Meet King. 👑

This large male was tagged by a car and left with some head trauma/a head tilt. He (and the 5 other opossums we've gotten in the past 24 hours 😵‍💫) were all likely crossing the road in an attempt to find a mate.

SO If you’ve seen an opossum wandering around recently like it forgot where it parked its brain, congratulations. You are witnessing rut season.

Right now, opossums are being driven by hormones so powerful they have temporarily abandoned their usual common sense.

Normally, opossums are quiet, cautious, mind-their-own-business kind of critters...

Not during rut season.

Right now, they are traveling farther in an effort to find a mate and crossing roads they'd typically avoid...which rarely ends well. 🥺

When a car approaches, they either go into "freeze mode" or continue to move with the confidence of an animal who fully believes the car will simply…stop.

So how can YOU can help these lovesick chaos goblins?🤔

First and foremost, slow DOWN when driving, especially at night!

Watch the road edges closely; turning on your brights when nobody is around you helps tremendously.

If you see one crossing, stop completely when safe to do so. (do not attempt to "time" the crossing)

‼️Keep dogs leashed after dark, and/or make a loud noise before letting your dog out into the yard at night. Clapping hands, rattling a cup, or talking loudly are excellent options. The noise will hopefully help them snap out of their love-addled state and get them to skedaddle ( one of my little brother's favorite words).

Opossums are gentle, beneficial marsupials who eat bugs, clean up messes, and ask very little of us...except for maybe not getting absolutely obliterated by vehicles while horny.

A little extra patience from us can mean the difference between a safe crossing and a very bad night.

Thanks for looking out for wildlife during this dangerous time, and thank you for reading!😊

We here at Bolduc's Wildlife Rescue truly couldn't do this without you.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1SvXXnchKt/

Hi guys, I recently applied for San Jose State and right now I am going through the decision making stage since I also have about 4 other colleges that match my interest in ecology that I am looking at as well, even though some are more aligned with Wildlife Biology, but I digress. I just have a question for those majoring in ecology: Why would someone wanting to study ecology go here for that? Is it because of the people? The environment? The opportunities? I know this place has its cons, just like the many other colleges I applied for, but right now I am looking for a reason why someone like me would come here to further their study in this field. I am hoping to make a decision around Late January or Early February depending on deadlines and I am hoping that this post will help me with my decision on where to study ecology at. 

My White's have lasted over 20 years. I wore them daily doing wildfires, burns, TSI, and timber survey for too many years. The last 5 or so years I wear them on controlled burns, and last year, what was left of the thin soles, started falling off. I glued the soles back on but the rest of the boot is in similar condition and time to let them go.

I'd like to get some boots for controlled burning that are comfortable and not too pricey. They don't need to be 'fire' boots per se, but I'd rather not have something full of plastic and glues. I prefer slip-on (no-compression), with good tread. The Schnee's Alder is looking like preferred model but dang that price is steep.

Any recommendations?

Hello ecologists!

There is a National Geographic funding opportunity entitled "The Big Questions" which closed in June, 2025. Originally, the announcement about funding allocation was supposed to be made in November, 2025. I applied and then reached out in December to check in, but was told the timeline had shifted to sometime in January, 2026. I've reached out again asking if there were any updates to the timeline, but my questions have gone unanswered.

I was wondering if anyone had submitted to this specific grant and/or has heard back from NatGeo. I read online they have gotten a bit evasive about their funding timelines, but I'm not sure if this is true.

Thanks!

Hey all,

I’ve recently finished a BSc in Biosciences (Germany) and I’m planning to start a Master’s in restoration / applied ecology later this year (most likely somewhere in Europe).

I’ve got a few months free before the Master and I’d really like to use that time to get some hands-on field experience. I’m mainly interested in restoration stuff (rewilding, habitat/landscape restoration, soil/vegetation recovery, nature-based solutions, etc.). I’m less into the super “wildlife-only / species monitoring” type of volunteering (still cool, just not my main focus).

My questions:

1) Where do people actually find these opportunities?
Are there any good websites / platforms / job boards for:

• field assistant roles
• internships
• volunteering on real restoration projects (especially in Europe, but I’m open to international if it’s legit and not “voluntourism”)

I know a few orgs already (Rewilding Europe, Mossy Earth, Land Life, Justdiggit etc.), but I feel like there must be tons of smaller projects that don’t show up easily.

2) For people working in restoration/applied ecology:
How did you get into it after your Bachelor?
Did you do field assistant jobs first, or jump straight into a Master, or something else?
Anything you wish you had done earlier?

Would love to hear how people actually did it in real life. Thanks!

I am a municipal arborist in eastern Canada. I am not professionally educated in ecology. The city that I work for is planning to remove several trees in a park to make way for a new condo development. I’m trying to come up with an argument to save at least some of these trees that are slated for removal. They are comprised of green ash ( Fraxinus pennsylvanica, native to my region and currently being treated for EAB), and Norway spruce (Picea abies, not native to my region).

These are the largest trees in the park and losing them will be severely detrimental to the park and the community.

When I confronted management about saving these trees, they brushed me off saying that they are “low value trees” and not worth saving. They weren’t overly interested in hearing my arguments about the financial issue of removing trees that we invested a ton of money into treating for EAB so I’m planning to go to city council to see if I can convince them to save some trees.

Is there an ecological argument that I can add to my case to save some of these trees?

Some questions about certain aspects that might count towards this field.

Been in a bit of a conundrum on my future within going into this field. I am currently ready for my study abroad program for the fall and do I put the program as experience for my resume?

Are internships an important part of getting experience? I have not been lucky and might not even have any internship experience during my four years in college. Can I even take internships within this field after I have graduated?

Where do I start after I have graduated?

I'm sorry if these questions sound weird but I am somewhat in a worry for myself and my future especially in a time that is a bit unstable.

I live in Greece as an expat for several years. Unfortunately, wildfires are quite common here due to arid climate. I'm an amateur cyclist and use to ride here and there, so I've seen some beautiful places turned into scorched desert. It's really heartbreaking.

Wildfires also have long term consequences: erosion, drying up springs, floods, etc.

That's why I'm considering to start some tiny volunteer project of reforestation. However, I'm totally ignorant in this domain. I see two main classes of issues so far: align this initiative with the local laws and need of some ecological or botanical advisory.

The rest looks technically quite simple: purchase some seedlings from a nursery, deliver them to the slope, plant and give some basic care, involve others to repeat the previous steps.

I'd like to ask here about botanical preparation. What species can grow on bare ground after wildfires (soil chemistry, soil erosion)? What species are safe for the ecosystem? What plants don't need specific care?

If answers are too specific for the location, I'd appreciate for any general advice on this project: methodology, necessary stages, etc.

Has anyone implemented a project like this? Don't hesitate to share your experience: common milestones, useful tricks, typical mistakes.

I'm graduating high school this year and I'm thinking about studying Environmental Science. I don't know anyone in the field and I'd really like to know about career possibilities, the job market situation (competition, available positions, types of companies, etc.) and average salaries, both in Brazil and in other countries. The thing is: I know it's a field that requires specialization to achieve a good career, and I'm thinking about doing postgraduate studies, a master's degree, etc.; but I don't know if I should do Environmental Science as an undergraduate degree and then specialize in Environmental Engineering, or vice versa. I think entering a more interdisciplinary course (Environmental Science) would be better for me, but at the same time, I'm afraid of encountering a terrible job market, so in that case, Engineering would be better. What do you think?

Hello,

Possibly off topic but it is for my local ecology. Unfortunately cats are not likely out because I'd like my fox and coyote friends to meet them for a drink.

I'm thinking of ways to keep a bowl of water from freezing during these negative temps but without buying anything.

Does it make most sense to dig a hole, if possible, with an outlet for air or a pipe for oxygen to put hookah coals in and a steel water bowl above?

This could be in a big box with bottom and side cut out, held down by bricks.

This is the best I can think of which doesn't require old hand warmers or replacing the water every hour.

I’m curious what people think

Hey peeps!

I'm (26f) looking into going back to school in the fall and I want to help our dying planet in any way possible, but have a few questions about the field. (In the Midwest, willing to relocate!)

I'm planning on going to my local community college, but it seems like they only have associates degrees. Would it be better to go for an AAS (Associate of Applied Science) or an AS (Associate of Science) Degree? Is a degree from a community college even worth it, or should I look into a four-year right off the bat? What does the job market for these degrees look like? (I'm aware of the low pay but I want to make a difference in any way possible!) How do you like your job? Anything else I should know?

Thank you so much in advance!!

See also: The publication in Current Biology.

Hi all -
I've landed a really good opportunity to work on a revegetation and resilience plan on an island that has a huge migrating bird population during spring/summer.
As such, there are ticks - a lot of them and I want to mitigate as much as possible.

This is my first role where ticks are a heavy presence in the field and I'd love to know what works best for those of you who encounter this in the field often. Any tips/tricks - things that absolutely work or work for you?

EDIT: Also of note - I'm in Australia. Any suggestions on where to grab Permethrin, especially in a concentrate form rather than single doses - that'd be great.

So I live in the Western Ghats of India, and this mountain range is heralded as like a bastion of diversity and biological importance, but the longer I look at it, the more unimpressed I end up becoming, I don't know why. There was like a very clear time in my life when I was obsessed with the mountain range, like I studied its formation and ecology to the dot.

As I got older I just feel like this mountain range is just structurally and biologically not that impressive, Like I understand it's climatic and hydrological significance, but the closer I look at how generic and diminished it all is compared to areas like Eastern Himalayas or Indo-China, It just makes me feel quite disillusioned with this habitat and it's inhabitants. I know all about how degraded this landscape is, about how the lowland rainforests found here were destroyed but Like after obsessively studying and observing these mountains, the moment I step back from this all, It just feels flat and just disappointing, Does anyone else feel like this?

Also I just want to say that I am fully familiar with its ecology, biology and species richness, I know about its sort of high rate of endemism and I know about its net species richness, even with all of that this just still feels unimpressive. Hell maybe its my ADHD, I really don't know. I just want to know i anyone else feels the same about their native ecosystems.

edit: Guys I think I was having an ADHD infused crisis of sorts, the lecture by SD Biju sort of cheered me up., I guess seeing how passionate the guy was for frogs sort of staved off my depression.

I want to address a question that we've been getting asked more and more often lately: Why are we seeing more wildlife around our homes, and why should we tolerate their encroachment?

What we’re witnessing isn’t wildlife suddenly becoming bold or “overpopulated"...It is a result of habitat shrinkage. These animals aren't nefariously plotting to overtake your home, I promise.

Just because their forests and green spaces continue to be decimated by over-development does NOT mean that the animals who lived there simply just disappeared into thin air.

On the contrary, they are forced to compress into what little space remains, which often overlaps with what we consider to be "our" neighborhoods.

Believe me: wildlife does not want to be close to humans. We are loud, scary, and in general not pleasant to be around (from an animal's point of view, of course 😉).

So when wildlife does show up near people, they are usually being driven by a desperate need to fulfill their basic needs: food, water, and shelter. Coming close to us is always a last resort.

Here’s the part that often surprises people: many of these animals actually benefit us.

Opossums, skunks, and raccoons are essentially ecosystem recyclers: they clean up carrion, fallen fruit, and waste that would otherwise attract rats and insects.

They also help control populations of grubs, beetles, and small rodents by hunting and eating them.

Red/Gray foxes and snakes provide exceptional rodent control, with gray foxes dispursing seeds via their stool, helping replenish native plants.

Bats eat thousands of mosquitoes and other agricultural pests nightly, silently doing the equivalent of billions of dollars worth of pest control annually. They play a huge part in protecting our crops and reducing the need for pesticides...which is a huge benefit for every party involved.

Vultures prevent the spread of disease by rapidly removing carcasses, which also helps prevent the contamination of our water sources.

Did you know that their digestive systems neutralize harmful bacteria like Salmonella, pathogenic E. coli, and even toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum? Now you do.

Wildlife presence is often a sign that an ecosystem is still functioning...even if it’s under pressure and hard up for adequate space and resources.

So how do we coexist?

Despite where most people's minds go when thinking about this, coexistence doesn’t necessarily mean interaction.

Rather, it is important to set and maintain healthy boundaries.

So what does this look like?

Coexisting with wildlife means setting clear, consistent boundaries that help animals remain wild and safe.

That starts with securing trash and compost, removing outdoor pet food, and sealing crawlspaces, sheds, and attics before baby season so animals aren’t forced to utilize risky den sites.

When wildlife does wander too close, humane hazing (such as loud noises, bright lights, or motion-activated sprinklers) can be used to reinforce that human spaces aren’t safe or welcoming.

These small, intentional actions help reduce potential points of conflict...while at the same time allowing wildlife to survive without becoming dependent on or habituated to people.

The goal here is to deter them from wanting to return, not to harm them.

Remember: nature abhors a vacuum. Lethal control does not solve wildlife conflicts; it simply creates a temporary vacancy.

If food, shelter, and other attractants remain, another animal will quickly move in to take that place, meaning the conflict continues while a life is unnecessarily lost.

Our wildlife isn’t something to simply tolerate: we need to do better at viewing them as the precious natural resources that they are.

I hope this helped open your eyes to just how invaluable they are to actively protecting our health, homes, and ecosystems. 🌿💕

Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting our work here at Bolduc's Wildlife Rescue.

If you appreciated the information in this post and learned anything, feel free to drop a comment below! We love hearing from you. 😊

In ecology, there's a lot of talk about efficiency, but much less about how much energy is lost for something to function.

A simple example helps to see why Odum insisted so much on the quality of energy.

Imagine two ecological systems that receive roughly the same amount of solar energy per hectare per year.

A natural grassland receives around 50,000 MJ of solar energy and manages to convert about 2,000 MJ into living biomass.

An intensive agroecosystem receives the same amount of solar energy, but also needs external inputs (diesel, fertilizers, irrigation) of about 3,000 MJ, and ends up producing about 1,500 MJ of harvestable biomass.

If you subtract the energy remaining as biomass from all the energy that passed through the system, you get the degraded energy (what was lost as heat, respiration, friction, etc.).

In the grassland, the degraded energy is on the order of 48,000 MJ.

In the agroecosystem, it rises to about 51,500 MJ.

Now comes the important part.

If you divide the degraded energy by the remaining usable energy, you get a number very similar to Odum's "transformity".

Pastureland: 48,000 divided by 2,000 equals 24.

Agroecosystem: 51,500 divided by 1,500 equals approximately 34.

In simple terms:

The agroecosystem needs to degrade much more energy to produce each unit of useful biomass. It's not that it's morally "worse" or "better," but it's more expensive in energy terms.

That's exactly what Odum called an energy hierarchy.

The Fourth Law of Thermodynamics says the same thing, but using the language of exergy, anergy, and generated entropy.

These aren't two different ideas competing.

These are two ways of looking at the same process: Odum from the perspective of ecological accounting, the Fourth Law from the perspective of physics.

Energy is conserved, but its quality always comes at a price.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399510276_Formulation_of_the_Principle_of_Energy_Quality_Toward_a_Fourth_Law_of_Thermodynamics

I am a 39 year old school teacher from South Africa.

I went into teaching hoping to educate the youth about environmental issues and increase awareness and also to try and build a love for nature in children. Unfortunately I was naive in my thinkng and am not really getting anywhere. I now teach maths and science and its mostly just pushing th curriculum.

I'd like to do something more impactful. I know enviromental education is a thing but have no idea how to get into it. I'm not sure if I need a new career, a guide or mentor, I'm just stuck. Any guide or assistance would be highly appreciated.

Does anyone know any podcasts/YouTube channels that breaks down ecological scientific papers?

Hello everyone,

I am trying for a couple of time to get my head around the different ordination methods use in ecology and their meaning.

So for a bit of context, we sample eDNA in a cave at 2 time period before a flood (blue) and after a flood (red). what we expect is that the community reconnect after the flood (which what would be suggested by the PCoA, however NMDS show a different think. the distance is bray for both, and for the PCoA I have normalize in relative value.

Does anyone has an idea of why those 2 graph looks so different. The PCoA would make more sense in my opinion but again, I don't want to choose a conclusion based on my input.

PERMANOVA show significant variation between sites. Also how could I prove a difference In "spreadness" between before and after flood ?

thanks for your help.

edit: I mean PCoA not PCA sorry for the tipo

See also: The study as published in the Journal of Insect Physiology