While extinction is a natural phenomenon, scientists estimate that species are being lost at up to 1,000 times the background rate, with dozens disappearing every day, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. However, multiple animals thought to be lost for good have resurfaced this year to the delight of biologists and animal lovers alike. Here are the animals that scientists rediscovered in 2019 (Saturday December 28th, 2019 — abc news - USA)

The birth of the yet-to-be-named male calf marks a milestone for conservationists trying to save the critically endangered species (Friday December 27th, 2019 — Smithsonian Magazine online - USA)

The Camphill Community Mourne Grange in Kilkeel is a community where people with special needs work and live together. They have been working away collecting tools to repurpose and send to tradespeople in Africa. Refurbishing tools and sewing machines gives the residents at Mourne Grange a chance to learn new skills. (Wednesday December 25th, 2019 — BBC News - Ireland)

The renowned Ontario based Waldorf Academy Toronto recently published a report discussing the importance of arts education, and the positive impact it can have on young children. The private school, which has been providing children with a superior education for over 30 years, is now working to raise awareness of a subject that is thought to improve different aspects of a child’s education. The Academy states that, whether it is painting, math, or science, all subjects should be treated equally. (Thursday December 19th, 2019 — StreetInsider.com - Canada)

In a decision filed Thursday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., a three-judge panel declared the U.S. Forest Service "abdicated its responsibility to preserve national forest resources" when it issued permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to build through parts of the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests and a right of way across the Appalachian Trail. ... The judges cited Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: "We trust the United States Forest Service to 'speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.'" (Saturday December 14th, 2019 — NPR - National Public Radio USA)

As part of their applied art curriculum, eighth graders at Tamarack Waldorf School on Milwaukee's east side learned how to use a sewing machine to make backpacks, and then filled those backpacks with donated items. The school partnered with Pathfinders, a local group that supports young people in crisis, including some who experience homelessness. (Friday December 13th, 2019 — WDJT Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA)

Participants will spend time in contemplation and meditation viewing, by candlelight, 15 images of Madonna and Child. Thirteen of the 15 images were created by Italian painter Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520). The adoption of Raphael’s Madonna images as part of a healing therapy came after a meeting between philosopher Dr. Rudolf Steiner and a physician, Dr. Felix Peipers. Peipers arranged Raphael’s Madonna images in a sequence that formed a five-pointed star, or pentagram. (Wednesday December 11th, 2019 — The Sopris Sun - Carbondale, Colorado USA)

Bangor University researchers are working with leftover farming materials to create trays for fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs. They say the research could also provide an extra source of income for farmers in African countries such as Uganda. Plant fibres are being mashed up and pressed into shallow trays similar to plastic ones already in use in supermarkets. (Wednesday November 13th, 2019 — BBC online - UK)

The Olive Tree of Vouves, located in Ano Vouves on the island of Crete in Greece, is over 3,000 years old and shows no signs of heading into retirement anytime soon. The ancient plant still produces olives. And yes, you can get olive oil made from the fruit of this tree. (Monday July 29th, 2019 — Daily Good)

As scientists like Ricketts and Nicholson are discovering how incredibly valuable wild pollinators are to our food supply, we are also seeing early signs of a worldwide collapse in pollinator numbers, and industrial agriculture — including commercial beekeeping — is largely to blame. There’s a desperate need for alternative models that work with wild bees .... (Wednesday July 24th, 2019 — Huffpost)

... the absence of pesticides in a successful organic system is the result of how we farm, not the definition of it. The organic movement has long believed that food grown in a healthy soil is the foundation of human health. ... The inclusion of hydroponics in organic certification is thus not an example of innovation and improvement. It is an example of conquest and colonization. It is simply a hostile takeover of organic by economic forces. (Monday June 24th, 2019 — independentsciencenews.org)

Biodynamic wines are those made from grapes that have been biodynamically-harvested. Biodynamic farming is very similar to organic farming, but with very specific methods and preparations to foster soil health. Like organic wines, choosing a biodynamic wine really comes down to personal philosophy. Although, biodynamic wines may be more expensive. (Friday May 17th, 2019 — Real Simple - New York, New York USA)

Basking sharks are being spotted off the coast of Southern California in numbers not seen for decades. ... A hundred years ago, basking sharks were a frequent sight in California’s oceans, but around 1960 they all but disappeared. (Thursday May 16th, 2019 — Care2.com - USA)

The owner of Château d’Yquem, Bernard Arnault, announced this week that the benchmark Sauternes property was to undergo conversion to biodynamic viticulture and St Emilion property Cheval Blanc may follow suit. (Wednesday May 15th, 2019 — The Drinks Business )

A recent exhibition of the works of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint at the Guggenheim Museum in New York is re-calibrating the ladders of abstract expressionism in the art world. (Saturday May 11th, 2019 — The Hindu )

Few people would want to document one of the most stressful and humbling periods of their life, but over the last eight years, Chester and a crew of interns and professional movie makers, captured the journey in gorgeous, unflinching detail in “The Biggest Little Farm,” the award-winning documentary opening in theaters May 10. (Friday May 10th, 2019 — Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles, California USA)

Coal power’s share of British electricity generation has been dropping sharply in recent years — from nearly 40% in 2012 to a mere 5% last year. Two years ago, the country committed to stop generating electricity with coal entirely by 2025. (Wednesday May 8th, 2019 — Think Progress - USA)

California's Healthy Soils initiative is now in its third year, and it's designed to be part of the state's climate strategy. A state report finds that farms and forests could absorb as much as 20 percent of California's current level of emissions. "I think there's great potential for agriculture to play a really important role" in reaching the state's climate goals, says Kate Scow, professor of soil microbial ecology at the University of California, Davis. (Thursday May 2nd, 2019 — NPR.org - USA)

Over the next several years, the Salgados and the Instituto Terra team slowly but surely rebuilt the 1,754-acre forest, transforming it from a barren plot of land to a tropical paradise. (Tuesday April 23rd, 2019 — mymodernmet.com )

In Matamorisca, they intervened in 17 barren hectares owned by the regional government and peppered them with their signature device: a biodegradable cardboard donut they call the cocoon which can hold 25 litres of water underground to aid a seedling’s first year. Around 16,000 oaks, ashes, walnuts, rowans, and whitebeams were planted in May 2018, and the company reports that 96% of them survived that year’s scorching summer without extra irrigation, a critical milestone for a young tree. (Wednesday March 20th, 2019 — BBC Online - UK)