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• Instagram photos of giant water lilies in Colombia lead researchers to new species

  An Instagram post about giant water lilies in Colombia led researchers to discover a new species, the Victoria Colombiana, known only from a limited area in the Inírida River and its surrounding lakes. The species was found during a five-day expedition with local Indigenous communities, including a participant who remembered seeing the plants in childhood. Researchers collected the necessary material and published the findings in the scientific journal Phytotaxa. The species is known only from a limited area, wher…

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• Idaho's closed horse track reopens as $42m public park with restored wetlands

  The former horse-racing track in Garden City, Idaho, has been transformed into a nearly 50-acre public park, known as the Park at Expo Idaho, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. The project aims to bring the site's natural landscape back into focus and offers a new outdoor destination with its olympic class skate park and playgrounds. The park's design includes features inspired by the horse-racing venue, allowing visitors to experience the site's history alongside its renewed purpose.

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• Iowa launches $4.9m project to reclaim 150 acres of abandoned coal mines

  Iowa launches $4.9 million project to reclaim 150 acres of abandoned coal mines, marking a significant step in the state's commitment to environmental restoration. This initiative, funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, includes four new projects in Mahaska and Marion counties, following ongoing efforts to reclaim 7,195 acres since 1980, with a total investment of nearly $117 million. The project aims to improve water quality, soil health, and agricultural use, as evidenced by the BOS r…

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