skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Hurricane Irene Impacts Wildlife on ME Coast

play audio
Play

Friday, September 16, 2011   

PORTLAND, Maine - Mainers continue to pick up after Hurricane Irene, but it's not just people feeling the impact. The state's wildlife will take months or even years to recover from the powerful storm, scientists say.

Hurricane winds can blow birds off course, destroy coastal nests and impact the water quality in both salt and freshwater areas. Dr. Doug Inkley, senior scientist with the National Wildlife Federation, says his organization is even receiving reports of animals getting hit by cars on highways as they look for a new home.

"Wildlife are being pushed out of their homes. Their homes are flooded. They need to seek new areas that they can survive in, and so there you have a direct impact of hurricane on wildlife."

The dune and beach loss destroys habitat for many animals such as sea turtles. The storm surge also changes the balance of fresh and brackish water in coastal wetlands.

Hurricanes are stronger now than 50 years ago, Inkley says. He and other scientists attribute that to warmer waters caused by global warming.

"We are causing the climate to change. There is no question about that, and so we do need to reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions so that in the future the hurricanes won't continue to be as strong as they have been in recent decades."

Many coastal trees and forests also saw damage, which disrupts the food source for many animals. Species already close to extinction are particularly vulnerable.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021