Carver County closed the swimming beach at Baylor Regional Park after suspected blue‑green algae was reported on Eagle Lake. Officials warn visitors and pet owners to avoid water contact while tests are conducted.

Illegal fireworks scorched newly installed turf at Willis C. Winters Park, closing the field while officials investigate and community leaders vow to rebuild.

A Torrington husky named Bella chased a black bear away from a child in a dramatic driveway encounter. Officials urge residents to secure attractants and report sightings.

Portland Parks & Recreation will distribute and plant 8,500 free trees this season, prioritizing low‑canopy neighborhoods and offering three years of city care. Sign‑ups are open via the city’s tree program.

A $9.4 million Bezos Earth Fund grant will fund a major expansion of Four Corners Park in Peoplestown, adding courts, a bigger youth center, gardens and wetlands. The money makes the project Park Pride’s largest to date.

Portland reached a settlement with PGE that allows the utility to remove about five acres and roughly 376 trees in Forest Park; conservationists call it a backroom deal.

A Ring camera captured a black bear crossing a Garfield Heights front yard on Tuesday; officials advise securing trash and reporting sightings.

Drone photogrammetry shows calves make up about 9% of Hawaiʻi Island spinner dolphins — well under the 17% expected for a stable population and prompting calls for time‑area closures.

Heat-driven blazes are shortening evacuation windows in Marin County and across the West; narrow roads and single-exit neighborhoods are forcing planners to rethink how people get out.

Researchers confirmed reproducing Manila clams from Cape Cod to Boston Harbor, prompting new monitoring and community-science efforts. Officials urge photos and reports rather than moving shellfish.

New reporting and longtime mammal inventories show more than 100,000 free‑roaming exotic mammals in Texas — from nilgai to blackbuck — raising disease and regulatory questions. The split between free‑roaming animals and fenced game ranches complicates management.

A coyote was photographed walking along Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park. Biologists link the sighting to pup season and urban rodent prey.

The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House unveiled nearly a mile of restored Lake St. Clair shoreline, adding an accessible path, new fish habitat and boardwalk access for visitors.