USA TODAY reposted this
Years ago I spent a week on Kauai at the National Tropical Botanical Garden learning about the work scientists were doing to preserve plants being lost to development and habitat degradation. I was fascinated then by the work these botanists, scientists and researchers were doing, and have been reminded of their stories many times. So it was a great opportunity this week to talk with the folks at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and The Institute for Regional Conservation about the work being done to save and propagate the Key Largo tree cactus. One of the things I've always loved about reporting in this space are the opportunities to talk to bright people working collaboratively to do really interesting things. Equally fascinating to have another opportunity to hear about the real impacts real people are seeing from rising sea levels and salt water intrusion, whether it's the ghost forests driving along I-95 between the Carolinas and Florida, the vanishing shoreline on Albemarle Sound, the narrower beaches or the demise of this cactus in the wild. Here's my latest story in USA TODAY https://lnkd.in/eiJ9BCTV