A weekly roundup of nature-related odds and ends from the region and beyond.

(Click on image to see video from U.S. DOI)
A new report from the Fish and Wildlife Service identifies 269 bird species of concern when it comes to conservation. The report will be used by international, federal, state, Tribal, and private partners for research, monitoring, and management to help prevent the need for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
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- Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Whether it’s the bird you hear every day in your yard or a song you’ve never heard before, the Merlin Bird ID app can help you identify who’s singing. Just pull out your smartphone, press record, and watch as Merlin shows matches in real time.
Merlin can now help you identify the songs and calls of 400+ species in the United States and Canada (with more species and regions coming soon). Merlin’s newest feature is sure to improve your birding skills and give you a new superpower—identifying birds by ear. Every species you identify with the new Sound ID feature can also be saved to your life list, and you’ll be able to share the recordings you make with friends and family.
Merlin’s new feature was made possible by thousands of citizen scientists who contributed recordings to the Macaulay Library and shared their bird sightings with eBird, breakthroughs in machine learning and artificial intelligence, volunteers who spent countless hours training Merlin, and our supporters.
Download the free Merlin Bird ID app here.
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(Click on image to watch TN State Parks National Recreation & Park Assc. Gold Medal Finalist video.)
The honor is given to state parks that go above and beyond in providing excellence in "parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition." Tennessee State Parks has exceled in many projects over the last several years, including opening fully renovated lodges on park properties, construction to park's visitor centers, partnering with many school districts in rural counties to drive tourism to the community and providing an escape to many during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Forest protection and management are critical to addressing climate change, and conservationists have an important role to play in helping species and communities prepare and adapt to changing conditions. Together with Land Trust Alliance, OSI is offering grants to support strategic planning for land protection and stewardship to secure climate-resilient landscapes, mitigate greenhouse gasses, and curb climate impacts such as flooding.
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Compiled by Bob Butters