The Endangered Species Committee voted to approve the request for the ESA exemption at the request of the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has said environmentalists' lawsuits against the industry threatened to hobble the nation's energy supply, while environmentalists fear drilling could kill off protected species including Rice's whales, whooping cranes and sea turtles.
Along coastlines, where tides are typically magnified, they profoundly affect navigation, commerce, coastal flooding, water properties and sediment transport. Tides impact the flooding of rivers and, thus, influence the extent of their floodplain, which has cascading effects on biogeochemical and ecological processes.
The Creole Nature Trail is a 180-mile scenic byway that cuts through Louisiana's Cajun Country, also known as Acadiana. The area, which is often called "Louisiana's Outback," is different from the Louisiana you thought you knew; instead of bayous, this part of the state is home to vast marshes, coastal prairies, waterways, and undeveloped Gulf beaches. And it's all accessible off of the Creole Nature Trail.
Beaches, mangroves, fish, turtles and manatees. Little by little, oil has coated them all. About two weeks have been enough for the sticky black residue to permeate everything in its path. Its advance has been met with an outcry. Since the first fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico reported the discovery of chapapote (petroleum residue) in their nets on March 2, the progression has been documented by the affected communities.
On Saturday, United States military forces carried out a dramatic strike in Venezuela that resulted in the capture and forcible removal of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown to New York and are now in federal custody. Maduro appeared in federal court on drug and weapons charges and pleaded not guilty. Several governments, international legal experts and United Nations officials have described the military operation as an illegal kidnapping and a breach of international law.
As the Class of 2026 prepares to enter the workforce this summer, they-like last year's graduates and those already in the job market-are facing what economists now call a "low hire, low fire" economy. Whether this is driven by AI or other economic factors remains hotly debated, but the causes are beside the point for new grads looking for jobs postgraduation in an economy marked by a pullback in early-career hiring.
Though these hearts of palm are not actually cabbage, the classic Southern dish got its quirky name both for the palm trees' location in the Florida swamps and for the fact that they're also often colloquially referred to as "cabbage palms." Most modern variations of the recipe also include chopped green cabbage. Made with thick bacon, smoked sausage, and the "holy trinity" of peppers, onions, and celery, this stewed cabbage can be side dish or a well-rounded meal in itself.
The government said the plans would increase the number of England's official bathing sites to 464. An official bathing spot on the Thames in London would mark a "vast transformation" in water quality in the river which was declared biologically dead in the 1950s due to pollution, officials said. Water minister Emma Hardy said rivers and beaches were "at the heart of so many communities, where people come together, families make memories and swimmers of all ages feel the benefits of being outdoors safely".
Over time, the water evaporated to form the smaller, brinier Owens Lake. Indigenous Paiute people call the Owens Valley Payahuunadü, 'the land of the flowing water'. Today, Owens Lake is a 'Dusty Vestige of the Old West', as NASA described a photograph of the lake taken from space.
The Okefenokee Swamp is not only one of America's most important ecosystems, but also the largest blackwater swamp in North America. Its vast stretches are home to several endangered species, like the indigo snake and the wood stork.
They're special on a world stage, 85% of chalk streams are in England. They're wonderful habitats, they're great for people as well, people really enjoy them, whether it's areas like this where you can find kingfishers and grey wagtails and it's just a unique resource that we really should steward properly.
Whenever I'm asked about my recent trip to Alaska-a journey to visit Katmai National Park & Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park-I nearly always mention the scale. The scale of the glaciers, the mountains, the sunsets, and the utter wilderness; every aspect of the landscape was just so much larger and more grand than anything I'd ever experienced. Magnitude is a continuous theme all across Alaska.
The record-breaking arctic blast that hit Florida earlier this month may have sent humans scurrying for winter coats, but it sent wildlife scurrying, swimming and slithering for their lives. Some of those animals were native, some were invasive. Some survived. Thousands of others did not. The benchmark for cold snaps in Florida is the 2010 freeze, which killed manatees, crocodiles, iguanas, thousands of snook and goliath grouper, and caused 50% to 90% of invasive pythons to die in some areas.
The question of how to protect fish and the ecological health of rivers that feed California's largest estuary is generating heated debate in a series of hearings in Sacramento, as state officials try to gain support for a plan that has been years in the making. "I am passionate that this is the pathway to recover fish," said state Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. "This is the paradigm we need: collaborative, adaptive management versus conflict and litigation."
On the Saturday night that the storm hit Mississippi, we had dripped our faucets for the temperature drop and stockpiled flashlights, groceries, extra blankets. By 11:30 p.m., my husband was pulling on his rain boots and heading outside to tarp our heating unit: "A branch has already fallen onto a power line in our backyard," he told me. Three hours later, I was shaken awake. "Mom, I think a tree just fell on our house," my 13-year-old son said.
Rep. Jared Huffman and Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett speak to reporters during a tour of the Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Parts of the neighborhood flooded during recent king tides. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal) Ryan Davis, general manager of Fitness SF, talks to reporters about recent king tides at the sandbagged entrance to the gym in Corte Madera, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.