Featured Stories
Taking on Sobering Findings at the UN Biodiversity Conference
BRONX, New York, Oct. 25 [Category: Environment] -- The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following news release:
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Taking on Sobering Findings at the UN Biodiversity Conference
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"Progress is slow, but foundations have been laid over the last four years. Successful conservation of at least 30% of our lands and seas is within shooting distance if we redouble our efforts." Alfred DeGemmis, Director of International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society
Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 25, 2026 - Governments are meeting today on 30x30 Action Day at an inflection point. The first week of the
... Show Full Article
BRONX, New York, Oct. 25 [Category: Environment] -- The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following news release:
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Taking on Sobering Findings at the UN Biodiversity Conference
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"Progress is slow, but foundations have been laid over the last four years. Successful conservation of at least 30% of our lands and seas is within shooting distance if we redouble our efforts." Alfred DeGemmis, Director of International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society
Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 25, 2026 - Governments are meeting today on 30x30 Action Day at an inflection point. The first week of theUN Biodiversity Conference in Armenia is an opportunity to review the sobering findings of the Convention on Biodiversity's State of Biodiversity Action report: Slower progress on marine protections globally. Weak reporting on Indigenous leadership in area-based conservation. The following statement was released today by Alfred DeGemmis, director of international policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society: "This 'Action Day' offers us the opportunity to tackle these challenges head-on. WCS experts on marine and human rights-based conservation will work closely with the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and other conservation partners to deliver tools directly to governments facing the challenge of implementation on the ground and in the water. "We arrive with a few key messages: "First, we need to continue investing in people on the front lines of coastal conservation. Our coastlines, including coral reef, mangrove, and seagrass ecosystems, harbor incredible biodiversity amid intensive human management and presence. However, warming seas and pollution from expanding coastal development threaten to overwhelm this fragile balance. International support can help pair the latest science on climate resilience with locally-led conservation planning that leads to protection for the places that need it most. "Second, we need to engage creatively and constructively with productive sectors. That doesn't mean recognizing all areas under sustainable production as protected areas. However, it may mean continuous dialogue to demonstrate the benefit of expanding conservation set-asides to create replenishment zones for fisheries, protect rare species within forestry concessions, or to enhance freshwater flows that lie at the core of ecosystem integrity. "Third, we need to recognize that conservation is a long process. We can and must continue to evolve area-based approaches so that they go beyond best practices, build in rights protections, and enhance the connection between people, their culture, and their territories and resources. We must acknowledge that climate change and the energy transition will change aspects of conservation planning, and we will need to address this existential challenge together. "Finally, WCS and other champions of the 30x30 target know that protected and conserved measures can't survive as drifting glaciers in an open ocean - they have to be integrated into larger spatial plans and management policies for lands and seas. WCS research on a complementary global target on biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning, as well as guidance co-developed with IUCN experts, will ensure protected areas contribute to planet-wide efforts to restore overall ecosystem integrity.
"Progress is slow, but foundations have been laid over the last four years. Successful conservation of at least 30% of our lands and seas is within shooting distance if we redouble our efforts. At WCS, you can be sure we will."
WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 55 countries and in all the world's oceans, and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by more than 3.5 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium, to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: WCS Newsroom. Follow: @TheWCS and @WCSNewsroom. Listen: WCS Wild Audio podcast. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242.
Mary Dixon+1 (347) 840-1242mdixon@wcs.org
Join more than one million wildlife lovers working to save the Earth's most treasured and threatened species.
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Original text here: https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26772/Taking-on-Sobering-Findings-at-the-UN-Biodiversity-Conference.aspx (TNSmrp)
Rep. Luz Rivas Visits B'nai B'rith Senior Housing in North Hollywood, Hears From Residents on Issues Facing Older Adults
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- B'nai B'rith International issued the following news release:
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Rep. Luz Rivas Visits B'nai B'rith Senior Housing in North Hollywood, Hears from Residents on Issues Facing Older Adults
October 23, 2026
Residents of B'nai B'rith Golden Years Apartments in North Hollywood, California, welcomed Rep. Luz Rivas (D-Calif.) on Oct. 22 for a conversation about the challenges older Americans face, from healthcare costs to the search for affordable housing.
During her visit, Rivas met with residents and answered their questions on healthcare, Social Security and housing affordability.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- B'nai B'rith International issued the following news release:
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Rep. Luz Rivas Visits B'nai B'rith Senior Housing in North Hollywood, Hears from Residents on Issues Facing Older Adults
October 23, 2026
Residents of B'nai B'rith Golden Years Apartments in North Hollywood, California, welcomed Rep. Luz Rivas (D-Calif.) on Oct. 22 for a conversation about the challenges older Americans face, from healthcare costs to the search for affordable housing.
During her visit, Rivas met with residents and answered their questions on healthcare, Social Security and housing affordability.In addition, the congresswoman toured the property, which included visiting an apartment unit, community room and backyard with a garden.
"Thank you to B'nai B'rith International for welcoming me to meet with residents at the Golden Years Apartments in North Hollywood," Rep. Rivas said. "We had a productive discussion about the key issues impacting senior citizens across the San Fernando Valley, including access to affordable healthcare, affordable housing, and their well-earned Social Security benefits. In Washington, I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance solutions that improves the quality of life for seniors across the Valley."
Rivas was welcomed by Board President Bruce Bleaman, Regional Property Manager Erika Cervantes, Service Coordinator Hasmik Sahakyan and Property Administrator Marieta Seiranova.
"On behalf of Golden Years Senior Apartments, I want to thank Congresswoman Rivas for visiting the property and speaking with residents about programs that impact their daily lives. Affordable housing properties are vital in communities across the country, and it's great to be able to show our congresswoman the benefits our property provides to older adults in the neighborhood" Bleaman said.
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About B'nai B'rith Senior Housing
B'nai B'rith Golden Years Apartments is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development low-income housing facility sponsored by B'nai B'rith, a leader in the Jewish community's approach to aging issues through its Center for Senior Services (CSS). Our first housing partnership with HUD launched in 1971. With 35 buildings in 27 communities, we are the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income subsidized housing for seniors in the United States, serving more than 5,000 residents. CSS staff members also support training and programs for the residents, building staff and board members that make up our Housing Network.
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Original text here: https://www.bnaibrith.org/rep-luz-rivas-visits-bnai-brith-senior-housing/
[Category: Religion]
Center for a Humane Economy: After Bombshell Report of Viral Pathogen on Utah Mink Farm, Veterinary Experts Warn Congress of Biosecurity Danger in Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- The Center for a Humane Economy posted the following news release:
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After Bombshell Report of Viral Pathogen on Utah Mink Farm, Veterinary Experts Warn Congress of Biosecurity Danger in Farm Bill
Letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders Sounds the Alarm About Possible Biohazard of Repealing Gingrich-era Ban on Subsidies to Promote Luxury Fashion Exports
October 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a letter to U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders this week, veterinary experts for Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- The Center for a Humane Economy posted the following news release:
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After Bombshell Report of Viral Pathogen on Utah Mink Farm, Veterinary Experts Warn Congress of Biosecurity Danger in Farm Bill
Letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee Leaders Sounds the Alarm About Possible Biohazard of Repealing Gingrich-era Ban on Subsidies to Promote Luxury Fashion Exports
October 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a letter to U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders this week, veterinary experts for Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economyissued a stark warning about a provision in the 2026 Farm Bill to reopen federal taxpayer support for mink fur exporters for the first time in 30 years. The letter from Jim Keen, DVM, Ph.D., a former USDA Research Scientist, and Colonel Tom Pool, DVM, MPH, former chief of the U.S. Army Veterinary Command, follows recent news of the first known outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in farmed mink in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) terminated its annual Mink Survey last year, and the outbreak on a Utah farm this summer only came to light because independent disease watchers discovered seven mammalian H5N1 cases in a USDA database. The failure of state and federal authorities to alert the public sent shockwaves across Utah and the nation, because the disease caused by H5N1, though commonly called "bird flu," can also infect humans.
"Mink farms are biological ticking time bombs. We learned from COVID-19 that mink can amplify dangerous viruses, generate new variants, and transmit them back to humans. Now H5N1 bird flu has invaded American mink farms. Packing thousands of highly susceptible animals on mink ranches together creates ideal conditions for the next pandemic virus to emerge. Why would Congress use taxpayer dollars to encourage more of this dangerous activity?" said Jim Keen, DVM, Ph.D., director of veterinary science for the Center for a Humane Economy.
The news comes as Congress is poised to vote on a Farm Bill this fall that would reinstate the luxury mink fur industry's eligibility for taxpayer support from USDA's Market Access Program, which funds advertising of certain U.S.-produced commodities to consumers in foreign countries. The mink export sector was barred from receiving funding through the program 30 years ago after the 1994 Republican sweep of Congress ushered in a class of lawmakers focused on fiscal responsibility. Ironically, it was Republican leaders in both chambers of Congress who wrote this year's Farm Bill repealing that longstanding taxpayer protection.
"Why are we talking about using federal resources to promote American mink products overseas while we have stopped annually surveying the industry and cannot get basic epidemiologic information about the first recognized H5N1 outbreak on a U.S. mink farm?" said Colonel Pool, DVM, senior veterinarian for Animal Wellness Action. "Disease surveillance and public-health transparency should come before market promotion."
"America's taxpayers should not be asked to bankroll a biohazard,"wrote the veterinarians, noting that U.S. demand for mink fur is at an all-time low, and giving taxpayer support to this export industry would primarily benefit Chinese consumers while keeping the biosecurity risks of production inside the United States. In contrast, 23 countries in Europe have either banned mink farming or begun phasing it out, including Poland, the world's second largest fur-producing nation.
"Subsidizing a declining industry is bad economics. Subsidizing one that could incubate the next pandemic is reckless public policy,"added Dr. Keen.
The House of Representatives voted to end domestic mink farming in 2022, but the Senate failed to follow suit. In their letter, Drs. Keen and Pool encouraged congressional leaders to rethink mink policy and pass that legislation again. "If Congress rushes to reverse course on mink policy without considering the consequences," wrote the veterinarians, "it is not implausible that the epicenter of the next pandemic could be a mink farm in America's heartland rather than an urban setting like Wuhan, China."
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Center for a Humane Economy is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) whose mission is to help animals by helping forge a more humane economic order. The first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, the Center encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities in a culture where consumers, investors, and other key stakeholders abhor cruelty and the degradation of the environment and embrace innovation as a means of eliminating both. The Center believes helping animals helps us all. Twitter: @TheHumaneCenter
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Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. Twitter: @AWAction_News
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INFODOC: https://animalwellnessaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AWACHE-10-26-letter-biosecurity-threat-in-Farm-Bill.pdf
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Original text here: https://centerforahumaneeconomy.org/veterinary-experts-warn-congress-of-biosecurity-danger-in-farm-bill/
[Category: Animals]
Brazil: Lula Should Focus on Human Rights in New Term
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Brazil: Lula Should Focus on Human Rights in New Term
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(Sao Paulo, October 25, 2026) - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been reelected as Brazil's president, should use his new term to tackle chronic human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today.
President Lula defeated the Liberal Party candidate, Flavio Bolsonaro, in a runoff election on October 25, 2026, official results from the Superior Electoral Court show. Lula received 51.7 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 48.2
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Brazil: Lula Should Focus on Human Rights in New Term
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(Sao Paulo, October 25, 2026) - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been reelected as Brazil's president, should use his new term to tackle chronic human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today.
President Lula defeated the Liberal Party candidate, Flavio Bolsonaro, in a runoff election on October 25, 2026, official results from the Superior Electoral Court show. Lula received 51.7 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro received 48.2percent, with 99.9 percent of the ballots counted, according to the Superior Electoral Court.
"During his current term, President Lula has supported democratic institutions and made important progress on protecting forest and local communities who depend on it for their survival, but had a mixed record in other areas," said Cesar Munoz, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. "His administration should address the record high numbers of killings by the police and other public security problems, and more consistently support human rights policies at home and abroad."
News media reported reduced public transportation services in several states, which may have barred voters from reaching voting stations on October 25. Federal police were reportedly investigating possible electoral crimes. The Lula campaign asked for an extension in the voting time in some states due to those disruptions. The Bolsonaro campaign also asked for an extension in other areas of the country due to rain.
As the polls were closing, a Supreme Court justice extended the voting time for two hours. Shortly after, the Electoral Court, and later the Supreme Court justice, established that the extension applied to voting stations that were still open.
After taking office in January 2023, President Lula took important steps to repair some of the damage that the previous administration had inflicted on democratic institutions, the environment, and human rights protections overall.
Yet, chronic human rights problems continued to plague the country, including abuse by the police, which disproportionately affects Black Brazilians. Killings by police reached a record high--with 6,589 people killed in 2025--and had kept rising in 2026 as of September, driven by failed public policy strategies that have allowed the unchecked use of lethal force by police.
Abusive police practices undermine public security--a primary concern for Brazilians, according to many polls--by feeding mistrust and making communities less willing to collaborate with police, while fueling a cycle of violence that endangers both civilians and police officers. They also create an environment of impunity for excessive use of force in which police corruption and involvement with organized crime flourish.
While public security is primarily the responsibility of states in Brazil, the federal government has a crucial role to play in coordinating and promoting public security policies that are more effective at dismantling criminal organizations, protecting the public from violence, and upholding human rights.
An important measure to improve investigations that President Lula should support is to remove forensic services from police, to ensure independent analysis in police abuse cases and other crimes.
During an interview on October 15, President Lula defended trying and punishing as adults 16- and 17-year-old children accused of certain serious crimes. The measure would violate international law, which says that children should be subject to justice systems that are distinct from those for adults. That proposal would also undermine rather than strengthen the country's efforts to reduce crime, Human Rights Watch said. Children who break the law can and should be held accountable, but in an individualized manner that promotes their rehabilitation.
On the environment, President Lula should reverse inconsistencies that endanger the rights of Brazilians. His administration brought Amazon deforestation to the lowest level on record, according to official data, and resumed demarcating Indigenous territories. Yet, it took insufficient steps to regulate the cattle industry, historically the largest driver of deforestation and its related human rights abuses.
His administration also initiated a long-awaited national program to reduce the use of pesticides. However, the administration continued to allow the use of highly hazardous pesticides, many of which are banned for use in the European Union and elsewhere because of proven harm to health and the environment. This puts Brazilians at risk of acute poisoning and other serious health impacts, particularly Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and small farmers' communities.
Major corruption scandals involving a range of politicians, political parties, and institutions have unfolded in recent years. The Lula administration should promote measures to strengthen the fight against corruption, including working with Congress to ensure transparency and oversight over budget allocations.
Other long-standing human rights problems that President Lula should prioritize include gender-based violence, severe obstacles to abortion access, violence against human rights and environmental defenders, and the institutionalization of people with disabilities due to lack of sufficient community-based support services.
Some incidents marred the electoral campaign. Non-profit organizations compiled 134 cases of threats and violence against candidates and politicians from various parties, in the first 50 days of electoral campaign.
Brazilian media also reported that Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, restricted some content and features that promoted Lula's candidacy in the lead up to the election. Meta said it had experienced technical issues but contended that it did not favor one candidate over another. Brazil's electoral court ordered Meta to take measures to ensure equal treatment of the candidates.
Meta's Oversight Board--an external body that can overturn Meta's moderation decisions and provides non-binding policy guidance--expressed concern about recurrent failures in the company's "election integrity efforts," citing the "breakdown" that harmed Lula's campaign.
"President Lula, who cannot run for office again in 2030, has a chance to leave a mark on the country by seeking solutions to long-standing problems that make a real difference in protecting rights and liberties for all Brazilians," Munoz said.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/10/25/brazil-lula-should-focus-on-human-rights-in-new-term
Japan should stop punishing sex workers
NEW YORK, Oct. 24 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Japan should stop punishing sex workers
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Following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's directive in November 2025 to examine "the necessity of penalizing the buyers of prostitution," a Justice Ministry panel reviewed Japan's Prostitution Prevention Law. It's September 2026 report, in which none of the members objected to introducing regulations for people who solicit to buy sex, stopped short of calling for criminal penalties.
In practice, the burden of the law falls on those selling sex,
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Oct. 24 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Japan should stop punishing sex workers
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Following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's directive in November 2025 to examine "the necessity of penalizing the buyers of prostitution," a Justice Ministry panel reviewed Japan's Prostitution Prevention Law. It's September 2026 report, in which none of the members objected to introducing regulations for people who solicit to buy sex, stopped short of calling for criminal penalties.
In practice, the burden of the law falls on those selling sex,most of them women. Police arrest people for soliciting to sell sex every year, while those soliciting to buy face no penalty. Many people, including members of the panel, see this as unfair, and it is - but the unfairness lies in punishing sex workers, not in failing to punish their clients.
With a reform bill expected, the Japanese government should use this opportunity to protect sex workers' rights. Research by Human Rights Watch and others shows that criminalizing consensual adult sex work, either its sale or its purchase, undermines sex workers' safety and access to justice.
The 1956 Prostitution Prevention Law penalizes soliciting to sell sex: people approaching potential clients on the street, waiting in public for them, or advertising can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to 20,000 yen. Anyone arranging a transaction, providing a room to be used for prostitution, or running a business based on prostitution can face far heavier sentences. Because the law covers only intercourse, a large part of Japan's sex industry, offering other sexual services, operates legally under a separate licensing system.
Some advocates in Japan are calling for an "end-demand" approach, often called the "Nordic model," first adopted by Sweden in 1999, which criminalizes buying sex while removing penalties for selling it. Supporters see selling sex as inherently harmful to women and hope to end it by eliminating the demand.
But criminalizing clients can undermine sex workers' safety. When clients fear arrest, they insist on meeting in hidden places, such as parks at night, cars, or unfamiliar apartments. Sex workers lose the chance to assess a client beforehand; work where others can hear them call for help; or leave a client's details with a friend. With fewer clients, those who remain can demand riskier conditions, such as sex without a condom.
Research by the international humanitarian organization Medecins du Monde found that France's 2016 introduction of penalties for buyers created a fear of arrest among clients that forced street sex workers into dangerous locations. Soon after, there was a spike in murders, with 10 sex workers killed in France during a six-month period.
The end-demand approach also leaves in place laws that punish anyone who helps sex workers or works alongside them. In Japan, that may mean two sex workers who share an apartment to work more safely together could be charged with providing a place for prostitution.
The law would also cut off sex workers from the people who help keep them safe. A friend who passes on a client's number, or someone who drives a sex worker to an appointment, may be charged with arranging it. A landlord who finds out a tenant sells sex could have every reason to evict them.
More fundamentally, the law rests on a moral judgment, that sex work "harms human dignity" and "disrupts good public morals," rather than on consent. It treats an adult who chooses to sell sex and a person who is forced to do so as the same. That lets police target consenting adults, while doing little to focus on real exploitation. Japan should distinguish consensual adult sex work from trafficking, forced labor, and sexual exploitation of children, and protect everyone against violence and exploitation.
Research by Human Rights Watch, academics, public health journals, anti-trafficking organizations, United Nations experts, and sex workers' groups in many countries has documented that criminalization of either the sale or the purchase of sex exposes sex workers to greater violence and deters them from going to the police, while doing nothing demonstrable to reduce trafficking. The UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls has called for the full decriminalization of adult voluntary sex work.
Japan should repeal the Prostitution Prevention Law and fully decriminalize consensual adult sex work, including its purchase and non-exploitative arrangements that enable sex workers to work together safely. Other laws should continue to prohibit trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, violence, and sexual exploitation of children, and close any gaps the repeal would leave. Police should promptly investigate reports of rape, assault, or coercion without penalizing survivors for selling sex.
Decriminalization should also go hand in hand with treating sex workers like other members of society. They should have access to labor protections, health care, housing, and public benefits without discrimination. Access to essential services should not depend on stopping sex work.
The government should meaningfully involve sex workers and sex worker-led organizations in designing these reforms. Japan has a chance to replace a law rooted in moral judgment with one rooted in consent, safety, and rights. It should take it.
Teppei Kasai is a senior Asia program officer and Stacey-Leigh Manuel is the deputy women's rights director, at Human Rights Watch
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/10/24/japan-should-stop-punishing-sex-workers
Bolivia Documents the Amazon River Dolphin for First Time
BRONX, New York, Oct. 24 [Category: Environment] -- The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following news release:
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Bolivia Documents the Amazon River Dolphin for First Time
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Study highlights the contributions of citizen science and the knowledge of local fishers
Read the Study
COBIJA, BOLIVIA, October 24, 2026--Three records of the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) obtained between 2025 and 2026 provide the first documented evidence of the species in Bolivia, in the Acre River basin in the department of Pando. The discovery, reported in the journal Neotropical Hydrobiology
... Show Full Article
BRONX, New York, Oct. 24 [Category: Environment] -- The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following news release:
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Bolivia Documents the Amazon River Dolphin for First Time
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Study highlights the contributions of citizen science and the knowledge of local fishers
Read the Study
COBIJA, BOLIVIA, October 24, 2026--Three records of the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) obtained between 2025 and 2026 provide the first documented evidence of the species in Bolivia, in the Acre River basin in the department of Pando. The discovery, reported in the journal Neotropical Hydrobiologyand Aquatic Conservation, expands our knowledge of the distribution of river dolphins in the country and highlights the contributions of citizen science and the knowledge of local fishers.
The discovery is particularly significant because research on river dolphins in Bolivia has previously focused primarily on the Bolivian river dolphin (Inia boliviensis), which occurs in the Mamore and Itenez river basins. The Acre River, in contrast, forms part of the Purus basin and is connected to the wider Amazon River system, providing suitable conditions for the presence of Inia geoffrensis and new insights into the connectivity of river systems between Bolivia and Brazil.
"It was a wonderful surprise for us, and we immediately recognized the importance of filming and photographing the dolphins for the City Nature Challenge," said Ximena Morales of the Shimanu Amazon Conservation Program. "This encouraged us to organize ourselves and interview local people, especially fishers. They were already aware of the dolphins and even had additional video footage, allowing us to confirm their presence in the Acre River. We hope this record inspires more people to participate in citizen science initiatives and, above all, helps promote conservation efforts along the Acre River."
The first record was obtained on April 27, 2025, during Cobija's first participation in the City Nature Challenge, when two individuals were observed in the Acre River near the Junin neighborhood. Local fishers subsequently contributed two additional records: one near Puerto Alto in November 2025 and another near the Frontera neighborhood in May 2026.
"This is an extraordinary discovery," said Dr. Robert Wallace, Senior Conservation Scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). "We are talking about a mammal that can weigh between 100 and 200 kg, depending on its age and sex, and which now represents a new species record for Bolivia. It highlights how much we still have to learn about the country's extraordinary natural wealth and fantastic biodiversity. The fact that the discovery emerged through a global citizen science initiative seems almost poetic, emphasizing the role that all of us can play in science and conservation."
Between May and June 2026, 34 fishers from San Pedro, Junin and Brisas del Acre were interviewed, some of whom had more than 30 years of fishing experience. Their knowledge of the presence of the dolphins and the frequency of sightings complemented the audiovisual records and provided valuable information about a species that, until now, has been very poorly studied in this part of Bolivia.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Shimanu Amazon Conservation Program, the Institute of Ecology at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres (UMSA), Juventud Proactiva de la Amazonia, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Bolivia Program, with contributions from local fishers.
Important questions remain unanswered. The researchers note that further studies will be needed to determine the size of the population, understand its movements, and establish whether the dolphins remain in the Acre River throughout different seasons of the year.
Conservation of the Acre River is essential for maintaining habitat for the dolphins and other species that depend on this ecosystem. The study points specifically to protecting riverside forests, maintaining water quality, and preserving the basin's ecological connectivity. Because the basin is shared by Bolivia, Brazil and Peru, the study also highlights the importance of monitoring, habitat protection, and the exchange of scientific information among the three countries.
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Original text here: https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26771/Bolivia-Documents-the-Amazon-River-Dolphin-for-First-Time.aspx
Amanda Phenix is the 2026-27 ESP of the Year
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Oct. 24 [Category: Union] -- Education Minnesota posted the following news release:
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Amanda Phenix is the 2026-27 ESP of the Year
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For more information, contact:
HEAVEN KEANE
651-247-4195 (cell)
CHRIS WILLIAMS
651-292-4816 (work)
651-247-5539 (cell)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota., Oct. 24, 2026 - Amanda Phenix, a special education paraprofessional in Waconia Public Schools, is Education Minnesota's 2026-27 ESP of the Year.
Phenix has worked in the Waconia Public Schools for 21 years. As a special education paraprofessional, she works directly with students on Individualized
... Show Full Article
ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Oct. 24 [Category: Union] -- Education Minnesota posted the following news release:
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Amanda Phenix is the 2026-27 ESP of the Year
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For more information, contact:
HEAVEN KEANE
651-247-4195 (cell)
CHRIS WILLIAMS
651-292-4816 (work)
651-247-5539 (cell)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota., Oct. 24, 2026 - Amanda Phenix, a special education paraprofessional in Waconia Public Schools, is Education Minnesota's 2026-27 ESP of the Year.
Phenix has worked in the Waconia Public Schools for 21 years. As a special education paraprofessional, she works directly with students on IndividualizedEducation Plans to meet the education goals established by their case manager and special education team. She does this through intentional engagement with students, checking in on their emotional and physical health throughout the day, and collaborating with teachers to shape lessons that meet students where they are at.
Phenix says that building trust is one of the most important pieces of her job. "Building positive, lasting relationships with students in this setting is not optional--it's essential," she said. "It can take weeks, even months, to earn their trust. But once it's there ... students begin to open up, show up differently, and find success academically, socially, and emotionally."
Phenix's colleagues praise her versatility and patience. Paul Tordoff, special education director at Waconia Public Schools, said Phenix "possesses a unique combination of compassion, expertise, and unwavering patience that makes her an ideal fit for our Waconia Middle School special education team. She has an innate ability to connect with and calmly de-escalate students in crisis, (transforming) challenging situations into opportunities for students to grow."
Amber Bakken, sixth grade teacher at Waconia Middle School, praised Phenix's commitment to her students: "She works closely with teachers to implement accommodations and modifications for student success. (Phenix)holds students to the highest standards--and they rise to meet them because they know she believes in them and won't let them settle for less."
Outside of her work in the classroom, Phenix has served as president of her local ESP union since 2021, and in other union leadership positions since 2013. She volunteers with the Special Olympics, supporting student athletes, and helped raise money for an inclusive playground in her community.
As the 2026-27 ESP of the Year, Phenix will receive an iPad or Chromebook and a $1,200 honorarium. She will also receive an all-expense paid trip to the National Education Association ESP Conference next spring.
The recipient of the Education Support Professional of the Year award is selected by a five-member committee that includes two leaders of Education Minnesota, the executive director of Education Minnesota, a past ESP of the Year winner and a representative of an external organization.
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota's members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota's public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota's community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
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Original text here: https://educationminnesota.org/news/press-release/amanda-phenix-is-the-2026-27-esp-of-the-year/
