbia and large-scale farming; Audubon also points an accusing talon at climate change and invasive species. Northern bobwhites have been the hardest hit, diminishing by about 83 percent; the boreal chickadee is takin' it from both sides, making not only the Audubon's list, but a recent tally of species affected by the West Nile virus. Other species are thriving, including robins, cardinals, wild turkeys, and go-back-to-Canada geese. Ah, the gobbling and honking of spring!
| | NEW IN GRIST Second Nature A. Carl Leopold, nature activist, answers readers' questions |
As If Trees Didn't Have Enough to Worry About
As landowners age, future of family-owned forests in U.S. is unclear
An interesting phenomenon is sprouting up among American landowners -- or forest-owners, to be precise. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. forests are privately owned, most by families and individuals, the majority of whom are 55 years old and older. More often than not, aging landowners' offspring have moved to the city, are uninvolved in forest management, and are uninterested in becoming so. The situation is "a ticking time bomb," says Brett Butler of the U.S. Forest Service Family Forest Research Center. Squeamishness about death can keep landowner families from discussing what should be done with tracts of land when the inevitable happens, and high taxes are a deterrent to unwilling heirs who feel like they have few choices. "The first time Wal-Mart or a developer makes an offer, they are going to take it," says Al Sample of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation. To keep forests from that fate, a variety of programs offer advice to unprepared landowners, and advocates hope that the 2007 farm bill will provide incentives for keeping forests in the family.
Yellow Jersey Optional
City of Paris to begin bike-sharing program
Ah, Paris. The sex tape! The jail time! Wait, wait ... wrong Paris. Ahem. The croissants! The berets! The phallic tower! And now: the free bikes! By mid-July, 10,648 bicycles will show up in 750 stations across The City of Love, allowing riders to pick them up and drop them off at a different destination. By 2008, the city hopes to provide nearly twice that many two-wheeled transports. A pre-paid card or credit card will unlock a bicycle from a station; a 30-minute ride is free, and every additional half-hour costs one euro, or about $1.33. Riders can also rent bikes weekly for five euros, or yearly for a ridiculously low 29 euros. "We hope car use will diminish and that people will opt to take a bicycle or the bus," says a City Hall spokes-Parisian. Some are concerned about safety -- France does not require bike helmets -- but the program has been effective in other European cities. And what's to worry about? It's just like the Tour de France, minus the doping.
Starter Kit Your Engines!
It's not too late to win a chance at a Grist green-living kit
Perhaps you've noticed that we've been raising money over the last week or so. If you've already given, many thanks. If not, we shall now attempt to bribe you with shiny baubles. Hey! Look over there! It's a shiny metal canteen! And what's that next to it? Six months' worth of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters java? Why, the only thing that would make this better is -- a solar backpack! some Burt's Bees products! a beeswax lantern and a DIY ice-cream maker and a recyclable toothbrush and more! Yes, folks, a chance at all the goodies in our Gristravaganza Green-Living Starter Kit can be yours with a donation of $100 by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, June 19. So please, don't delay -- give to Grist today. (Can't spare $100? Please give what you can. We're not picky.) give to Grist: Make Our Green Day
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