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Trout representative image For more than seven decades, a quiet stream in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, has been held back by a concrete barrier. Fresh Brook, once known as “Trout Brook,” was a thriving habitat for native sea-run brook trout, locally called “salters”, until the early 1950s. Anglers from across the country travelled to Cape Cod to…

Aurora, Colorado, is using smart water meters to enforce drought rules as the city faces severe water shortages. The meters track water use throughout the day. This allows Aurora Water, the city’s municipal utility department, to identify lawns being watered outside the permitted schedule.Under the city’s current Stage 1 drought restrictions, grass can be watered…

Image Credit: stmarksuccallentown.org After its congregation dwindled to just 26 members, St. Mark’s United Church of Christ in Bloomington, Minnesota, made the difficult decision to close, turning its final chapter into an extraordinary act of generosity. According to Minnesota nonprofit Loaves & Fishes, which provides meals to people facing hunger, St. Mark’s distributed about $600,000…

Quote of the day by Bubba Smith (Image: Wikipedia) Some people assume that physical size or obvious strength naturally comes with a short temper. Bubba Smith, the former NFL defensive lineman turned actor, suggested something closer to the opposite. “Well, I’m not a violent person,” he said. “You have to back off. People sometimes will…

One year after Louisiana restored 1,170 acres of wetlands, shrimp, crabs and red drum are returning to the habitat. Louisiana’s coastline is showing early signs of recovery after a major wetland restoration project created 1,170 acres of new marsh habitat in the Barataria Basin. Just one year after construction, species including white and brown shrimp,…

Virginia’s Ragged Island restoration is creating new marsh and oyster habitat while reducing sediment entering Chesapeake Bay. Virginia has completed a major shoreline restoration project on Ragged Island, helping rebuild wetlands and oyster habitat while reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay.The project, funded with $8 million from NOAA Fisheries’ Office…

Quote of the day by Michael J. Fox (AP photo) Humour can genuinely change how a difficult moment actually feels. A stressful situation seems lighter once someone finds a reason to laugh, and a serious problem often becomes easier to approach once it can be seen from another angle. Michael J. Fox, the actor and…

Shell Rock River Watershed District (Image Credit: www.shellrock.org) In 2020, Minnesota approved $1.918 million for the Shell Rock River Watershed Habitat Restoration Program – Phase IX. According to a 2025 final report from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the program ultimately protected, restored or enhanced 588 acres of habitat in the Shell Rock River watershed,…

A routine wildlife-removal call in Aledo, Texas, turned into a startling discovery when specialists found more than 20 rattlesnakes living beneath a home. The homeowners had initially sought help with what appeared to be a typical animal-removal problem, but snake wrangler Sheila Taber soon realised the situation was far more serious. As the team worked…

Federal immigration officials have criticised a Suffolk County judge after a Salvadoran national, who was previously deported from the US, was released without bail following his fourth felony drunken-driving conviction.Pablo Aguilar-Alvarez, 36, was found guilty on Friday of felony driving while intoxicated and faces up to seven years in prison at his October 2 sentencing.According…