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Newsletter
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November 13, 2009
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 EDITOR'S BLOG
Opening Camp
Consult any deer camp journal and you'll read that each year camp is
"opened" the Friday before hunting season, as in: "11-13-09 Joe opened
camp around 10 A.M.." If you're not familiar with the subtleties of
deer camp protocol, this admittedly mundane-sounding occurrence may not
seem...Full Article Text
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 THE OUTSIDE STORY
Newts Too Close for Comfort
When we bought our old farmhouse 40 years ago, its source of water was
a spring that gushed from a hillside. The water seemed clean thanks in
part to gravel that had been placed on the muddy bottom and to a loose
wooden lid that covered the spring itself...Full Article Text
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 WHAT IN THE WOODS IS THAT?
Our Weekly Guessing Game!
A few years back, a group of amateur history buffs spent the
better part of two days dragging an enormous hunk of metal off a densely wooded
mountain in southern Vermont. The
area is referred to on topo maps as the "McIntyre Job" - the site of a big
lumber operation in the early part of the twentieth century. The top picture
shows the machine's carriage, the bottom picture shows the blade (see full image on contest page). What was this? And what was it used for?
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, November 18th.
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 Last Week's Contest Answer
Congratulations to our winner, Nick Fortin. We had 38 correct answers! Nick receives a copy of our book, The Outside Story.
Driftwood? Nope. What
in the woods could this be?
NW Answer: A moose antler.
A few years back, game warden Travis Buttle of Shaftsbury,
Vermont, received a trouble call about a
bull moose with funny antlers that had died in someone's backyard. It was
determined that the moose had died of natural causes - more specifically,
meningeal worm, also known as brain worm, a tiny parasite. The antler pictured
came off that moose.
Might the brain worm have caused this antler's strange,
driftwood-like appearance? Several scientists I spoke to had doubts. Vince Crichton,
a wildlife biologist from Winnipeg, Canada,
suggested that liver flukes may be a more likely culprit. He's studied populations
of German roe deer where liver flukes seemed to accompany non-typical antler
growth. Another possibility is fibromatosis - a type of skin tumor that some
scientists believe can cause antler deformity. Finally, the moose could have
simply damaged the antler in velvet.
Visit our What In The Woods Is That? contest archive.
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 NORTHERN WOODLANDS NEWSInside Peak at the Winter 2009 issue!
The winter issue is at the printers; it will head to the
mail house late next week, and should arrive at your door by December 1.
Here's a preview of what you can expect: Bernd Heinrich
explains how to identify birds nests in winter; Hugh Canham journeys back in
time to explore the wood chemical industry in the Northeast; Pat Bartlett
dissects some ice-storm-damaged maple trees; and just in time for the holiday
season, writer Amanda Kuhnert and wreathmaker Sarah Taparauskas teach us how to
make wreaths out of balsam fir.
Tracking Tips explores the misery of a late winter deer
yard, Under the Microscope explains why your maple tree with the 5-year-old
skidder scar on the butt log just up and died, and Bob Kimber introduces us to
the concept of keeping mice in your walls at bay with a milk snake.
Not a subscriber yet? Sign up now and have it delivered to
your door.
You can renew online, through the mail, or over the phone.
1) Online
at: http://northernwoodlands.org/shop/subscriptions/
2) Mail:
Northern Woodlands POB 471 Corinth, VT
05039
3) Phone:
Call toll-free (800) 290-5232 from 8 a.m.
to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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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
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.
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