Mushroom conditions in the Pacific Northwest
By Mark Yuasa, The Seattle Times - Tue, Oct 25, 2011 10:42 am
SEATTLE — Mushroom foraging conditions have been near perfect with the recent rainfall followed by cooler temperatures and sunny days.
Many will flock to the forests in search of Japanese matsutake (Armillaria ponderosa), known for their unique smell and excellent table fare. Other popular varieties among edible mushrooms are boletes and chanterelles.
The peak of this autumn’s foraging season...
Read more.
Beetle crisis gnawing at forests in Utah, the West
By Brandon Loomis, The Associated Press - Thu, Oct 6, 2011 3:47 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A gray-whiskered former fly-fishing guide waded through a Montana horse pasture whacking weeds for his neighbor, the machine rumbling in his hands, while on mountain ridges all around him, the trees silently died.
Beetles.
Here, along the pine-scented exurban glory of Trail Creek outside Bozeman, Lester DuChane and his sparse neighbors are the latest Westerners to watch...
Read more.
Portions of 8 Utah streams studied for protection
By Josh Loftin, The Associated Press - Thu, Oct 6, 2011 3:08 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Federal officials are proposing protections for portions of eight streams in southern Utah noted for their wildlife, scenic waterfalls or pioneer inscriptions.
The Bureau of Land Management identifies the 14 total miles of waterways in a draft proposal released this week.
The BLM says some of the stream sections provide habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher...
Read more.
Townsend’s solitaires staking claims on juniper crop
By Kristin Purdy - Tue, Oct 4, 2011 11:03 pm
The sweet sound of warbled chirps and melodious slurred notes bounced off the foothills east of Snowbasin. The singer seemed to express joie de vivre, happy that spring had arrived, intent on advertising its presence to potential mates and deterring territory competitors.
Hmmm … something’s not quite right in that assumption. Perhaps the fact that autumn just arrived is a clue.
The Townsend’s...
Read more.
Raccoons prove smart and resourceful, except when crossing the road
By Ray Sasser, The Dallas Morning News - Mon, Sep 19, 2011 11:57 pm
DALLAS — Like most people who live near wildlife habitat, my wife and I are having a varmint problem in our yard. Range conditions are so dry that the only water available to raccoons, skunks and others is in town.
Biologists like Dale Rollins call these critters meso mammals, a term from the Greek word “mesos” meaning middle, center, or intermediate. In other words, meso mammals are not the top...
Read more.
Late summer a bonanza for seed-eating lesser goldfinches
By Kristin Purdy, Standard-Examiner correspondent - Tue, Sep 6, 2011 11:23 pm
If I were to create an amusement park for lesser goldfinches, every ride would be called Ridin’ the Stems. One would be Ridin’ the Sunflower Stems. Another, Ridin’ the Prickly Lettuce Stems. A third, Ridin’ the Thistle Stems. They eat a wide variety of weed seeds, which makes the list of stems they ride pretty long.
These adept little finches specialize in working tiny seeds from dried bracts...
Read more.
North Dakota expected to be awash in ducks this fall
By Dennis Anderson, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) - Thu, Aug 25, 2011 9:46 am
SOMEWHERE OVER NORTH DAKOTA — The Cessna 206 banked toward the rising sun last week, revealing beneath one wing a rich, broad countryside as green as it was watery. This was North Dakota in August 2011, one of the wettest years on record, in which basins large and small that have pockmarked the landscape for 10,000 years are water-filled.
And in many cases, duck-filled.
“I’ve been out here 30...
Read more.
California condors to be released in Arizona
By The Peregrine Fund - Wed, Aug 24, 2011 3:44 pm
BOISE – Three California condors will be released to the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. The public is welcome to observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and experts will be available to answer questions.
Read more: http://www.peregrinefund.org/news-release/217
Read more.
With hiring of new manager, Audubon nature center aims to be premier tourism destination
By Brad Dokken, Grand Forks Herald - Sun, Aug 21, 2011 11:36 pm
WARREN, Minn. — As an avid birder and nature lover, Heidi Hughes says the first two months at her new job have only deepened her passion for the prairies and aspen parklands many people in northwest Minnesota take for granted.
Her goal is to share that passion with others.
“This is the section of the state that’s the forgotten section,” said Hughes, new manager of the Agassiz Audubon Society’s...
Read more.
Little Manatee River is worth a look in Florida
By Susan Cocking, Miami Herald - Sat, Aug 13, 2011 11:09 pm
ON THE LITTLE MANATEE RIVER, Fla. — Many Floridians can’t imagine using the words “wilderness” and “Tampa Bay” in the same sentence. But there is a connection — the Little Manatee River.
The Little Manatee flows more than 30 miles from just east of Fort Lonesome in southern Hillsborough County south into northern Manatee County and west into Tampa Bay near Ruskin. Compared to other drainages in...
Read more.
