Now that I’ve done a depressing post with nothing good, here’s one with something good. I’ve spent lots of time in the sheep pasture lately, and have been toting my camera around to document everything that is occurring. Have I mentioned that burros are very nosy creatures? I have pictures that prove it! Rena the …
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Nothing good
Our predation issues are still not resolved. First we had two big lambs killed and entirely consumed, in one event. Then things were quiet for a full week. Last Friday morning’s early sheep check led me to a just-killed 90-pound lamb – nothing much eaten but the liver. Once again the scene was so fresh …
Determination of Fossil Feather Color
This is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while. NY Times tells of a recent paper describing how paleontologists have examined bird fossils with an electron microscope and discovered traces of melanosomes. These are pigment structures that give feathers their colors. One 47 million year old sample proved to have dark glossy …
Eagle Repository
Today’s Denver Post has a short article on the National Eagle Repository here in town complete with creepy picture. Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940, it’s illegal to kill Bald or Golden eagles or to possess any feathers or other body parts. Native Americans are allowed to possess them for use …
Where There’s Smoke
We walked out of work yesterday afternoon and I immediately smelled smoke in the air. I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen any local fires mentioned in the news and that proved correct. The smoke and haze is coming from the big fires in Southern California about 900 miles away. A tribute to the power …
The Horror of Ice Cream
I found this recent NY Times article twisted even by the standards of the Times. Entitled “When Parents Scream Against Ice Cream”, it details the efforts of parents in a number of cities to ban summertime ice cream vendors from parks or even entire neighborhoods. The basic premises are that ice cream is a sugary …
Party Animal
I just want you all to know that I am inordinately proud of the fact that I have degrees from two (#11 and #19) of the universities on this year’s Top Twenty Party Schools list. Matt, I am shocked that LSU didn’t make the cut. What’s wrong with those kids in Baton Rouge?
Prehistoric Environmental Destruction
One more nail gets driven into the coffin of the “ecological Indian”, you know that guy who lived in complete harmony with nature before the Europeans arrived here in 1492. The NY Times summarizes a recent study by Torben Rick (Smithsonian Institution) and Jon Erlandson (U. of Oregon) that documents evidence of sometimes serious environmental …
Cracker stacker
My Mongolian trip travel partner and friend Janell Cannon is now playing with video. She’s posted a fun new one on how crows stack crackers:
Artifact Looters
Down in the Four Corners area, the BLM and Federal agents have been on a campaign arresting people who’ve looted Anasazi sites on public land. Today’s Denver Post has an article on a couple in Durango, Colorado who have had their collection confiscated. An article from last month also in the Post, paints a broader …