December 28th, 2020, 11:08AM / BY Ashley Goetz
2020 was an unprecedented year for people across the globe, but even as the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute temporarily closed its doors to the public, its work to save species continued. From a litter of chirping cheetahs and the birth of a lovable giant panda cub to groundbreaking coral reef research and new strides in animal care, there were many milestones to celebrate this year.
1. Alice the Stanley crane becomes a medical pioneer
Alice is unlike any other Stanley crane. Hand-raised by keepers, she has a sweet temperament and joyous personality. When she sustained a leg injury last summer, animal care staff rallied around Alice and found an innovative solution to help her thrive.
Randolph-Macon Academyâs unmanned systems lab has been priding itself on learning in the field since it was launched in November 2019. Part of making that aspect of the program successful, though, is partnering with community groups and businesses to get the work done.
R-MAâs program, which focuses on the technology of drones while also preparing its students to become a certified drone pilot, received a big boost in the partnership department last week when Gov. Ralph Northam announced that Silent Falcon UAS Technologies would be investing $6 million into a new East Coast headquarters at the Front Royal-Warren County Airport.
Makeover in suburbia: Plant native by 70% to sustain songbirds
Tallahassee Democrat 12/10/2020 Karen Rose, Guest columnist
Suburbia has the potential to be a very good place to be a songbird. There have been mornings in mid-town Tallahassee when there were so many birds singing outside my bedroom window that it was like listening to an orchestra playing Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
But suburbia is only a great place to be a bird if there is enough food, water, and shelter, not only for adult birds, but also for their babies. Sure, parent birds will come to your bird feeder and indulge in sunflower seeds, but when it’s time to feed babies, songbirds feed their young an exclusive diet of high-protein, extremely nutritious insects.