wildlife

Between 1995 and 2023, the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation (NAP) division coordinated a continuous butterfly monitoring program using trained community science volunteers. Ludovico Behrendt is an environmental data specialist with NAP and conducted a retrospective analysis of this nearly 30-year dataset. He joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the findings on the health of butterflies in the area and what it says about the health of the local environment.

The Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee approved a slew of legislative subpoenas Tuesday directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office. Rick Pluta reports.

The local community has been raising concerns over the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Office's choice to exterminate beavers in Ann Arbor. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has more.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reporting a deer in Washtenaw County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

The City of Ypsilanti is looking to make stargazing more enjoyable while protecting wildlife. WEMU's Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

From 2014-2016, a severe El Niño event triggered a drought across Central and South America, leading to unprecedented mortality in a population of white-faced capuchin monkeys in northwestern Costa Rica. The Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, directed by UCLA’s Susan Perry, has studied this population since 1990. While a devastating setback, researchers were able to study the stress physiology of the surviving monkeys. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor talks with one of the co-authors of the study, U-M professor of psychology and anthropology, Jacinta Beehner, about while a stronger stress response appears to promote survival in animals, this is not the case for human beings.

There is something rejuvenating by looking out the window and seeing the first robin of the year. For those taking a closer look, the robins are telling an important environmental story. A recent study out of Eastern Michigan University has found that robins can accurately predict areas with contaminated soil. How? WEMU's David Fair talked with one of the lead researchers, Dorothy Zahor, about her findings and its implications.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may consider placing Monarch butterflies on their Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the story.

What do you think one single animal can tell you about the health of the environment? It turns out quite a bit. Innovative research at the U-M’s School of Environment and Sustainability is using animal tracking data to document environmental and ecological threats and to advance conservation strategies. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Dr. Scott Yanco about the research and what it is telling us so far.

Over the summer, the Huron River Watershed Council conducted an extensive survey of freshwater mussels in the Huron River to determine potential impacts when the Peninsular Paper Dam is removed. It found that removing the Pen Dam could release sediment, potentially smothering downstream mussel populations. Once the dam is removed, though, the river will return to a more natural state, benefiting mussel species over time. WEMU's David Fair looked at the research and its implications with Huron River Watershed Council Ecologist Dr. Paul Steen.