Conservation

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” That’s what kids are usually told on nature walks. But Caitlin Bloomer, aquatic ecologist and teaching assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, believes that a more hands-on, land-based approach is needed to improve conservation. So when she traveled to Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, this summer to help lead a nature walk for kids, they went home with some invasive crayfish. 

Most birdwatchers are drawn to the dynamism of birds — snippets of a call as flyers twist and dive overhead, or a flash of wings in the bushes, gone before you can snap a picture. But a group of students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign goes out looking for a bleaker target: birds killed in collisions with buildings.

Imagine moving into a new house just to discover it has no insulation. That’s what life can be like for a bat box resident.

Bat boxes, a kind of artificial roost, are a simple and cost-effective way to increase habitat for these flying mammals. They’re a preferred spot for mother bats to raise pups if their favorite housing option, large dead trees, are hard to come by. But if improperly designed, bat boxes can end up hurting more than helping, Illinois bat researcher Joy O’Keefe says. 

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have analyzed 96 years of forest census data to better understand ecological changes and inform management practices. Their study, published in Forest Ecology and Management, reveals concerning homogenization trends. This means the forest has become less diverse over time, losing trees that played a critical role in its ecosystem.

For decades, the Signal Crayfish has been an ecological troublemaker. It is invasive and widespread across Europe, Asia, and parts of the United States. Recently, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign turned their attention back to the Signal Crayfish’s homeland and made a remarkable discovery.

Devin Edmonds isn’t like most amphibian hobbyists. For one thing, he’s now a trained herpetologist, studying frogs and turtles as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But as an amateur back in 2006, he did something bold for the love of frogs that changed the trajectory of his life, not to mention the frogs’. 

Changing precipitation patterns in the Neotropics, one of Earth’s most biodiverse regions, could threaten two-thirds of the area’s bird species by the year 2100 if climate change goes unchecked, according to new research led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and George Mason University. This would represent a dramatic loss, as the region is home to 30% of all bird species globally. 

Following decades of decline, even fewer birds will darken North American skies by the end of the century, according to a new analysis by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Among the snowbirds returning north for the summer, A24 is special. For one thing, A24 is an actual bird: a Black-crowned night heron, to be exact. And it has just returned to Chicago to join hundreds of its kind nesting near Lake Michigan. But unlike the human snowbirds that share A24’s migratory habits, this bird is helping to inform conservation efforts in the city and far beyond. 

Two College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) buildings were recognized at an awards ceremony on April 24 for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP). The event honored award recipients for both the 2022 and 2023 academic years.