Heather Physioc / HP Conservation

Why tequila depends on Mexico's bats Conservationists and communities are planting thousands of agave plants to protect endangered bats, and the future of Mexico's tequila production.

Agaves rely on bats for reproduction just as much as the hungry bats depend on agaves for food. But wild agave plants are declining: 42 of 168 species are threatened or severely endangered. Great story by Becca Warner for BBC about bat conservation and tequila. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

The main barrier to speaking up or acting as an ally for others at work? It's not a lack of caring or awareness, it was "distrust and tension between people in their organization, which had them second-guessing themselves and self-censoring." theconversation.com/distrust-and...

The mystery of why leaves change colour in the autumn Although the chemistry of autumn colours is well understood, there is an ongoing debate among scientists about why trees evolved their vivid autumn colours in the first place.

Scientists know HOW leaves change color in fall (trees break down green chlorophyll and pull nutrients back for winter). 🍁 But scientists don't know yet WHY many trees evolved bright fall colors. Fascinating read by Ally Hirschlag for BBC about the running theories: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

537 Stop Overthinking and Just Touch Some Grass, Heather Physioc - Rick Saez Today, Rick talks with Heather Physioc.  Heather is a speaker, educator, trainer, and globally recognized leader in discoverability. Facebook   Twitter   Instagram Love the show? Subscribe,  rate,…

Rick Saez and I got into the intersection between outdoor adventures and business leadership in ep. 537 of the Outdoor Adventure Lifestyle Podcast - give it a listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts: ricksaez.com/podcast/537-...

"There's so much we can't control for. I can't control the algorithms, and I can't control the weather at the top of the mountain. But what I can control is strengthening my toolkit, so when the time comes, I can assess and respond in real time with confidence and a clear head."

More Than 800 Google Workers Urge Company to Cancel Any Contracts With ICE and CBP The campaign is among the largest anti-ICE protests by workers at a single company since federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis last month.

"More Than 880 [people] working for Google are 'vehemently opposed' to Google’s dealings with the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)." www.wired.com/story/hundre... via @wired.com

Hi! I'm a search expert. I got asked last week whether it's possible to exclude amazon.com, target.com, walmart.com and other larger retailer websites from search results in Google, Bing, Ecosia and others.

Answer: Yes, it's easy, and here's how.

AI Search Meets Jobs To Be Done: Discoverability > SEO with Heather Physioc (Part 2) Podcast Episode · Simple and Smart SEO: A podcast for Etsy sellers who want to expand to Shopify! · 09/03/2025 · 18m

Loved this conversation with Crystal Waddell for the The Simple and Smart SEO Show podcast. We talked #AI reshaping the #SEO landscape and why human-centered strategy still matters. Listen to part 2!
🎧 Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
🎧 Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/1oB5...

“If we think of ourselves only as SEOs — only about Google, only about websites — we will be obsolete, and in many cases already are. When we step back and think about what we’re really trying to do, it’s making brands discoverable in the moments customers actually care to receive it.”

NEW research: sparktoro.com/blog/new-res...

If you give ChatGPT the same request for product recommendations 100X, will you ever get the same list twice?

And what does that answer mean for folks who try to track their brand presence in AI tools?

Finally, some real answers 🧐

Light Pollution Map | Bortle Scale & Dark Sky (2026) Explore the most accurate 2026 light pollution map web app. Check Bortle Scale and SQM data, and discover dark-sky, Milky Way, and aurora spots near you.

Cool app to understand how strong the light pollution near you is. lightpollutionmap.app

In Brazil, a new label gives more visibility to deforestation-free beef A new certification for deforestation-free beef in Brazil, the first of its kind, aims to bring more transparency to existing protocols for monitoring deforestation in meat supply chains.

Brazil has launched its first deforestation-free beef certification, the Beef-on-Track label, to make monitoring systems more transparent and help meatpackers, exporters, and retailers meet growing international demand.

The first amphibian to halt a hydroelectric dam now takes on the climate crisis Known in Brazil as the admirable little red-bellied toad, the rare Melanophryniscus admirabilis is endemic to a stretch of the Forqueta River in Rio Grande do Sul state.

🥹 OMG I can't. 🐸 After stopping a hydroelectric dam in 2014 to protect its only habitat, Brazil’s critically endangered “admirable little red-bellied toad” is still reproducing but faces escalating pressures driving urgent conservation and policy action. mongabay1.substack.com/p/the-first-...

Photos: Top new species from 2025 The world still holds its secrets. Hidden under wet rocks, in the ocean’s twilight crevices, and in the minutiae of the genetic code are creatures unknown and unnamed by the human species. Every…

Species newly described to science in 2025, though many have long been known to Indigenous and local communities. Formal scientific recognition often immediately triggers conservation attention for species that are already rare, threatened, or at risk of extinction. news.mongabay.com/2025/12/phot...

As storms surge & the sea rises, Belgium builds dunes for protection Belgium is trialing “dune-by-dike” systems as a nature-based defense against storm surges and sea-level rise, using engineered sand dunes in front of existing dikes to create a double buffer along…

As climate-driven storms and sea-level rise intensify, Belgium is piloting engineered “dune-by-dike” systems that pair manmade sand dunes with existing seawalls to absorb wave energy, reduce erosion, and protect vulnerable coastlines while also supporting biodiversity.

Imagine what a treat it was for this wild pair to fly up and perch on that tree trunk literally DURING my interview on Nusa Penida. Much to be thankful for! Thanks for sharing. - HP

This Easy Solution Could Prevent Whale Deaths New on-demand fishing gear reduces harmful entanglements

Fishing ropes are a leading cause of deadly whale entanglements, but new on-demand (ropeless) fishing gear is helping fisheries stay open during whale migrations. They dramatically reduce whale deaths while still allowing fishers to work. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/easy-...

It would be supremely cool if you followed my conservation photography on Instagram. 🥰 www.instagram.com/hpconservati...

Northern Lights in Kansas City: How to See & Photograph Aurora Borealis in KC The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) are a rare and special treat for Kansas City. Sitting at Latitude ~39°N, KC is much further south than the typical viewing zones, like Canada or Alaska, and sight...

🌌 Kansas City isn’t exactly aurora territory… but last month a massive solar storm pushed the Northern Lights far enough south that we saw them glow right over our own backyard. I grabbed my camera and raced north in the dark, and somehow came home with this shot. hpconservation.com/domestic/kan...

Artificial Islands Are Turning Industrial Wastelands Into Thriving Ecosystems Groups across North America are turning to the power of Mother Nature to revive waterways

Artificial floating wetlands across North America are transforming polluted, industrialized waterways into thriving ecological habitats that support wildlife, improve water quality, and reconnect urban communities with nature. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/artif...

Trapped by what they know: Young adults’ algorithmic cynicism Teaching young people to trace why certain stories trend or how recommendation systems work can build a shared sense of how truth circulates online.

"Young people feel paralyzed in the face of a media ecosystem flooded with sensationalism and polarization. When the game feels rigged, why bother playing? Fighting the algorithm can feel as futile as tilting at digital windmills." www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/trap...

A close-up of a bull moose alongside a screenshot of Heather Physioc’s Sierra Magazine feature, “A Road Less Deadly,” about Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula wildlife crossings designed to reduce moose-vehicle collisions.

My latest story, and first for Sierra Magazine, is about brand new wildlife crossings built into a major infrastructure project on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to help with the moose-vehicle collision problem in the region. Come behind the scenes with me. hpconservation.com/news/alaskas...

Two-page My Wildlife Wonders activity: a monarch butterfly coloring sheet with facts and a second page featuring a life cycle labeling activity and critter crossword for kids.

🦋 Hey everyone! I just published my latest printable coloring book page + activity sheets that teach kids about the monarch butterfly's epic 3,000-mile journey, life cycle, and story!

It's perfect for classrooms, families, or rainy-day fun. 👉 hpconservation.com/my-wildlife-... #monarch #coloring

Life Beyond the Grave These morticians are both conservation heroes and undertakers

If anyone asks, this is how I want to be buried. 🌱 "Life Beyond the Grave: These morticians are both conservation heroes and undertakers." Green burials meet conservation easements - protecting nature while returning to it. Great read by Marin Scotten for Sierra. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/life-...

These Inuit Maps Are Reimagining the Arctic Counter-mapping projects are supporting Indigenous sovereignty in a shifting landscape

“More Indigenous territory has been claimed by maps than by guns.” Great piece about "counter-mapping" projects: Indigenous nations are using maps to reclaim their stories by charting ancestral routes & sacred places to assert rights and un-erase their presence. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/these...

Nine months later, that body of water down south is still the “Gulf of Mexico” to news outlets Since the start of summer, "Gulf of America" has been losing what little popularity it had in newsrooms.

Interesting that the major tech companies quickly kowtowed to the unilateral order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," yet it didn't stick in news outlets. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine...

Indigenous-led protections spark Bali starling’s recovery in the wild NUSA PENIDA, Indonesia — Two young conservation workers rattle up on a motorbike and dismount at the edge of a coconut grove. Picking through husks, fallen fronds and stray plastic bottles, they scan…

An Indonesian songbird once nearly extinct in the wild, the Bali starling, is making a comeback through community-led conservation.

Villages embraced traditional awig-awig regulations to protect the starling, creating powerful cultural, social and financial deterrents to poaching.

Quechua: Inside the Fight to Preserve Indigenous Culture in the Andes Quechua is a most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas - yet it’s endangered. Learn about the threats to its survival and the innovative approaches to preserve this vibrant cultural herit...

Not to play favorites, but this story was special... hpconservation.com/abroad/revit...

From Forest to Fireweed The ecological upheaval of Jasper National Park

"A quadrupling of area burned.”
"Forests are being knocked back to the Pleistocene."
"Not so much reset as annihilated."
“Some of our forests will never be forests again."
A piece by Zack Metcalfe for Sierra Magazine.
www.sierraclub.org/Sierra/wildf...

From Forest to Fireweed The ecological upheaval of Jasper National Park

🔥 🌳 Pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds, wildfire-driven fire storms that inject smoke, ash, & moisture high into the sky and trigger hurricane-force winds below, generate lightning, ignite fires, and rain embers. They used to be rare. Not so anymore. buff.ly/5ONKAH7