CultureMap Contributors

Melissa Gaskill

An independent journalist for 17 years, Melissa has degrees in Zoology and Journalism and specializes in science, nature, and outdoor-oriented travel. She grew up in Texas, raised three children in Austin, and enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking and scuba diving. Her work has appeared in American Way, Family Fun, Men's Journal, Wildflower, Smithsonian, Texas Highways, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Co-op Power, the Austin American Statesman and many other publications. She is the author of Best Hikes with Dogs: Texas Hill Country and Gulf Coast, now in its second printing, and often gives talks on hiking with dogs.

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Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_pike davis ranch_may 2012_bluebonnets

Preserving Texas

Protecting Texas for generations: The Texas Land Conservancy and centennial ranches

By Melissa Gaskill

05.12.12 | 9:00 am

Cousins Howard Hicks and Bettie Green didn’t want their grandfather’s Hill Country ranch cut into subdivision lots and corner convenience stores. “I had this real desire for it ...


Austin Photo Set: News_melissa_aquarium breeding_may 2012_color fish

to spawn or not to spawn?

Killer aquariums: One Texas-based scientist's effort to breed tropical fish and save dying coral reefs

By Melissa Gaskill

05.01.12 | 12:45 pm

After a diving trip in the Caribbean 20 years ago, Joan Holt became interested in raising tropical fish in her lab — especially after learning that nearly 100 percent of the ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_tv waste_april 2012_tv landfills

waste management

Tossing the old TV: Surprisingly hard to do in a non-toxic way

By Melissa Gaskill

04.29.12 | 12:00 pm

Do you have an old TV you want to recycle? Despite legislation aimed at keeping toxic materials out of landfills, you might have a hard time doing so. Texas Campaign ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Katherine_women in green jobs_april 2012_fixing solar panel

working women

Women wanted: ACC programming aims to steer women into green energy jobs

By Melissa Gaskill

04.23.12 | 1:15 pm

A half dozen attentive young women scattered around the large conference room in Building 8 of Austin Community College’s Eastview Campus clearly illustrate the speaker’s point: few women ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_light polution_april 2012_milky way

Let there NOT be light

It's International Dark Sky week, do you know where your light is going?

By Melissa Gaskill

04.17.12 | 12:00 pm

Look up on a clear night in Austin, and you may see a handful of stars. Do the same thing out in the backcountry at Big Bend, and the stars ...


Austin Photo Set: News_melissa_green living_april 2012_clothes line

Small by green

The little things you do for earth make a big difference

By Melissa Gaskill

04.08.12 | 9:00 am

Okay, you want to do your part to help save the planet. But you’re not quite ready to put solar panels on the roof, sell your car, or stop ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_antibacterial soap_april 2012_hand washing

bioaccumulation gone bad

Anti-bacterial soap isn't as useful as you'd hoped, UT student org draws attention to the issue

By Melissa Gaskill

04.03.12 | 5:30 pm

Recently, the University of Texas student government assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling for a ban on anti-bacterial soaps on campus. After some investigation, it turns out the University doesn ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_going green with god_march 2012_plant hands

clean up your act

Going green with God: The Energy Action Team aims to educate congregations on earth-friendly energy

By Melissa Gaskill

03.27.12 | 11:40 am

Does God, in whatever form you see such a higher power, expect us to take good care of the earth? A group of people from various faith communities in Austin ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_homeless sxsw_march 2012_1

Creative Labor Ideas

Homeless hotspots at SXSW: Opportunity or just exploitation?

By Melissa Gaskill

03.15.12 | 2:00 pm

During SXSW, New York based Marketing firm BBH Labs equipped homeless people on Austin streets with devices that turned them into wireless hotspots. People could pay with cash or via ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_eat your chocolate_march 2012_dark chocolate

sweet and healthy

Eat your veggies - and your chocolate!

By Melissa Gaskill

03.14.12 | 10:00 am

We’ve known for a while now that eating plant-based foods is good for our health. Plants contain a variety of compounds that act as antioxidants, helping to rid our ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_SXSW_one beach_march 2012_4

Reuse and renew

We've trashed the beach: SXSW film screening looks at what to do about it

By Melissa Gaskill

03.12.12 | 2:30 pm

If you’re headed to the beach this spring break, you might want to keep your flip-flops on. And bring a trash bag. At SXSW, Barefoot Wine and the Surfrider ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_lawn mowing_march 2012_green grass

making changes

Native Turf: The shocking amount of air pollution produced by one hour of mowing

By Melissa Gaskill

03.03.12 | 9:00 am

A riot of wildflowers covering the median in a major street near my neighborhood made me smile every time I drove past it. Then the city mowed it, leaving a ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_shrimp farming_feb 2012_shrimp fishing

Marine agriculture

Shrimp: My favorite food and why I no longer eat them

By Melissa Gaskill

02.25.12 | 10:00 am

I grew up on the Texas coast, and remember going to meet the shrimp boats at the docks. We’d lug home an ice chest full of the tasty little ...


ictAustin Photo Set: News_Melissa_Mountain lion Mauling_big bend_feb 2012_mt lion

Fear of the unknown

Mountain lion attacks Austin boy! (Overreact and) keep your children inside!

By Melissa Gaskill

02.16.12 | 1:20 pm

On Feb. 5, an Austin boy was mauled by a mountain lion in Big Bend National Park. On that same day, thousands of children ended up in emergency rooms across ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_throwing away useful things_feb 2012_donating

clean up

Are you throwing away useful stuff? Cut down on waste by reducing and re-using

By Melissa Gaskill

02.14.12 | 10:00 am

For decades, we’ve heard the mantra “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” In practice, we often focus mostly on recycling, which actually represents the least effective way to solve our growing waste ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_composting_feb 2012_aerobin

clean living

Turn your trash into dirt, with home composting help from Zero Waste

By Melissa Gaskill

02.07.12 | 11:45 am

Nearly half of what we throw in our trash cans could be composted, according to Daniela Ochoa Gonzalez, a planner with Austin’s Resource Recovery department. Instead of going to ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_recycling_jan 2012_sorting plant

What to recycle and where

Never know what to recycle when faced with the big blue bin? Check out this list and help Austin move closer to its Zero Waste goal

By Melissa Gaskill

02.01.12 | 12:30 pm

I suspect many of you have found yourselves standing in front of your blue city recycling cart, item in hand, wondering whether to toss it in or take it to ...


Austin Photo Set: News_Melissa_austin trash_jan 2012_landfill

clean up

A less trashy Austin: Zero Waste program reduces what goes into our landfills

By Melissa Gaskill

01.25.12 | 10:30 am

We modern Americans create a lot of waste — by contrast, our ancestors left behind very little.  Nearly every scrap of food was eaten, if not by humans then by their ...


Austin Photo Set: News_melissa_dying coral_jan 2012_dead coral

underwater

Dissolving coral reefs: As oceans grow more acidic, marine life suffers

By Melissa Gaskill

01.18.12 | 11:00 am

If you drive, fertilize your lawn, or buy sushi, you could be contributing to the demise of coral reefs. Scientists call coral reefs the rainforests of the ocean, because these ...


Austin Photo Set: News_melissa_diesel truck idling_jan 2012_dont idle

How you can help

Don't sit idling by: Simple ways to reduce the environmental impact of your exhaust

By Melissa Gaskill

01.16.12 | 9:15 am

A few years ago, new owners remodeled the house across the street from mine. The contractor drove a shiny diesel pick-up that he used as a mobile office — parking and ...


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