Now, bivalves are back, but they’re not for eating. These oysters have a mission: ecological restoration. The Billion Oyster Project is an ambitious, volunteer-driven initiative manned largely by NYC middle school students. Why oysters? They can filter toxins from up to 30 gallons of water a day, helping restore the harbor’s ecosystem, which includes crabs, sea squirts and other aquatic wildlife. Project manager Samuel Janis says when kids “see the restora
Breathe easy, livestock lovers. Housed in a vast storehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado, the USDA has 700,000 straws of liquid nitrogen-preserved sperm, from 18 different species. They’re ready. “Let’s say another foot-and-mouth disease comes along, killing off our cows,” says Dr. Harvey Blackburn, repository coordinator. “We have the ability to repopulate entire breeds.” The National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP) started in 1999. Its fac
The sun is going down after a long day that isn’t over yet. I watched it come up on the other side of the horizon this morning, so long ago. Then, it was cool and quiet, other than the birds waking up and calling out. The morning light was slanted and golden and fresh. Now, 14 hours later, it’s dusty and brassy and slanted in the other direction. The world is hot and thick with buzzing insects. We’ve been cutting the hundred-acre wheat field on the old farmstead property t
Almonds (Prunus dulcis) are a close cousin to peaches and nectarines, but are not generally as cold tolerant. Almonds are currently not a recommended crop in northern Utah, including the warmest parts of the Wasatch Front. Almonds are found in Utah’s Dixie and are well adapted to that warm climate. This publication will provide basic information on almond culture for warm areas of southern Utah. Almonds are native to part