Kids can get up close and personal with fish, reptiles and more at Idaho Aquarium
By Michael Deeds, The Idaho Statesman - Sat, Feb 18, 2012 11:49 pm
BOISE, Idaho -- Looks are deceiving at the Idaho Aquarium -- and not just the vivid, color-changing chameleons.
"It's crazy how big it is inside," says Josh Marsters of Middleton. "You can't tell from the outside."
Marsters, 31, and his wife, Nicole, 28, are spending a Friday afternoon wandering through the blue maze of exotic fish, eels and tree frogs.
"She loves it," Nicole says,...
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Florida expedition tracks corridor for wildlife
By Anne Claire Shilton, Scripps Howard News Service - Fri, Feb 10, 2012 2:49 pm
NAPLES, Fla. — When Joe Guthrie tries to explain why a statewide wildlife corridor is important, he starts like this:
"Imagine you're a bear. A bear living in Collier County. And you've been out-competed for resources. You need to move to survive, so where do you go?"
Once upon a time, that answer was simple: anywhere you wanted to go.
Today, with developments and roads crisscrossing Florida, the...
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Now’s a good time to view bald eagles
By Jeff DeMoss, Standard-Examiner staff - Wed, Feb 8, 2012 12:58 am
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge serves as a haven for a multitude of birds on their way to other destinations — the ultimate avian truck stop, if you will.
Right now, its most prominent customers happen to be America’s national symbol.
Howard Browers, wildlife biologist at the expansive refuge encompassing the marshlands adjacent to the northeast arm of Great Salt Lake, said counts this week...
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Minnesota’s gray wolves removed from endangered list
By Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) - Tue, Feb 7, 2012 12:51 am
NORTH OF ORR, Minn. — Julian Brzoznowski isn’t easily buffaloed when the subject is wolves. He’s watched them kill his cattle, argued about them in court, and seen them trapped by the dozens on his property.
Decades ago, he even found one hung on a fencepost, vigilante-style.
“I don’t know how that happened,” he said. “Couldn’t tell you.”
Now retired, with his cattle long ago sent to slaughter...
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Dog found alive 4 days after Montana avalanche
By The Associated Press, The Associated Press - Sat, Feb 4, 2012 11:16 pm
BILLINGS, Mont. — A dog that was feared dead after he was swept away in a weekend avalanche that killed his owner showed up four days later at the Montana motel where his owners had stayed the night before going backcountry skiing.
Search and rescue team member Bill Whittle said he was "positive" that the Welsh corgi — named Ole — had been buried in Saturday's avalanche.
"The avalanche guys...
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Box Elder’s golden eagles poised for winter watching
By Kristin Purdy, Standard-Examiner correspondent - Wed, Feb 1, 2012 10:25 am
Seventy-five feet. That’s how far away a golden eagle perched on a rock while glancing over its shoulder at me. My slow and deliberate approach while remaining in my wildlife blind (my vehicle) may have helped the bird maintain its calm demeanor and steadfast presence.
Box Elder County excels in the winter as a raptor-watching destination. The expansive and rugged spaces offer winged carnivores...
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Utah wildlife officials encourage bird feeders
By The Associated Press - Tue, Jan 17, 2012 5:10 pm
PROVO — Utah wildlife officials are encouraging residents to help the state’s wild birds through the winter by putting out bird food and bird feeders.
The Daily Herald of Provo reports (http://bit.ly/wEcpVK) long nights, sub-zero temperatures and winter storms severely limit the food supply.
Division of Wildlife Resources official Ron Stewart says birds need to eat regularly to maintain body heat...
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New Mexico puts the brakes on river otters
By Standard-Examiner staff and wire services - Wed, Jan 11, 2012 12:21 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was nearly 60 years ago on the Gila River. That’s the last time anyone had documented a river otter in New Mexico. A government trapper found the dead animal in a beaver trap he had set.
Now, the chance of otters making any kind of a comeback in the upper reaches of the Gila is being put on hold indefinitely by New Mexico wildlife officials, a move that is frustrating...
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American dipper impervious to winter’s cold
By Kristin Purdy, Standard-Examiner correspondent - Wed, Jan 4, 2012 12:49 am
Do you shiver when you look outside at 7:30 a.m. to see a shirt-sleeved middle school toughie walking to the bus stop … and you realize it’s about 19 degrees?!?
That’s how I felt last week while watching an American dipper in the Ogden River near The Oaks restaurant. I was bundled in winter gear, but seeing that bird dip merrily in winter water amid ice-capped stones chilled my bones. What’s that...
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Tundra swans migrating through Great Salt Lake wetlands
By Kristin Purdy, Standard-Examiner correspondent - Wed, Dec 7, 2011 12:48 am
I was walking my daughter’s dog near sunset one afternoon a couple Sundays ago when the distant cries of fans at a ball game wafted to me: “Who-whoo! Oo-ooo! Who!” This was an excited group, cheering constantly, their cries overlapping.
Wait a minute. A ball game … on Sunday … in Utah? Not likely. Then, a thought struck: Look up.
A ‘V’ of tundra swans was winging so high overhead I could barely...
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