At Good Good Good, we take a no-fluff stance when it comes to good news… but today’s Goodnewsletter is a bit of an exception. It’s filled with good news about animals!

Make no mistake: the good news you’re about to read celebrates real, important, significant progress about animals — the subject matter just happens to come with fluff, scales, feathers, and fins. Enjoy!

Today’s Top Good News Story

The second-largest in the U.S., a San Francisco-sized piece of land has just been preserved, protecting critical wildlife habitat

On 27,512 acres in San Louis Obispo County, California rests Camatta Ranch, a cattle ranch that just completed the second biggest land conservation easement in the country.

The land, equivalent to the size of San Francisco, is “filled with rolling hills, green grass, oak woodlands and really important wildlife habitat.” While the land is privately owned and open for nature tours, it will also now be protected against any future development.

Owned for six generations by the Morrison family, it was important to them to ensure it stayed protected for the hundreds of animals that call it home: golden eagles, bald eagles, mountain lions, red-tailed hawks, and even bison.

What’s even better: The land is also home to black bears, which were once threatened but have been bouncing back due to conservation efforts like these and were taken off the endangered species list in 2016.

→ ​​Read more​

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More Good News

​Pelicans were just seen nesting on Hat Island in Utah for the first time since 1943. The island is a designated wildlife management area, serving as an important nesting area for American white pelicans due to its isolation and protection for the birds.

​A former animal testing lab was transformed into an animal sanctuary. A lifelong dream of its founder, the 30-acre property will become a rehab center and sanctuary for animals that had spent much of their lives in cages.

​Scientists finally pinpointed a fungal virus that’s been harming frogs and toads. The novel virus has impacted over 500 amphibian species, and the discovery could revolutionize conservation for frogs and toads.

​A “mega-rare” bird was just spotted in Oregon for the first time in U.S. history. A photographer unknowingly captured a photo of the blue rock thrush and shocked the birding world when he posted it on social media.

​A recent Cambodian mangrove expedition uncovered a trove of 700 animal species. The expedition further highlighted mangroves’ crucial role in biodiversity conservation amid widespread loss.

​The hake population in the waters of Northwestern Europe has recovered spectacularly over the past 20 years. In what could signal more good news for overall ocean health, hake fish had nearly disappeared from the area due to overfishing.

​The National Park Service is reintroducing grizzly bears and no longer removing wild horses from parks. The NPS canceled plans to remove 200 historically significant wild horses and will reintroduce threatened grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem.

​In a milestone for the critically endangered species, a California condor recently hatched in San Diego. The new arrival was the 250th hatched at the San Diego Zoo thanks to the conservation efforts of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Good Progress To Celebrate

A study found that restoring coastal habitat boosts wildlife numbers by 61%

Pollution, coastal development, climate change, and many other human impacts have degraded or destroyed swathes of mangrove forests, saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, macroalgae (seaweed) forests, and coral and shellfish reefs.

Healthy coastal habitats are the gift that keeps on giving. We need them back, so there’s a lot of enthusiasm for restoring these habitats. But we want to recover more than just the habitats — we want the animals they support too.

In a new analysis of restoration projects, compared to degraded sites, restored habitats have much larger and more diverse animal populations.

And that’s in line with other, similar research on the subject!)

Overall, researchers found animal populations in restored coastal habitats were 61% larger and 35% more diverse than in unrestored, degraded sites.

For example, after oyster reefs were restored in Pumicestone Passage, Queensland, fish numbers increased by more than ten times and the number of fish species increased almost fourfold.

→ Read more

(a lot) More Good bits

🧑‍💻 Join 150,000+ people supporting wildlife and biodiversity with their web searches.​

🦔 Meet your new favorite neighbor.

🎣 Sustainable salmon: it’s on the menu.

🐻 There’s actually a whole lot that happens in Oklahoma’s panhandle.

🌳 Lottery winners get to see a fantastic phenomenon in a South Carolina national park next week (and we’re only a little jealous).

👻 This bird absolutely deserves to go TikTok viral.

🐒 Even not-so-cute animals deserve protection.

🇬🇧 The ferrets have found their way into Parliament.​

*Some of these recommendations may include affiliate links, which means if you buy anything from this email, we may get something in return at no extra cost to you. (Thanks for your support!)

What’s good?

I’ve got one of each so I’m a neutral party, but weigh in pet owners:

Team dog? Or team cat?

Hit “reply” right to this email and cast your vote!

— Megan