Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
After quickly adding layers – long underwear, rain pants, wool socks, thermal undershirt, sweater, coat, hat, and gloves – I grabbed my backpack and hip waders and boarded the skiff for our first trip ashore. We passed what I first thought was a sea otter. … Continue readingOur First Steps in Geographic Harbor
Low tide almost empties the terminal end of the Kamishak Bay in Geographic Harbor leaving a stunning technicolor braided river in its place. The opaque blues of the glacial silt mix with the sand and soil from recent rains. We fly over this majestic landscape … Continue readingKatmai Bears by Boat: A Week on an Old Tugboat
I thought we were headed out for an easy, spring, creekside hike in the mountains to a historic site of interest. In my head, I had pictured a stroll in the woods along a babbling brook. I was very excited! Our host, Adrienne, had recommended … Continue readingThe Pulaski Trail: Spring Snow in the Mountains
After a harrowing 7 1/2-hour road trip yesterday (congestion leaving the city, construction delays, troopers escorting a wide load at 30 mph on the 70 mph bypass, and finally a rollover accident that closed the road—seriously, all of it), I needed to unwind. I set … Continue readingThe Japanese Ritual of Forest Bathing
I’m sitting on my front porch on a comfy love seat. The wrens are busily feeding a noisy birdhouse full of chicks. They’ve been nesting in this birdhouse for years. Returning to the nest, the parents always perch a few branches away and announce their … Continue readingA Summer Morning with the Wrens
I haven’t seen a junco since mid-April. It’s hard to mark the day they leave except to note when some has time gone by since I’d last noticed one. Here, they mark the beginning of winter and the promise of spring. As the juncos leave, … Continue readingChanging Seasons: Spring
As we pulled into the empty parking in the early morning sun, a red-tailed hawk flew by in dogged pursuit of a raven. I wonder what raven mischief raised the hawk’s ire. It’s a windy, windy day and they seem to get blown past us … Continue readingCougar Bay Hike in Coeur d’Alene
I arrived in the dark rain at 5:15am to meet the local coordinator for the annual midwest spring survey of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes. He was there to unlock the gate and let me into this state park that doesn’t open until dawn. When I … Continue readingAnnual Midwest Crane Count
Over the nine years that I’ve lived here, I’ve been gradually creating habitat and homes for native wildlife. It’s a slow, but rewarding, process. We’ve left the lawn immediately adjacent to the pond unmowed since we arrived. I’ve been planting native species and pulling weeds … Continue readingPond Life
Nurse sharks clamor around the side of the boat, swimming into and over one another splashing at the surface of the sea. I feel like I’m looking down into an aquarium. It’s surreal. We are tying up at Shark-Ray Alley to snorkel here. As the … Continue readingSwimming Shark-Ray Alley