At some point in our lives most of us have been offered this advice: If you keep expectations low, you won't be disappointed.

Photos by Michael E. EsteySmall, isolated wetlands like these produce 70 percent of the ducks in the critical prairie pothole region of North Dakota and South Dakota.

Following that maxim, waterfowlers and others who care about wildlife can feel free to smile about this news: Congress likely is to trim $6 billion off Farm Bill Conservation Titles in the next decade.

A polar bear was inadvertently shot to death by a security guard at BP's Endicott field on the North Slope of Alaska when it approached a compound where oil workers live.

The shooting earlier this month marked the first time one of the region's iconic bears -- listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act -- has died during a hazing operation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Bruce Woods said in an interview. The guard tried to "haze," or scare away the bear, but ended up shooting it.

April 20th, 2010 marks the day the worst oil spill in history occurred. This is the day the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig exploded and spewed approximately 170 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This is roughly fifteen times more oil than spilled during the Exxon-Valdez accident off the coast of Alaska in 1989.  The spill lasted for 87 days until BP was able to plug the leaky well and stop the spill of crude.

Over a year later, the Gulf Coast region is still devastated, with both people and animals feeling the effects. Fisherman have lost millions of dollars in Louisiana alone, and will continue to lose money over the next two years. 

Thousands of endangered marine turtles could be saved in the Coral Triangle region if the fishing industry started using innovative and responsible fishing gear, a WWF analysis shows.

Our friends, the Pandas

The giant panda is considered to be China's national treasure and has become a symbol of conservation. Unfortunately, it has also become an endangered species and is severely threatened due to habitat loss and poaching.The people of China have been cutting down bamboo forests for houses and farming. When bamboo becomes scarce, pandas have nowhere to go for a new supply and their habitat becomes too small for them to survive.