SF New Mexican:
Mountain lion strolls Marcy Street. I wonder if he’s got a taste for lycra?
SF New Mexican/AP:
Old Faithful Geyser ... er, Cell Tower.
NY Times:
Deiced roads vs. ecosystems, in Colorado. Interesting tidbit: “In the Denver metropolitan region, sand has is rarely been used since officials learned in the late 1980’s that the particles contributed significantly to the infamous “brown cloud” that hovers over the city.” My italics.
Santa Fe New Mexican:
Man gets 10 years for starting wildfire. The backstory of all this is very, very sad.
Science Daily:
To understand butterfly wing colors, biologists develop first transgenic butterflies. There’s something ironic about science developing fluorescent butterflies, when other science is murdering fireflies [lawn chemicals, etc.].
SF New Mexican:
Of leg traps, coyotes and rights. “The coyote has been treated for hookworm, tapeworm and ringworm and has regained enough appetite to eat two large rats each night ...” What about the rats’ rights?
CSM:
Appreciate earthworms. “... earthworms had the ability to affect gradual geological changes over centuries that could produce enormous outcomes ...”
In their honor, a handful of links:
Worm Digest.
The autobiography of Squirmin’ Herman.
The Internet Worm of 1988.
The biology and genome of C. Elegans.
And finally, Composting with Red Wiggler Worms and the Worm Woman.
Washington Times:
Pigs attack, eat farmer’s wife. Romania seems to have a real problem with vicious pigs.
New Scientist:
Massive growth of ecotourism worries biologists. “The animals’ welfare should be paramount because without them there will be no ecotourism.” It’s a sad fact that in today’s world, to save something, it seems one must exploit it first.
Newsday/AP:
Biologists looking into massive Wyoming elk die-off. “Chronic wasting disease—the elk and deer equivalent of mad cow disease—has been ruled out from post-mortem examinations.”
CBS News:
Rocky Mountain National Park occasionally busts Federal clean air standards for ozone. They’re not the only ones. Industry and population encroach on the verges of our pristine natural treasures.
The Wilderness Society:
Yellowstone buffalo slaughtered ... again. The US won’t deal with global warming, because the science is allegedly fuzzy. But the Park Service will kill buffalo, because the science is legitimately fuzzy?
Fishing Magic:
NY Times Travel:
Making tracks in a world gone silent. “The varied designs — known in snowshoe-speak by names like the bearpaw, the Maine, the Michigan (sometimes also called the Algonquin), the Alaskan and the Ojibwa — were created for travel over different snow conditions and terrain.” Was it the old L.L. Bean catalogue that used to carry all the varied types, back in the 60’s/70’s? I remember poring over them, wanting the longest ones ... little did I realize that more weight per foot, more work.
Wow.
There’s a shot.
MSNBC:
Dead whale explodes in Taiwan. I’ve got a story about whales. My family has a very old grandfather clock. At one point, in my teenage years, it stopped running. Dad took down the works, and in the back we found a little tiny bottle of whale oil, obviously intended for the clock. Still stoppered, as if new. Dad popped the cork, while he had the works in the basement. That smell, that unbelievable smell, permeated the entire three stories of the house in about a split millisecond. Worse than the most foully rotten potatoes. I’ll never forget it. Looking at the photo for the above story, I can clearly imagine the stench ...
Seattle Times:
Asher Kelty has passed on. Mr. Kelty brought us the aluminum packframe ... but most importantly ... the hip belt. Millions of backs sigh in relief, and all hail the genius. Rest in peace, sir.
National Post.CA:
Duck with injured wing seeks help from police officer at radar trap. Who picks up the bill?
Yahoo News/AP:
Orangutans get aromatherapy treatments. If they were in Santa Fe, they’d be getting Hot Stone massages and Reiki, too ...
NY Times:
Scoundrels still rule, I guess. Better practice that wicked gleam in my eye, just to stay relevant ...
Learn of the Arctic:
PolarHusky.com. Thanks, A.K.!
NY Times:
Japan and Russia are considering a cross-border park.
New Scientist:
New whale species found ... in a museum. “... it also reinforces just how little scientists still know about much of the world’s fauna, including its greatest mammals.” I’d add flora to that, too.
BikeMagic:
Ride the night. Yeah. My recommend: don’t forget the helmet, and take along a suitable discouragement for loose pooches [or the occasional rabid coyote].