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Dave Mance III
It's often implied, if it's not said outright, that nature is a cruel, cold place. We've all seen trees wrapped around each other fighting for light; late frosts that leave flower faces disfigured; fawn carcasses. These images feed the "red in tooth and claw" idea of nature that many of us grew up with...
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Michael J. Caduto
In the early 1960s, Euell Gibbons wrote Stalking the Wild Asparagus and introduced millions of North Americans to the virtues of harvesting wild foods. Since that time, gathering wild edibles has become increasingly popular, and in our region, woods-grown delicacies such as ramps and fiddlehead ferns...
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Steven D. Faccio
By mid-May each year I begin to look forward to the return of the alder flycatchers that nest in the willows along the stream near our house. Usually the last migrant to arrive on our property, this small, drab, gray bird with its sneeze-like song, signifies that summer is indeed just around the corner...
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Ben Haubrich stumbled on this scene while walking in the woods in mid-May; at first he thought it was an oil spill, but a closer look showed it was something else.
Every other week we run a photo of something unusual found in the woods. Guess what it is and you'll be eligible to win one of our Season's Main Events Day Calendars. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner's name, will appear in our next e-newsletter.
This week's contest deadline is 8:00 AM, Wednesday, June 10, 2015.
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Congratulations to our winner Justin Vreeland! Justin receives a Season's Main Events Day Calendar.
Thanks to Kyle Jones for sending in this photo. What is he holding?
NW Answer:
American chestnut seeds.
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Our cup runneth over. Actually, our inbox spilleth over. Either way, we have a lot of interesting news stories that cross our desks. Here were some of our favorites:
NATURE
The plight of bees is stoking debate about restricting pesticides. It turns out that changes in forest canopy cover affects bees. Scientists show us that birds are multi-lingual and that fruit can be super-sized. The Great Green Wall of China is an appropriately massive endeavor. A black widow bite in Vermont and good news about loons in New York. An ironic finding: the development of human intelligence is linked to a memory disorder. And floating earth art defies gravity...very cool.
INDUSTRY
Biodegradable computer chips come out of the forest lab. Deer are taking their toll on the forests of western New York. Working lands grants are made in Vermont, where a forest and wood products industry event will be held in June. An assessment of biomass operations in New Hampshire. A national park in Maine? New Hampshire loggers who swear by a shiny skidder. And a logging accident in Vermont proves cell phones can serve a useful purpose.
STORIES YOU'VE SHARED
Vermont's Forest Pest First Detector Program will provide a free training on June 13 in Montpelier. For volunteers interested in scouting for three invasive insects - the Asian longhorned beetle, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid - in their communities. Early detection of these invasive pests will help minimize economic and ecological damage to forests and may prevent populations from becoming established in the state. Click here to learn more. If you have questions or wish to register, contact Gwen Kozlowski via email or 802-656-6646, by June 9.
New Hampshire Fish and Game is updating the New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan, which guides efforts to protect wildlife species and manage habitats. Members of the public are being invited to share their concerns about wildlife and ideas for action by taking an online survey. The deadline to do so is May 29, so don't delay!
One hundred years ago, Vermont state legislators gave towns the ability to buy forestland to provide marketable timber, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities for their residents. Today, 168 of 255 towns have a town forest, totaling more than 67,000 acres statewide. To mark the centennial of the town forest legislation, a Vermont town forest and conservation summit will be held on November 7, 2015 in Middlebury, Vermont. One of the goals will be to look ahead to the role of town forests in the next 100 years. For more details on the event, email Katherine Forrer.
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Peter Forbes is a student of the relationship between people and place, the author and photographer of five books on that theme, and an edge walker between the professions of writing, community well-being and leadership development. He worked for many years in conservation and is one of the co-founders of Center for Whole Communities. You might find him teaching spoon-carving on a city street, or giving a keynote address on courage at a national conference, or helping to facilitate the healing of a fracture within a community, or photographing a lost art. What Peter cares most about is strengthening peoples' connections to one another and to the land that sustains them. He practices what he preaches on their family farm.
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