Newsletter                                                                                               December 11, 2015
venison in fridge
Dave Mance III

We hung a grizzled old deer in camp this year who was in less than ideal condition, meat-wise. He was sort of randy smelling in general - just all rutted up and glandular. That a shot hit him low in the body cavity didn't help the odor, nor did 10 hours of dragging him in too-warm-for-deer-season heat...

november gallery
Northern Woodlands Readers

In your November photos, a pileated woodpecker dined on grapes, a mink struck a pose, and oh no!, Mr. Bill turned into a cherry tree! This November was much warmer than last year, and wildlife seemed to take advantage. Beavers continued to fell trees for their food caches, and no snow meant easy apple grazing for coyotes and other creatures. The golds and faded reds of late autumn lingered.

We're now on the hunt for December 2015 photos. We encourage you to share images about anything that relates to the Northeast's forests, and that you take this month. Here are examples - but by no means an exclusive list - of photo topics that fit this category: nature, weather, education activities (any age), forest management/logging, recreation, wood manufacture, art, workshops, events. As long as it relates in some way to the Northeast's forests, we'll consider it.


With the end of the year fast upon us, we're asking for your feedback on The Outside Story series. Your input will help us document the effectiveness of the series, and make plans for 2016. When you fill out this brief survey, you'll also become eligible to win a free one-year subscription to Northern Woodlands - a gift for yourself, or to give to a friend. Please respond by Monday, December 21. Many thanks and best wishes for a great holiday season!
mushrooms
Rachel Sargent

The oyster mushroom: delicious, frequently spotted on veggie pizzas, and predatory. That's right. The hyphae of many fungi, including the oyster mushroom, attack and paralyze prey. Then, as R. Greg Thorn of Western University enthusiastically described, the fungi "grow down their throats and digest them from the inside"...

shad
Michael J. Caduto

There was a time in the waters known by the Abenaki peoples as Kwenitegok, "Long River," when migratory fish moved in such multitudes that their backs appeared as a living bridge from shore-to-shore. After the glacier melted, shad and alewives returned to migrate up our rivers for 10,000 years...

curious curls
We heard from someone who just brought home a balsam fir Christmas tree and noticed a few places where the needles had curled and twisted. The same distortion is seen in this photo from UMass Extension. What causes this?
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, December 23, 2015.
red-eyed vireo
Congratulations to our winner Breck Knauft of Huntington, VT! Breck receives a Season's Main Events Day Calendar.

What bird made this distinctive nest?



NW Answer:


A red-eyed vireo. The photo shows the characteristic cup nest suspended below a forked branch.  
NORTHERN WOODLANDS NEWS
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

Forests that can run, finches that can tap-dance, and one very well-stocked snowy owl's nest. A bird bonanza: Ancient eggshells show the connection between dinosaurs and birds; it turns out "bird brain" really isn't an insult; and peril abounds for migrating birds. The tallest chestnut in North America has been found in Maine, searching for the ancient sunken forests of New Hampshire, and a big comeback for peregrines in Vermont. Tune in on Dec. 15 for a webinar on the impact deer browse has on forest regeneration.

INDUSTRY

A Maine company unveils an automated hot air pellet furnace, a New York paper mill gets a $10 million energy efficiency grant, and a New Hampshire woodlot management workshop focused on foresters and loggers working together. The EPA may create a "green label" for clean-burning wood and pellet heaters. An update on the return of the spruce budworm. Discussing the future of Maine's forest industry. And, speaking of the future, a video that highlights career opportunities for millennials in the wood industry.

STORIES YOU'VE SHARED

The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program has spent the last year working with partners to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the Municipal Forest Act, the enabling legislation for Vermont's town forests. One of goals for the centennial celebration was to engage future community leaders and town forest advocates. That effort included a partnership with the Young Writers Project on a town forest writing challenge. Students in grades 3-12 were encouraged to get out and explore their town forest, and then write about it. Three winners were chosen from the 45 submissions that were received; click on the links to read the winning essays: First prize: Wren Forbes, Age 11, Fayston, Story: A Forest for All;  second prize: Fiona Stowell, Age 9, Homeschool, Warren, Story: A Walk in the Eaton Town Forest; third prize: Alexandra Contreras-Montesano, Age 15, Burlington, Story: My Town Forest.           
bird cards
Our syndicated nature essay column, The Outside Story, has been published in regional newspapers for many years, thanks to generous support from the Wellborn Ecology Fund. Every week Adelaide Tyrol illustrates, and local authors write about, all manner of flora and fauna found in our backyards and back forty.

Embrace the art of the hand-written note with our bird series, selected from The Outside Story archive. There are six species, a total of 12 cards, printed locally, with white envelopes in a boxed set. The backside includes a portion of the article, its author and information on where to learn more about each. $20

pewter aspen earrings
Learn why ruffed grouse depend on aspen trees in Virginia Barlow's article: April Flowers.

Graceful in motion, these  aspen earrings feature three sizes of hand-carved leaves. Each pair of pewter earrings is made by hand in Danforth Pewter's Middlebury, Vermont workshop and has surgical steel French wires. 2-inches long. $29

day calendar
Celebrate nature every day of the year with Northern Woodlands' perpetual Northeast calendar, based on the "Season's Main Events" feature in the magazine. It measures 5"/5", spiral-bound at the top, it can stand like a pup tent on a windowsill or lie flat on a desk surface. Click here to peek inside. $14.95