“Pop up” wetlands for migratory birds, and more

“Pop up” wetlands for migratory birds

With much of the California Central Valley’s wetlands dried up from drought, there are few places left there for the millions of migratory birds flying along the Pacific Flyway to rest and eat. Now the Nature Conservancy has teamed up with California rice farmers to create “pop up” wetlands by keeping their fields flooded until March instead of draining them in January. That pushes back the planting season, says farmer Douglas Thomas, but it’s worth it to be part of the birds’ epic journey. “That’s a neat, special thing,” Thomas says.

Poet finds success on Facebook

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Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho has been writing poetry for most of his life, but because he was living on the side of the road in São Paulo, Brazil, only a few passersby ever read it. That changed when one of those readers, Shalla Monteiro, created a Facebook page to share Sobrinho’s poems with the world. The page attracted some 40,000 fans, including the poet’s long-lost brother, who last year rescued Sobrinho from his 35 years of homelessness. Now Sobrinho’s poetry is on track to be published. “No matter how bad a situation is,” he said, “a man should never consider it lost.”

Old tin can holds a fortune

A couple in California’s Sierra Nevada were in for a major surprise when they stumbled upon an old tin can buried in their backyard. After being cleaned, the dirt-encrusted metal discs inside revealed themselves to be rare 19th-century U.S. gold coins. The couple uncovered seven more cans, for a haul worth an estimated $10 million. They have opted to remain anonymous and are working with a renowned collector to bring the coins to auction in May. “It was very hard to believe,” said the man. “I thought any second an old miner with a mule was going to appear.”