A Halloween parade. For kids.

A judge recently ordered a pause on a reduction-in-force (RIF) plan that would further deplete the Department of the Interior workforce, so I'm reposting my story on what we stand to lose.

Shovelnose typically tip the scale at ~7 lbs, but the Rock River fish are hauled in at record weights year after year. That’s why Tucker and the Illinois research institute are studying the fish’s unusual vitality. My latest for @insideclimatenews.org. insideclimatenews.org/news/1610202...

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door. 

It wasn’t the feds —  it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

USGS scientists tell us about the effects of invasive species & climate change. Yet their fate, like many other federal employees who work in science & the environment, is unknown. My latest for @nrdc.org. Thank you to @meadekrosby.bsky.social, John Organ, Ed Arnett, and others for speaking with me.

Holy hail. This often unappreciated peril, as one researcher put it, is more damaging thanks to a warming climate, and insurance companies are noticing. My latest @insideclimatenews.org story. insideclimatenews.org/news/1208202...

The IL legislature passed a bill that would prohibit projects that bury carbon deep underground if they go through, over, or under the state's only sole source aquifer, a drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of people. My @insideclimatenews.org story. insideclimatenews.org/news/1107202...

Illinois provides financial incentives to entice data center developers to build in the state. Yet those centers can use millions of gallons of water each day. Where and how the water gets to those facilities is a question many municipalities now face. My latest for @insideclimatenews.org.

The USFWS recently listed lesser prairie-chickens under the ESA, giving landowners who protect these birds, and the habitats they depend on, a financial incentive to keep the species on their ranches. My latest for @audubon.org reveals more about how we treat the land and species that exist there.

Entry is open for the Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism. The award carries a $25,000 honorarium and honors a journalist who has significantly increased public awareness and understanding of the life sciences. Apply or nominate a colleague by June 6. 🧪

TLDR: the administration wants to remove habitat loss from the definition of "harm" for endangered species, which will effectively gut the ESA.

I just commented. If you're in any way interested in ecology, nature, and the protection of endangered species, you should, too. Free daily action!

The conflict between farmers and cranes has reached a crossroads in Wisconsin, where growers reported nearly $2 million in crane-induced damage to corn and other crops in 2023. Read more about the issue in my story for Audubon magazine.

A lab that helps to develop the soybean industry is one of the casualties of the new administration's USAID funding cuts.

“It was a very important, worthwhile investment for our country," soybean farmer Annie Dee said, "and it was really making a difference.”

#intropost Hello! I'm a freelance journalist who covers stories that illustrate the human effect on the natural world from my home in Chicago. See examples of my work on my website: susancosier.com.

I'm looking to connect with people laid off from the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management for a story I'm working on. If that's you, feel free to contact me via Signal @susancosier.22. Thank you!

Clouds of birds filled Chicago's skies one night last fall, a rare spectacle for birders. As warblers and sparrows and thrushes soared over the city, hundreds crashed into windows. Will these bird strikes continue? My Living Bird magazine story.
www.allaboutbirds.org/news/a-singl...