Wendee Holtcamp
A Selection of Published Articles

| Science/Environment | Blogs & Multimedia | Essays | Travel | News Briefs |
| Profiles | Science/Faith | Professional Pubs |

Science/Environment Feature Articles/Series

  • Flavors of Uncertainty: The Difference between [Science] Denial and Debate. Aug 2012. Environmental Health Perspectives.

  • Fish return to undammed Elwha River. Nature. July 5, 2012.

  • One Study, Two Paths: The Challenge of Dual-Use Research A feature for the Jun 2012 Environmental Health Perspectives on research that can be used or good or evil -- brought to light by the recent hubbub over the avian influenza genetic engineering research.

  • Nuclear Renaissance in Space. As the U.S. prepares to relaunch domestic production of plutonium-238, the space community wishes to assure the public of its safety. Are they right? Miller-McCune Mag Online (soon to be renamed Pacific Standard). Apr 6, 2012.

  • The Emerging Science of BMAA: Do Cyanobacteria Contribute to Neurodegenerative Disease? Environmental Health Perspectives. March 2012.

  • Was Lou Gehrig's ALS Caused by Tap Water? A toxic molecule found in pond scum may trigger neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson's. Could a group of scientists, led by a botanist, hold the key to a cure? Miller-McCune (now Pacific Standard) Magazine feature Jan/Feb 2011.

  • Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity. (PDF here). Feb 2012 Environmental Health Perspectives. (Also related news story on PFOA/ C8 Lawsuit Findings)

  • Texas Thirst for Water Bucks National Trend. While the rest of the U.S. is tearing down decaying dams, Texas wants some dam water. Miller-McCune magazine online. Published Aug. 4, 2011.

  • Wild, Wild Wetlands in the 10th annual Water Issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. I love when my name is on the cover!

  • Save the Birds - With Doppler Radar. My first article in the award-winning Miller-McCune magazine, Apr/May 2011. Picked up in a blog post on the Knight Science Journalism Tracker.

  • Regal Return: Desert bighorn sheep are being returned to the mountains of West Texas. Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Apr 2011.

  • The Big Chill in the Bering Sea. If the planet is warming, how come the Bering Sea has experienced several record cold years in a row? Climate Central. Article + slideshow. Posted Mar 2, 2011.

  • Can eating less meat curb climate change? A conservation-minded Texas mom assesses her contribution to climate change, one meal at a time. The Daily Climate. Jan 19, 2011.

  • Rime of the Bering Sea Mariners (PDF). Feb 2011. BioScience. From albatross to zooplankton, the multidisciplinary Bering Sea Project explores how climate change is affecting this important ecosystem. This is my 2nd feature coming out of my month in the Bering Sea on an oceanographic research vessel.

  • The Tiniest Catch (requires free registration to view). Marine scientists are prowling the Bering Sea to learn how climate affects minute sea creatures and the lucrative fishery that depends on them. Nature. Nov 4, 2010. Feature article based on my month-long trip in the Bering Sea (I wrote 9 live posts for Nature's Great Beyond blog also).

  • The Forgotten Deep: The Gulf's little-seen deep-water ecosystems may bear the brunt of the BP oil spill's damage. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Dec 2010. Also includes a sidebar on "Texas' forgotten spill" - the 'Eagle Otome' dumped over 400,000 of crude oil off Port Arthur in January. My feature is part of a 2-feature special on the oil spill with Melissa Gaskill - and a result of our "Great Gulf Coast Road Trip Adventure."

  • A Kiss for a Toad: A head start project could save the endangered Houston toad. Nov 2010. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag cover story.

  • Saving Land, Saving Water. Feature for Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine's Annual July water issue on preserving land in order to save the precious water in the aquifers below.

  • Attack of the Killer Fungus. Will white-nose syndrome spread to Texas bats? Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Feb 2010.

  • Silence of the Pikas. Will the American pika become the first species in the lower 48 states to be listed under the Endangered Species Act owing to global warming? BioScience Magazine. Jan 2010.

  • Mimicking Mother Nature: Scientists and entrepreneurs are increasingly borrowing concepts from the natural world to help them create better, more sustainable products. National Wildlife Magazine. Dec/Jan 2010.

    (Image Copyright (c) National Wildlife Federation, 2009)

  • Lone Parents: Virgin Birth in Sharks. BioScience Magazine/AIBS. July/Aug 2009.

  • Saving Big Bird: A cyclone forced endangered cassowaries out of the rainforest and into the danger zone. Wildlife Conservation Magazine. May 2009.

  • The Elusive Ringtail: A new study sheds light on a little-known mammal in Palo Duro Canyon. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. April 2009. View PDF version here.

  • Fighting for the Firefox. National Wildlife Magazine. Feb/Mar 2009.

  • Fury Over Conservationists Taking Fees from Developers. A proposed megaport and a sea-turtle nesting beach collide within the group that maintains the endangered species list (IUCN). Scientific American Magazine. Jan 2009. This PDF of the story has the full layout with a cool image of mating sea turtles. :)

  • The Snake Underground. The Louisiana pine snake, like its longleaf pine habitat, may be running out of time. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Jan 2009.

  • Wandering Wildcats. Bobcats adapt to life in suburbia. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine Cover Story. Dec. 2008.

  • Fire Beetle. Nothing embodies the magic of the outdoors more than the dancing fairy lights of fireflies.Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Sep 2008.

  • Tasmania's Devil of a Problem. The world's most famous marsupial predator may face extinction within 15 years from a contagious cancer. National Wildlife Magazine. June/July 2008.

  • Dead Zone When fertilizer-laden runoff from the Mississippi River empties into the gulf, algae thrives - and marine animals die. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. July 2008. Won 1st place (Gold) in International Regional Magazine Assoc Awards for 2008/Public Issues

  • Expedition Shark. In April 2008, I blogged for two weeks for Discovery Channel while diving with sharks in the Coral Sea off of Australia while crews filmed the Shark Week documentary, Mysteries of the Shark Coast, and scientists conducted cutting-edge research. The first entry, Fear, about our relationship with and to sharks, is one of my faves. The rest are here.

  • Cougar Country. People are seeing more mountain lions than ever in Texas. Has their population increased or are they just running out of room? Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. April 2008.

  • 50 Ways to Get Kids Hooked on the Outdoors. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Mar 2008.

  • Surf's Up for These Sea Turtles. The endangered Kemp's Ridley surfaces thanks to some help from its friends. Defenders Magazine. Winter 2007.

  • How to Save a Monkey. OnEarth Magazine. Fall 2007.

  • Will Urban Sprawl K.O. the Koala? A wildlife hospital founded by the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin is helping Australia's teddy-bearish marsupial weather the threat of fragmented forest habitat. National Wildlife Magazine. June/July 2007.

  • Sympathy for the Devil: Ideas Emerge to Save the Dying Tasmanian Devil. [PDF of piece Reproduced with permission. Copyright (c) 2007 Scientific American. Mar 07] (Text copyright (c) 2007 Wendee Holtcamp)

  • Many Bayous, One River. Recently designated one of America's most endangered rivers, the San Jacinto is under attack by sand mines. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Dec 2006.

  • Planet Earth Animal Profiles for Discovery Channel I profiled 50 animals for these episodes: Mountains, Jungles, Shallow Seas, Deserts, and Forests. Check em out!

  • Kissing Cousins: Breeding with their introduced relatives threatens to drive Guadalupe bass to extinction. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Oct. 2006.

  • Paradise Lost?. Coverage of some of the world's most endangered habitats... visit before it is too late! Global Traveler Magazine, Oct. 2006. PDF of Full article available here.

  • Teddy's Bear on the Rise. With some help from their friends, Louisiana black bears are moving up in the world. Defenders Magazine. Summer 2006.

  • Muddy Waters & Sustainable Solutions Two parts in a series on sand mining in the American Rivers "Most Endangered" San Jacinto. CLEAN Houston. June and July 2006.

  • Two features in the July "Wetlands" issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine:
    • Delta Dawn: The young Colorado River delta is a lush breeding ground for finfish, shrimp, crab - and controversy.
    • Washing the Water: Wetlands at Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area act as a huge water filter, removing pollutants the natural way.
    • Also see a Brief History of U.S. Wetlands (scroll down past Larry McKinney's letter on the State of Wetlands).

  • 50 Reasons to Get Outside. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine Mar 2006. Won 2007 Silver International Regional Mag Assoc Award

  • Mt. Everest Field Guide to Animals and Medicinal Plants - Discovery Channel Online. Launched Apr 2006. Click "launch" to get into the Expedition game -- you need Flash installed. Once the game loads, click on the "Guides and Gear" label and it will open a new scene, where you then click on "Mt. Everest Field Guide" which has sections on Animals, Medicinal Plants (the 2 sections I wrote) and Geology. I also wrote several Tours of Everest Animals at the Animal Planet website.

  • Aquatic Islands in a Sea of Land. Texas landowners and biologists work toward the common goal of conserving springs - and the fragile species that call them home. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine's Annual Water Issue. July 2005.

  • Save the Monkeyface! Despite their funny names, freshwater mussels are important indicators of a river's overall health. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. April 2005.

  • Lives of a River: Many small creatures have evolved in harmony with rivers. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine's Annual Water Issue. July 2004.

  • It's Not Easy Being Green: Frogs play a key role in ecosystems, and we are just beginning to understand how they have adapted. Texas Parks & Wildlife mag. May 2004.

  • Thai Elephant Rescue on AnimalPlanet.com -- learn about the sordid underbelly of elephants in Bangkok, and how creative conservationists teach elephants to create music and art. Won North Harris Montgomery Community College District (NHMCCD) Faculty Writing Award

  • A Grass-Roofs Effort. Secret gardens conserve energy and cool the air. Sierra Magazine. May/June 2001.

  • Love & Death on Turtle Beach. Live Expedition in Costa Rica - 11 articles. Discovery Channel Online. Jan-Feb 1999. (Archived via the Wayback Machine - some photos unavailable)



    "Turtle Troubles Playa Grande, Feb. 3 -- I am feeling restless in my skin tonight, out here under the stars, surf roaring furiously. I want to do cartwheels in the sand. I want to make sand angels. I want to talk about the meaning of life. I want to know why we as a society have gotten so far from the animals we love so deeply. But no one's talking in profundities tonight."

  • Snooping on Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. National Wildlife Magazine. Apr/May 2001

  • River-Hopping with the Manatee. Hooked on the Outdoors Magazine. April 2001. Photography by Matt & Wendee Holtcamp.

  • Armadillo Invasion Animal Planet/Discovery Online. Oct 1999.


  • Turbulence Over Clear Creek. One of SE Texas few remaining unchannelized bayous has become embroiled in a tug-of-war... Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Feb 1999.

  • It Takes a Village: Baja communities play a key role in sea turtle conservation. Animals Magazine. Nov/Dec 98. (See Photos)

  • Beyond the Beach - Uncovering sea turtles' oceanic lives. California Wild Magazine. Spring 1998.

  • Tampering With Eden: Exotic Plants and Animals Disturb Ecosystems. Albion Monitor. Mar 10, 1996. Named one of their "Best of 1996."

Multimedia - Blogs, Podcasts, & Radio Interviews

Essays

Outdoor/Adventure Travel

Dept. Pieces/News Briefs

  • Are Compact Fluorescent Lights dangerous? Ultraviolet leaks from CFLs. My latest article in Env Health Perspectives (PDF version). Oct 2012.
  • Shark Fin Consumption May Expose People to Neurotoxic BMAA (BMAA is a compound in cyanobacteria that may biomagnify through the food web, and is linked to neurodegenerative disease. See my 2 features linked to above). Environmental Health Perspectives. May 2012.
  • Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension "Probably Linked" to PFOA Contamination. Environmental Health Perspectives. Feb 2012.
  • Islands in the Sun. Spring 2011 Momentum Magazine news brief on a new urban heat island study.
  • A series of articles on urban planning and transportation for the nonprofit Houston Tomorrow.
  • The Big Chill in the Bering Sea. If the planet is warming, how come the Bering Sea has experienced several record cold years in a row? Climate Central. Article + slideshow. Posted Mar 2, 2011.
  • Putting Numbers to Nature. Fall 2010 Momentum Magazine - published by University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment.
  • To Catch a Thief: Operation Game Thief helps track down two illegally captured Harris’s hawks. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Aug 2010.
  • Brown Pelican Resurrection Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Apr 2010.
  • Unwelcome Visitors: Invasive zebra mussels, which just arrived at Texas' doorstep, wreak havoc on ecosystems. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Mar 2010.
  • Blue-Green Mystery - research links cyanobacteria or blue-green algae to neurodegenerative disease. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. July 2009.
  • Chicken of the Sea(World). Though it's known mainly for acrobatic marine life, SeaWorld also breeds Attwater's prairie-chickens. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Jan 2009.
  • Fixing the Plumbing. Chevron restores life to withering wetlands on the upper Texas coast. Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Nov 2008.
  • Ideas by Nature: Biomimicry looks to 3.8 billion years of evolution for solutions to human problems. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Aug 2008.
  • Boom Time, Points of Interest Dept. Smithsonian Magazine. April 2008. "As the sun rises over the tallgrass prairie, one of the last wild Attwater's prairie chickens performs an unusual mating dance, called booming because of the low "woo woo" sounds the male emits."
  • Godiva's Latest Ride We know chocolate fires libidos, improves moods, and makes hearts healthy. Who knew it could fuel cars? OnEarth Magazine. Winter 2008.
  • Beach Building. Inexpensive fences help restore sand dunes.Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Nov 2006.
  • Mottled Mystery. Gators were the prime suspect, but habitat destruction may be the real culprit behind the decline of mottled ducks. Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Aug 2006.
  • Candid Camera: People pay to shoot wildlife with cameras, rather than guns in Texas. E/The Environmental Magazine. May 2006.
  • Houston's Bat Bridge. Bat coalition hopes to turn the Waugh Drive bridge into an ecotourist attraction. TPW mag, May 2006.
  • Courting Nature. The new Houston parks director overhauls office courtyard to demonstrate benefits of native plants.TPW mag. Mar. 2006.
  • Texas' Wildlife Action Plan. A coordinated national effort aims to prevent species from becoming endangered.Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Mar 2006.
  • The Value of Houston's Trees. A new report reveals that the Bayou City has lost a lot of forest to concrete, but the remaining trees provide measurable benefits. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Feb 2006.
  • Snail on the Brink. The tiny palmetto pill snail lives in an equally tiny world - within about four feet of one warm spring at Palmetto State Park. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Nov 2005.
  • Ecotopia Audubon Magazine Field Notes Dept. July 2003.
  • Why Rivers Need Forests. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Dec 2001.
  • A Whale of a Toxic Problem. Field Notes Dept. Audubon Magazine. Mar-Apr 1999.
  • Battle Over Clear Creek. Audubon in Action Dept. Audubon Magazine. Jan/Feb 1999.
  • Cows in the Forest. Twigs News Brief. American Forests Magazine. Summer 1998.
  • Snap, Crackle, and Flop: Backyard Bug Zappers Don't Work. E Magazine. Jul/Aug 1998.
Environmental Health Perspectives News Summaries ("Science Selections")

Profiles

  • I ask Alexandra Cousteau: What would it take to create sustainable ocean fisheries? Momentum Magazine Winter 2012.
  • Changing Planet, Planet Health Q&A with co-author Paul Epstein, Harvard professor at Climate Central. Praised by the book's co-author Dan Ferber as "the most probing, incisive, interview that either of us have done so far."
  • The Fish Wrangler: Biologist Clark Hubbs devoted his life to cataloging and protecting the state’s fish species. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Apr 2011.
  • Larger than Life: The inimitable Edward 'Ned' Fritz changed the face of Texas conservation - and had influence nationwide. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Aug 2009.
  • Looking for a Few Good Men When they come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, our veterans may find themselves out of a job as well as out of uniform. Time to call Green Collar Vets. OnEarth Magazine, Frontlines. Spring 2008.
  • A Snappy Comeback. Tush Hog, Ornery Turtle, and their curmudgeonly friends fight to preserve a beloved Texas landscape. OnEarth Magazine - Frontlines. Winter 2007.
  • Don't Mess with the Snappers Irascible conservation veterans keep fighting for their beloved Big Thicket. Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. Dec 2007.
  • Papa Stahl: With his gift for storytelling and encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world, Carmine Stahl helps bring parks and people together. Texas Parks & Wildlife Mag. Feb 2007.
  • Watcher of the Herons: Profile of an octogenarian birder turned ornithologist. Animals Magazine. Sept/Oct 98.

Science/Faith Articles

Professional

  • The talk I gave at the University of North Texas (UNT) Nature Writing Symposium as an invited speaker. Changing the World One Story at a Time: Don't get me wrong, I do believe objectivity is an ideal to strive for, but, is it truly possible? And what are the very real drawbacks?

  • Overview of Habitat Fragmentation. John Wiley & Sons Environmental Science TextBook Online Supplement. 1997.

  • Authored The American College of Journalism's "Writing About Nature and the Environment" Course Text.

  • Taught "How to Write About Nature and the Outdoors" Online Course for the Freelance Success Institute.

  • I am interviewed as the "Nature/Outdoor" Writer in the 2001 Writer's Market! (Kirsten Holm, ed.) Pp. 594

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