Heather Physioc / KCTRVLR

Missouri’s oldest Black bookstore just closed. The Kansas City Defender plans to reopen it as a newsroom and public archive. “The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.”

“The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...

Or perhaps @smugmug.bsky.social and @photoshelter.bsky.social would like to give me their best pitch.

Thoughts on #SmugMug, #PhotoShelter, Format, or #PhotoDeck? #Zenfolio just isn't cutting it on the basic print/product options, and it should be like checking a box to fix, but no...

Hey #photographers - what platform are you using to showcase and sell your work as prints, cards, etc.? @zenfolio.bsky.social has become a sunk cost money pit instead of a platform I can count on to grow my business. They collect feedback about the platform, but don't actually evolve. :(

Missouri’s oldest Black bookstore just closed. The Kansas City Defender plans to reopen it as a newsroom and public archive. “The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.”

"This month, Robinson retired, and Willa’s Books and Vinyl closed its doors. But thanks to The Kansas City Defender [turning it into a public archive and public headquarters] the collection isn’t going anywhere." www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...

A bald eagle perches on a V-shaped wooden utility structure in Laramie, Wyoming, viewed from behind with its head turned slightly to the left. The image, in black and white, highlights the detailed layering of its dark feathers and pale head plumage. The bird’s powerful hooked beak and heavy talons are visible, and the rough texture of the weathered wood contrasts with the smooth, clouded sky. This raptor is a mature adult, identifiable by its fully white head and tail, common among breeding-age bald eagles.

📷 Photograph: A stark black-and-white fine art portrait of a mature adult American bald eagle perched on a post near Medicine Bow in Wyoming.
Photographed on Canon USA R5
Edited in Adobe Lightroom

#Eagles continues to rely on federal protections and ongoing conservation measures to secure its long-term future. Federal and state agencies, NGOs, Native American tribes, and private landowners collaborate on nest-site protection, lead‑ammunition restrictions, safer wind farms, and monitoring.

🦅 But we can't ignore the ongoing threats to the bald eagle, including lead poisoning from ammunition and fishing tackle, avian influenza outbreaks, electrocution on power lines, collisions with vehicles and turbines, habitat loss and environmental pollution.

They were downlisted from "endangered" to "threatened" in 1995, and by 2007 their recovery was strong enough to be entirely delisted from the #EndangeredSpecies Act. More than 10,000 pairs are estimated to exist today.

🪺 Captive breeding, nest protections, habitat #conservation and reintroduction efforts have helped improve their recovery, and the species grew at an average of about 4% annually.

🏛️ Endangered listing: In 1967, southern U.S. populations were listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act; by 1978, all contiguous U.S. populations were designated endangered or threatened via the #EndangeredSpeciesAct.

🏛️ The mid-20th-century decline was driven by the DDT pesticide, which caused eggshell thinning, habitat loss and shooting. By 1963, only 400–500 #eagle nesting pairs remained in the lower 48 states. DDT was banned in 1972, triggering a population rebound.

🏛️ Early legal protections began with the 1918 #MigratoryBirdTreatyAct, followed by the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940, making it illegal to harm eagles, nests, eggs, or feathers.

A bald eagle perches on a V-shaped wooden utility structure in Laramie, Wyoming, viewed from behind with its head turned slightly to the left. The image, in black and white, highlights the detailed layering of its dark feathers and pale head plumage. The bird’s powerful hooked beak and heavy talons are visible, and the rough texture of the weathered wood contrasts with the smooth, clouded sky. This raptor is a mature adult, identifiable by its fully white head and tail, common among breeding-age bald eagles.

🦅 Many Americans don't realize how dangerously close we came to losing the #BaldEagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), one of our most iconic symbols. By 1963, only about 400-500 nesting pairs still lived in the lower 48 United States.

⬇️ A bit about this remarkable bird of prey's conservation history:

‼️ Missourians: Sign up for MDC’s free email newsletter and Missouri Conservationist magazine to learn about upcoming events, classes, and experiences — from wildflower gardening to knot-tying to animal handling.

🔗 mdc.mo.gov/magazines

📚 I’m a big fan of the Missouri Department of Conservation. These naturalists are passionate and deeply knowledgeable. They provide essential services that connect people to place with their monthly Conservationist magazine, nature centers and wealth of free programming for all ages.

Tattooed woman's wrist holding a juvenile prairie kingsnake (Great plains rat snake) with the aid of an MDC naturalist

🕷️I waited my whole life to touch this spider, or ANY spider, always hesitant about the "creepy crawlies." But the sheer joy I felt as its padded little feet crossed my palm? Indescribable. I was grinning ear to ear, elated to feel the cool, smooth scales of the snakes as they moved across my skin.🐍

😱 Many people fear creatures like spiders and snakes. But knowing how deeply nature affects Missourians' well-being, MDC naturalists like Lisa work to demystify local wildlife and open hearts and minds to our wild neighbors.

Tattooed woman's wrist holding a black and white prairie kingsnake (Great plains rat snake)

🐍 I went behind the scenes with naturalist Lisa Richter at the Missouri Department of Conservation's #BurrOakWoods Conservation Nature Center site to meet Missouri’s native wildlife up close — including gently handling a Missouri tarantula and Great Plains rat #snakes (a.k.a. prairie kingsnakes).

A tattooed woman's hands holding a Missouri tarantula walking across her palms with the aid of an MDC naturalist

🕷️ I held a #tarantula for the first time — and it was incredible. ⬇️

Preview graphic of an elementary school age children's coloring book page and activity worksheet for the endangered species bighorn sheep found in the American West. Great for use in classrooms or summer learning programs

🐏 I just shared my Bighorn Sheep "My Wildlife Wonders" post, with fun facts for animal lovers, and a FREE printable coloring page and activity sheet perfect for younger explorers. It's a fun way to spark curiosity about these amazing #animals! 🖍️ Happy coloring!

➡️ kctrvlr.com/my-wildlife-...

🏛️ In 2025, a bipartisan #CongressionalWildHorseCaucus was formed to advance more humane, science-based solutions, such as immunocontraception and habitat preservation. This move could reshape how America balances ecological integrity with ethical stewardship of its wild horses.

🐎 Another 68,000 #wildhorses are held in long-term government facilities. Current management — helicopter roundups and limited fertility control — remains costly and controversial.

🏛️In 1971, Congress responded with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, granting federal protection and mandating BLM and #ForestService management. Today, more than 73,000 mustangs roam BLM-managed lands, far exceeding what federal officials consider ecologically sustainable.

A small band of wild mustangs stands alert on the high plains near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, framed by a backdrop of open sky and rolling sagebrush. The horses - dark bay to black with windswept manes - gather protectively around a foal, their muscular bodies and upright posture signaling both strength and vigilance in the rugged Western landscape.

🐎The American #mustang, descended from Spanish horses brought to the Americas in the 1500s, has long symbolized the untamed spirit of the West. Once numbering in the millions, wild horse populations plummeted to just 17,000 by the early 1970s due to widespread roundups and commercial exploitation.

2025 Conference - Outdoor Writers Association of America Save the date for our 2024 Annual Conference on Sept. 20-22, 2024. Learn more here.

📣 Excited to speak August 19-21 at Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) conference in 📍Chattanooga, Tennessee! 🚨 Registration is closing soon—don’t wait! 🔗 owaa.org/2025-confere...

🐦 They nest in natural tree cavities and old woodpecker holes. Only a few perching birds share their special skill of using their feet to hold seeds while cracking them open with their bills.

🐦 Their range has grown steadily north and west since the mid-20th century, including much of Oklahoma, where I photographed this individual, and reaching into southern Canada, likely due to warming winters and increased mature woodland habitat.

🐦 Tufted titmice are social, non-migratory songbirds native to eastern North America. Essential members of mixed-species foraging flocks, tufted titmice help control insect populations and contribute to the health of woodland ecosystems.

A small songbird, a tufted titmouse, perches on a lichen-covered tree branch against a clear blue sky. The bird faces forward, showing its pale grayish-white chest and belly, with darker gray wings and back. Its most distinctive feature is a short, tousled crest of feathers on top of its head, giving it a slightly scruffy appearance. The titmouse has large, dark, inquisitive eyes and a small, black beak. Budding branches with yellow-green tips frame the scene, suggesting early spring. The bird’s long, pale tail hangs straight down, and the overall lighting is bright and natural, highlighting the fine texture of its feathers.

🐦 The familiar "peter-peter-peter" of the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) heralded the impending arrival of sundown. A vocal flock flew into the oak tree over my campsite each evening, staying long enough to forage and recollect the group before moving on. #Birds