This is a fun video to watch. An incredible amount of effort for one tree.
If nothing else, it is a demonstration of the power of 'yellow' equipment being put to the test.
A tip of my hat to Mom and Dad Powell for showing me the video.
October 13, 2012
A bit of a tadoo about a tree
The 'land ethic' is interesting when it comes to application. Many people who genuinely care for the land have given in or given up on something of concern when the price becomes too high. Not so in Texas, where a 100-year-old oak tree was moved to make way for a highway project.
This is a fun video to watch. An incredible amount of effort for one tree.
If nothing else, it is a demonstration of the power of 'yellow' equipment being put to the test.
A tip of my hat to Mom and Dad Powell for showing me the video.
This is a fun video to watch. An incredible amount of effort for one tree.
If nothing else, it is a demonstration of the power of 'yellow' equipment being put to the test.
A tip of my hat to Mom and Dad Powell for showing me the video.
October 6, 2012
Economic impact of landscapes in Nebraska
Ever wonder how much money comes from hunting and fishing and nature viewing (and etc.) in the United States and Nebraska? The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has participated in a study to establish some estimates. Watch the video below: the quick answer--it approaches $2 Billion (with a "B"!) every year.
As a comparison, net agricultural receipts in Nebraska has been hovering around $7-8 Billion each year. I bet you didn't realize that Nebraska's landscapes were competing with production agriculture (Nebraska's largest portion of the economy) for such impact on Nebraskans?
My colleagues in Namibia train their students in wildlife and nature conservation to be proud of their contributions to their nation's economy. We need to do the same in the US.
Maybe we get stuck on teaching Aldo Leopold's "A Land Ethic"--and we try to convince everyone they should be 'doing conservation' for the general good feeling you get (by having a 'land ethic'). But, we miss the opportunity to make the point that conservation can pay! It's a new way to think about wildlife education.
As a comparison, net agricultural receipts in Nebraska has been hovering around $7-8 Billion each year. I bet you didn't realize that Nebraska's landscapes were competing with production agriculture (Nebraska's largest portion of the economy) for such impact on Nebraskans?
My colleagues in Namibia train their students in wildlife and nature conservation to be proud of their contributions to their nation's economy. We need to do the same in the US.
Maybe we get stuck on teaching Aldo Leopold's "A Land Ethic"--and we try to convince everyone they should be 'doing conservation' for the general good feeling you get (by having a 'land ethic'). But, we miss the opportunity to make the point that conservation can pay! It's a new way to think about wildlife education.
September 5, 2012
Wolverine in southern Iowa?
Residents of a nursing home in southern Iowa received a visit from a bedraggled animal recently, and my hometown newspaper published a photo of the critter with a headline that posed the question of whether this was a wolverine? Local wildlife experts expressed doubts of the wolverine identification, but also expressed uncertainty as to its actual identification.
I posted the photo on my facebook page and asked my colleagues to comment. As of today, most agreement seems to be that this is a very wet, probably very upset woodchuck. The white markings on the nose and behind the chin make me agree. What do you think?
Photo from the Creston News Advertiser. The story can be accessed through the link. Thanks to Mom and Dad for sending me this story!
I posted the photo on my facebook page and asked my colleagues to comment. As of today, most agreement seems to be that this is a very wet, probably very upset woodchuck. The white markings on the nose and behind the chin make me agree. What do you think?
Photo from the Creston News Advertiser. The story can be accessed through the link. Thanks to Mom and Dad for sending me this story!
August 3, 2012
Great grey owl
His book says owls
are no wiser than other birds,
still it drew us
together
under the tall lodgepole
lit by the moon.
We heard hooting after a
hard day that ended with
few words as we slipped
into sleeping bags
to escape in our
own dreams.
"Dad, can we go find it?"
can only be answered one way,
and soon we were
skirting other campsites and
apologizing for the intrusion of our flashlight.
In our pajamas and flip-flops
we plunged deeper into the woods
to follow its call.
One last hoot above us,
and we were there,
together,
gazing up at the shadow
of the great owl
in our wilderness.
---------
Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl
are no wiser than other birds,
still it drew us
together
under the tall lodgepole
lit by the moon.
We heard hooting after a
hard day that ended with
few words as we slipped
into sleeping bags
to escape in our
own dreams.
"Dad, can we go find it?"
can only be answered one way,
and soon we were
skirting other campsites and
apologizing for the intrusion of our flashlight.
In our pajamas and flip-flops
we plunged deeper into the woods
to follow its call.
One last hoot above us,
and we were there,
together,
gazing up at the shadow
of the great owl
in our wilderness.
---------
Photo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl
June 29, 2012
Photo Focus: generation gap
My research lab is starting to work with a team of colleagues on a project that will investigate potential effects of wind turbines on prairie-chickens. Such information may be helpful to folks who make decisions about where to put turbines in grasslands.
As you roam the green earth, sometimes you find a scene that just begs to be photographed. Today's Photo Focus is one of those scenes, from the rangelands of Nebraska's Sandhills near Ainsworth, NE.
As you roam the green earth, sometimes you find a scene that just begs to be photographed. Today's Photo Focus is one of those scenes, from the rangelands of Nebraska's Sandhills near Ainsworth, NE.
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