Hello and happy Friday!

It's been a bit of a challenging week for me, but things are looking up.

I hope things are looking up for you, too. :)

Weekly thought...

You can overthink the worst case scenario.

Or, you can overthink the best case scenario.

Keep reminding yourself to choose the latter even when your mind defaults to the former.

Now, here's what I've got for you this week:

1. The story of the Dakota Hogback on the Colorado Front Range

I’ve been working on some content for a project I’m working on where I’ll be teaching folks about the natural history of Colorado. 

Currently, my focus is on the Colorado Front Range, which is a strip of mountains and foothills on the eastern side of the state. Denver sits just east of the Front Range.

One of the coolest geologic features in this area is the Dakota Hogback. If you have driven from Denver to the ski resorts in the mountains, you have probably passed it. 

I decided to share an excerpt from this project on my website, which I share here.

2. How Ansel Adams changed photography‍

This is an interesting, very short documentary about Ansel Adams and what made him the legend that he is known as today.

All types of creatives out there will enjoy this one.

I learned some interesting things about the legendary photographer that I hadn’t previously known, so I hope you can learn something from this video, too.

One of the most powerful aspects of his work is how timeless it is. 

This documentary sums this up nicely, stating: 

“Adams understood the importance of combining realism with emotion to bring drama and depth into an image, which is one of the reasons why his photos stand the test of time.”

3. How goats could help save the West from wildfires‍

Federal land managers are increasingly fighting wildfires with an unconventional tactic: goat grazing. 

The reason? It all starts with the problems caused by invasive plants.

Invasive plants are nonnative plants that begin to spread throughout an ecosystem once introduced from an outside source. 

Like other invasive species, once they spread, they often disrupt the natural, healthy state of native plant and animal communities.

Throughout the West, the typical problems caused by invasive plants (e.g. displacement of native plants, inhibition of native plant growth, biodiversity reduction, extinction, etc.) have been exacerbated by climate change and extreme drought. 

Invasive plants tend to be happier and healthier in dry environments, which means that drier climates help them reproduce and spread more rapidly.

Some invasive species, like the black mustard plant in California, creates dangerous tinder once it becomes full-grown and dies.

The pileup of dead invasive species, along with brush and other dead, dry vegetation, causes an abundance of flammable material that fuels the catastrophic wildfires that the West has been plagued with recently. 

One solution that might help: deploying goats to graze on and clear invasive plants.

Goats love to chow down on invasive plants.

Some studies show that this practice is effective at reducing wildfires, and goats are now being used in Colorado, Arizona, California, and even Australia to help tame unprecedented wildfire seasons. 

Friday Nature Fact:

Did you know? Burmese pythons are one of the most problematic invasive species in South Florida and have caused severe mammal declines in Everglades National Park. What’s the solution? A government-endorsed python bounty hunting program. Learn more…

Talk to you next week, friends.

Meredith