by don | Aug 5, 2011
That’s probably not the exact scenario but a recent article in Current Biology claims that most if not all of today’s living polar bears are descended from one Scottish brown bear. Mama bear lived in Ireland near the peak of the last Ice Age 20,000 to 50,000 years...
by don | Jul 28, 2011
A recently published study in Proceedings, an online medical journal of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that regular aerobic exercise like walking or hiking can improve the brain’s memory function and perhaps lessen the risk of dementia. As humans age, the...
by don | Jul 21, 2011
Unless you are of a philosophical bent you might want to skip this last installment of the spotted owl trilogy. I have been intrigued by the dichotomy of man vs. nature for a long time. I can’t remember exactly what I saw while researching the spotted owl dilemma –...
by don | Jul 14, 2011
I mentioned in last week’s Naturalist’s Corner that I found the decision by US Fish & Wildlife to kill barred owls in an effort to save spotted owls intriguing on many levels. I will use this week’s and next week’s columns to outline a couple of those intrigues....
by don | Jul 6, 2011
The Migratory Bird Act makes it illegal to kill barred owls, Strix varia. It is a crime that is punishable by thousands of dollars in fines and can include jail time. That is unless you are working for the federal government and you are killing barred...
by don | Jun 29, 2011
The eighth annual Mountain Wildlife Days is scheduled for July 15 and 16 at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. The event is sponsored by Wild South along with partners Sapphire Valley Resort and Cashiers Travel & Tourism. The program organized in large part by...
by don | Jun 24, 2011
Too many birders hang their binoculars up and put their field guides back on the shelf after May, fearing the “dog” days of summer. But the summer months offer a great opportunity to get to know your local nesters. While it’s true that rising thermometers, incubation...
by don | Jun 21, 2011
The first 2011 sojourn into the Town of Waynesville’s 8,000-plus acre watershed occurred last Saturday (June 11). The town has been sponsoring and coordinating a couple of guided hikes into the watershed each year since 2007. It’s a way for residents and other...
by don | Jun 13, 2011
Dead snakes are certainly interesting and can pique a child’s curiosity. Izzy (9) and Maddie (5) found just such a specimen next to the garage door last Saturday. We couldn’t tell for sure the cause of death but guessed the dogs must have done it in. The small (15...
by don | Jun 7, 2011
All, Thanks to quick work and rapid outreach to members of the General Assembly and to the adminstration at Appalachian State, the sponsors of the ASU Demonstration Wind Bill pulled it from the calendar this afternoon. The bill would have gone to the floor tonight,...
