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Something Good

Diego, an Española giant tortoise, at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos

Diego, the 100-Year-Old Tortoise Who Helped Save His Species, Went Home

Taken from Española Island in the 1930s and kept at the San Diego Zoo for decades, Diego fathered roughly 40 percent of…Sep 9, 2026

A mother sea otter floating on her back in the water with two newborn pups

Otter Foster Moms: How Monterey Bay Aquarium Rebuilt a Sea Otter Population One Orphan at a Time

Resident female otters at the aquarium raise orphaned pups that are then released into Elkhorn Slough. Those pups and their descendants now…Sep 7, 2026

A wooden Little Free Library book box on a post, filled with books

Little Free Library: A Book Box Built From a Garage Door Became 200,000 Tiny Libraries

In 2009 Todd Bol built a schoolhouse-shaped box in his Wisconsin yard to honor his mother, a teacher. Today more than 200,000…Sep 6, 2026

A small Santa Cruz Island fox standing in dry grass

The Cat-Sized Island Fox Made the Fastest Comeback in Endangered Species Act History

Three Channel Islands fox subspecies fell to as few as 15 animals each. Twelve years after they were listed as endangered, they…Sep 4, 2026

A California condor soaring with its wings fully spread over Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge

From 27 Birds to 607: The California Condor Passes 600 for the First Time

In 1987 every California condor on Earth lived in two Southern California breeding facilities. At the end of 2025 the count stood…Sep 2, 2026

Bald Eagles Are Back on the Channel Islands, With a First for San Miguel in 70 Years

Wiped out by DDT by the mid-1950s, bald eagles now nest on four of the five park islands. The 2026 season brought…Sep 1, 2026