July 31, 1894: David McClure, a Delegate to the Convention to amend New York State's Constitution, proposes that the state's Adirondack Park be declared "Forever Wild." The Park (at right), one of the largest state preserves in the U.S., has enjoyed more than a century of wilderness protection.

 

July 31, 2009: Two respected marine scientists who had waged a public feud only a few years before team up on a paper on the future of the world's fisheries. Boris Worm, who had predicted a catastrophic demise in ocean fish stocks, and Ray Hilborn, who said the situation was far from disastrous, combine to publish a paper in the journal Science suggesting that fisheries can be saved if strong management plans and proper enforcement are applied.

 

July 31, 2009: "The Cove", a documentary about the gruesome annual slaughter of dolphins in a Japanese inlet, is released. It wins the Best Documentary Oscar in 2010.