Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
Getting There Driving west on I-94, it’s fast and flat through Minnesota and most of North Dakota. I pass crowded fields of sunflowers, their dry seed heads fixed toward the sky, flat terrain pockmarked by small lakes and rolling fallow crop fields. Until suddenly, the … Continue readingTheodore Roosevelt National Park – South Unit
Don’t Mess with Mama Bear Mama bears are notoriously, fiercely protective of their cubs. It’s unusual for adult male bears (boars) to hang out here. In other places where I’ve watched bears fish, the opposite is true; sows with cubs are rare. This stretch of … Continue readingBrown Bear Stories (Part Two)
The salmon run congregates bears closer together and in higher numbers than they would otherwise tolerate. Like Big Brother on television, this creates drama. Family Drama When a sow with cubs begins fishing, the hungry cubs watch with rapt attention. Once she catches a salmon … Continue readingBrown Bear Stories (Part One)
It’s all about the timing. Life in coastal Alaska is dictated by the tides – for both human and non-human animals. On the shore of Lake Clark National Park, the annual silver salmon run has just begun. A few days ago, there were a few … Continue readingFishing Bears
“Go to Theodore Roosevelt for the wild horses. Sure, there are bison, elk, mule deer, coyotes, burrowing owls, black-footed ferrets, badgers galore, prairie dogs, and a unique sub-species of turkey that you will likely photograph while there, but the wild horses are the real draw … Continue readingWild Horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Communication This bear argument is loud, powerful, and impassioned, yet fairly benign. All social species require a way to resolve conflict without risking their lives or their relationships. Just because you have power does not mean you need to use it. Nature has so much … Continue readingBears: A Heated Discussion
The Trail I’m moving purposefully up the half-mile trail from the parking lot in Point Reyes National Seashore. If I’m going to see the river otters and still find a bobcat, this detour can’t take too long. Along my way, there are birds all about … Continue readingRiver Otters
It’s a classic Glacier National Park hike. Mid-day in July or August you’ll find people circling the parking lot for an hour or more looking for a place to park as traffic backs up on the narrow, winding, two-lane Going to the Sun Road as … Continue readingHidden Lake Trail at Logan Pass
There are just a handful of other cars here when we arrive in the early morning. Its 45 degrees and spitting rain. A couple is gearing up for a bike ride on the Going to the Sun Road, which is still closed from here to … Continue readingAvalanche Creek Trail in the Rain
Living in the Midwest, I haven’t had much exposure to the Western Red Cedar. I have some favorite trees – oaks for their gnarly growth and the wildlife habitat they provide; aspens for their decorated white bark and fluttering, shimmering heart-shaped leaves; the ponderosa pine … Continue readingOne Western Red Cedar Tree