Decline in global bird populations point to an unhealthy planet

Read the full post at NewsoftheNorth.net.

A global report on the state of the world’s birds has implications for Wisconsin, say state conservation organizations.

The report, issued by the organization BirdLife International, (birdlife.org) details the decline of global bird populations. As the official International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List Authority for birds, BirdLife says its 2008 assessment of all the world's birds reveals that more than 1,226 bird species (12.4 percent, or one in eight) are considered threatened with extinction.

Dams increase risk of alien aquatic invaders

Read the full story in ES&T.

In the unfolding global biodiversity crisis, freshwater ecosystems are losing even more species than terrestrial or marine environments are. Evidence points to dam construction and biological invasions as major culprits in these losses. In the U.S. alone, more than 80,000 major dams and 2.5 million smaller impoundments (such as reservoirs) have altered natural hydrology, and nearly 1000 introduced species now disrupt native aquatic systems. A new study published in the September issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (2008, 6, 357–363) concludes that dam construction and biological invasions are closely linked.

New GAO Reports on Wildlife Refuges

Wildlife Refuges: Changes in Funding, Staffing, and Other Factors Create Concerns about Future Sustainability. GAO-08-797, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-797
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08797high.pdf

Wildlife Refuges: Trends in Funding, Staffing, Habitat Management, and Visitor Services for Fiscal Years 2002 through 2007, by Robin M. Nazzaro, director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, House Committee on Natural Resources. GAO-08-1179T, September 24.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1179T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081179thigh.pdf

Springer Protocols trial

The University Library has a trial subscription to Springer Protocols online through the end of October. The resource includes a number of subject-specialized subsets which may be searched individually or all together.

Katie Newman of the Biotechnology Information Center in the Institute for Genomic Biology is seeking feedback on the product, so please let her know what you think.