Don't feed the wild animals (12/23/20224)

Again, we were traveling across the country and back.  As our way back we opted to take a more southern route in the hope to avoid cold nights.  These colder nights just do not work well in our small camper van.  While the van was converted from a passenger van into a camper, I do not think it was properly insulated as a regular camper conversion.  Moreover, it does not have a heater or air conditioner.  We invested in a backup battery bank from Anker.  This battery is 1800 watts and powers our coffee maker, microwave, lights and a heating pad for Radar who sleeps on the floor.  We can asl briefly run a space heart on the battery.  We used the battery three times during our trip across and it is a game changer.

After visiting Death Valley, we headed for the Big Bend National Park, via Sedona.  Camping in both spots was good.  However, I may write a little more about this in future posts.  We also enjoyed our very brief visit to Guadelupe National Park.

We were amazed and disturbed by what transpired in the Big Bend NP.  Going towards our camp spot at the Rio Grande Village we finally saw some of the park wildlife.  A coyote crossed between our van and a vehicle in front of us.  We slowed down to take a look at the animal, which we assumed would run off into the desert.  But no, it turned around and just looked at us from the side of the road.  Our first thought was rabis.  In our area that is what you suspect when you see a coyote or racoon in broad daylight.  Something wrong!  We went on our way after taking a few pictures of the animal. 

After a wonderful night of camping in the village (more about that in a subsequent post, hopefully), we set out to explore the park a bit and then go on our way to our next stop (Del Rio, TX).  Again, at the same location a coyote crossed the road to slow us down and here again stood by the road staring at us.  Then it dawned on us, the animal was begging!  We drove on to the visitor’s center and I asked one of the park officials about our encounter.  They acknowledged that the coyote was actually begging and was considered a nuisance.  They tried to move it to another part of the park, but it had returned to the same spot within a few days.

I guess we all know why this is happening.  Folks feed the wildlife and have conditioned this poor animal to live on handouts instead of hunting.   Why can’t people get it in their dense heads not to do that.  You read about folks getting killed by bison in Yellowstone; bears ransacking cars looking for food.  It is unnatural, probably a poor, but tasty diet.  We are doing a disservice to these animals and nature.  We know (or should know) how bad processed food is for us humans and that this is one of the reasons for our obesity epidemic.  Folks that feed the wild animals are doing the same to them.

This issue is not only occurring in National and State parks.  Our neighbor feeds stale bread to the dear in the woods behind our home.  Every evening a herd of 6 to 8 deer move into the yard next door and they wait for their handout.  In addition to the health issues for the deer, these animals carry ticks (Lyme disease), flees (tape worm), and you do not know what else to impact humans. 

People don’t feed wildlife.

The beggar in Big Bend National Park

 

Nomads, days 11 and 12 (9/15/2023)

We are making progress. I am writing this on day 14, but I will get there in my next post. But let’s summarize:

Day 11: Great Falls (MT) – White Sulphur Springs – Three Forks – Dillon

Day 12: Dillon – Lemhi Pass – Tendoy (ID) – Logan (UT)

Boy that looks like two relatively short trips, but they were not. The trip from Great Falls to White Sulphur Springs was absolutely exhilarating. This was most likely the most beautiful landscape we encountered up to that point. It made us want to retire to Montana, were it not for the threat of winter. We traveled through a number of ecosystems leading us to a lodgepole pine forest and a ski area (Showdown).

While it was downhill after that, it really wasn’t from a landscape viewpoint. We again hit extensive grassland areas, had lunch on the road somewhere; however, we hurried up to get to Three Forks and the Missouri Headwaters State Park. This is where the Missouri splits into three fairly equal rivers. Our heroes (Lewis and Clark) had to decide which river to follow. Looking on the map (which they did not have of course), they named the streams from left to right the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers after the President, Vice President and the Secretary of the Treasury. Albert Gallatin was of course the guy who bankrolled the expedition.

Since the Jefferson River somehow veered to the west, they decided to follow this stream. This was also part of the insistence of Sakakawea their Indian guide who was originally from close to this area. We had a great walk with the doggies in this park. Jasper went wading in the Gallatin and of course, I slipped and went into the river as well (I slipped into the treasurer). There is a nice knoll/hill we climbed up on, which gives you a nice view of the confluence.

Then it was off to Dillon, our destination for the night. I know we would be able to see Beaver rock on the way down there, a hill that Sakakawea recognized as a sign that they had arrived at their original hunting grounds. It lifted the explorer’s mood, knowing they had taken the correct stream and were ready to cross the Rocky Mountains and the continental divide. We had a great stay in Dillon and had pizza delivered to our van in the campground.

After a great night at a great campground, it was our turn to really go into the Rocky Mountains to find the continental divide in Lemhi Pass. Lemhi pass is the same site the explorers crossed and met the Shoshone Indians and Sakakawea’s brother who was the chief. It is slightly more convoluted than that, but you will have to read up on that yourself.

After a short trip on the Interstate highway, we turned on a dirt road and it was 20 or so miles to the pass. We passed some absolutely gorgeous countryside, that made me want to buy a ranch somewhere in these mountains. The ecosystem went from grassland to Rocky Mountain Juniper, to Pondarosa to Lodgepole Pine. As an ecologist it was absolutely great to see and learn. There was a memorial at the summit (7700 feet in elevation) and we had a great walk in the area while being fairly loud to alert any potential Grizzlies to stay away.

The dive down to Tendoy was another exhilarating experience. It was a steep dirt road that is absolutely unsuitable anything larger than what we were driving and absolutely no trailers. We ran into a cross country cyclist on the way down, and a local who couldn’t believe that foreigners from Virginia came all the way up here on vacation. Lunch and gas were in the town of Lemhi, a few miles south from Tendoy, the place we finally hit a hard top road.

Subsequently, it was back in the van and the drive to Logan, UT. We both received our MS degrees from Utah State University in Logan, in the fall of 1981. We had never returned, so this was a homecoming, of sorts. We both felt extremely apprehensive to return, while we had good memories (of hiking), we also had some not-so-good memories having to deal with the culture of the time.

In the past 42 years, Logan has changed a lot, in particular along main street. The town had become like every other town, you would not be able to distinguish it from any other Main Street, USA. In the center of town, it all rushed back, and somehow, we were able to drive to the home we rented 42 years ago. It looked the same, except the day-care and post office next door to us were gone. The home next door where two couples lived until one of the husbands was killed in a car accident was still there. They used to use the brick on the outside of the home as a climbing wall and practice. After they left it was occupied by a lady and 4 to 6-year-old daughter. The lady used to entertain men (for pay) and then she would kick the daughter out who would come it on our porch and cry. At the time, we had moved to an apartment behind our first home (this apartment is gone and is a driveway now), and we would take care of her for an hour or so before the girl was allowed back home. We did this all while finishing our thesis. We were too naïve to call child protected services or any other authority about this situation.

As you can imagine, all these things came rushing back, and even more so while having dinner at the local microbrewery and talking with the waitress. We asked if we could buy a can or two of their beer, but no you could only do this at the state liquor store, another place of bad memories to us.

When we got back to the place where we were camping, some other campers had moved into our spot and we had to relocate. The office was closed until 10 am the next day and we were not waiting for that to complain; we wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. But it all was a good reminder of what living there 41 years ago was like. More about Logan in the next post.

The road to Sulphur Springs

The three forks of the Missouri

And into the Gallatin he went

Beaver Rock, there is so much to write about this.  The ranch at the bottom of the rock is managed by a couple who are ecologically minded and really manage the area for wildlife.  Very impressive!

Camping in Dillon, MT

Clark Lake, ready to go to the pass.

Pronghorn at the start of the dirt road

The start of the climb.  The next few pictures (below) show the pass and the divide)

Our old home in Logan, UT

The Logan Microbrewery, we had to hand over our driver's license to get registered in their (the State's) database of drinkers.  In the old days you had to become a member of an establishment (usually $1.00 per year) before you could order an adult beverage.

Nomads, days 9 and 10 (9/12/2023}

Wow, we have been on the road since August 31, as of this writing that has been 11 days. In other words, I am a few days behind, so I better keep going. Today I felt really content and had the feeling I could keep going for years. My wife Donna had a weaker moment and admitted she missed living in a house. I think our dog Jasper agrees with her; Radar misses puppy time and playing but could probably join me with my travels. Naturally, this was only a weak moment from Donna, and we shall continue our journey. We have some catching up to do, and more about what we did today (day 11) in a later post.

Day 9 was spent quietly, and we eventually drove from Lewistown to Great Falls, which was only a 2 hour drive, or about 100 miles.

Day 10 was spent in and around Great Falls. I had scheduled a break in our travels, for what I was thinking laundry and just relaxing.

We woke up in Lewistown to rain, and it kept raining. Now it is no fun eating breakfast in the van, even with the seat turned around. Neither is it fun to sit outside on a picnic bench in the rain eating your breakfast. In other words, we decided to go out for breakfast. The day before, in a weak moment, we had breakfast at McDonalds, and we did not wish to repeat that dining experience. Really the food at Mickydee is OK, and it kept us satisfied till noon; it is just something we do not frequently do. The manager at the McDonald stop in Miles City was friendly and in the brief 20 minutes we were there, we learned more about her personal life (hiking), and her fear for AI, than we had ever hoped. She also profusely apologized for the motivation of the cashier at the restaurant. But then, I would probably also have a lousy attitude if that was my job.

In other words, we needed something else. Since we had the time, we put on a laundry at the RV place and went to the coffee shop downtown for breakfast. The place was jam-packed and after some waiting, these two couples invited us to join them at their table. We had a fun conversation, and all went well. The couple next to us were married the same year as us (they in May and we in June). It seems that Lewistown has a great festival on the first Saturday after Labor Day, and this was a kind of homecoming for the couple. The husband had gone to high school in town, but they now live in Illinois. However, we decided not to stay for the festival.

After waiting for the dryer to finish it was off to Great Falls. That afternoon we visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (which was great) and we went downtown to visit the fiber (wool) shop that Donna had been looking forward to. When we arrived at the “Farmer’s Daughters” or the fiber shop, they were about to close (prematurely). The owners had just been diagnosed with COVID. What to do? A microbrewery next door perhaps? They allowed us to sit outside on the terrace with the dogs. And then it rained; poured. Thank goodness they allowed us to finish our beer and early dinner inside even with our dogs.

The next day we headed back downtown, the store was sterilized, and Donna could finally shop for wool. We had initially considered a day trip to Glacier National Park, but instead we decided to visit the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, maybe 20 miles north of town. Benton Lake was nice, it felt a bit like an African safari we had done 45 or so years ago; however, these was little wildlife, but some decent birdwatching around the lake.

At the end of the day, we just relaxed at the KOA campground we stayed at. KOA is not our style, but this one was decent with a dog park and a nature trail. My only major complaint was the roads on the KOA were full of mud and water. One interesting event happened. The wife of the folks next to us poured something on their campfire that created a blaze. In hindsight, I figured that it was some oil or started fluid. Subsequently she threw water on the flames, and as we all learn, water and oil don’t mix. The fire spread on top of the water and set their tent on fire. She was screaming and got more water when we walked by. I yelled at her not to pour more water and ran over to stomp out the flames with my feet. This was successful, but the entire corner of the tent burned out and eventually they ended up packing up and leaving the park. Oh well. A relaxing two slow days before continuing our travels.

After the rain in Great Falls that chased us into the brewery, there is a rainbow

The first evening we walked the nature trail at the KOA

A little out of order, but the beer and service at Mo was great!

At least one safari picture.  We saw two antelopes in the far distance

Inside shot of the wool shop

On Environmental Sustainability (8/11/2015)

On April 1, we premiered a new class that I developed on the use of plants in erosion and sediment control and stormwater management.  When we announced the class it was still in the design stage and I had hoped it would have even more emphasis on native plants than it did; but looking through all the materials on the books, I felt there was such a tremendous need for a more comprehensive approach to the use of plants and planting that it quickly became a much broader class for people reviewing construction plans and inspecting construction sites (and that from someone not formally schooled in landscape architecture or planning).  Honestly, I am still not sure I cover the entire issue, but what can you do in a six hour class?

It is well recognized that with the increased population throughout the U.S., there is a tremendous pressure on the natural (land) resources.  The cartoon below illustrates this very well.  I use it very often in my classes.

This is actually a sad cartoon, but I think this cartoon is applicable wherever you live: Yorktown, Richmond, or even Dallas (TX).  I have this nagging feeling that we are allergic to moving into the inner-city or older homes and renovating them, but that we all want that new home out in the suburbs, away from what we would consider riffraff.  With it of course comes abandoned buildings, increased city blight, urban sprawl, traffic jams, road rage, and environmental degradation, just to name a few negatives.  The great exception I have seen lately is Cincinnati where we visited in April this year.  Boy what a difference 15 years make, people are finally moving back into town and it has become so vibrant.  I am sure there are other examples as well.

A photograph I took in Over the Rhyn in Cincinnati in April.  The area has been revitalized; all kind of small independent shops and even small chains have moved in, and is an amazing place to hang out. When we lived in Cincinnati more than 15 years ago you would not go to this area.

The photo below shows an example of what I mean when I write about the move to the suburbs and urban sprawl.

Built three (3) years ago, the grass had a hard time getting established in this yard, after the soil was abused during the building process.  This yard had 40 to 50 year-old trees and shrubs growing in it.  They were all cleared in favor of grass (they left those three trees against the fence, or did they misjudge the property line when clearing the site?).  We have been walking by this yard for three years wondering what landscaping they were going to add, but you guessed it.  You can see the surrounding yards where the neighbors left some of the trees.  In addition to being an ecological desert, this house has no shade and I am sure their air conditioning bills are much higher than my home which is surrounded by trees.

I am sure this is a well built home; it was was built three years ago in an infill lot in our neighborhood.   Previously it was a wooded lot with mature trees that were at least 45 years old.  The site was completely cleared or as I called it in my classes "nuked," and just seeded with grass.  That's all!  To me this yard has absolutely zero ecological, biological, or environmental value.  It is a biological desert!  Before this one small infill lot was the home to birds, snakes, frogs, salamanders, turtles, insects, raccoons, rabbits, opossums, mice, etc., and now, I don't think even a bird would want to live in that yard.  Let's not talk about aesthetically value as well.  Boy, can I be any blunter?  But it is not only this house, I see it everywhere.

But you still see this everywhere, a forested track gets cut, turned into a subdivision with 5- to 10-acre lots that are all completely turned into lawn with no trees or when there are trees growing on it they are introduced and have very little ecological value for native animals such as birds and other critters.  Moreover, we fertilize and chemically treat the lawns so that they become net exporters of chemicals and pesticides, while in the past the forests that were growing there absorbed all the chemicals and exported oxygen, clean air and life.

We have a choice how we treat the land don't we?  Even when we want to live in the suburbs.  Landscaping can be done responsibly with humans and all the critters in mind.  I am sure that the people in the home of the photograph above did not choose this landscape with the thought of intentionally messing (or f...ing) up nature, but they obviously did not know any better; do no have the resources; cannot be bothered; are taking the easy way out; or in the worst case have no pride (I am sure you can come up with a few more reasons).

Steve Allison writes that we choose the world we create in our landscaping decisions; it is not only an ethical decision, but of course also a financial and often a maintenance decision as well.  But the question remains: why not do the best for the environment?  I understand that from a builder's/developer's perspective that there is a profit motive; we all need to make a living; and yes I am generalizing here, but I would like to see more people who are proud of their work and more concerned about future generations.  Money is not the end all; actually in the end we can not take it with us any way, but we can leave a legacy of a great ecologically sound landscape for future generations.  I know I am generalizing here; however, I also know there are people who are proud of their work.  I have met them and it was fun working for and with them.

In many of the books and reports that I read, I am told that we humans have reached the level where we are changing the world's environment.  We are the only species on the earth that can do this, all others have to adapt to the environment.  So instead of only changing it for the worst, why not try to change it for the better, or at least try not to have any impact at all?  Yes, we need to build and live, but let's do it with nature instead of against nature.

Broad-headed skink (5/11/2014)

Last year we replaced to platforms for our rain barrels with concrete blocks.  This weekend we saw that these block pedestals are being used by the wildlife in our back yard.  This is a photo of a broad-headed skink (Plestiodon laticeps) that was sunbathing on the block.  This guy was surprisingly docile and allowed me to come pretty close for this picture.  Skinks are a group of lizards; we have at least two different types in our back yard.

 We really try to be wildlife sensitive in our yard.  I can’t remember the last time we fertilized our lawn; and it shows.  I think we have more weeds and diversity in our lawn than most people have in their entire garden.  You should have seen the buttercups this spring.  We also collect all the sticks in our yard and created a large stick pile.  This winter there were literally dozens of birds flying in and out of the pile; this spring it has a family of rabbits living in it.  It creates great cover from predators such as hawks (and yes we have hawks feeding on birds … guess that is nature).  From our back deck we've seen the occasional raccoon, possum, fox and even a coyote.  We try to grow mostly native plants in the back yard; plants that provide, food and shelter to wildlife.

As I mentioned above, we have rain barrels.  They are great in providing water for my plants that is chlorine and chemical free.  It really beats water our plants with drinking water, which is what a lot of people do when they water their plants and lawns with tap water.  It is such a waste of money in my pocket; but also to society, knowing we are running out of reliable water sources.  We have four barrels, three of which are operational.  The fourth one is on our wood shed and will be operational soon.