http://anneminard.com Anne Minard, independent science journalist and writer. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:54:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_1656" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The EPA's Lake Guardian, based in Milwaukee."][/caption] Nature is full of heartwarming stories about partnerships. One of my all-time favorites is the three-way mutualism between Western ponderosa pine trees, tassel-eared squirrels and mycorrhizal fungi. The trees house the squirrels in their branches and the fungi on their ... http://anneminard.com/2009/10/08/quagga-mussels-and-cladophora-partners-in-eco-crime/ Hi from Madison, Wisconsin, where the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists is off to a solid start. This video is the product of an all-day workshop using video editing software that I've only recently met. Much to my chagrin, I see I've got a long way to ... http://anneminard.com/2009/10/07/ethanol-rough-cut-video-from-the-sej/ [caption id="attachment_1629" align="alignleft" width="384" caption="Fluorite at an abandoned mine near Jamestown, Colorado"][/caption] Back in the 1880s, George W. Coffin lived along St. Vrain creek, which flows in a mountainside ponderosa pine forest northeast of Boulder, Colorado. He made good use of the water, for irrigation. So did the Left-Hand Ditch Company, ... http://anneminard.com/2009/09/10/water-hogging-miners-and-very-purple-rocks/ The Ted Scripps Fellowship continues to keep me busy and happy. Through Charles Wilkinson's environmental law class, I've become acquainted with Wallace Stegner and his book about John Wesley Powell. Too bad the class discussion won't likely focus on Powell's brave first run of the Colorado River; the descriptions triggered ... http://anneminard.com/2009/09/07/latest-fellowship-adventure-visit-to-niwot-ridge/ [caption id="attachment_1589" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Sunset over the Pacific at Arica, Chile. Image courtesy of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, CO."][/caption] When it comes to teasing out the factors affecting Earth's climate, the Sun is a compelling character. A rare breed of enthusiasts got pretty vocal about the ... http://anneminard.com/2009/08/27/solar-highs-may-ramp-up-pacific-precipitation/