PLANET IN PERIL

POPULAR  SCIENCE Recently, media reports emerged of water leaking into the entryway of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The facility is designed to be a backup for other seed banks all over the world. In an e-mail, the Norwegian Government, confirmed that the leaks happened last fall, during a time of high temperatures and unusual rainfall in the area. Story here.

Care 2 petition For years, the wolf known as “White Lady” delighted visitors who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her when they visited Yellowstone National Park . Story here.

REUTERS Pipe loaded on train. PinP photo. Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday asked the Alberta securities regulator to halt Kinder Morgan's initial public offering (IPO) of its Canadian business until the company disclosed climate-related risks to potential investors. Story here.

theguardian Waves crash against the wall at the end of Nauru International Airport's runway.  Rising sea levels pose a serious risk coastal erosion for small Pacific island countries,  Photo: Matt Robertson / DFAT Small but unstoppable increases will double frequency of extreme water levels with dire consequences, say scientists. Story here.

nature Trees like the magnolia will likely be affected. Photo credit - Wikipedia. Breaking from the general poleward movement of many species, flowering trees take an unexpected turn . Story here. Related:   Canada’s forests in a changing climate

The Washington Post A rose-breasted grosbeak, one of the species-at-risk due to global warming. PinP photo. In 1962, Rachel Carson warned that pesticides, particularly DDT, would lead to springs without birdsong, as she wrote in her book “ Silent Spring .” Carson's forecast kick-started an environmental movement and was instrumental in the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to  ban the pesticides 10 years later, so her descriptions of deathly quiet did not come to pass. Story here.

Hog Watch Manitoba (Winnipeg May 17) - A citizens group which monitors the hog industry in Manitoba, has cautioned the provincial government,  if it goes ahead with its apparent plans to expand production,  not to repeat the mistakes of the past. In a recent meeting with three cabinet ministers, Hog Watch Manitoba    (HWM) reminded them how “technical review committees,” which used to “oversee” the construction of both hog barns and lagoons designed to hold the waste, overlooked errors in the planning. These errors were so serious, they eroded both the public’s trust of the industry and in government policies relating to it. HWM is deeply concerned about the Consultation paper recently released about proposed changes to the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation. Fred Tait, member of the HWM Steering Committee, says “We fear that if implemented, it will simply enhance the mistakes of the previous administration.” HWM urges the government to implement the

My New Book-"Artemis Flies to the Rescue" by Ingrid Alesych. Read more here.

The National Observer Cambridge Bay - Nunavut.  Photo -  CambridgeBayWeather The federal government's research on privatizing Canada's major airports appears to be missing something important. Story here.

Associated Press When researchers traveled to a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they were astonished to find an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches. Story here. What's left of an albatross chick (found on another remote island) after  ingesting bottle caps & other plastic debris.  

The Washington Post The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has curtailed work on a natural-gas pipeline in Ohio after the owner, Energy Transfer Partners, reported 18 leaks and spilled more than 2 million gallons of drilling materials.  Story here.