RenoVous

 Researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory have been studying yellow-bellied marmots since 1962. It is the second oldest continuous study of individually marked mammals in the world. "Long-term research like ours is both very valuable to understand how and why things change over time," says professor Daniel Blumstein. This type of study requires funding though, and that has recently been cut across the board. So the team turned to Only Fans  Marms. It is a subscription platform where users pay creators for content, such as exclusive photos and videos. They've had some engagement over the last month, not a lot of money, but they're also just hoping to raise public awareness. "I think this can be an amazing way to teach people more about animal social behavior, which can sometimes be hard to observe," says team member, Emily Renkey.

  I've been following Winnie Harlow (Chantelle Brown-Young) since I first saw her on America's Next Top Model in 2014. She's had one of the more successful careers after the show. More importantly, she became a spokesperson and a positive figure for those with vitiligo. Vitiligo is a condition in which the immune system targets melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that contributes to skin, hair, and eye color. This is of course most noticeable on darker skin tones, but around 3 million people in the US are affected.

  We all poop. But billions of people still live without access to a safe toilet. Today, the UN is looking at investing in "future ready" sanitation. Observance *Ha, just realized it was actually yesterday. A friend of mine was recently Jeeping in the backcountry and shared a beautifully painted outhouse.  It was a video, so I don't have a copy, but there was also a guide for when you need to go and there is no restroom nearby.... Rule #1 is to be 200 feet away from a water source and the trail or camp. Dig at least 6 inches.  Pack out your TP.  Bury your waste. Of course, you could also carry WAG bags. We have a small seat stand that a bag attaches to, when we're out in the nowhere desert.

 His arms too. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. One of my cousins took his own life just over 4 years ago.   He was 17. I came across this organization/movement "dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.  It exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery." TWLOHA

 We're mixing it up this week because the Met Gala is tonight, so fashion will be tomorrow. Any final thoughts on Othello from last month? After finishing Shakespeare, I picked up a book I had started once: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It's definitely young adult, but my sister recommended it as a banned book, because the perspective of a poor Indian must be controversial, as well as the topic of bulimia. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month - and while the book doesn't really delve into anything deep here, the fact that a freshman in high school has an eating disorder is not an isolated thing. Mental health is a significant concern on many Native American reservations.

  Dolphins are one of my favorite animals - they're adorable and brilliant, playful and curious.  I know they've been a topic here before, but not for their official world appreciation day. This day is also about awareness in protecting these amazing creatures. While I like to respect cultural traditions, the act of grindadráp  saw the slaughter of 1400 dolphins in 2021, off the coast of the Faroe Islands, and I cannot condone that.  Another 130 were killed this year.  (Pilot whales are also victims in this). Stop the Grind  Sea Shepherd is an agency actively protecting critically threatened waters, which includes the Vaquita Porpoise Refuge, the most endangered cetacean in the world. But let's get back to celebrating dolphins.  :-)

  Today is World Reef Awareness Day, which kicks off World Oceans Month. We all know the corals are threatened, with 33% of species listed as endangered. Climate change, unsustainable fishing, and land-based pollution along with tropical storms, marine debris, and disease outbreaks are all contributing to reef loss. These reefs are home to millions of species of marine life, supporting healthy ocean food webs which we also rely on.  Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and coastal protection. This is Big Momma, a massive Porites  coral colony in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.  She was thought to be the largest, but she is not alone in this "Valley of Giants." Keep in mind, the branch or mound that we call coral is composed of thousands of tiny animals called polyps. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is the largest living structure on Earth. Support Coral Reefs at Risk

 I decided to post this in honor of one of my oldest, bestest friends. I'm not here to politic or explain, just accept. I know my friend well enough that I understood when he called to tell me, and I'll never forget the moment I really saw HIM. Watching him grow and find a sense of freedom since is all the reason I need to believe it was the right choice for him, his truth. Yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign marked 10 years of tracking violence against transgenders. November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance.  This year, 32 lives have been lost, although the number of deaths are likely under-reported. GLAAD

 This felt timely because I just recently saw a number of posts about overcrowded shelters, the need for adoption and fostering, volunteers even for morning walks. So the aim of this day is to bring awareness to puppy mills and their connection to pet stores that sell dogs, cats and rabbits. It all started with crop failures in the Midwest following WWII.  The US Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to pack dogs into chicken coops and sell them to pet stores. Of course other people got involved once the profits to be had were seen, which has led to bad breeding.  Some animals suffer from hereditary conditions not diagnosed or revealed, and the conditions they are kept in can be atrocious. There are heart-wrenching stories out there. ASPCA Petition Goldie's Act Please. Adopt.  Rescue.

 Held on this day since 1993, we celebrate water and raise awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water for drinking and/or sanitation. This year's focus is on sustainably managing groundwater. "As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more and more critical." Making the Invisible Visible The Weather Channel is bringing attention to the importance of our watersheds. Flood, drought and water pollution are crises that "are merely symptoms of a broader syndrome - watersheds in poor health." These are essentially our drainage basins.  Here, it's the Truckee River, and all the mountain streams that flow into it.  The Parks Foundation taught me why undesignated trails contribute to water pollution, in paving a way, so to speak, for water in an area that hasn't been cleared of other debris. A healthy watershed needs an intact ecosystem, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands and streams which help regulate the quantity, qual...

  Ku Stevens runs cross-country for the Yerington High School team, and he won the best time in the state for the 5K course - 16 minutes and 28 seconds. He has also organized the Remembrance Run.  To honor his great-grandfather, he ran 50 miles across the desert to bring awareness to the history of the  Stewart Indian School in Carson City. In 1913, Frank "Togo" Quinn was taken from his Paiute family in Yerington and delivered to the boarding school.  Only 7 or 8 at the time, he escaped, crossing the desert to get home.  Three times he was returned to the school before they finally let him stay. Following the discovery of unmarked graves outside an Indian boarding school in Canada, state and tribal officials now plan to use ground-penetrating radar to see if there are more outside Stewart.  Currently there is a small graveyard across the street from the school site. That is when Stevens decided to duplicate his great-grandfather's trek across the desert....

  On this day in 1973, President Richard Nixon signed what is considered one of the most significant and influential environmental laws in American history. Actions to protect certain animals began as early as 1900, when it became apparent that hunting, industry and deforestation were capable of wiping out entire species.  The near-extinction of the bison was evidence enough, as was the death of the last passenger pigeon in 1901. By 1967, though the Department of the Interior was publishing a list, it did not have adequate powers to help animals in need.  The new Act would prohibit federal agencies from jeopardizing species on the list and empowered the government to do more to protect animals. In its first 30 years, less than one percent of the plants and animals added to the list went extinct, and more than 100 showed a 90% recovery rate. Today, 17 species are considered Critically Endangered. African Forest Elephant Amur Leopard Black Rhino Bornean Orangutan Cross Rive...

  "World Elephant Day is a rallying call for people to support organizations that are working to stop the illegal poaching and trade of elephant ivory and other wildlife products, protect wild elephant habitats, and provide sanctuaries and alternative habitats for domestic elephants to live freely." Patricia Sims, along with the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, started this day of awareness back in 2012.  Sims is president of the World Elephant Society, a non-profit charity to help support the campaign. Researchers believe the loss of habitat is the primary reason for loss of elephants in the wild.  Data suggest the geographic range of elephants fell by 30% between 2002 and 2011.  Poaching remains an issue, especially as places that demand ivory, such as China, are wealthy enough to pay top dollar.  Extreme levels of poverty in Africa means that people can often make a month's wages or more from one sale.  Loss of habitat in turn makes it easier for them...

The Clouded Leopard is considered endangered/vulnerable due to habitat loss and poaching. Today is to raise awareness and increase the profile of this animal in captivity and in the wild. "Every species on Earth has its own unique role to play in maintaining an over-arching ecological balance both in life and in nature." These cats are more at home in the trees, with short legs and broad paws which makes it easier to climb. They can be found in the forests of southern China, Bhutan, Nepal, northeast India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh.   The Formosan clouded leopard of Taiwan was declared extinct in 2013, with the last sighting having been in 1983.  It is considered sacred to the Paiwan tribe. Jean and Janet were born at Naples Zoo last year.  Their parents were specifically matched through the Species Survival Plan to create the greatest genetic diversity in the population. Days of the Year WWF Zoo

Polar Bear Day is meant to bring awareness to the changing conditions in which these bears live. They are currently indicated as "Vulnerable" on the  Red List. The World Wildlife Foundation has been working to track and understand the polar bears.  "It's impossible to plan long-term management strategies without having good information to base them on."  They are also obtaining traditional knowledge from the Inuit peoples. The Polar bear International organization suggests that we not only inform ourselves about these animals and their environment, but that we reduce our carbon footprint in our own environment to help combat climate change. Here are some facts about polar bears: "Home is on the sea ice."  This is where they hunt, mate and sometimes den.  When pregnant though, polar bear mamas will dig a den in the fall which will be covered with snow while she births and nurses her pups. Polar bears are the largest four...

The Chinese Paddlefish has been around for 200 million years, but has now been declared extinct.  They had survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.   "It's a definitive loss of a very unique and extraordinary animal, with no hope of recovery." -Fish biologist Zeb Hogan, UNR According to a recent study, published in Science of the Total Environment , overfishing and dam construction had critically endangered the fish.  The Gezhouba Dam, built in 1981, split the population which disrupted migration and prevented breeding upstream.  The last confirmed sighting in the Yangtze River was in 2003.   In response, China has announced a 10 year commercial fishing ban in the Yangtze River, as they're also seeing a decline in Chinese sturgeon populations and overall biodiversity. More than 280,000 fishermen will be impacted by this ban, and the government has allocated funds to help them find alternative work and to provide welfare...