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Newsletter
August 28, 2009
In This Issue
Editor's Blog
The Outside Story
What In The Woods?
Last Week's Contest Answer
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VTFPR blog picture EDITOR'S BLOG
Congratulation to Young VT Writers

In honor of their 100-year anniversary, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FP&R) recently held a youth writing contest, where school-aged children were asked to imagine, in a few paragraphs, what a tree might say if it were given the opportunity to talk....
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peregrine falcon Tyrol illustration THE OUTSIDE STORY
A New Threat for Peregrine Falcons?

What do your computer and a peregrine falcon have in common? For most of us in rural New England, it isn't speed. Rather it is polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), a group of chemicals used as flame retardants. There are dozens of varieties of PBDE...
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What in Woods Contest Image WHAT IN THE WOODS IS THAT?
Our Weekly Guessing Game!


This curious-looking insect rests on a black-eyed Susan. What kind of bug is it? Common name is fine.

Photo by Ken Thomas

Each week we run a photo of something unusual found in the woods. Guess what it is and you'll be eligible to win a copy of The Outside Story, a paperback collection of our Outside Story newspaper columns. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner's name, will appear in next week's column.

View the full image and enter this week's contest

This week's contest deadline is 5:00pm, Wednesday, September 2nd.
What In The Woods contest picture Last Week's Contest Answer

Congratulations to last week's winner, David Agocs of Lynn, MA. We had 16 correct answers! David receives a copy of our book, The Outside Story.


"These oddities are draped across a cliff face. What in the woods is this?"


NW Answer: Rock Tripe (Umbilicaria mammulata)
 
Rock Tripe are lichens that are commonly found on rock faces with a 60-95 degree slope; any gentler, and the rock will host mosses instead.
 
Despite their drab appearance, many species in the genus Umbilicaria yield a brilliant purple dye. Check out our story about natural dyes by Allaire Diamond in the Autumn issue of Northern Woodlands.
 
Thanks to Jim Block for sharing this wonderful photo. To view more of Jim's work, check out his website.
NW Woodpecker logo NORTHERN WOODLANDS GOES TO SCHOOL

Attention Teachers!



We want to make sure that you're all aware of the big changes in the Northern Woodlands Goes to School program. As of the Autumn 2009 issue, the program has moved online.
 
A PDF of the Autumn issue and the Teacher's Guide is now available at our new Google group site. If you have participated in this program in the past, we have already made you a member of this new Google group. In the next day or two, you'll receive an email with all of the information and a link to the group site. You'll be able to download both the magazine and the Teacher's Guide free of charge. Print out and photocopy for your students the particular articles that interest you or the entire magazine. It's all there.
 
We'll still mail one hard copy of the magazine to each teacher in the program. And if you find that your students can't live without their own copy, you can enroll them for the year's worth of print copies at an annual price of $10 per student. Let me know if you'd like to do that.
 
We've made this change in order to keep the program running. One happy consequence of this cost-cutting measure is that it will allow us to vastly increase our reach. Whereas in the past, the financial constraints of printing and mailing so many copies of the magazine limited our scope, with this new digital version, the sky's the limit. If you know of any other teachers who'd like to join the program, please let them know about us.
 
Please be in touch if you have any questions.

Dave Mance, Managing Editor
We Welcome Your Questions and Comments
Postal Address:
Northern Woodlands
1776 Center Road
P.O. Box 471
Corinth, VT  05039
Toll-Free: (800) 290-5232
Phone: (802) 439-6292
Fax: (802) 439-6296
Email: [email protected]
General inquiries form

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The mission of the Center for Northern Woodlands Education is to encourage a culture of forest stewardship in the Northeast by producing and distributing media content to increase understanding of and appreciation for the natural wonders, economic productivity, and ecological integrity of the region's forests. Our programs give people the information they need to help build a sustainable future for our region. Through Northern Woodlands magazine, the Northern Woodlands Goes to School program, and special publications, we make a difference in how people care for their land.