The Daily

[SCIENCE] The rapid expansion of human populations occurs concurrently with the mass decline of wildlife and its habitats. As humans invent and innovate, we push wildlife out of spaces we once shared. Species are left stranded, clinging to one another as their homes are destroyed, with the understanding that death is inevitable.

Over the course of 50 years, the average wildlife population size has declined a staggering 73%. By 2050, one-third of the planet’s animal and plant species are projected to go extinct due to global warming. Humans depend on a healthy planet, abundant biodiversity, and a thriving ecosystem to prosper. When one system fails, others will follow. Wildlife conservation isn’t a plan for tomorrow; it is an urgency that must be addressed today.

Sarah Converse is a professor at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, the unit leader at the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and a federal scientist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

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Read columnist Kaira Wullur’s full piece online.

Illustration by Avery Longo The Daily

[ARTS + CULTURE] As someone who hadn’t been to a concert band performance since middle school, I never expected that stepping into the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater on April 30 for the UW Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band’s “Scenes and Portraits” would leave me in tears.

“Scenes and Portraits” is a collection of works that evokes strong emotions, from dark romanticism to lively pop-like compositions. The performance embodies a flowing river, taking the audience through a seasonal journey of life itself and the experiences it holds.

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Read contributing writer Summer Brown’s full piece online.

Photo courtesy of Cyan Duong