Nancy Knowlton

@nancyknowlton.bsky.social

7.4K followers 6.1K following 540 posts

marine biologist, boomer not doomer, solutionista, 💗Maine💗
Member Natl. Acad. Sci., Darwin Medal
#EarthOptimism #OceanOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries
Author-Citizens of the Sea https://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Sea-Wondrous-Creatures-Census/dp/1426206437 .. more

Videos

Nancy Knowlton is a coral reef biologist and a former Sant Chair for Marine Science at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Source: Wikipedia

Environmental science 57%

Geography 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 5h

where sanity prevails (at least for cars) www.zmescience.com/science/news...

96% of Cars Sold in Norway in 2025 Were Electric

Norway is leaving the combustion engine behind.

www.zmescience.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 12h

Beavers and storks in #London oh my! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

White storks to make historic return to London in 2026

Species extinct as breeding birds in Britain since 1416 to be reintroduced in Barking and Dagenham as part of rewilding effort

www.theguardian.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

hope to visit some day...https://apnews.com/article/whooping-crane-endangered-species-texas-climate-environment-988377544ea9237966af392fb4f460e1?ck_subscriber_id=3069218149&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20year%E2%80%99s%20predicted%20dining%20trends%20-%2020246763

Along the Texas Coast, a new sanctuary aims to protect the endangered and rare whooping crane

Partners at the International Crane Foundation and The Conservation Fund have secured permanent protection of more than 3,300 acres of high-priority wintering habitat for whooping cranes near Port Ara...

apnews.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

www.npr.org/2025/11/28/n...

A bright spot for turtles: Olive ridleys are recovering in India, but still at risk

India's olive ridley turtle numbers appear to have rebounded after years of patchwork efforts to stem their decline. Can it last?

www.npr.org

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

Catching up from the holidays, I found this :-) www.bbc.com/future/artic...

'After 200 years, we're seeing this species again': The lost birds making a comeback in the Galapagos Islands

Freed from the threat of invasive predators, Galapagos birds are performing astonishing feats of return and innovation – 200 years after Charles Darwin visited the archipelago.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Nathan Bennett

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

insideclimatenews.org/news/1001202...

The Environmental and Cultural Benefits of Restoring the American Prairie - Inside Climate News

How policies to prevent the collapse of the grasslands can also support farmers.

insideclimatenews.org

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 1d

The return of oxbow lakes in Iowa is my news to me good news for Jan 10 - turns out they aren't just good for a fish - they also improve water quality #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries insideclimatenews.org/news/0701202...

To Save An Endangered Prairie Fish, Dried-up Iowa Wetlands Get New Life - Inside Climate News

Efforts to save the Topeka shiner have restored hundreds of oxbow lakes across Iowa. Now, those wetlands are helping to improve the state’s water quality.

insideclimatenews.org

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Rupert Read

Nick Young @nickofnz.bsky.social · 1d

The evidence shows that cities with protected bike lanes are safer for ALL road users.

Not just people on bike, ALL road users.

And that’s just one of many benefits. Quieter, more efficient, cleaner, more pleasant - for everyone.

Build more bike lanes.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

biometlab @biometlab.bsky.social · 1d

www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...

This is exciting. My Nonna and Nonno had a dairy along this Estero. Been wanting to hike on nearby trails. Now we can

Stunning stretch of California coastline opens to public for first time in 100 years

A stretch of undeveloped Bay Area coast, privately owned for a century, has opened to visitors with new hiking trails, a secluded beach, magnificent wildflower blooms and sensational views.

www.sfchronicle.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 1d

It’s not easy to turn a Superfund site into a solar powerhouse. But Waukegan, Illinois, made it happen, with help from state policy.

How community solar turned a Superfund site into savings in Illinois

A new 9.1-MW solar array will help residents of Waukegan, Illinois, reduce energy bills. State incentives for low-income solar made the project possible.

www.canarymedia.com

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton

Robb Edwards 🌱 @robedwards1.bsky.social · 2d

New Zealand's rare flightless parrot begins breeding again

phys.org/news/2026-01...

New Zealand's rare flightless parrot begins breeding again

New Zealand's critically endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, started breeding last week for the first time in four years, the government conservation department said.

phys.org

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 2d

From #India, making plastic pay - my news to me good news for Jan 9 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries reasonstobecheerful.world/india-school...

The School Where Students Pay With Plastic Bags

An innovative education model in northeast India aims to reduce plastic pollution, cut school drop-out rates and give students vocational training.

reasonstobecheerful.world

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2d

“Copenhagen reported that 62% of its residents are now commuting to work or school by bike — an increase from 52% in 2015 & 36% in 2012, when the City Council launched a 14-year-plan to improve the quality, safety & comfort of cycling.”

#Copenhagen chose. They keep choosing even better every year.

Copenhagen has taken bicycle commuting to a whole new level

Cycling has been a part of that good life in Copenhagen for decades. In recent years, it has enjoyed yet another unfathomable surge in popularity — taken to the next level thanks to constantly improvi...

www.latimes.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 2d

A lovely story of people doing the right thing - we need more of this! #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

Sacred land returned to North Carolina Cherokee Indians after 200 years

The Franklin Town Council on Monday voted unanimously to transfer the deed to the Noquisiyi Mound to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

www.washingtonpost.com

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 5d

Sanity does exist, including in places "disparaged" by US leadership (diplomacy-speak, so-called "S-H countries" that increasingly put us to shame).... Thank you #Rwanda for my news to me good new for Jan 6 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries e360.yale.edu/features/kig...

Plagued by Flooding, an African City Reengineers Its Wetlands

As climate change and urbanization intensify flooding in Rwanda, the capital of Kigali has embraced nature-based solutions. The city is restoring and reshaping 18,000 acres of degraded wetlands, plant...

e360.yale.edu

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 5d

I took a break for the holidays, but the bad news didn't :-(. Time to regroup now that I'm back, with a small contribution to mental health - my news to me good news for Jan 5 #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries reasonstobecheerful.world/city-where-f...

The City Where Free Buses Changed Everything

New York's new mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he’ll make every bus free to ride. This French city did just that — and is reaping the rewards.

reasonstobecheerful.world

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · 6d

Blow-in straw seems to be getting traction in some countries. Can you see why? #strawbuilding #strawhouse #biobased #renewables Foto: bioblow.com

Roof model with a thick ibsulation layer of blow in straw. Black under-roof with battens ready for roofing tiles or metal sheets.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Breezie @breeze420.bsky.social · 7d

I looked for an hour for a quote tonight
none were right
either too dark or too light
for today
I want to encourage
to quote of beauty and hope
of freedom and sanity
and these are the only words
I can find

A house, a barn and other roofs with snow covering them. There is a wood fence in front with a large tree to the right with a light shining through the foggy snow.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl, Richard S.J. Tol, Scott C. Doney , and 6 more Christian Odendahl, Richard S.J. Tol, Scott C. Doney, Gavin L. Foster, Gavin A. Schmidt, Nancy Knowlton, John R. Hutchinson, Wolfgang Huber, Federica Genovese

Prof Michael Meredith 🌊🧪🥼❄️ @oceanandice.bsky.social · 9d

A picture is worth 1000 words...

This appeared on the BBC News today, showing the increase in solar electric generation in the UK.

Not sure who produced it, but genuinely think this is a genius piece of scientific communication - the construct and choice of colour scale is near-perfect.

Chapeau!

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 13d

Captive bred sunflower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) successfully released into Monterey Bay for the first time! This species has been more or less extirpated south of Washington since the 2014 outbreak of sea star wasting disease.🧪🦑

Sunflower star recovery project in California hits major milestone

Their return could help reverse a decade of kelp forest die-offs along the coast.

www.sfgate.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell, Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton , and 3 more Mark Lubell, Julie L. Lockwood, Nancy Knowlton, Stephen D. Murphy, Iryna Dronova, Pablo García‐Díaz

Hugh Possingham @hugepossum.bsky.social · 15d

How do you know whether or not your conservation monitoring program is helping you to deliver outcomes? We have made a checklist of 15 distinct reasons - some more directly connected to outcomes than others.

Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 20d

2025 Georgina Mace Review now out in #ProcB - How monitoring matters for nature #conservation: 15 reasons framed in a theory of change #OpenAccess royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 16d

Meow meow. My news to me good news for Dec 26 is the return of a tiny wild cat to Thailand after being MIA for 30 years. #EarthOptimism #BeyondTheObituaries. www.popsci.com/environment/...

Tiny wild cat spotted in Thailand for first time in 30 years

The flat-headed felines are the smallest wild cats in Southeast Asia.

www.popsci.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Climate, Ecology, War & More - Dr Glen Barry BigEarthData.ai @bigearthdata.bsky.social · 17d

Wildlife Cam Captures Norfolk's First Wild Beaver In Over 500 Years
->Plant Based News | #wildlife | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai

Wildlife Cam Captures Norfolk's First Wild Beaver In Over 500 Years

Norfolk has a wild beaver living on its rivers for the first time in more than 500 years. A wildlife camera spotted the animal moving logs around to build a lodge, which serves as an above-ground burrow. Broken branches, wood...

plantbasednews.org

Reposted by Stephen D. Murphy

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · 19d

My news to me good news for Dec 23? You can watch laysan albatrosses doing their thing live on Midway Atoll. For those of you with frazzled nerves (all of you?) it is very calming.... Picture below doesn't convey the actual sights and sounds. Give it a try! www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3iK...

Midway Atoll NWR Wildlife Live Camera

YouTube video by Friends of Midway Atoll NWR

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 19d

seems good

Mark D. Levine @marklevinenyc.bsky.social · 19d

Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…

* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M

So YES this has been a huge success.

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Reasons to be Cheerful @reasonstobecheerful.world · 21d

Mangroves help store carbon in oceans and are effective in reducing the speed and intensity of tsunamis and tidal surges.

That’s why groups of women are working hard to preserve an ancient mangrove forest straddling the border between India and Bangladesh: reasonstobecheerful.world/women-preser...

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton, Joseph Schafer, Anne Norton

Robert McLachlan @robertmclachlan.bsky.social · 21d

New Zealand just recorded its first-ever day of zero coal- or gas-fired electricity. In fact two days, 20 & 21 December. (Still some co-gen, about 1.8%.)

Reposted by Nancy Knowlton

Alfred Twu @alfredtwu.com · 21d

Ride, and park, with pride! After the Florida state government banned rainbow crosswalks, one city has found a workaround: rainbow bike racks! 🚲🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
www.advocate.com/politics/st-...