Beth Gardner
October 13, 2022
Animals in national parks impacted by even just a few people
![a brown bear walks by with water behind](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/10/13061001/5_Brown-bear_Mira-Sytsma-150x150.jpg)
A new University of Washington-led study has found that even in remote, rarely visited national parks, the presence of even just a few humans impacts the activity of wildlife that live there. Nearly any level of human activity in a protected area like a national park can alter the behavior of animals there.
August 11, 2022
Bird behavior influenced by human activity during COVID-19 lockdowns
![a bird flaps its wings on a branch](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/08/11092437/08-12-22-birds-150x150.jpg)
For birds that inhabit developed areas of the Pacific Northwest, the reduction in noise and commotion from COVID-19 lockdowns may have allowed them to use a wider range of habitats in cities, a new University of Washington study has found.
June 29, 2021
Air pollution from wildfires impacts ability to observe birds
![yellow warbler up close](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/06/25145319/Yellow-Warbler-150x150.jpg)
Researchers from the University of Washington provide a first look at the probability of observing common birds as air pollution worsens during wildfire seasons. They found that smoke affected the ability to detect more than a third of the bird species studied in Washington state over a four-year period. Sometimes smoke made it harder to observe birds, while other species were actually easier to detect when smoke was present.