Sustainability opportunities to kick off the autumn season

Join the force—unite to champion sustainability efforts. After all, it’s good for the planet. Check out October’s sustainability opportunities and see what you can do to make a difference.

Image Credit: NASA/Lauren Harnett

Each spring and summer, the canal at Johnson Space Center comes alive with hundreds of nesting herons. Half a dozen species of wading birds nest in large groups along the canal’s banks. These birds build hundreds of nests in the willow trees, where they will lay their eggs and care for their young. Alligators patrolling the canal below the nests protect the birds’ eggs from raiding raccoons and hungry opossums. This heronry is a vital source of young birds for local populations of little blue herons, night herons, tricolored herons, cattle egrets, snowy egrets, and even anhingas. In this photo, a young black-crowned night heron calls for food from a nearby adult.

 

Matthew Strausser

Wildlife Biologist

NASA Johnson Space Center