Environment

In Loudon County, part of Northern Virginia,  scientists are doing big research on a very small insect. And the results could have major implications for how the brain functions. 

What’s now known as the “environmental movement” took root decades ago. Today, more young people than ever before are interested in careers in this field.  But it’s a career path, which relatively few people of color choose to pursue.

The College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech held a national conference to explore the future of diversity in careers related to the environment.  Dean Paul Winistorfer says more needs to be done to interest minorities in this growing field.

Millions of birds passed through Virginia this spring, and the National Wildlife Federation says many are in trouble, in part because of climate change.  A warming planet is drying up wetlands, causing more storms and producing less food.  Sandy Hausman traveled to the Eastern Shore to report on one species -- the rust- colored sandpipers known as red knots.  Each year, they fly about 10,000 miles – from the tip of South America to their nesting grounds in the Arctic – stopping in Virginia to refuel.  

One of the most contentious issues the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has faced in recent years, is regulation of an activity known as ‘Fox Hound Training.” 

Opponents call it “Fox Penning” and consider it a cruel practice for the animals involved.  Supporters say their dogs are being trained to hunt under controlled conditions aimed at protecting all the animals involved. The DGIF board will vote Thursday on new safety requirements proposed at its meeting in March. 

The last time the state of Virginia had its own, definitive plant guide was 1762, with the book “Flora Virginica.” Now, after more than a decade in the making, the volume has finally been updated. 
 

Flora of Virginia offers a state-of-the art guide to nearly 32-hundred plant species in 200 families. The book features identification keys, cutting edge taxonomy, and detailed habitat information….with a pretty thorough description of each plant.