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Newsletter
September 18, 2009
In This Issue
Editor's Blog
The Outside Story
What In The Woods?
Last Week's Contest Answer
Northern Woodlands News
Quick Links

Newsroom blog picture EDITOR'S BLOG
Bull Moose in the Newsroom

If we could afford to do it, we'd make the Letters to the Editor section of the magazine 20 pages long. Our readers are the lifeblood of our publication, and their thoughts add...
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ferns Tyrol illustration THE OUTSIDE STORY
Ferns: World Travelers and Visual Delights

Ferns reward a close look. Their beauty is easy to appreciate from afar - the way a bed of ferns catches the sunlight filtering down among the trees, splashing bright green on the forest floor, enriching and somehow softening almost any woodsy glade....

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What in Woods contest image WHAT IN THE WOODS IS THAT?
Our Weekly Guessing Game!


No, it's not an alien life-form; and that's all the help you get. What in the woods is it?


Photo courtesy Bryan Pfeiffer

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 23rd.
What in Woods contest image Last Week's Contest Answer

Congratulations to last week's winner, Justin Reichman, a Morrisville State College student. We had 16 correct answers (from 70 attempts)! Justin receives a copy of our book, The Outside Story.

Photo Courtesy Brian Hotz, "Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests"

Dave Anderson was hiking along a telephone line right-of-way near Long Pond in Lempster, New Hampshire, when he noticed a telephone pole that was completely snapped off and was hanging suspended from its wires. A closer look revealed several other poles had significant structural damage. The site was remote enough that human vandalism seemed unlikely. What in the woods could have caused this?

NW Answer: This telephone pole was used as a scent post by a black bear.
 
During the May to July breeding season, black bears use pine trees, or in this case, telephone poles, to create territorial scent posts. The posts are clawed, bitten, and rubbed. In the process, a bear deposits scent and fur on the sticky pine pitch. The pitch fixes the scent and conveys the physical stature and reproductive status of the bear.
 
For the whole story, read Dave Anderson's article on Bear Country in the Forest Society Journal.

pencils NORTHERN WOODLANDS NEWS
Be Prepared!
 
I have a friend who's a scientist. Her profession is reflected in her approach to small, everyday tasks. Take, for example, her desk pencils; she keeps them pointed up like a bouquet of cacti in their container. I asked her about it once:

"Why don't you keep the eraser end up?"

"I want to know immediately which pencil is ready to use. I don't want to be disappointed by a broken tip."

"Aren't you afraid you'll get poked?"

"I'm careful."
 
Just think about how that line of thinking could be translated to business! All of us frustrate ourselves by wasting time with non-productive procedures, when we could be setting the stage for greater success through forethought.
 
All the leading indicators show that the recession is lifting and economic recovery has commenced. Businesses that have reacted to the past eighteen months by figuratively shuttering their windows understand that they must now be seen in order to thrive.
 
I hope the businesses engaged in the Northern Woodlands community will follow my friend's example and keep their "pointy ends up" when choosing media to advertise their re-emergence. Generally, magazine advertising still draws more readers to action than web, radio, or TV ads. Specifically, Northern Woodlands' subscriber base responds to ads for goods and services that address their enthusiastic interest in the forests of the Northeast.
 
I encourage businesses interesting in advertising to be in touch with me by Sept. 28th, the space reservation deadline for the winter 2009 issue. Click: Northern Woodlands Advertising Information for details and note the free online listings of our print advertisers: Northern Woodlands Market Place, linked to our newsletter that reaches over 2000 readers weekly.

You can contact me through the website or by email: amy@northernwoodlands.org and by phone: (802) 439-6292.
 
Advertising with us will be painless. With careful planning, you won't be disappointed.
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: mail@northernwoodlands.org
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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.