Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
We’re sitting on top of a bluff overlooking the Thumb River in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, watching and waiting for Kodiak’s famed brown bears. The slope down to the river is steep, partially vegetated, but mostly exposed dirt and rock. A wildlife trail leads down … Continue readingBold, Curious Kodiak Island Fox
“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau A dark shape in the matted grass above the Thumb River catches my eye. A cross fox is rolling, feet toward the sky, scratching his back. He stood, shook, and disappeared behind a … Continue readingThe Foxes of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
I didn’t expect to find myself in the middle of spring bird migration in Anchorage in late April. But that is exactly what happened. I guess when summer only lasts three months before the snow flies again, you’d better be here when it starts. I … Continue readingSpring Bird Migration in Anchorage
The lift-off from the ground is imperceptible. I just notice that the ground is a little further away and moving underneath us now. We met at 6:30am on a cold, clear morning to go on a hot air balloon ride along the Teton mountain range … Continue readingThe View from Above: Hot Air Ballooning in the Tetons
Georgia has Old Car City, but Alaska has Eklutna Tailrace. Sure Old Car City has more than 4000 cars over six miles of land. Yet, Alaska has the serendipitous surprise of bits and pieces of dilapidated cars peeking out of the ground that’s reclaiming them … Continue readingOld Car City Alaska Style
The Promise Signs along the roads keep promising moose. It seems every two or three miles, there is another sign for moose. Yet, I can’t seem to find one. Alaska has the largest subspecies of moose in the world. Its Latin name, Alces alces gigas, … Continue readingSearching for Moose in Alaska
I stopped in my tracks. I’ve never seen so much beaver sign! Trampled, packed down snow, chewed limbs, and huge shavings from felling trees.. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I knew that the beavers were back. I’d seen signs of activity at their … Continue readingThe Beavers Next Door
I’m saying goodbye to this land that I’ve loved and nurtured, and that has nurtured me back. We arrived in June 2009 to a sterile, weedy landscape. Morning glory vines had overrun all of the landscape beds, their long tendril roots anchored firmly through the … Continue readingSaying Goodbye
When the weather prevents snorkeling, there is still ocean life to see. The difference here between low tide and high tide is one foot, yet it exposes twenty yards or so of seafloor. If these were the extreme tides like they get in Alaska (twenty … Continue readingLow Tide Meander
They’re the size of a big dog only with bigger, soft, brown, pleading eyes; no wonder people want to feed them. The federally endangered Key deer only exist in the lower Florida Keys. They are a subspecies of the common white-tailed deer. Like most animals … Continue readingFlorida’s Key Deer