IN THIS EPISODE:
On Kelleys Island, Tom and Paula Bartlett are on a mission to band 100,000 birds. When winter hits, it’s up to icebreakers and tugboats to keep the lakes moving. Can your yard become a national park?
For years, scientists believed that many migrating birds would avoid crossing the Great Lakes. But thanks to bird banders like Tom and Paula Bartlett, we know know that many birds do cross the lakes, stopping on small islands. On Kelley’s Island in Ohio, Tom and Paula are on a mission to band 100,000 birds.
When winter descends, traveling the lakes becomes a dangerous proposition for freighters. Ice can trap even the largest ships in place, and it’s up to a small fleet of U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers and tugboats working in tandem to keep vital shipping routes moving.
What if your yard were part of a national park? That’s the idea behind the Homegrown National Park Movement, an effort to get property owners to see their land as part of a larger ecosystem. GLN’s Lisa John Rogers spoke with the movement’s co-founder Doug Tallamy to find out more.
