Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at [email protected].

Animal crossing

It’s no secret that chaotic, multi-lane highways are dangerous for wildlife. That’s why the Wallis Annenberg wildlife crossing — the largest wildlife bridge in the world — is being built in Los Angeles. As the Guardian reports in a story shared by RTBC Editorial Director Rebecca Worby, the bridge, which connects areas of the Santa Monica Mountains on both sides of the 101 freeway, is well on its way to becoming a new stretch of wildlife habitat.

Becca says:

An update on the L.A. wildlife crossing Michaela Haas reported on for RTBC in 2022: The process of covering the bridge with 6,000 cubic yards of soil has begun, with planting planned to begin in May.

Power trip

In March, energy use in the U.S. hit a major milestone: According to an article in Electrek shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas, for the first month on record, fossil fuels accounted for less than half of the power generated across the country — which means renewable sources, mainly wind and solar, accounted for more than half.

Michaela says:

The success of renewables is unstoppable.

What else we’re reading

🦫 Fighting fire with beavers: How dam-building rodents are deployed to prevent megafires, restore scorched wildlands — shared by Contributing Editor Geetanjali Krishna from the Colorado Sun

🌳 Solar panels and pristine forest: how one Amazon village is adapting to protect itself – in pictures — shared by Michaela Haas from the Guardian

🩺 The Fifth Vital Sign: Atlanta Doctors Are Talking Climate Change With Patients — shared by Rebecca Worby from the Xylom

In other news…

Earlier this month, we published a story by Priti Salian about the power of Visual Vernacular (VV), a little-known art form proudly used by the Deaf community for artistic expression. In VV, Salian writes, “visual storytelling replaces formal signs, enabling people from both the Deaf and hearing communities to connect, understand each other and communicate without words.”

Salian also shared the story in her newsletter, Reframing Disability, where she included a video of the full story translated into Indian Sign Language. You can subscribe to Salian’s newsletter about simplifying disability inclusion here.