A 140-year-old Woodcock Exposed an Eco Villain

How an 1885 dissection unraveled a hidden story about invasive worms and the migration routes of the American woodcock in North America.

In 1887, Frederick Webster, a taxidermist from Washington, D.C., wrote a brief article in a scientific journal. In it, he described dissecting a woodcock from Martha’s Winery that had a crop crammed completely with ferns. Why did this woodcock stray from its common weight loss program of invertebrates? A.J. and Gabby, hosts of the Undertaking Upland Podcast, seek for the reply—solely to uncover the shocking story of invasive worms in North America.

Along with woodcock researcher Dr. Amber Roth and soil ecologist Dr. Peter Groffman, we learn the way eco-engineering has destroyed native landscapes, contributed to the unfold of ticks and invasive crops, and extra. From woodcock migration in the course of the Ice Age to the tobacco commerce, this investigation is filled with twists and turns.

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Uncommon Info About American Woodcock

A.J. DeRosa

A.J. DeRosa, founding father of Undertaking Upland, is a New England native with over 35 years of looking expertise throughout three continents. His ardour for upland birds and side-by-side shotguns has taken him around the globe, uncovering the tales of individuals and locations related to the uplands. First revealed in 2004, he wrote The City Deer Complicated in 2014 and shortly found a love for filmmaking, which led to the award-winning Undertaking Upland movie sequence. A.J.’s dedication to wildlife drives his advocacy for conservation coverage and habitat funding at each federal and state ranges. He serves as Vice Chair of the New Hampshire Fish & Recreation Fee, giving again to his neighborhood. You’ll be able to typically discover A.J. and his Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Grim, looking within the mountains of New England—or wherever the birds lead them.

Gabriela Zaldumbide

Gabby Zaldumbide is Undertaking Upland’s Editor in Chief. Gabby was born in Maryland and raised in southern Wisconsin, the place she additionally studied wildlife ecology on the College of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2018, she moved to Gunnison, Colorado to earn her grasp’s in public land administration from Western Colorado College. Gabby nonetheless lives there as we speak and shares 11 acres with eight canines, 5 horses, and three cats. She herds cows for an area rancher on the facet.

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