This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Welcome to the Bright Side, a weekly roundup of all the good news and ideas you might have missed from the past week.
We’ve reached peak peony, y’all!
Serving prime basic babe energy, summer’s lush pink peonies are flooding gardens and farmers markets across the U.S. My little shiplap-n-shabby chic heart can barely handle those delicate ruffled petals and sweet, citrusy fragrance. I’ll be living for $2-per-stem at Trader Joe’s until the last blooming minute.
But if I lived near the University of Michigan, I would be Instagramming the heck outta the 10,000 blush blooms at the <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/06/look-at-university-of-michigans-peonies-hitting-peak-bloom.html?outputType=amp">W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden</a> right now. The most expansive collection of peonies in the nation provides the most romantic floral backdrop for a vibey English garden picnic, a watercolor painting session, or a casual stroll through the grassy grounds.
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Hello, did you know you can eat peony petals? Because I didn’t! Named after the French stage actress, ridiculously fluffy <a href="https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/35491-product.html">Sarah Bernhardt</a> blooms infuse <a href="https://www.alaskapeonycooperative.com/blog/2021/05/11/enjoy-peonies-year-round-from-your-kitchen/">jellies, jams, cookies</a>, and <a href="https://youtu.be/_A_81HrdUYs?t=217">tea</a>. Maybe TJ’s should stock a few peonies in the snack aisle.
An adorable baby elephant doing baby elephant stuff
Adding to my eternal fascination with elephants and their gentle giant energy, an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j29lzrx78o">endangered Thai Asian elephant</a> was just born at the Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England. And at 3.3 feet tall and 243 pounds, he’s cute as a (really big) button. 
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A baby Asian elephant made his debut at a UK zoo on Wednesday at just two days old. 
On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, the baby boy was given a ball to play with and could be seen attempting a few dribbles and investigating with his trunk. <a href="https://t.co/ExczEmk16y">pic.twitter.com/ExczEmk16y</a>
— The Associated Press (@AP) <a href="https://x.com/AP/status/2065088623372877933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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He has the fuzzy-haired, wrinkly forehead of an old man, but this little guy represents a hopeful future for his species. His older sister Nang Phaya was also raised by their attentive mother Donna (sounding like a <a href="https://www.parents.com/what-is-a-90s-butter-mom-11943963">&#8217;90s butter mom</a>). The baby of the family is in good hands.
He has yet to be named, but just hours after being born, he was already <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZc67GcM9xz/?hl=en">trotting around</a> and testing out his legs. Elephants technically walk on their <a href="https://herd.org.za/blog/fascinating-elephant-feet-facts/">tippy toes</a>, but considering how well this lil fella already dribbles a ball, I’m thinking he could be named after famous Thai footballer <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/46029689/40-yard-97thminute-winner-chanathip-songkrasin-brilliance-undeniable">Chanathip Songkrasin</a>. Often compared to Lionel Messi, the soccer icon also goes by “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjUPArrvsvX/">Messi Jay</a>.” Thank you for coming to my baby elephant-naming TedTalk. 
Analog pride with an epic celebration of pencils
If you’re into trad Punxsutawney Phil, you’re gonna love Minneapolis couple John and Amy Higgins’ annual <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/06/06/thousands-celebrate-5th-giant-pencil-sharpening-on-lake-of-the-isles">pencil-sharpening festival</a> every June. Never has “No. 2” had a more wholesome association. 
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🔥🚨LATEST: Thousands of people attended the 5th annual pencil sharpening at the home of Minneapolis couple Amy and John Higgins. This event is revolved around the sharpening of a giant pencil sculpture in their front yard. <a href="https://t.co/j0Afw7io1m">pic.twitter.com/j0Afw7io1m</a>
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) <a href="https://x.com/dom_lucre/status/2064051309318205894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2026</a></blockquote>
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After the top of their 180-year-old oak tree was destroyed by a storm, the cultural philanthropists commissioned an artist to sculpt the remaining trunk into a 20-foot-tall writing instrument. Now, thousands of people “pencil in” the party every year, which takes place at the couple’s home and features local marching bands, merch, costumed character performers, free ice cream, and a ceremonial “sharpening” of the giant sculpture. 
“When you sharpen it, you smell that graphite. When you erase, you can smell the rubber,” said <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iAxo6KeLolM?t=24&amp;feature=share">John Higgins</a> at the event. “What the pencil can do when you sharpen it, is so much more. It’s a promise to do something.” 
Being in nature actually makes us feel better
<a href="https://sempervirens.org/news/introduction-to-forest-bathing/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=15286828546&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADnymdpwyf3WbzkD4uaQCDmIEwpXk&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwuanRBhBSEiwAY5y6V6v2x4PtKDppZi6GZhbyFzDlSBc8kCyNOVLm_qrdR8SmQJ6K-4kHERoCnHIQAvD_BwE">Forest bathing</a>, or the intentional practice of immersing yourself in nature, might sound like your crunchy neighbor’s favorite thing to do when they’re not DIY-ing soap from beef tallow. But a new study by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412026002357?via%3Dihub">Environment International</a> suggests that spending time in nature really does increase satisfaction in life. Thanks, grass!
It’s obvious to anyone who enjoys a hike in the woods or camping on the beach, but nature has long been known as a salve for the spirits, offering all of us the chance to ditch our screens for a boost in mood and a sense of well-being. But a recent survey of over 50,000 people of all ages and nationalities showed increased self-compassion and, in turn, greater optimism about life. All from connecting with nature. 
“No one says, ‘That tree’s ugly because it fell and the other ones are standing up,’” notes content creator <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/06/05/surprising-science-backed-reason-being-nature-makes-you-feel-good/">Tori Murphy</a>, who enjoys the refreshing landscape of Juneau, Alaska, where she lives. “Just because it isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful.” Same goes for us humans.
If you’re having trouble shaking off your “city thoughts” as you become one with the great outdoors, put your phone on silent, take a few deep breaths, and activate your senses. Smell campfire smoke wafting through the air? Hear cicadas or birds in the trees? Feel the warmth of the sun, or a cool breeze on your skin? You’re doing it right.  
Art imitating life via the nearest empty driveway
Growing up, we used our backyard hose for more nefarious purposes like spraying whoever was standing inside the screen door to the patio. But one family puts their resources to much better use, creating some pretty fantastic water silhouettes in their driveway.
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<section><a title="@mamamamamamidwest" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mamamamamamidwest?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@mamamamamamidwest</a> Our family was absolutely floored by the millions of you who watched us make water sillouettes in our driveway last summer. It was a little summer fun that brought so much happiness and so many new friends. We are kicking off the summer by bringing back our water art and this time it’s all about movies. Can you guess the movies we are portraying? What do you want to see next? We have a hose and a driveway and we can keep the fun coming!!! <a title="summerfun" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/summerfun?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#summerfun</a> <a title="water" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/water?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#water</a> <a title="movies" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/movies?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#movies</a> <a title="kidsoftiktok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kidsoftiktok?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#kidsoftiktok</a> <a title="series" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/series?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#series</a> <a title="♬ Summer Days - Mirage chart" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Summer-Days-7392157554179377168?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Summer Days &#8211; Mirage chart</a></section>
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I don’t know what level of crafting genius is required to be the Midwest mom who comes up with this type of activity, but I aspire toward inventing iconic images even half as recognizable as <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mamamamamamidwest/video/7521856434414308639?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7612721609313699341">Air Jordan</a>, “Mary Poppins,” “E.T.,” and “The Little Mermaid.” My silhouette would probably end up looking like a sidewalk crime scene. Wait — maybe I’m just being hard on myself. I’m sure I could do a pretty mean “starfish.”
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Okay, it’s not the most popular sport in the U.S., but I love watching a World Cup game at a bar with enthusiastic fans! Bonus points for an ice cold beer. Help me feel better by sharing your guiltiest pleasures and joys in the comments. You can <a href="mailto:lbair@dailywire.com">email</a> me too. There’s so much to celebrate and it’s more fun to do it together! — Lauren

Spring weather – May 28

The Bright Side: A Soccer-Playing Baby Elephant And Other Stories You Need Right Now

baby elephant

bright side

Nature

pencil sharpening

peonies

Upstream

World Cup

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Buzzwords such as &#8220;all natural,&#8221; &#8220;farm fresh,&#8221; &#8220;superfood,&#8221; and &#8220;probiotic&#8221; have flooded supermarket shelves for years. The labels are pastoral. The fonts are earthy. But marketing has a way of borrowing the language of tradition without restoring its substance.
Health bloggers will tell you to shop the perimeter of the grocery store to select the best options. And yet the same consistently available fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, cheese, and bread are there around every turn of the cart. Strawberries in February. Tomatoes in January. Blueberries without a season.
What if we weren’t meant to eat strawberries and tomatoes in February? What if late winter, especially in colder regions, was designed for cruciferous and root vegetables such as beets and broccoli, along with fall harvests that store well and sustain?
Instead of chasing superfoods imported from thousands of miles away, seasonal eating invites you to eat what grows abundantly where you live. Reduced time from harvest to plate often means greater nutrient retention and bioavailability. You get your fill of what’s thriving; then you let it go until it returns. Nature, it turns out, already built the meal plan.
Leafy greens and citrus dominate winter harvests for a reason. Greens provide vitamin K and minerals such as calcium. Citrus is rich in vitamin C. Together, they support immune function and assist the body’s ability to utilize vitamin D during months with less sun exposure. In summer, fruit ripens heavy and sweet, offering hydration and quick glucose fuel when activity levels rise and heat increases sweat loss. Fall brings storable foods such as squash, potatoes, apples, and roots, dense starches that sustain as temperatures drop.
Buy what’s in season first. Build meals around abundance instead of preference. From there, proximity becomes the goal. Farmers markets are often the easiest entry point, offering direct access to growers who can tell you when stone fruit peaks and when the broccoli will fade. Then you can go further, joining Community Supported Agriculture programs or herd shares for dairy, splitting beef shares, or ordering bulk dry goods through wholesale cooperatives such as Azure Standard to reduce reliance on conventional distribution chains. Seasonal eating becomes less about finding the right label and more about knowing who grew your food and when it was harvested.
Here’s how I do it. When tomatoes are vibrant and lining farmers market tables in July, I eat them daily — until I don’t want to look at another tomato slice for the next year. Beyond their peak summer flavor, tomatoes are one of the rare foods that actually become more beneficial when cooked. Heat breaks down their cell walls, making lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, more bioavailable, meaning the body can absorb it more efficiently. While some vitamin C is lost in the process, simmering tomatoes into sauce, especially with olive oil or meat, enhances the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients, reflecting a glimpse of wisdom behind traditional cooking methods.
So I find a farmer who sells inexpensive cases and host a sauce-making party with a few friends. We simmer, can, and stack the pantry shelves. In winter, lasagnas, tomato soups, and homemade ketchup, bbq, and enchilada sauces curb any craving for a fresh tomato my family might have. I also dehydrate several jars of sun-dried tomatoes for nights when we want a cast-iron skillet of &#8220;marry me chicken.&#8221;
When blackberries peak, I freeze trays of them for smoothies in January. If corn is cheap and sweet in late summer, I blanch and freeze it for winter soups. Basil becomes pesto, and peppers are blistered and frozen for winter fajitas.
Jams and jellies are beautiful, but be mindful of unnecessary sugar. Preservation is about smoothing the transition between seasons, especially during the hungry gap cold regions experience in late winter when fresh harvests are scarce, and stored crops carry the table.
Meat ties the rhythm together year-round. While produce shifts dramatically, animal protein provides steady nourishment. In colder months, especially, many people naturally gravitate toward higher-fat cuts and slow-cooked dishes, meals that feel grounding and warm. Seeking out local beef from nearby ranchers deepens that connection. When you buy a quarter or half animal, you learn to cook differently. You utilize more nose-to-tail cuts, from roasts and short ribs to bones for broth, allowing nothing to go to waste. 
Here’s what’s on my table this week. I love to start with warm marinated olives. Gently heat extra virgin olive oil with garlic, citrus peels, herbs, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add green olives, cover, and remove from heat. Serve with sourdough for dipping. For a side, I&#8217;ll have citrus kale salad. Massage chopped kale with olive oil, salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Add orange slices and fennel fronds or dill. Finish with toasted nuts and shaved Parmesan or feta. Then there&#8217;s the main course, slow-cooked braised beef roast with sheet pan root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes tossed with fresh herbs, chopped garlic, and a spoonful of your fat of choice, roasted until tender.
I learned many of these cooking skills from my grandmother. In 2018, after years of practicing them quietly at home, I began teaching preserving and homesteading classes to others. People were tired of chasing labels, trying to navigate what was good. They wanted tools, not trends. We aren’t sitting on the porch shucking peas and corn with our families anymore. But maybe it’s time we bring some of that back.
Seasonal eating won’t make you immune to illness. But it does something quieter and arguably more important. It restores awareness. You begin to notice when asparagus arrives. You anticipate zucchini season. You miss melons in winter, and that absence makes their return sweeter. When we accept that not every fruit belongs in every month, we relearn something modern culture has flattened. We trade convenience for connection to our food and the seasons that were shaping it long before we ever touched a cart.
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Lindsey Hickman is a lifestyle writer covering the intersection of news, health, faith, and modern life, focused on the human stories behind today’s headlines.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Caucasian woman slicing a Butternut Squash on a wooden cutting board.

You’re Eating Out Of Season — And It’s Costing You More Than You Think

Food

The universe follows rules. The evidence points to a Designer. Not to an infinite carnival of imaginary universes.
We’ve written before about the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-modern-physics-points-to-god?" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-modern-physics-points-to-god?&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758912070748000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2GdNjKu7h0FKQn1iXoiSlI">fine-tuning</a> of the universe’s constants — precise numbers like the strength of gravity or the charge of the electron. Change them even slightly, and the universe collapses.
But beneath those numbers lies an even deeper mystery: the laws of nature themselves.
Gravity pulls. Opposite charges attract. Particles collide in predictable patterns. These aren’t just quantities — they’re the rules that structure reality.
But here’s the riddle: Why these laws, and not others?
Since science explains everything in the world as consequences of the laws of nature, it’s natural to ask if science can explain the laws themselves. Physicist Lee Smolin put it this way: “Facts about the world need to be explained, and a fact most in need of explanation is why particular laws are observed to hold in our universe.”
Scientists once hoped they would find a simple answer that would be consistent with their prior beliefs. Maybe there was a unique “final theory” — a logically inevitable set of laws that could explain everything and rule out all alternatives. If that were true, then the laws of physics wouldn’t be one possibility among many. They would be the only possible laws a universe could have.
But that hope didn’t pan out.
After years of effort, scientists came to a sobering realization. The dream of a unique final theory was just that — a dream. There’s no logical reason why our universe had to follow the laws we observe. In fact, scientists have constructed many alternative sets of laws that are mathematically consistent — they just don’t describe our universe.
In Smolin’s words:
“Looking back, it is clear that the assumption that a unified theory would be unique was no more than that — an assumption. There is no mathematical or philosophical principle which guarantees there to be only one mathematically consistent theory of nature. In fact, we now know that there can be no such theory.”
With the dream of an inevitable set of laws off the table, the fundamental question returns with even more force: Why do these laws govern our universe, and not others?
While the question might seem unanswerable, the solution begins to emerge once we recognize that our laws of nature are not arbitrary or random. They’re extraordinary. They’re tailored to produce order, structure, and complexity. Among all the ways a universe could be governed, our laws are remarkably well-suited for creating atoms, planets, stars, galaxies, and life. In the words of physicist Paul Davies:
“You might be tempted to suppose that any old rag-bag of laws would produce a complex universe of some sort, with attendant inhabitants convinced of their own specialness. Not so. It turns out that randomly selected laws lead almost inevitably either to unrelieved chaos or boring and uneventful simplicity&#8230;in some sense we live in the most interesting possible universe.”
It’s a profound idea. And it carries significant implications.
If almost all combinations of laws lead to lifeless chaos or dull simplicity, but our laws produce order, complexity, and life, then the laws of nature are not random. They’re clearly designed.
When one specific outcome is chosen from a range of possibilities to achieve a result, we instinctively recognize what that means: intelligence at work. That is, after all, the very definition of intelligence. Intelligence selects. It aims for a purpose, which is why the design embedded in the laws of physics points so powerfully to a mind behind them — an <a href="https://www.physicstogod.com/post/intelligent-design-laws-of-nature" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.physicstogod.com/post/intelligent-design-laws-of-nature&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758912070748000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3NL-agPZclwf1LtzbMiOEj">intelligent designer</a>.
This is not a “God of the gaps” argument. It is not based on ignorance about why we have these laws instead of others. It is based on scientific knowledge: only this specific set of laws produces a universe with structure, complexity, and life. That points directly to design and an intelligent choice of laws. This conclusion arises from what we know, not from what we don’t.
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But for many in the scientific community, that conclusion is unacceptable. Not because the evidence rules it out, but because their philosophy forbids it. Scientists committed to atheism cannot allow that an intelligent God created the laws of nature. So they look for another way.
Their solution? The multiverse.
Faced with the challenge of explaining why our universe has the right laws, some physicists propose an infinite number of other universes, each with entirely different laws. MIT physicist Max Tegmark calls this the “Ultimate Ensemble” — a radical claim that every mathematically possible structure exists as its own physical universe. As Tegmark himself writes: “The only postulate in this theory is that all structures that exist mathematically exist also physically.”
Let that sink in. According to Tegmark, for every imaginable set of laws — no matter how bizarre — there is a universe that follows them. Some universes have laws like ours. Others operate under rules where everything moves only in triangles. Some have seventeen dimensions. Others have 242 million. The possibilities are endless.
So why, out of all possibilities, do we find ourselves in this rare universe with its particular laws?
Their answer is simple: because only a universe like this could host observers like us. The lifeless universes can’t be observed, so of course, we’re not there. We exist here only because this is the kind of universe where existence is possible.
At first glance, the multiverse might sound like an answer. But it quickly unravels.
We observe one universe. Scientists have discovered that it’s governed by specific laws that give rise to structure, complexity, and life. Instead of using these discoveries to illuminate reality, the multiverse strips them of their significance.
If every possible law of nature is real somewhere, then the laws we discover in our universe lose their value. They’re not universally true. They’re just one set among an infinite collection of every imaginable possibility. Newton, Einstein, and Feynman didn’t uncover the ultimate truth. They only described a local chapter of reality.
Within that distorted framework, science no longer seeks universal truth. It simply catalogs accidents. The very idea of a “law of nature” collapses. There is no foundation, no explanation, no reason. If everything possible exists, then nothing in our universe is more real than any fantasy world. A theory that explains something by positing everything explains nothing.
Of course, atheist scientists can always shrug and say: Too bad. Reality is meaningless. Everything possible exists, and nothing is more real than anything else. But even that bleak position collapses on its own terms. Although it’s a more extensive discussion, it can be demonstrated that the <a href="https://www.physicstogod.com/is-the-multiverse-real" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.physicstogod.com/is-the-multiverse-real&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758912070748000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CgniyX8XEcAT2W_Ir-XDH">multiverse fails</a> by the very standards of science itself.
Ultimately, the choice is stark. Either we believe in an infinite carnival of imaginary universes where anything goes and nothing means anything, or we accept the clear evidence that the designed laws of our universe have an intelligent cause. One path empties science of truth. The other balances both science and reason. The laws of nature are designed, and the only real question is whether we <a href="https://www.physicstogod.com/does-god-exist" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.physicstogod.com/does-god-exist&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758912070748000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1JFywVeUSR7fT_V0-iLlsG">acknowledge the Designer</a>.
Rabbi Elie Feder, PhD, and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer host the “Physics to God” podcast.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Equations.jpeg

Why Do We Have Laws Of Nature — And Why Aren’t They Different?

Physics

Religion

Science

First Lady Jill Biden took delivery of the official White House Christmas tree just before the Thanksgiving holiday — but her announcement about where the tree had come from raised eyebrows.
Biden explained that the massive Fraser Fir had come from a family-owned Christmas tree farm in North Carolina — and that the family had nicknamed it &#8220;Tree-mendous&#8221; when it remained standing after thousands of their trees were lost during Hurricane Helene.
WATCH:
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“This one remained standing.&quot;
First lady Jill Biden received the 2024 White House Christmas tree, a Frasier fir from the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, a community recently impacted by Hurricane Helene. <a href="https://t.co/CPqKq27kh9">pic.twitter.com/CPqKq27kh9</a>
&mdash; ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1861146998792913343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Their farm is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, a region that was recently devastated by Hurricane Helene,&#8221; Biden said of the more-than-60-year-old farm. &#8220;The Cartner family lost thousands of trees to the storm. But this one remained standing—and they named it &#8216;Tremendous&#8217; for the extraordinary hope that it represents.&#8221;
But critics were not impressed with Biden&#8217;s remarks, arguing that if the tree was a symbol of &#8220;extraordinary hope,&#8221; maybe the political elites should have left it where it stood.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1732727087136000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Ao27zcTCGutKhTz_xpaKC">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
&#8220;This is the sort of tone deafness that cost the Democrats this year. They cut down a tree that survived Helene and want you to know it &#8216;remained standing&#8217; until the government showed up ready to help,&#8221; Erick Erickson posted.
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This is the sort of tone deafness that cost the Democrats this year. They cut down a tree that survived Helene and want you to know it “remained standing” until the government showed up ready to help. <a href="https://t.co/bBBZNFQEvd">https://t.co/bBBZNFQEvd</a>
&mdash; Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) <a href="https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1862297268226789703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;lol …They really hacked down a tree from a devastated area and shipped it to Washington for the elites to enjoy. It’s poetic,&#8221; RedState&#8217;s Bonchie added.
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lol…They really hacked down a tree from a devastated area and shipped it to Washington for the elites to enjoy.
It’s poetic. <a href="https://t.co/9Nmoex04xn">https://t.co/9Nmoex04xn</a>
&mdash; Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) <a href="https://twitter.com/bonchieredstate/status/1862298925480177911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Federalist&#8217;s Sean Davis asked, &#8220;You were able to go to North Carolina to cut down one of their trees for your party, but you couldn’t manage to help the actual people stranded after the floods?&#8221;
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You were able to go to North Carolina to cut down one of their trees for your party, but you couldn’t manage to help the actual people stranded after the floods? <a href="https://t.co/JfLn7n3k5V">https://t.co/JfLn7n3k5V</a>
&mdash; Sean Davis (@seanmdav) <a href="https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1862517977762947271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;So, let me get this straight. The one tree that remained symbolically standing in an area on the receiving end of the unprecedented destruction, having earned the nickname &#8216;Treemendous&#8217; for its fortitude in surviving and standing as a symbol of resilience, was cut down and dragged to the White House to be put on temporary display before getting tossed aside as, for lack of a better term, garbage?&#8221; another posted. &#8220;Who the hell thought that was a good idea? Speaking of symbolism, this move by Team Deep State is very on-brand.&#8221;
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So, let me get this straight.
The one tree that remained symbolically standing in an area on the receiving end of the unprecedented destruction, having earned the nickname &#39;Treemendous&#39; for its fortitude in surviving and standing as a symbol of resilience, was cut down and… <a href="https://t.co/yDttFwgWHO">https://t.co/yDttFwgWHO</a>
&mdash; AwakenedOutlaw⚒️ (@AwakenedOutlaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/AwakenedOutlaw/status/1861847625789538742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

White House Christmas Tree Presentation With First Lady Jill Biden

Jill Biden Trashed For Getting White House Christmas Tree From Farm Impacted By Hurricane Helene

Jill Biden Trashed For Getting White House Christmas Tree From NC Farm Impacted By Hurricane Helene

Christmas Tree

Hurricane Helene

Jill Biden

Joe Biden

Politics

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/utah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Utah</a> lawmakers advanced a bill this week to prevent the granting of inherent rights to nature, a movement gaining momentum among environmental activists.
<a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/HB0249.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Bill 249</a>, the “Utah Legal Personhood Amendments,” declares that only mankind may enjoy the legal rights and obligations of personhood. The Utah House passed the bill on Tuesday; it now faces consideration by the Senate.
The bill expressly prohibits the granting of legal personhood to any artificial intelligence, inanimate object, body of water, land, real property, atmospheric gas, astronomical object, weather, plant, nonhuman animal, and “any other member of a taxonomic domain that is not a human being.”
Republican State Rep. Walt Brooks brought forth the bill amid efforts by environmental activists to leverage current U.S. law to grant legal personhood to the Great Salt Lake.
Brooks <a href="https://le.utah.gov/av/floorArchive.jsp?markerID=124928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> during the House floor vote on Tuesday that a constituent brought the movement to his attention, a request he believed was in jest until he did his own research. Brooks said the bill was “common sense.”
“I had to explain to my kids that, you go to a dairy, those cows are pregnant because they need to be if they’re going to give milk. But, did anybody get the permission of a cow to get them pregnant?” said Brooks. “So, if they were a person, that would be sexual harassment.”
Democratic State Rep. Joel Briscoe indicated that nonhuman entities and beings should enjoy the legal rights of personhood, since corporations may have legal rights under U.S. law. Briscoe said he wasn’t sure whether granting personhood to the Great Salt Lake would be a good idea or not.
“What I do know is this: before I put into code, and vote to put into code, a prohibition against something that I’m told is dangerous without any examples, I would really love to see some detail[,]” said Briscoe.
In closing, Brooks impressed on the importance of definitions that reflect reality. He compared the hesitation to decline personhood for nature to the ongoing confusion over defining gender.
“What I do know is this: a person is a person, and a tree is not, neither is an animal, neither is a stream, neither is the air,” said Brooks. “I bet you if you went back ten years ago, no one had a question about what a woman was and what a man was, but we do get confused.”
Last month, Brooks <a href="https://www.kuer.org/politics-government/2024-01-23/lawmakers-looking-to-close-the-door-on-legal-personhood-for-the-great-salt-lake" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> KUER that assigning personhood to something nonhuman wasn’t an appropriate preservation effort.
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“We value animals. We value our rivers and streams, wetlands, whatever it may be, our lakes, and there&#8217;s ways that we can preserve them and go forward,” said Brooks. “But trying to mix the idea that it&#8217;s actually a human person is not appropriate.”
Environmental activists have already undertaken similar measures in other states.
Last October, Milwaukee County in Wisconsin <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/milwaukee-county-passes-resolution-granting-nature-equal-rights-to-mankind" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> a resolution granting nature equal rights to mankind with the aim of securing greater protections for the county’s bodies of water.
The movement to grant inherent rights to nature links back to the 2012 establishment of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
IPBES considers granting inherent rights to nature a significant public policy instrument.
The bill passed out of the Utah House with overwhelming support on Tuesday, with 58 members voting for it and 11 against. Only one Democrat voted for, not against the bill: State Rep. Ashlee Matthews.

Glowing Arch

Utah Lawmakers Advance Bill To Prevent The Granting Of Personhood To Nature

Environmentalism

Social Issues

U.S.

Utah

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) will focus their resources on bringing in more non-white visitors to their state parks.
MDNR issued a renewed commitment to diversity following their latest quinquennial survey: the <a href="https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/reports/parks/2022-state-parks-visitor-study-summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 State Park Visitor Study</a>, released Tuesday. In a press release, MDNR Parks and Trails Director Ann Pierce said the state agency needed to do more for inclusivity, in reference to their data that only 11 percent more visitors weren’t white.
“The visitor study shows that Minnesota DNR is making progress toward our goal of inclusivity, though there’s still more work to do,” said Pierce. “We will continue our efforts to expand access to public lands for traditionally underserved communities and to welcome new visitors to outdoor recreation in state parks.”
The study reported an increase of non-white visitors from five percent in 2017 to 11 percent last year. The survey may or may not reflect an accurate demographic of state park visitors, since it relies on voluntary participants; MDNR pulled their data from 2,000 interviews last summer.
The study divided participants into two groups: white and BIPOC (short for Black, Indigenous, or People of Color). Biracial and multiracial individuals were classified as BIPOC, along with any participants who reported to be American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian or Asian American, Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Middle Eastern, North African, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.
According to the study, state park visitors were more likely to be white, high income, and more highly educated than the rest of the Minnesota population. The study also reported that the visitors they interviewed had expressed a desire to “decolonize signage” and input more Indigenous history and voices in park programming, as well as expressed concerns over potentially experiencing microaggressions and the lack of diversity during their visit.
The results of this latest study echo prior MDNR recommendations to increase the focus of resources on diversity.
In April 2020, the MDNR convened the Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Task Force. In March 2021, the task force <a href="https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/outdoor-rec-taskforce/minnesota-outdoor-recreation-task-force-recommendations03-24-21-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> final recommendations that MDNR make diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a greater focus. The task force claimed that diversity was an economic asset since more the state’s BIPOC and “gender identity” populations were growing, and claimed that the state was losing $16 billion GDP annually due to racial disparities, citing a <a href="https://www.policylink.org/sites/default/files/MNT_032514.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2014 report</a> from PolicyLink and the University of Southern California (USC) Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE).
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<a href="https://www.policylink.org/about-us/equity-manifesto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PolicyLink</a> is a left-leaning California-based nonprofit that pulls in tens of millions annually ($83.4 million per their <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943297479/202213199349327871/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest</a> tax filing) and advocates for progressive causes, such as expanding the welfare state and government-controlled health care.
In the weeks leading up to the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, MDNR <a href="https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/outdoor-adventure/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a social media campaign encouraging DEI on public lands and waters. MDNR partnered with Share the Mic MN, one of the many racial justice activist campaigns that launched following Floyd’s death.
Share the Mic MN had black and brown women “share the mic,” i.e. take over the social media accounts of white “allies.” The Edina Community Foundation manages the campaign and serves as a partner, along with the U.S. Bank Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, and Allianz.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Shout out to Jasmine at <a href="https://twitter.com/sharethemicmn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sharethemicmn</a> &#8212; excited to partner with you for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyMNOutdoorAdventure?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyMNOutdoorAdventure</a>! Tell YOUR story of diversity outdoors at <a href="https://t.co/pHqSRBcO6Q">https://t.co/pHqSRBcO6Q</a> <a href="https://t.co/wGxWRjm8py">pic.twitter.com/wGxWRjm8py</a>
— Minnesota DNR (@mndnr) <a href="https://twitter.com/mndnr/status/1393203932013514754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
MDNR also co-manages a collegiate career <a href="https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/careers/idec.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">program</a>, Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers, that excludes white males. Only individuals who <a href="https://conservationcorps.org/programs/increasing-diversity-in-environmental-careers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identify</a> as women, BIPOC, and/or disabled are eligible. MNDR partners with the Conservation Corps Minnesota and Iowa, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to manage the program. 
In an interview earlier this week, the principal planner for MDNR Parks and Trails, Gratia Joice, <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/16/diversity-in-minnesota-state-park-use-increases-but-still-doesnt-reflect-state-demographics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Minnesota Public Radio that she and other state workers were encouraged by more non-white visitors frequenting their parks.
“This is something we were really excited to see,” said Joice. “The survey shows increasing diversity among state park visitors, specifically visitors of color, from five percent in 2017 to 11 percent in 2022.”
However, Joice also shared that MDNR is attempting to achieve parity between the population demographics and state park visitor demographics.
The Census Bureau <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MN/PST045222" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimates</a> Minnesota’s white population (not Hispanic or Latino) at around 77.6 percent, black or African American at 7.6 percent, American Indian and Alaska Native at 1.4 percent, Asian at 5.5 percent, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander at .1 percent, biracial or multiracial at 2.8 percent, Hispanic or Latino at six percent.
Per MDNR’s classification of BIPOC, the benchmark for racial parity would be at or above 23.4 percent.
“While it is an improvement, there&#8217;s still work to be done,” said Joice.

Minnesota Park

Minnesota Dept Of Natural Resources Concerned With Bringing More Non-White Visitors To State Parks

General

Minnesota

Race

An apex predator is an animal that has no natural predators and sits at the top of their food chain. Animals that qualify are lions, bears, crocodiles, giant constrictor snakes, wolves, sharks, and, of course, humans (unless they get attacked by any one of those other apex predators).
Another animal at the top of its food chain is the orca, also known as the killer whale. They can grow to 26 feet and weigh up to 22,000 pounds, have a maximum speed of 35 mph, live 90 years or more and have a bite force of 19,000 psi (nearly five times that of a great white shark) with 56 three-inch-long teeth.
And they&#8217;re smart: &#8220;Orcas are some of the most sophisticated pack hunters in the world,&#8221; one website <a href="https://a-z-animals.com/blog/orca-vs-great-white-who-is-the-superior-predator/">wrote</a>. &#8220;With their advanced communicative abilities, orcas put other well-known predators that hunt in groups to shame. A pod of orcas can coordinate complicated strategies to isolate, ambush, and disorient prey to ensure an easy kill.&#8221;
Now, apparently, they&#8217;re coming after us. Reports have emerged that orcas are attacking boats, like this one in the Strait of Gibraltar.
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Orcas normally never attack boats It is assumed that an Orca was sliced by a ship a few years ago and in excruciating agony attacked the boat Other Orcas were watching and learned to view these boats as a threat and to attack Do not blame the Orcas <a href="https://t.co/SF9wLbmX5M">https://t.co/SF9wLbmX5M</a>
&mdash; GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) <a href="https://twitter.com/ECOWARRIORSS/status/1662822263215751168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Several reports say a killer whale called Gladis is teaching other orcas to attack yachts and has already struck three boats, sinking two of them. &#8220;Researchers believe that a female orca called White Gladis is seeking revenge after being traumatised by a collision with a boat, or being trapped in illegal fishing nets,&#8221; one report said.
Gladis&#8217; attacks are being copied by younger whales. “A clearly larger matriarch was definitely around and was almost supervising,” Stephen Bidwell, whose boat was attacked by a pod of orcas, <a href="https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fworld-news%2F2023%2F05%2F23%2Fkiller-whale-gladis-gang-orcas-sinking-yachts-gibraltar%2F">told</a> the Telegraph.
“It’s an experience I will never forget,” Bidwell said. &#8220;I kept reminding myself we had a 22-ton boat made of steel, but seeing three of them coming at once, quickly and at pace with their fins out of the water was daunting.”
The attack lasted for more than an hour.
Another hour-long attack left boater April Boyes, 31, in shock — and she captured it all on video.
Boyes said her four-person crew on the 66-foot-long sailboat saw a pod of orcas and turned off the boat&#8217;s engine, but the whales began ramming the rudder and smashing into the hull, Yahoo <a href="https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/video/sailing-crew-rescued-orcas-attack-160600870.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKJaJ7dH89kx5rCBIt59bt9ponbgWUPfSUJsAJ5LlEhtHG95TIBl-2gs30RKb-SI-IFPBQV4AjnyVZMJ4Vvaii0JzWOiViSRlG6i5i_jQ9n9fHalYcZor-KruZco76laLSk0Vv1ac8N_5XWz_W-RsiQb_Zp7dDmP9JFhgtvkGzIW">reported</a>. The crew, again traveling through the Strait of Gibraltar, had to call Spanish authorities, who towed the badly damaged boat back to port.
&#8220;What started off as a seemingly unique encounter ended with orcas breaking off our rudder from the boat, then proceeding to tear bits off the boat for an hour,&#8221; Boyes said.
&#8220;A huge hole in the hull meant we had water ingress to other parts of the boat and the engine room and I can honestly say it was a scary experience. We are all safe, I&#8217;m feeling grateful for the coast guard,&#8221; she said.
A pod of three orcas also attacked and sank another sailboat, breaking its its rudder and piercing its hull. Captain Werner Schaufelberger said he saw the two smaller whales imitating the ramming tactic of the largest orca, the Telegraph reported.
&#8220;The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The two little orcas observed the bigger one&#8217;s technique and – with a slight run-up – they, too, slammed into the boat.&#8221;
In all, hundreds of incidents between orcas and boats off the coast of Spain have occurred since May 2020, but most have been minor. Now, orcas have learned how to badly damage boats, even sink them.
Marine biologist Alfredo Lopez Fernandez <a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/orcas/orcas-have-sunk-3-boats-in-europe-and-appear-to-be-teaching-others-to-do-the-same-but-why">told</a> Live Science that Gladis suffered a &#8220;critical moment of agony.&#8221; &#8220;That traumatized orca is the one that started this behavior of physical contact with the boat,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We do not interpret that the orcas are teaching the young, although the behavior has spread to the young vertically, simply by imitation, and later horizontally among them, because they consider it something important in their lives,&#8221; Fernandez added.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Viewing Orcas in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Tales Of Ahab: Killer Whales Are Now Ramming, Sinking Boats

Animals

wildlife

A very thirsty <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian</a> black bear broke into a woman&#8217;s car, damaging the vehicle and absolutely destroying several cases of soda that she had been storing inside the car.
Sharon Rosel, the car&#8217;s owner, said that the incident occurred on the night of April 13th — and she was alerted to the bear&#8217;s presence when her dogs began barking at 3 a.m., waking her. When she looked out the window, she saw that the bear had shattered her car window and was happily drinking the sodas, one can at a time.
Rosel <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/soda-car-bear-1.6812541" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that, over the course of the next 90 minutes, the bear used its teeth to work its way through 69 cans of Orange Crush, root beer, and cola — and only slowed down when it got to the diet soda.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="#TheMoment a bandit bear quenches its thirst" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7sb3yyIY0-o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Rosel went on to say that she had attempted to drive the bear off — first by throwing cold water on it from the balcony above, and then by alternately threatening it and attempting to reason with it.
&#8220;You could hear him, slurping it the whole time,&#8221; Rosel said, adding, &#8220;I explained to him how important the car was and that I had to go to work the next morning. That didn’t seem to affect him whatsoever.&#8221;
&#8220;Then I tried psyching him out by telling him I was a bear hunter. That didn&#8217;t do anything either, so I had to stand by and just watch him devour my car,&#8221; she continued.
In addition to drinking 69 of the 72 cans of soda Rosel was keeping in the car, the bear managed to break one of the window rollers and tear up the vehicle&#8217;s white leather interior. &#8220;Of course, white leather interior goes really good with orange Crush,&#8221; Rosel joked.
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Noting that she had been raised around bears, she said that she had never known them to be able to smell soft drinks through the aluminum packaging.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been around bears since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and I have never seen them go after pop,&#8221; she said.

Daily Life In Southern Alberta During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Real Life ‘Coke’ Bear Breaks Into Car, Chugs 69 Sodas

Real Life 'Coke' Bear Breaks Into Car, Chugs 69 Sodas

Canada

World

Family members of a man who reportedly went missing earlier this month in southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Argentina</a> allegedly identified his tattooed dismembered arm that two fishermen discovered inside a captured school shark.
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/argentina-law-enforcement-fish-news-media-4568b7e30da640bb1bee8f10783c3219" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local media</a>, Diego Barría, 32, an oil worker and father of two children, was last seen driving an ATV along the coast in the southern Chubut province on February 18. Two days later, authorities located the damaged vehicle on a beach near Rocas Coloradas.
Barría was nowhere to be found.
Daniela Millatruz, the leading law enforcement officer in charge of the search, told local media that two fishermen alerted coast guard authorities after catching three school sharks nearby where authorities had located Barría’s ATV.
“When they were cleaning them, they found human remains in one of them,” Millatruz said, adding that Barría’s family members were able to identify they belonged to their kin “due to a tattoo that appeared in one of those remains.”
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/28/dads-remains-found-inside-shark-family-ids-him-by-tattoo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> hours before authorities were notified of Barría’s remains, a pair of sunglasses were discovered near the area where the ATV was found, which Barría’s mother confirmed belonged to her deceased son.
Millatruz said authorities have begun investigating if another vehicle was involved, presuming Barría was involved in an accident.
José Mazzei, a Civil Protection spokesperson, told local media the agency has two hypotheses about Barría.
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“One, that he was injured,” Mazzei said. “And the other, which has more weight to it, is that due to the damage to the quad, he was knocked unconscious on the coast, and the strong high tide dragged him away.”
Comodoro Rivadavia Police Chief Cristian Ansaldo told local media that the shark carrying the human remains measured around 4.9 feet, and he hypothesized Barría “had an accident and was dragged.”
&#8220;One of the strongest hypotheses is that it collided with a rock and the body was carried away by the sea, but we are going to handle all the hypotheses with the evidence found in the place,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.adnsur.com.ar/policiales---judiciales/una-busqueda-desesperada-por-7-dias-y-el-macabro-final-de-diego-barria--su-muerte-conmociona-al-pais_a63fcab219799590a89c945bb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Authorities will conduct an official DNA test of the remains to confirm they belong to Barría.
Virginia Brugger, Barría’s widow, wrote on Facebook Sunday, “My heart went with you!”
“I love you forever,” she said.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Curious shark

Family Members Of Missing Man Identify Tattooed Arm Found Inside Shark

Argentina

Sharks

Over the last few months, roughly two dozen whale corpses have washed up on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. The unexplained increase in fatalities is happening as the state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey</a> is constructing a massive offshore wind farm, which some conservationists claim is affecting whale navigation.
Federal scientists insist that no evidence has directly linked the construction to the spike in beached whales, but some local lawmakers, environmentalist groups, and conservative commentators have insisted the wind turbines are the obvious culprit and are demanding action.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tracked 184 “<a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2016-2023-humpback-whale-unusual-mortality-event-along-atlantic-coast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unusual mortality events</a>” for Humpback whales in the area since 2016 — roughly 25 per year, but over the past few months, there have been <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2360641-why-are-so-many-whales-getting-stranded-on-us-beaches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least 22 large whales</a> stranded in the region, including 15 humpbacks, rivaling last year’s annual total.
“It’s an alarming surge,” said Sheila Dean, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in New Jersey.
Roughly a third of the corpses have washed up on the shores of New York and New Jersey — that’s significant because a massive wind farm is being constructed off New Jersey’s coast. The state has committed $10 billion to the project, which they hope will generate 11 Gigawatts of power by 2040. But now, there’s a growing effort to stop the project.
Thousands of protesters gathered on Sunday — “international whale day” — at Pleasant Point Beach in New Jersey to lobby for a moratorium on offshore wind developments. The group spearheading the effort, Clean Ocean Action, was initially supportive of smaller wind projects, but has expressed concerns over the impact larger developments could have.
<div id="attachment_505219" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-505219" class="wp-image-505219 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/02/Wind-Kills-Whales-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress</div>
“At this point, there is no evidence to support speculation that noise resulting from wind development-related site characterization surveys could potentially cause mortality of whales,” according to the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-life-distress/frequent-questions-offshore-wind-and-whales">official website of the NOAA</a>, “and no specific links between recent large whale mortalities and currently ongoing surveys. We will continue to gather data to help us determine the cause of death for these mortality events.”
While investigations have not connected the construction of the wind farm to the excess fatalities, some employees of the NOAA had raised concerns about the risks it may pose before the surge began.
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Sean Hayes, chief of the protected species branch at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-18/why-are-whales-dying-in-new-jersey-some-blame-wind-farms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> regulators last year that “additional noise, vessel traffic and habitat modifications due to offshore wind development will likely cause added stress [to whales and] result in additional population consequences.”
Whales and other cetaceans often rely on echolocation, a sort of natural sonar, to sense their surroundings, and excess noise could distort their perceptions and lead them into dangerous waters.
Advocates of the turbines have argued that the ships involved only account for 2% of the total traffic in the area — the port of New York and New Jersey is the <a href="https://container-news.com/top-10-the-busiest-container-ports-in-the-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">third busiest</a> in the United States — and whatever minor marine disruptions that are created would be offset by a decline in greenhouse emissions.
<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dozens-nj-mayors-call-immediate-offshore-wind-moratorium-latest-whale-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 mayors of coastal communities</a> in the area, and several sitting members of Congress, including Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-wind-farms-killing-whales-environmentalism-sean-hannity-1781312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a> (R-GA) have called for a moratorium on the project. Tucker Carlson of Fox News also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foVo6GP8Vmw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> the issue to a national audience.
The office of Governor Phil Murphy put out a statement in response to the public outcry, expressing sympathy for concerned environmentalists while insinuating that some critics were not concerned with whales at all and were merely capitalizing on the situation to shut down a project they had already opposed.
“We know that many residents, both in our shore communities and across the state, share our genuine concern for marine life and its survival,” the statement said. “But we also know that there are those out there who are motivated not by a concern for our environment but by their own political ideologies and opposition to the very efforts that will preserve and protect our environment for generations to come.”
Other observers were even less charitable.
“It’s just a cynical disinformation campaign,” Greenpeace oceans director John Hocevar told <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/11/whale-deaths-and-windmills/11178432002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USA Today</a>.
Still, while the cause of the surge in stranded whales has not been firmly established, the phenomenon is indisputable.
“I’ve gotten lots of information from different sources,” said Kim Wetzel, 57, an Ocean City resident who attended Sunday’s rally, “and you can’t argue with the fact that 10 whales have washed up.”

US-ANIMAL-WHALE

Wind Farm Blamed For Surge In Dead Whales On U.S. Atlantic Coast

Energy

Greenpeace

Whale

City park workers shocked themselves — and passersby – when they dragged a four-foot-long alligator from Brooklyn&#8217;s Prospect Park Lake on Sunday morning.
The <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/police-snipers-protect-rescue-divers-in-alligator-infested-pond-after-florida-car-accident/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alligator</a> was reportedly spotted by park visitors early on Sunday, floating in the lake in an area that was often popular with children. The animal was lethargic, authorities say, possibly in shock because the cold temperatures in the lake did not meet those of the animal&#8217;s natural habitat.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Bring him south!! Poor guy! 
Workers stunned as 4-foot alligator is hauled from Brooklyn&#39;s Prospect Park Lake <a href="https://t.co/fFHXoOoKYj">https://t.co/fFHXoOoKYj</a>
&mdash; Kerri Rawson (@KerriRawson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KerriRawson/status/1627421109854371840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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According to a <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2023/02/19/4-foot-long-alligator-rescued-from-prospect-park-lake?cid=id-app15_m-share_s-web_cmp-app_launch_august2020_c-producer_posts_po-organic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Sunday by Spectrum News NY1, the <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/alligator-bites-florida-wildlife-park-directors-hand-resulting-in-amputation-second-alligator-attack-in-ten-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alligator</a> was taken first to an animal care center and then to the Bronx Zoo. No one was injured by the animal while it was in the park.
Authorities appeared to suggest that the alligator could possibly have been someone&#8217;s pet — and that the person had attempted to release it into the wild — and they warned against others who might be tempted to take similar actions.
&#8220;Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous to those parks-domesticated or otherwise. In addition to the potential danger to park goers this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality,&#8221; a spokesperson for the department said in a statement, adding that such actions could prove dangerous for the animals as well.
The alligator, at the time it was retrieved from the lake, was &#8220;very lethargic and possibly cold shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates.&#8221;
A man — who gave only the name Moses — <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/19/gator-aid-4-foot-alligator-hauled-from-prospect-park-lake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The New York Post</a>, &#8220;If I saw that gator, I would have kicked it back in the water! You’d never expect to see something like that here. But man, I feel bad for it. It shouldn’t be in a lake. Animals are like people, you know?&#8221;
&#8220;What? An alligator?! OK … oh, my goodness,&#8221; 37-year-old father Vijay Jacob told the Post. &#8220;That’s pretty terrifying since this part is a pretty kids-dominated section of the park. We come here a lot, but I’d never expect to see an alligator here. Maybe that’s why it’s so abandoned here today.&#8221;

Florida Wildlife And Daily Life Scenes

Locals Shocked As Authorities Pull 4-Foot Alligator From NYC Lake

Brooklyn

New York City

On Tuesday, a five-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion in northern California when his mother stepped in to save him.
The boy was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/01/child-attacked-mountain-lion-northern-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transported</a> to a medical facility on Tuesday after the attack was carried out. The attack happened right before seven o’clock in the evening in San Mateo county in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a>, the sheriff’s department reportedly said. Officials said the boy was not conscious when he was taken to receive medical care.
The boy’s mother and grandfather were <a href="https://abc7news.com/mountain-lion-attack-child-injured-san-mateo-county-sheriffs-office/12758053/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accompanying</a> him on a hike when a mountain lion attacked him, forcing him to the ground, authorities with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) reportedly stated. 
His mother saved his life by grabbing him and bringing him out of harm’s way. A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the young child was going to be “okay” but had puncture injuries. The DWF noted that the mountain lion was gnawing on the child.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is looking into the mountain lion attack, according to authorities, per the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-attacks-child-in-san-mateo-county-17755626.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Francisco Chronicle</a>. They will also be speaking with the boy’s mother and taking a sample of the animal’s DNA from his clothes to see if they catch the right mountain lion. 
Game personnel were in the region on Wednesday searching for the mountain lion with the plan “to capture and remove the animal.” 
The San Francisco ABC News affiliate spoke to a person who lives close by to where the attack took place and he said he was the first one to arrive at the location. 
&#8220;They were pretty calm when I pulled up, they&#8217;re my neighbors so I asked them if they were okay. They were very &#8230; they were good. They said everybody&#8217;s fine, but they had to talk to fish and game, and a warden pulled up right as I pulled out,&#8221; Chad Conover <a href="https://abc7news.com/mountain-lion-attack-child-injured-san-mateo-county-sheriffs-office/12758053/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Typically the mountain lions avoid people, so it&#8217;s not often you hear about an attack on a human.”
He said the child was on the rear side of the property, which was a house where his parent was working. 
“Our coastal community had endured so much these past few weeks. Our entire agency is saddened of this news and sends many warm wishes to the child for a speedy and full recovery,” San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-attacks-child-in-san-mateo-county-17755626.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/mountain-lion-attack-leaves-child-unknown-condition-trauma/story?id=96812050" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “Our thoughts are with the family at this time.”
In the fall of last year, a mountain lion <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/child-hospitalized-after-california-mountain-lion-17755673.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bit</a> a seven-year-old boy in southern California, but the boy’s father scared it off. The boy received treatment for relatively non-serious injuries. 
Mountain lions attacking people are not common and are often not deadly. There were just 64 <a href="https://a-z-animals.com/blog/do-mountain-lions-attack-humans-heres-what-the-data-says/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">authenticated</a> mountain lion attacks from 1890 until 1994, but by 2022, there have now been 126 such attacks.

“Mountain Lion”

Mountain Lion Attacks Small Child, Mother Saves Him

California

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