There is nothing to relieve the boredom of the straight paved freeway coming at you like an eagle, or better yet, many, many eagles. I went on a family and business journey to Minneapolis, Minn., recently, and the return trip home was eagle after eagle. Eagles have been a love of my life from the […]
Natural World
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Strange Job Title: Fish Watcher
Lee Spencer has one of the most unusual job titles in Oregon—Fish Watcher. For the past 18 years Spencer has kept watch over thousands of returning summer steelhead in Steamboat Creek, a tributary of the upper Umpqua River System. Every May Spencer returns to his trailer headquarters along the banks of the Steamboat. He has […]
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Rare Sighting
The Sierra Nevada Red Fox
In all the 65 years I’ve had the pleasure of living in Oregon (except for a short stint with The Nature Conservancy in Arizona running Ramsey Canyon Preserve) I somehow missed bumping into a most remarkable animal, the Sierra Nevada red fox. The first I ever heard of this beautiful resident of the Oregon High […]
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Evolution of the Sunriver Nature Center and Observatory
If there’s one constant in nature, it’s change. Some people call it evolution and scoff at the idea, but as you look around there’s no denying that, given a certain set of circumstances, you adapt and change, or die. This is also true with facilities that serve the public. Right here in Deschutes County we […]
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Raptors on Parade
All through the month of September an exhibit on raptors will be featured in the Community Room of the Sisters Library. It all got started a few months back when Zeta Seiple, chair of the Friends of the Sisters Library art committee, asked, “So, what do we want to do for an exhibit in September?” […]
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Scorpions, Rattlesnakes and Other Scary Stuff
You’re not likely to get a snake bite, but just in case you do…
Is the fear of being stung or bitten so bad that you’re forsaking that fishing or camping trip to stay “safe” at home? Boy, I hope not! Forget snakes and spiders, the most dangerous thing any of us can do today is drive your motor vehicle. The number of humans and pets killed by rattlesnakes […]
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Of Mountain Goats and Unicorns
On July 20 of this year, Camp Sherman resident Peter Eshrick was making his annual pilgrimage hike into the saddle above Canyon Creek Meadows with his daughter Katrina and her two kids Camila and Samuel (ages 12 and 10), when Camila suddenly shouted,”What’s that over there on the mountain side?” “What, over where?” Granddaddy Peter […]
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Natural World: Crab Spiders
Crabs may be living in your flowers…and they’re good at mimicking bird droppings, too
It’s that time of year, dear ones, for garden lovers to be on the lookout for the local crabs that hang out in your flowers. Well, not real “crabs,” but crab spiders, who are masters at camouflage. Look for it in the photo provided; it’s perched right there among the stamens, a forward pair of […]
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Why Count Butterflies?
Pretty pollinators play a key role in ecosystems
Over the last couple of months, my wife, Sue—a long-time member of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) and student of the beauty and ecology of butterflies—has conducted several butterfly counts in the region. She counts them because their numbers are vital to knowing what’s going on in our world, and she loves to teach […]
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The Alligator Lizard: A Creature by Many Names
This alligator lizard shown at right was serious about living up to its name as it tried to eat Caleb’s finger. They met while we were exploring the Lava Beds National Monument back in the 1980s when my wife Sue and our kids were pursuing and tagging Monarch butterflies on the northern part of the […]
