Audubon MagazineJuly-August 2012

Eleven Fun Facts About Driving

From money, to greenhouse gas emissions, to time, here are 11 ways you save or spend by driving. 

Review: What a Plant Knows

An intriguing look at how plants experience the world. 
News

Ecuador Won’t Drill for Oil in the Amazon—As Long as the World Pays Up

By Brian Kevin
July 20, 2012 — The South American country ups the ante on a unique plan to save Yasuní National Park, a haven for tropical birds.

Saving Wildlife on U.S. Roads

By Susan Cosier
July 18, 2012 — Volunteers help decipher how motorways affect animals. 

Earth Almanac

By Ted Williams
July 13, 2012 — Sweet summer treats; early retirement; world’s best web designer and world’s smallest owl; more.

Housing Development Could Threaten Arizona’s San Pedro River

By Peter Friederici
July 12, 2012 — Development could pull water from a critical migratory bird stopover site.

Chasing Dragonflies and Damselflies

By Jill U. Adams
July 11, 2012 — Birding and butterflying have long been popular. With the advent of easy-to-use field guides and common, colorful name

Remembering John Ogden

By Frank Graham Jr.
July 09, 2012 — A giant's legacy.
Flock Together

A Mail Carrier's Mission to Protect Bluebirds

By Michele Berger
July 09, 2012 — A Virginia postal worker has turned her route into a haven for nesting eastern bluebirds.

Has One Florida Dam's Day Finally Come?

By Ted Williams
July 03, 2012 — Conservationists have waged a 41-year battle to free “the sweetest water-lane in the world” by tearing down an unnecessary dam. Their efforts have seemed hopeless—until now.

Green Guru: Eating Bugs

By Susan Cosier
June 29, 2012 — Insects are an eco-friendly meat alternative.

Freeze Frame: Gray Catbird, Caught In the Act

By Julie Leibach
June 27, 2012 — A gray catbird makes a surprise appearance during a Baltimore oriole photo shoot. 

Eels Get a Leg Up Over Dams

By Michele Berger
June 25, 2012 — Helping eels slide past dams with some PVC pipe and netting.
International Travel

On Safari in Botswana

By Christopher R. Cox
June 21, 2012 — Botswana is a place of almost mythic names: the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta. Our 10-day safari is your guide to turning this land of boundless beauty into your wildlife-watching dream come true.

Audubon View

By David Yarnold
June 14, 2012 — If Shell Oil has its way and drilling proceeds in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, rich bird habitat and nurseries could suffer the consequences of a spill.

Ocean Sanctuaries Are a Boon for Fish, Seabirds, and Marine Mammals

By Amanda Mascarelli
June 07, 2012 — A chain of more than 100 Marine Protected Areas offer a safe haven for creatures from albatrosses to whales along California's 1,100-mile coastline.

Other Issues