The 2015 Stockholm Water Prize has been awarded to Rajendra Singh for his consistent attempts to improve the country’s water security PHOTO: SIWI

Twenty years ago, when 28-year-old Rajendra Singh arrived in an arid village in Rajasthan, he came with degrees in Ayurveda and Hindi and a plan to set up clinics. That’s when he was told the greatest need was not medical help but clean drinking water. Groundwater had been sucked dry by farmers, and as water disappeared, crops failed, rivers, forests and wildlife disappeared and people left for the towns. In 2008, The Guardian listed him as one of its “50 people who could save the planet”. In March 2015, he was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize, known as the Nobel Prize for water.

Two months ago, France passed a law that requires the rooftops of new commercial buildings to be partially (at least) covered by solar panels or plants. The law, passed back in March, was a compromise with French environmentalists and more conservative* members of society.

Continue reading:  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/27/1388257/-France-passed-law-making-rooftop-solar-or-gardens-mandatory-on-new-commercial-buildings#

Related story:  California’s largest lake is slipping away amid an epic drought

According to the UNEP, wildebeest populations have declined in areas of southern and eastern Africa. PHOTO: Natural Habitat Adventures

The Great Migration of Serengeti National Park, designated a World Heritage Site, is legendary. The stars of this 1,200-mile odyssey are the wildebeest – 1.5 million of them – accompanied by 200,000 zebras. Every year is an endless journey for them, chasing the rains across 150,000 square miles of woodlands, hills and open plains. With them having firmly established their caliber as a species built literally for the long run, the migration spectacle should probably be the only space where the wildebeest find a mention. But conservation debates are hovering over these beasts – categorized as non-threatened by the IUCN – and looking at them as a keystone species.

This is a David Attenborough video on Galapagos pink iguanas.

From AFP news agency:

May 26, 2015

Galapagos volcano calms, pink iguanas out of danger

A volcano in the Galapagos Islands whose fiery eruption raised fears for the world’s only population of pink iguanas has calmed, sparing the unique critters from danger, officials said Tuesday.

Wolf volcano is still showing signs of activity but has died down since a tour boat to the area found it breathing tongues of fire, puffing smoke and spilling bright orange streams of lava Monday, said officials at the Galapagos National Park and Ecuador’s Geophysics Institute.

“We haven’t had any more explosions like yesterday’s, which suggests a decrease in activity. However, there are still lava flows, which is normal in these cases,” said Alexandra Alvarado of the Geophysics Institute.

The island, Isabela, is home to the only known pink land iguanas in the world…

Tiburon Mariposa Lily/Calochorus tiburonensis

Ring Mountain is part of the Marin County Open Space District. It was mostly cloudy providing good light for flower photography, but fairly breezy so patience was required.

Ring Mt. is a habitat of mixed grassland and woodland as well as areas of serpentine rock. The plants are a mix of  natives and aliens. Trees and Shrubs included Coast Live Oak, Monterey Pine, Toyon, Buckeye, Bay, Coyote Bush, Blue Elderberry, and Poison Oak. Lots of alien grasses.

The goal of today’s hike was to see Calochortus tiburonensis/Tiburon Mariposa Lily which is a rare and endangered plant that is endemic to Ring Mt. There were many other plants in bloom as well. There was a fair amount of bird song when we arrived and although I was able to identify a number of the birds by sound, I am sure I missed more than a few. By the time…

by Alicia Graef May 19, 2015

http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-another-major-airline-bans-hunting-trophies.html#ixzz3b4fUmKGx

In more good news for wildlife, things just got a even harder for sport hunters looking for a way to transport their trophies home.

It further said, “This decision is to support international governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, that are managing wildlife population towards sustaining the task to eliminate illegal trade and transportation of hunting trophies worldwide and saving wildlife heritage.”

The announcement comes just weeks after South…

By Suzanne Cordrey

I was invited to travel with a friend who is one of the “guardians” of the most ancient rock art paintings in the United States. I had no idea what I was going to see nor that it even existed when I just felt that old familiar pull from within that said “Go with her.”

Truth be told, I have not been to many places in Texas since I moved here. The only thing I knew was that we were headed for the Mexican border. Lots of emotion around that, since Texas has had such a big influx of illegals, including lots of children on trains from all over central America.  Such heartbreak, trauma, families torn apart, and such divisive opinions amongst the people here. We had been told that the cabin we were to stay in had been broken into by illegals just a couple of weeks ago. Feeling’ real safe…