The Parrot King
Over the past 14 years, Martin Guth has built a monopoly on some of the world’s rarest birds. Will his secretive organization ultimately help put more parrots in the wild, as he says or—push them closer to extinction?
Great articles, every Saturday.
Over the past 14 years, Martin Guth has built a monopoly on some of the world’s rarest birds. Will his secretive organization ultimately help put more parrots in the wild, as he says or—push them closer to extinction?
Brendan Borrell Audubon Jul 2020 20min Permalink
John Ackerman has spent millions procuring a majority of the known caves in Minnesota, which add up to dozens of miles of underground passageways and likely make him the largest cave owner in the U.S. He collects and charts them in the name of preservation, but his controversial methods have created many opponents.
MATTHEW SHERRILL Outside Jun 2020 20min Permalink
Scientists in Brazil are trying to save the giant anteater from a growing threat: roads.
Ben Goldfarb The Atlantic Nov 2019 20min Permalink
What’s at stake in the fight over development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? A caribou herd, and a culture that relies on it.
Eva Holland Longreads May 2019 30min Permalink
How a night of drunken mischief led to the death of a rare endangered fish and a rare prosecution.
Paige Blankenbuehler High Country News Apr 2019 20min Permalink
The life and death of OR4, the patriarch of Oregon’s reintroduced wolves.
Emma Marris Outside Oct 2017 20min Permalink
On a 650-mile trek, two adventurers faced danger and hardship—and saw how development could spoil an American icon.
Kevin Fedarko National Geographic Aug 2016 20min Permalink
On the relationship between conservation, British farmers, and a possible Brexit.
James Meek London Review of Books Jun 2016 50min Permalink
In Utah, an unlikely leader is looking to end the state’s land-use wars.
Christopher Solomon Outside Feb 2016 30min Permalink
A story of medical ailments, family dynamics, and conservation work.
Sara Lippmann Midnight Breakfast Mar 2016 30min Permalink
Checking up on an ambitious, controversial conservation initiative, 20 years later.
Ben Goldfarb Orion Dec 2015 20min Permalink
The diarist and photographer Peter Beard, known both for his series documenting a mass elephant starvation and for discovering the supermodel Iman on a Nairobi street, reflects on his life of “drugs, debt, and beautiful women” while recovering from being trampled by an elephant.
Leslie Bennetts Vanity Fair Nov 1996 30min Permalink