Trash on the Trails
Trash belongs in garbage cans, dumpsters, and landfills. It does not belong in parking lots, along roadsides, in school yards, or on lawns. But for some reason, it’s especially offensive when found along a nature trail. On the Trail Generally, very little trash is found…
Out of Comfort Zone
After years of using my mammal skull collection for education, I feel comfortable at this point talking with anyone about the adaptations these animals had for surviving. I even enjoy these discussions and look forward to greeting people who might be interested in learning some…
A Cool, Cloudy Day Hike
Years ago, on a trip to Australia, we took a hike with a guide in one of their national parks with the hopes of encountering native animals. After hiking 14 miles, we returned to our cabin with no sighting of wildlife except for one spider…
Desert After Dark
Who would enter the desert after dark? As it turns out, lots of people did recently at White Tank Mountain Regional Park in Waddell, Arizona, northwest of Phoenix. White Tank is the largest of the Maricopa County Parks with about 30,000 acres in rugged desert…
Zoology or Botany?
Animal life has always excited me more than plant life – zoology over botany. Why would anyone want to study dull, boring vegetation? However, my attitude toward plants began to change when we headed to the Sonoran Desert the first year we volunteered for U.S….
Signs and Sounds of Wildlife
“We saw a bear running up the butte on our way home tonight!” some other volunteers told us recently. The butte rises next to our camp area on the National Elk Refuge, but we rarely see animals on it during summer. Two days after the…
Earning Badges Revisited
Last month we featured an article about a 14-year-old boy who cut corners and presented sloppy work rushed through with little attention to correctness merely to acquire a badge. Now we are surprised to learn that deceit seems to be prevalent with parents anxious for…