Many years ago, we took our young daughter to Wolf Haven, a sanctuary near Olympia, Washington. She loved it. She got called up to the stage to do a wolf call, and she nailed it — the entire place was echoing with wolf howls as the animals responded. They are spectacularly beautiful — and fierce — animals.

Bad news today, though: wolves are not thriving in Washington.

Washington’s overall wolf population in 2024 decreased by at least 9.44% and the number of successful breeding pairs declined by 25%, according to figures released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Today’s report indicates that at the end of 2024, the state had 230 wolves in 43 packs, 18 of which had successful breeding pairs. This marks a decrease from the end of 2023, when the state had 254 wolves in 42 packs, 24 of which had successful breeding pairs.

In case you’re wondering what is causing the decline…it’s people. You probably already guessed it. People suck.

Today’s report shows that at least 37 wolves died in 2024, 31 of which were human-caused. Of all 37 reported deaths, five were killed for livestock conflicts — four by the department and one by a livestock owner. Nineteen died from Tribal hunting by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, which retain tribal treaty rights for hunting on their reservation and on ceded lands, and by the Spokane Tribe.

Two died of natural causes (one was killed by a cougar and the other was killed by other wolves), one died from ingesting plastic, which perforated its intestine, two died from capture-related trauma while the department was capturing wolves to collar them, and one was shot in an alleged self-defense and likely died, though its body was never found and no charges were filed.

In addition, there were seven known illegal killings, which remain under investigation. Scientific research has shown that that for every illegally slain wolf that’s found, another one to two wolves have been killed and remain undiscovered.

I think it’s ironic that today, the media are all fired up about three fake “dire wolves” ginned up by pointless and expensive genetic manipulation, when what we ought to be caring about is maintaining a natural population.

I made a small donation to Wolf Haven. I’m not a billionaire, I don’t have a coven of silicon valley tech bros following my every move, but I am a biologist who feels some shame about those capitalist mad scientists at Colossal who need their priorities straightened out.

I wasted more time than you know pursuing that city park proposal which was less a proposal and more a fait accompli. I had prepared a brief statement which I did not present and would have been inappropriate if I had — this city council meeting was more about where they should implement their expanded park proposal, not how. One of the things I wish the many, many people who spoke at that meeting had learned was to be brief and on point, and I wasn’t going to bring up an issue that was not under consideration.

I had my own petty concerns.

I’m going to speak for the bugs, as unpopular as they usually are.

If you get down on your hands and knees with a handlens in the park and look carefully in the grass, you’ll find a flourishing population of springtails and ants and isopods and beetles, all tending to the soil and bothering no humans at all. The soil is alive, and the biological elements are working to maintain it to our benefit — new grass is always pushing up and the detritovores are actively cleaning up any dead material. The natural surface is a familiar and safe substrate for children, too, with dirt and grass providing a comfortable cushion for play.

Landscape Structures Inc. intends to replace that living surface with dead asphalt and dead poured-in-place synthetic rubber sheets. I had to look up this stuff: it’s called EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer), made from processed recycled plastics and rubber. It’s mostly safe — you can read the material safety data sheet . There is a very small cancer hazard which can be regarded as negligible, since the polymer is so stable that the dangerous compounds are unlikely to be released. It is however toxic to aquatic organisms, since water runoff can carry the material into the groundwater. So maybe not as stable as we’d like to imagine?

I don’t think toxicity is a serious concern. I’m more concerned that we’d be replacing a living surface with dead , sterile plastic that will gradually decay, and need regular maintenance and eventual replacement. In the world we’d be making with this playground, falling leaves and twigs are a damaging contaminant rather than an aspect of a healthy environment.

Do we need to pave over more of the park? Don’t we have enough plastic in our environment?

As it turns out, that was all totally irrelevant anyway, since the city had already signed contracts with Landscape Structures, Inc.

The theme of this park is supposed to be a celebration of agriculture. Perhaps our farmers will start raising a rich crop of ethylene propylene diene monomer? It’s the future, you know.

What a beautiful photo!

January 12, 2020, Philippines: Lightning streak over Batangas as Taal Volcano continue its eruption on Sunday evening. Phivolcs reminded the public that the volcano’s main crater was ”strictly off limits” due to sudden steam explosions and the possible release of high concentrations of lethal volcanic gases. Residents of towns near Taal Volcano are being taken to safer ground following increasing volcanic activity, a disaster-mitigation official said. (Credit Image: © Domcar C. Lagto/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire)

What a disaster! Nature is contemplating the consequences of a major volcanic eruption.

Geological evidence from volcanic deposits over the past 60,000 years suggests a 1-in-6 probability of a massive eruption occurring this century.

If that happened in the next 5 years, the costs would be colossal. In an extreme scenario, the economic impacts would cost more than US$3.6 trillion in the first year and $1.2 trillion more over subsequent years, owing to the effects of extreme weather, reduced crop yields and food instability, according to the insurance and reinsurance market Lloyd’s of London, which assessed these risks in May.

The article discusses the effect of global warming, and how climate change may worsen the effects of a major eruption. We seem to be doing exactly what would amplify the consequences.

Modelling of past eruptions can tell us a lot. But, in a hotter world, many physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere, in oceans and on land will also change. For example, global warming heats the lower atmosphere and cools the stratosphere. Alteration of atmospheric layers will affect how volcanic plumes spread and how high they reach.

Changes in circulation patterns will also affect how aerosols spread and grow. For example, faster air flows from the tropics to higher latitudes, which are already observed as a consequence of warming, hamper the coagulation of aerosols from eruptions in the tropics. Smaller aerosols scatter sunlight more efficiently and cool Earth’s surface more.

The oceans will also be affected. Global warming increases ocean stratification that then acts as a barrier to mixing of deep and shallow waters. Volcanic eruptions might thus disproportionately cool the upper layers of water and the air masses above the ocean.

Are we prepared for the consequences? No, we are not prepared. I welcome the appearance of volcano-deniers joining the climate-change-deniers to make everything a little bit worse.

As well as happening in a warmer climate, the next Tambora-like eruption will occur in a more interconnected world that supports eight times the population of 1815. Agricultural systems would suddenly face lower levels of sunlight, cooler weather and altered moisture patterns — all in close succession. Outsized societal impacts might follow.

For example, the 1991 Pinatubo eruption resulted in a 9% reduction in global maize (corn) yields and a 5% reduction in wheat, rice and soya-bean production. Crop failures from a more massive eruption would hit global breadbasket regions simultaneously — China, the United States, India, Russia and Brazil, which together produce most of the world’s wheat, maize, rice and soya beans. Loss of harvests would disrupt global food security and supply chains, potentially triggering unrest, conflict and migration.

One bit of optimistic news: I immediately thought of the Yellowstone supervolcano.

Currently, the annual probability of a volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is estimated to be around 0.001 percent, which Stelten said is “probably an overestimate for the short term.”

There are no signs of an impending eruption, as the magmatic system beneath Yellowstone is mostly solid.

Whew. Nice to know one catastrophe is unlikely, we’ve had enough of them lately.

In the olden times, before technology, at this time of year I’d normally be hearing the geese honking and I’d have to look up to see the birds flying overhead. No more! I can just check Birdcast and see how the annual migration is going. Much more data than I can gather with just my eyes.

Check out your county! It’s the only way to know what the birds are up to!

The other day, when I was taking a tour of the UMM EcoStation, I learned that they are currently leasing a few acres to a local farmer, but that there were restrictions on what he could plant. No corn! No planting corn in our ecologically conscious field station, because corn fields get soaked in neonicotinoids, a potent pesticide.

Of course, as we returned home, we drove past immense fields of corn everywhere.

Neonicotinoids are great for killing insects — they’re a nerve poison that binds to acetylcholine receptors, found in the central nervous system of insects, triggering excessive activity and killing them with overstimulation. It kills bees and butterflies and fireflies, those charming and charismatic creatures everyone loves, but also flies and spiders, which no one seems to care much about. Well, except maybe me and weirdo entomologists.

It’s been a poor summer for spiders, but then, I’ve noticed them declining in numbers for years. This summer, though, it was particularly obvious — in previous years, my lawn has been dotted with little tents, the webs of grass spiders, that are vividly obvious in the morning dew. This year…I’ve seen a handful, and some mornings, there are none at all.

Orb weavers haven’t been common around here. We’ve looked at the local horticulture garden, and aside from the rare tetragnathid, they’ve been mostly absent. It’s getting a bit creepy. Maybe you’re not as fond of spiders as I am, but you know you’re in trouble when levels of the food chain start dropping out.

It’s not just me. When we spot one or two monarch butterflies now, it’s noteworthy, and my wife will drag me out to the garden to see. Years ago we’d see huge flocks of them coating trees. It’s worldwide; butterfly populations in the UK are down.

Richard Fox, head of science at Butterfly Conservation, said: “The previous lowest average number of butterflies per count was nine in 2022, this latest figure is 22% lower than that, which is very disturbing. Not just that, but a third of the species recorded in the Big Butterfly Count have had their worst year on record, and no species had their best. The results are in line with wider evidence that the summer of 2024 has been very poor for butterflies.

“Butterflies are a key indicator species; when they are in trouble we know that the wider environment is in trouble too. Nature is sounding the alarm call. We must act now if we are to turn the tide on these rapid declines and protect species for future generations.”

Crashes in flying insect populations including beetles and wasps have been widely observed during the summer after a prolonged wet and cold first half of the season.

Weather is part of the reason — we also had a weirdly wet early summer here in Minnesota, and our trees are showing signs of stress. This isn’t the only stressor in our environment, and it’s rare to be able to blame extinctions on a single source. When you get multiple factors harming a population, that’s when you get an extinction vortex.

There is something going on here. You should be afraid. I am.

The exception: the sunchokes have rocketed up to 3 meters high, heavy with blossoms.

The local pollinators are pigging out on these flowers right now.

It’s not looking good for Florida today.

• Helene is currently a category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of 100 mph. It is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Big Bend this evening as at least a category 3 hurricane, bringing the risk of devastating damage.
• The storm was 320 mph south-west of Tampa as of 8 a.m. ET, traveling north-east at 12 mph.
• A storm surge warning is in place for almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast, where surging waters described as “unsurvivable” could reach as high as 20 feet in places.
• Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in place across coastal areas of southern Florida. The National Hurricane Center said: “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
• A state of emergency has been declared in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties and several are under evacuation orders.

If you’re in Florida (or the states above it), quit reading this stupid blog and get yourself to someplace safe.

The Waffle Houses are closing! Time to panic!