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August/September 2010 NATIONAL

WILDLIFE WORLD EDITION

Published by the NationalWildlife Federation Volume 48 Number 5 www.nwf.org

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FEATURES 22 A DOSE OF DIVERSITY By Jessica Snyder Sachs Scientists are discovering that species extinctions fuel the rise and spread of infectious diseases and hinder medical research

30 CAN WE RESCUE OILED WILDLIFE? By John Carey New research indicates that the answer is a cautious yes, although spills in the Gulf ofMexico and elsewhere suggest considerable improvement is still needed

36 JOURNEY TO A PAPUAN PARADISE Text and photographs by Tim Laman A veteran photojournalist treks to a new protected area, a haven for birds of paradise and tree kangaroos found nowhere else on Earth

DEPARTMENTS 6 NWF VIEW

By Larry J. Schweiger

10 NEWS OF THE WILD Riding on the global warming express; making do with tree shrew poo; what is this?

12 BACKYARD BIRDING Going for the Gold By Doreen Cubie Color matters in the world of the American goldfinch, where females select their mates based on the brightness of their plumage

16 GREEN CONSUMER Why Soft Paper Is Rough on Forests ByMike Rotide Popular in the United States, plush toilet tissue requires pulp from virgin timber, some harvested from old-growth boreal forests

18 CONSERVATION Mississippi’s Pearl: The Pascagoula By Ken Olsen Home to some 300 bird species, the largest free-flowing river systemin the lower 48 states faces threats that include a proposed deep-water port

44 ACTION REPORT How NationalWildlife Federation is making a difference

50 FINAL FRAME

FRONT COVER: Nancy Rotenberg photographed an endangered blue-sided leaf frog in Costa Rica. Like all wildlife, frogs are an important part of the planet’s biodiversity. To learn more, turn to page 22.

BACK COVER: Bob Zeller photographed two prairie dogs emerging from their burrow in San Angelo State Park in Texas.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | WWW.NWF.ORG | 3 |

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MICHAEL MACOR (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE), TIM LAMAN, MASA USHIODA (SEAPICS.COM), SCOTT LESLIE (MINDEN PICTURES)