Joseph Martinek purchased the property in 1911, establishing a tradition of farming and caring for the land that continued through generations.

In the 1980s, siblings Russell Friemel and Ardie Friemel Holsinger inherited the family property. They continued its working-land legacy while maintaining the connection to their great-grandfather’s original purchase.

The family began exploring permanent conservation of the property in 2021. Five years later, in 2026, the process culminated in the donation of a conservation easement.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that permanently limits certain future uses of a property in order to protect its conservation values.

If you dont know, Ecosia is a search engine that uses ad revenue to generate money for tree planting in different countries (like Madagascar or Brazil). It is verified at legit, but theres a lot of mixed opinions on the sustainability and survival of these trees. Does anyone have experience, knowledge, or opinions on it? I just want to know if yall think it is sustainable.

The US president's decision could pave the way for pastoral farmers to kill the canines to protect their livestock. His order said ranchers played a "vital role" in the food supply chain and American cultural heritage.

But conservation groups have criticised the move, saying it could derail long-term efforts to recover the endangered wolf populations.

There were 319 Mexican wolves in the wild in the US in 2025, up from just four when they were reintroduced in 1998, US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) figures show.

Meanwhile, there are roughly 18,000 grey wolves across the US, though they are still considered endangered as most of their habitat has been destroyed by humans.

An attempt to de-list them at a federal level in 2022 became tied up in litigation, and some campaigners have indicated they intend to do the same of the US Department of Interior acts on Trump's order.

The executive order does not give ranchers immediate license to shoot wolves preying on livestock, but instead gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine whether the grey and Mexican wolf populations had recovered enough to warrant being taken off the endangered species list.

Hello im 18 and im currently enrolled in a conservation biology program and Fleming college in Ontario Canada, its my first semester. i know its still a ways out but im very unsure weather to pursue a Bsc of science after college or go do another year or 2 for a GIS certificate. here in Canada from what ive heard from people i know practicality is favored for getting your foot in the door in my area in environmental science and thats why i chose college over uni for my first years.

My 2 years in college is fully paid for through a RESP witch im grateful for, but likely would not cover 4 years at uni after. so im torn between Uni. Working, or Maybe a 1-2 GIs program post grad

any advice is helpful, i need more knowledgeable persons two sense thanks!!!

What does a natural resource specialist do day to day on the job?

Anyone have experience and can elaborate?

Looking for fellow Arkansas herpers? Natural State Herpetology is growing fast.

If you live in Arkansas (or close enough to get out in the field), care about native reptiles and amphibians, and want a community that actually talks about the animals instead of just arguing online — this is for you.

Natural State Herpetology is a Facebook group for keepers, field herpers, educators, conservation-minded people, and anyone who wants to learn more about the herps of the Natural State. We cover native snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, and salamanders — from identification and habitat to husbandry, conservation, and sharing what we find in the field.

What we do:
• Education on Arkansas species and responsible keeping
• Conservation talk — habitat, den sites, local populations, and how we can help protect them
• Field herping discussion and trip planning
• Husbandry help (enclosures, feeding, quarantine, breeding projects, etc.)
• A place to share photos, IDs, and stories without the usual internet noise

Coming up: We’re planning a group herp trip in October. If you like getting out and looking for animals with other people who know the state, this is a good time to jump in.

We’ve also been doing giveaways as the group grows — and there will be more.
Whether you keep hognoses, look for mud snakes, work on conservation, or just want a solid local herp community, come hang out.

Join here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19iiHH4Qq7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

See you in the group — and hopefully in the field in October

We are so close to losing them 😔

Vaquitas are not just another marine animal; they are a critical component in determining the health of our ocean ecosystems. With a mere 6-10 individuals left, their existence hangs by a fragile thread, primarily due to gillnet fishing in the Gulf of California. These small porpoises play a vital role in their ecosystem and food web, embodying the intricate balance of marine life.

The vaquita’s decline is a stark indicator of how unsustainable practices impact our ocean’s biodiversity. Their plight highlights the urgent need for better enforcement of fishing regulations and the promotion of sustainable fishing practices that protect rather than destroy our marine habitats.

Gillnets, used extensively in illegal fishing operations, trap vaquitas, leading to fatalities that could easily be avoided. Mexican authorities, global conservation organizations, and international communities need to collaborate to implement stricter regulations, enforce bans on gillnet fishing, and ensure patrols are adequately managed to protect these beautiful creatures.

Supporting projects for alternative livelihoods for local fishers is also crucial. By promoting eco-friendly and sustainable fishing methods, we can protect vaquitas while providing economic stability to local communities.

Without immediate action, we are at the brink of losing these marvelous creatures forever. Their extinction would not only signify the loss of a species but signal a deeper failing in the preservation of our oceans. Help us fight for the future of vaquitas and the health of our marine environments.
The porpoise conservation society works to prevent entanglement in fishing nets. Contact the NOAA Fisheries.gov and the porpoise conservation if you believe there is any illegal gillnet fishing going on. Preventing this prevents vaquitas from going extinct.

Raise your voice. Sign the petition to demand immediate action to save the vaquita and protect our ocean's biodiversity.

Help save the critically endangered vaquita - Sign the Petition! c.org/vSTPsP8SWK prin @Change

The Secretary of the Interior has 90 days to make a decision on whether they should be delisted or not, including Mexican wolves.

Anyone remember when the dire wolves were born and Trump said that species can go extinct and it wouldn't matter because we can bring them back?

Today is National Wildlife Day, and it is a good time to examine a basic problem in the way wildlife is protected in the United States: much of our legal framework is built around managing game species or intervening once a species is already threatened or endangered.

The Endangered Species Act is one of our strongest wildlife laws, but by the time a species qualifies for that level of protection, substantial biological loss has often already occurred.

And extinction is not the only measure that matters.

Wildlife populations can become ecologically diminished long before a species disappears. Habitat fragmentation can isolate populations, reduce genetic exchange, interrupt migration and dispersal, and weaken the ecological relationships species maintain with one another. A landscape can still look intact while becoming steadily less biologically functional.

That is why I think conservation policy needs to move beyond managing scarcity and begin protecting abundance.

What would it look like if wildlife law established population baselines, protected connectivity before fragmentation became severe, incorporated wildlife abundance into land-use decisions, and invested in habitat while populations were still resilient?

This is especially important because wildlife does not exist only inside parks and preserves. Animals move through private land, agricultural landscapes, developed areas and transportation corridors. Protecting isolated patches of habitat is not enough if species cannot move safely between them.

I explored this argument in an episode of The Animal Advocate, “Rethinking Wildlife Protection: From Scarcity to Abundance.”

National Wildlife Day is a reminder that conservation success should mean more than preventing extinction. It should mean maintaining connected, resilient and abundant wildlife populations and valuing species before their decline becomes a crisis.

https://animaladvocacyacademy.com/rethinking-wildlife-protection-from-scarcity-to-abundance/

Full context and sources in the comments

I am a very big advocate for the protection of national parks and the conservation of species and Its become very obvious that the current US government does not care all that much about either. I have looked into a couple different organizations like Mossy Earth, Planet wild, Yellowstone to Yukon, etc but not too in depth of any more. Being a 19m in college, I have a limited budget that I want to maximize impact, I want to contribute to something that will help more towards the western U.S. I know Mossy earth does have western conservation efforts but I wanted to see if there was any organizations in specific that I should look at. HELP

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) calls for urgent, ambitious greenhouse gas emission cuts in reaction to the stark findings of the ‘Limiting Overshoot’ report published today. According to the new UNEP report, exceeding 1.5°C of warming is now unavoidable; the effects on people and nature will be disastrous and, in many cases, permanent. IUCN also calls for commensurate adaptation measures to help the world face the escalating impacts, which are hitting vulnerable communities and ecosystems hardest. At the same time, the report highlights that we still have the power to minimise these impacts: decisions taken this decade will crucially determine how much higher global temperatures will rise, and for how long.

Stark findings from UNEP’s Overshoot report demand urgent, ambitious climate action – IUCN

Idk if this is allowed but was wondering for people working in the industry, how common are random drug tests, or is it more heavy machinery /construction type work, that happens.

The title might be worded wrong, forgive me I am sleepy. I am a conservation student in college and was given one of those flyers for voluntourism opportunities, I looked into them and I immediately noticed red flags like only one day of the trip would be anything to do with conservation and the rest was a vacation and then after I did my research I thought oh shit bad.

However, I saw the opportunity to volunteer at an asiatic black bear sanctuary in Laos and I absolutely love bears and I would love to spend some time with helping them somehow. Are there any kind of ethical programs such as study abroad or a more ethical volunteer group that does this?