tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63210702024-03-17T15:10:01.444-06:00Southern Rockies Nature BlogWhere Nature Meets Culture—Plus Wildfire, Dogs, Environmental News, and Writing with a Southern Rockies Perspective.Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.comBlogger2684125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-17670648721489607662024-03-10T15:10:00.004-06:002024-03-10T15:13:55.764-06:00What Every Trapper Needs, or Not<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowWd_mkSLykl8h6_vRRcLhzaUgtFo-3OI8_7zgVqsUurxtuTK1AJQFrC6kr7n6wo3hwoJKo4XOvCCXyA3S3ci4fs2s8o8n5_4d8NxApeh1Zid27HKMM5IPdfuthjphzLI4-Dr86sI72ju0wYTrFx-PWeKXk5e3ovyNvDhZp-AO3OOIfu9wlxJ/s674/track%20maker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="674" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowWd_mkSLykl8h6_vRRcLhzaUgtFo-3OI8_7zgVqsUurxtuTK1AJQFrC6kr7n6wo3hwoJKo4XOvCCXyA3S3ci4fs2s8o8n5_4d8NxApeh1Zid27HKMM5IPdfuthjphzLI4-Dr86sI72ju0wYTrFx-PWeKXk5e3ovyNvDhZp-AO3OOIfu9wlxJ/s320/track%20maker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When I started camera-trapping for omivores like bears or foxes, I tried baiting them with dry cat or dog food. I figured it would not hurt anyone who ate a few kibbles. Camera-trapper Chris Wemmer, <a href="https://amzn.to/3PdOrop" target="_blank">who has just written a book on the topic</a>, said he used punctured tuna cans in rock piles and such places to intrigue certain animals and make them pause to get their pictures taken.<p></p><p>As I read the regs, hunting over bait is illegal, but camera-trapping is not. Nevertheless, I quit using the kibbles after a neighbor's far-ranging dog showed up at one of my sites on an obscure game trail — and then kept coming back. </p><p>I decided to switch to scent lures and went looking online, which led me to <a href="https://www.fntpost.com/index.php" target="_blank">F&T Fur Harvester's Trading Post </a>(physically located in Alpina, Mich.) where I ordered such items as "Dunlap's War Paint Lure," "Dabbins' All-Call Lure," and some others.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH0uROvvYRl9gYwh3ZdfamylZbRfqn4M8_cCpe0X8Yzcsz3ybywC_1lqOV9AIbDsIcphm2Nxc1Wcphw1OtyEmMdVv8vY8W7ptBdaXwmj93mnlMSWvICbYVtMAzRD_V9_c9USU7N2L6kB_DjJ73jdC-Q7AnWGnBHFX6pAVQjfKFwk1LG5ht0pN/s832/walker%20hounds.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="832" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH0uROvvYRl9gYwh3ZdfamylZbRfqn4M8_cCpe0X8Yzcsz3ybywC_1lqOV9AIbDsIcphm2Nxc1Wcphw1OtyEmMdVv8vY8W7ptBdaXwmj93mnlMSWvICbYVtMAzRD_V9_c9USU7N2L6kB_DjJ73jdC-Q7AnWGnBHFX6pAVQjfKFwk1LG5ht0pN/w282-h259/walker%20hounds.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When nothing's happening, play cards with<br />a deck of famous Walker hounds.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>They arrived, "packed by Gabbie" and "checked by Don? Den?" — well, whoever, it was all fine. They included a copy of their paper catalog—130 pages of everything needed by fur trappers, hound hunters, predator callers, dog trainers, and people who want to wear fantasy-mountain man-style fur hats.<p></p><p>The feeling when you think you might know a tiny bit about something, and then you open the door — and it's a <i>universe</i>! All I trap are the field mice that make it past the gray foxes and into the house, and I have a neighbor who goes out with the houndsmen after mountain lions. So this was eye-opening.</p><p>Pages and pages of traps, trap parts, trap accessories, books and DVDs, fur-processing tools, dog gear, coon-hunters' clothing, and don't forget your working apron and skull-bleaching kit. </p><p>Not just scent lures, but ingredients to make your own: "Cheese Essence Oil: Gives off a powerful blue cheese odor that is excellent for canines."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWBA3byqhOVWuhiHUfvTL9JtsSXhkXcYYPP-0B-oHcXstxGn3-ukpOwYm8WrLE_Q8otyiDJdpfnB9ywDf0C95MG7eO3EMMsGez1yXkvXmUiYgctU0-ee4jyo6KjFGcHhCpIykGVq-UZDrwGyiURHEOQmvSOVIeEfpOnbkWhkftcJWElXmrWwB/s1743/bright%20eyes.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="1743" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWBA3byqhOVWuhiHUfvTL9JtsSXhkXcYYPP-0B-oHcXstxGn3-ukpOwYm8WrLE_Q8otyiDJdpfnB9ywDf0C95MG7eO3EMMsGez1yXkvXmUiYgctU0-ee4jyo6KjFGcHhCpIykGVq-UZDrwGyiURHEOQmvSOVIeEfpOnbkWhkftcJWElXmrWwB/w302-h246/bright%20eyes.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br />There were high-end headlamps, sort of like the old ones with the case of four D cells that rode on your belt with the cord going up under your jacket in back to the lamp on your cap or hard hat. <p></p><p>Today these have<a href="https://www.fntpost.com/Products/Bright+Eyes+Heat+Seeker+Cap+Light+Package" target="_blank"> lasers and multiple LED lights and rechargeable batteries</a>. Not cheap — $200 and up! Still, tempting. <br /></p><p>Hang around the fishing-lures department in any outdoor sports emporium, and someone will say, "Most lures are designed to catch anglers, not fish." </p><p>That passes for wisdom. But there is truth in it. Does the bass really respond to a perfect photographic replica of baitfish scales? Or does it just look good to the customer?<br /></p><p>I was leafing through F&T's "Set-Making Equipment and Supplies" pages (shovels, trowels, sifters, pan covers, etc.) when I saw "Track Makers." <br /></p><p>That is the photo up top. It's a<a href="https://www.fntpost.com/Products/Track+Makers" target="_blank"> molded paw of a coyote, fox, or bobcat, $6.95 each, </a>which the trapper may press into the carefully sifted soil around the waiting trap.<br /></p><p>Now I have to say, after carefully hiding human scent and deploying animal-attracting scent and maybe even placing <a href="https://www.fntpost.com/Products/FoxPro+FoxJack+4+Predator+Decoy" target="_blank">a visual decoy</a> that moves like an injured bird or something, are little paw prints going to make a difference in persuading Mr. Fox to take one step more? </p><p>Smells matter, sounds matter, prey movement matters, but would a predator say to itself, "I ain't going there. I don't see any footprints"?</p><p>They might be useful if you want to teach a tracking class though.</p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-13080690472039152092024-02-27T06:00:00.027-07:002024-03-10T16:10:34.529-06:00Lettuce Get Down to Business<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeCBIeaYiHnuG2lwHJ7ogjXJSCUZFamIQiYVvcqQh1Z16Ks6ZwHqq65Q5Gi6lXe8BS1WnvHfY_ogAd5ceA6B3FsNCrJ3qUzyTQQV0zFJEhGGljVk0pY8crQ6GNZN9bzVwSZrVMQjFuX5YvYSFxbTOBbyD-Tx2Ey5mmzgb0OtAPv1pjxXCcz4r/s795/BV-Lettuce.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="795" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeCBIeaYiHnuG2lwHJ7ogjXJSCUZFamIQiYVvcqQh1Z16Ks6ZwHqq65Q5Gi6lXe8BS1WnvHfY_ogAd5ceA6B3FsNCrJ3qUzyTQQV0zFJEhGGljVk0pY8crQ6GNZN9bzVwSZrVMQjFuX5YvYSFxbTOBbyD-Tx2Ey5mmzgb0OtAPv1pjxXCcz4r/w400-h278/BV-Lettuce.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-19708" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_19708"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-19708"><i>Photo from 1918 of the Mahon Ranch, west of Buena Vista.</i><br /><i>Pictured
are Martha Mahon, her daughter Cassie and Cassie’s husband, George
Fields, with crates of head lettuce. Courtesy of Buena Vista Heritage
Museum.</i></figcaption></figure></td></tr></tbody></table><br />An article in the <i>SkiHi News</i> from Grand County, Colo, (Motto: 'The wolves are here, now where are the bucks?") <a href="https://www.skyhinews.com/news/grand-history-how-middle-park-became-the-booming-lettuce-capital-of-colorado/" target="_blank">notes the area's success with growing lettuce in the 1920s</a>.<p></p><p></p><blockquote>When some of the first settlers arrived in Granby, they realized the
sunny days and cool nights were perfect for growing lettuce. The humble
lettuce thrived in the mountainous landscape. . . . The Moffat Railroad gave local lettuce producers access to big cities
like Salt Lake City. Granby was said to produce high quality lettuce and
there are anecdotes that New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bragged of
“Granby Lettuce” on the menu, according to the Grand County Historical Association.</blockquote><p>Not just Granby. Back before the time when all fresh vegetables in the typical supermarket came from California, southern Arizona, and northern Mexico, other parts of Colorado were also producing lettuce. </p><p>It was exported from the Wet Mountain Valley [Custer County], from Eagle County, and from Chaffee County, among other locales. The photo above was taken near Buena Vista.</p><p>All these locales had higher elevations (6000–8000 feet, typically), irrigation, and in most cases, rail access. <a href="https://www.coloradocentralmagazine.com/lettuce-harvest/" target="_blank">A 2014 article in <i>Colorado Central </i>examines this now-defunct commercial agriculture.</a><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>By 1922 the Salida growing district was making plans to get in on the
lettuce boom with more than 40 people becoming members of the Colorado
Cooperative Lettuce Association in the town. Headquarters for the
association was in the Unger store and Sid Burleson was a leader, <i>The Salida Mail</i> reported.</p>
<p>That same year there were about 1,500 acres of lettuce being grown in
Buena Vista. Westcliffe [Custer Co.] had 800 acres, the Hardscrabble district [Custer Co.] 400
acres, the Divide district [Teller Co.] 300 acres and the San Luis district [Costilla Co.] 500. It
was reported in the <i>Chaffee County Republican</i> that Buena Vista shipped 163 cars in 1922, followed by Florence [Fremont Co.] with 85, the Yampa district [Routt Co.] with 75 and Avon [Eagle Co.] with 73.</p></blockquote><p></p><p></p><p>Since Hardscrabble is about 14 miles from Florence, that may be where the lettuce growers hauled their crop to the railroad. </p><p>The 1941 <a href="https://libguides.rowan.edu/c.php?g=248106&p=1653082" target="_blank">WPA Travel Guide for Colorado</a>, from the Federal Writers Program, noted that in northeastern Custer County, "fields on the steep [?] slopes grow potatoes, lettuce, and celery." Of Buena Vista it says, "Lettuce Day, combined with a rodeo, is celebrated annually in September." Granby, as noted above, and Alamosa are also described as lettuce-growing areas, as are Divide [Teller Co.] and La Veta [Huerfano Co.].<br /></p><p>This production nose-dived by the 1940s. There was World War 2, of course, but as best I can tell, the big factor was improved refrigerated railcars making it easier for larger-scale West Coast growers to send massive amounts of lettuce etc. eastward. </p><p>And with the growing more concentrated in fewer areas, a problem like a plant virus there rolls clear to the Eastern Seaboard as well. From 2023: "<a href="https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/may-24-2023/farmers-seek-rebound-after-floods-virus-hit-lettuce-crop/" target="_blank">Farmers seek rebound after floods, virus hit lettuce crop</a>."</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Things were challenging enough for lettuce growers in Monterey
County’s [California] Salinas Valley before Mother Nature dealt a one-two punch in
this year’s storms.</p>
<p data-uw-rm-sr="">Farmers in 2022 had suffered an estimated $150
million in crop losses as impatiens necrotic spot virus—a destructive
plant disease spread by thrips—moved from field to field.</p>
<p data-uw-rm-sr="">Then this year, vast flooding from atmospheric
storms damaged multiple crops, with lettuce growers suffering an
additional $54.4 million in losses, according to figures released by the
Monterey County agricultural commissioner.</p></blockquote><p data-uw-rm-sr=""></p><p>Most of those Colorado lettuce acres went to hay and cows — or in the case of Eagle County, ski condos. After all, cows are plant-based too.<br /></p><p></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-16630193600215832302024-02-25T18:11:00.001-07:002024-02-25T18:15:19.525-07:00Wolverines to be Reintroduced to Colorado<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="419" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/REKLC3s30Mw" title="Red Dawn - Wolverines" width="559"></iframe>
<p>Colorado is looking to bring back the wolverine, thus successfully "<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retcon" target="_blank">retconning</a>" that Cold War movie hit <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dawn" target="_blank">Red Dawn.</a> </i>(Supposedly set in Colorado, it was actually filmed in and around Las Vegas, New Mexico, just like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmire_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><i>Longmire</i> TV series</a> decades later.)</p><p><a href="https://www.cpr.org/2024/02/25/colorado-parks-wildlife-finishing-updates-wolverine-reintroduction-plan/" target="_blank"></a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzHwY9YxvdsDHOPMyIyl0kS6NWZ6H_uNQ-cIVMTTKCHgpM3uFw8RSH8HO3dRKyBUbBNpOogvVERQYlHM0JjPgKLDFiw32Wh6QV7JEW9seKa-fELUEYM4sT09wlmdTWVRRcnWdQWj2e4g0myiL-zsVTwPI5lUal1lQKvnfsOfIGO-9h_HxwQi4/s1547/california%20wolverine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1547" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFzHwY9YxvdsDHOPMyIyl0kS6NWZ6H_uNQ-cIVMTTKCHgpM3uFw8RSH8HO3dRKyBUbBNpOogvVERQYlHM0JjPgKLDFiw32Wh6QV7JEW9seKa-fELUEYM4sT09wlmdTWVRRcnWdQWj2e4g0myiL-zsVTwPI5lUal1lQKvnfsOfIGO-9h_HxwQi4/w400-h272/california%20wolverine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This, not C. Thomas Howell, is a wolverine. (Photo by <span class="imageCredit">Chris Stermer/<br />California Department of Fish and Wildlife.)</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://www.cpr.org/2024/02/25/colorado-parks-wildlife-finishing-updates-wolverine-reintroduction-plan/" target="_blank">_<br />According to Colorado Public Radio</a>, <br /><p></p><div><div class="gutenbergContent__content--1FgGp"> <p></p><blockquote><p>Colorado’s
wildlife specialists are nearly finished with updates to a plan that
could return a carnivorous mammal to the Centennial State. </p> <p>Aside
from the first five letters of their name, wolverines have little in
common with wolves, the species that draws the majority of headlines for
wildlife management. One thing they do have in common is that they were
once prolific in the West. </p> <p>“Wolverine was largely extirpated
from the Western United States by about the 1930s,” Jeff Copeland,
director at the Wolverine Foundation in Idaho said. “We don't know,
necessarily, exactly why. It probably had to do with at the turn of the
century there was heavy livestock grazing in the Western United States —
heavy enough that it tended to displace other large ungulates — deer,
elk, moose, sheep — animals that are very important to the wolverines,
particularly as winter diet. Plus, there was widespread, wholesale
poisoning campaigns going to keep predators away from livestock.” </p></blockquote>At least wolverines won't be as "sexy" as wolves. There probably will not be any wolverine-viewing bus tours. You won't hear people bragging on their wolverine X dogs, since they are mustelids (like weasels), not canids. </div></div><p>Probably won't see Governor Polis holding a photo op either. </p><p><a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/554107/facts-about-red-dawn" target="_blank">"After the movie was released in 1984, The National Coalition on Television Violence <span>deemed</span> <i>Red Dawn</i> 'the most violent movie ever made</a>.'" The NCTV obviously never met a real wolverine. <br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-28838246346942381462024-02-15T06:00:00.001-07:002024-02-15T06:00:00.139-07:00Pygmy Owl, Long-Distance Lizard<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QN_bXBC_ZAwuA_W6IPZx2GSJEstindJgKRu8XBsCq6HzjfJR9jBPdYZ1Sd2VuJesHcE4pExWQZVH6WiLAVHfcYYhN4zPJfgaNM4SPzicoYateb1nHRo0sGdK98jCT1w_G3p28npVhfWVRukN8S3Qos7Gm0mModze3ixg1VSC8gH16dwN6XpG/s1408/pygmy%20owl%20in%20ICU.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QN_bXBC_ZAwuA_W6IPZx2GSJEstindJgKRu8XBsCq6HzjfJR9jBPdYZ1Sd2VuJesHcE4pExWQZVH6WiLAVHfcYYhN4zPJfgaNM4SPzicoYateb1nHRo0sGdK98jCT1w_G3p28npVhfWVRukN8S3Qos7Gm0mModze3ixg1VSC8gH16dwN6XpG/s320/pygmy%20owl%20in%20ICU.JPG" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pygmy Owl, abducted by aliens and examined.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A game warden called from up in the county seat. Someone had brought him a <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/" target="_blank">Northern Pygmy-Owl </a>(correct ID on his part) that was "in danger" on a highway. <p></p><p>We met on a side street, and he transferred the owl to my carrier. And there was a second passenger, a small lizard. Apparently the owl was about to eat dinner when the well-meaning two-legged came long. </p><p>It was kind of astonishing that a lizard would be out and about. The sun was shining, but air temps were only in the mid-40s F at best. (Did the owl find it on warm asphalt?) The reptile seemed moribund, but then the light was fading at 7800 feet, and the air was cooling fast.</p><p>The <a href="https://hikeandlearn.org/raptorcenter/" target="_blank">Raptor Center in Pueblo </a>was closed, of course. I called the director's cell phone. She said to keep the bird over night, give it a shallow dish of water, bring it down in the morning.</p><p>This morning I checked on the owl, which seemed alert and on its feet, poured a cup of coffee, and hit the road. </p><p>On arrival, the owl checked out as healthy and unharmed. "Take him home," the director said. I decided to take her literally.<br /></p><p><b>But the lizard lived! </b>I had not seen the lizard this morning and assumed that the owl had eaten it. But when I straightened out the towels in the carrier, there it was, barely moving one leg. Too cold, I am sure. A volunteer lifted it into a small box and went to place it somewhere warm. <br /></p><p>After putting 116 miles on the Jeep, I had these results.</p><p><span>1. One [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagebrush_lizard" target="_blank">sagebrush?</a>] lizard was relocated to the outskirts of Pueblo, into what should be a compatible habitat. Reptile brain says, "Umm warm." Missing tail tip probably not noticed.<br /></span></p><p><span>2. One Pygmy-Owl had a missing time/abduction experience but ended up about two miles away from where it had been. Its new location, however, features four birdfeeders, consequently, a prey-rich environment. Maybe we'll see it again.</span></p><p><span><b>What sets Pygmy Owls apart is that they are daytime hunters. </b>Kind of like sharp-shinned hawks, they have short wings, long tails, and will try to snatch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passerine" target="_blank">passerine birds </a>off the feeder tray. </span></p><p></p><blockquote>Most owls have asymmetrically placed ears as well as flattened facial
discs around the eyes. Both of these features are adaptations that give
them better hearing. Interestingly, Northern Pygmy-Owls lack these
features, and this may be an outcome of their diurnal habits and greater
reliance on vision. <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/" target="_blank"><i>All About Birds.</i></a><span> </span></blockquote><span>So releasing it in the day time was easy to do. Once it saw blue, it flew.<br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyw6_AJpBUxyVMk7Fj42K_qqb2CsS9zGAqfV5buR_BfB_EQm5A0kKwkFW5_7wWf4TbQX6a-x8PPicA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-50402070956401174822024-02-05T18:54:00.000-07:002024-02-05T18:54:09.400-07:00So Who Will Hack the Wolf GPS Data?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIhfnVu5ljg1Y519Cj_64cRbKVQPYkAjf2-uuJX9F1Ef2koZDnipHfwKyTlRXScQPpqPKees6pzd5Hy0ztkzcfOQl_Dos6xrEewFthk9l4DctesiThSW-_xLxfcArrm9NBnUQ467hKLhoNfx-ZHI8Q0B5jUOtaagrjYhc4EzvBpWavJ4eXUZE/s1518/wolf%20activity.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1518" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIhfnVu5ljg1Y519Cj_64cRbKVQPYkAjf2-uuJX9F1Ef2koZDnipHfwKyTlRXScQPpqPKees6pzd5Hy0ztkzcfOQl_Dos6xrEewFthk9l4DctesiThSW-_xLxfcArrm9NBnUQ467hKLhoNfx-ZHI8Q0B5jUOtaagrjYhc4EzvBpWavJ4eXUZE/w400-h305/wolf%20activity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Colorado Parks and Wildlife has now published a GPS map for Colorado wolves.<p></p><p>Understand that while every wolf wears a GPS collar, including the ones that wandered in to North Park and were darted, collared, and released -- and including the 15 new ones coming in -- the magic map does now show where they are right now.</p><p>It shows what drainage they have been in lately. <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-Activity-Map.aspx" target="_blank">The website says</a>, <br /></p><blockquote><ul><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">Currently, the collars are programmed to record a position every four hours. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">Once four locations have been recorded, the packet of four locations is then transmitted via satellite to CPW biologists. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">The
frequency of both position recording and transmission of the data can
be delayed by a number of factors such as dense cloud cover, closed
terrain, etc. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">By
looking at the data, CPW staff can learn where wolves have been, but
they cannot tell where wolves are at a current point in time, nor can
they predict where the wolves will go. </span></p></li></ul><ul><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr"><p><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">To protect the wolves, specific GPS data will not be shared. </span></p></li></ul></blockquote><p>"S<span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">pecific GPS data will not be shared. "</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">Um, yeah. </span></span><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">Governments are so good at keeping data secure. Now who would want up-to-the-minute data? </span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">Most people's thoughts will probably go straight to some clandestine wolf-killer, <a href="https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/how-putnam-mystery-writer-c-j-box-wrangles-western-myth-and-modern-reality/" target="_blank">some figure straight out of a Charlie Box wilderness-thriller novel. </a></span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"><b>But follow the money. </b>I remember how in the 1980s, as commercial rafting developed on the Arkansas River and the state took over recreational management, there were all these contentious meetings over regulation, which boiled down to</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"><span> </span>a) Early arrivals in commercial rafting wanted to keep out the competition.</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"><span> </span>b) Private rafters and kayakers did not want to be forced into the eddies by the commercial outfits.</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"><span> </span>c) Anglers wanted to be left alone at dawn and dusk, at the very least.</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7gP1vdwpKzCAQCwdAO-OUxEADaST0oP7RP8Z2fj8bqCUtXJhaNHJo2YWeoqqnnm01RUgNJzkIrUe3ss3YuzkuiB6-VGUho1fyHMkWeJsGQSzw_2_XJISMDQLsjFKSPFRML3lFgLIzCB_VmBKg9_5sgbYmfo9cqRHMZFN45HezAdUXS7An49nk" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="240" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7gP1vdwpKzCAQCwdAO-OUxEADaST0oP7RP8Z2fj8bqCUtXJhaNHJo2YWeoqqnnm01RUgNJzkIrUe3ss3YuzkuiB6-VGUho1fyHMkWeJsGQSzw_2_XJISMDQLsjFKSPFRML3lFgLIzCB_VmBKg9_5sgbYmfo9cqRHMZFN45HezAdUXS7An49nk" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You will make money if you<br />know where I am (CPW photo).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">In 1989, <a href="https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/yellowstone-ablaze-fires-1988" target="_blank">the year after the big fires</a>, M. and I passed through Yellowstone NP. We casually parked our van at the Slough Creek Campground. I fished a bit in Slough Creek (saw an otter!) and the Lamar River, where I could step from elk skeleton to elk skelton, after the big die-off in the 1988–89 winter.</span></span><p></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">We came back in the 2000s after wolf reintroduction. Slough Creek campsites had to be reserved months in advance. Every highway pull-out in the Lamar Valley was full of surly shoulder-to-shoulder observers with expensive optics: spotting scopes and telephone lenses. Tour busses with wolves painted on them lumbered up and down the road — <a href="https://www.wolftracker.com/index.php" target="_blank">like this one.<br /></a></span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">If the wolves reproduce — and if they move east into Rocky Mountain National Park — that will be Colorado's future too. Wolves as spectacle. </span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3">As with rafting on the Arkansas, there will be a struggle for regulations that give some operators an advantage over their competitors.</span></span></p><p><span id="DeltaPlaceHolderMain"><span class="ms-rteFontSize-3"><b>And speaking of "advantage," if you were a "wolf-tour guide," what could you do with GPS coordinates as to just where the wolves were that day?</b></span></span></p><p></p><p></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-70049272293690444052024-01-20T19:20:00.002-07:002024-01-20T20:48:33.957-07:00Biggish Cats, Short Tails<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxCSJ9ar3HRSjRJ95iHm00OMM-dZE87MHiJ3DY_-hBv4oq_IEYGZzrU5iEtHJC8K78i2ubfhvQ_uuU' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p></p><p>In early January 2024 Mario Angeles video'd these two lynx near Silverton, Colorado. That is a special moment, all right. Between native populations <a href="https://youtu.be/Y6OLIuAUx8Y?si=SV9kTsTD6fUBbpu_" target="_blank">and (mainly) reintroduction, Colorao's lynx population </a>is estimated at <span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;">only 150 and 250 animals. </span></p><p><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIioxH3k3MASemXUj8rron7vspiMeKWYARol5PmCTzpUETzFcR1qhXDaEYmNAzRltInGn7rWV3AyYUT8Y3lIYf3Ja1ErnfX9UTqIau2b1N3Do_Pu52ZsQnBB5RoF4WvaSi8n0Od-YcYR7GkHkKZBG5QthdKbPZ-Ys0h88DwKpzbwMEcRKV6pe2/s1359/bobcat%3F%2012-2023%20DSC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1263" data-original-width="1359" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIioxH3k3MASemXUj8rron7vspiMeKWYARol5PmCTzpUETzFcR1qhXDaEYmNAzRltInGn7rWV3AyYUT8Y3lIYf3Ja1ErnfX9UTqIau2b1N3Do_Pu52ZsQnBB5RoF4WvaSi8n0Od-YcYR7GkHkKZBG5QthdKbPZ-Ys0h88DwKpzbwMEcRKV6pe2/w400-h371/bobcat%3F%2012-2023%20DSC.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;">And while it's not a lynx — not down here in the foothills where there is little snow on the ground — the scout camera right up behind the house did pick up a bobcat this month. <br /></span><p></p><p><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;">This is good bobcat habitat though, rocky and brushy, but you do not see them very often. </span></p><p><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;">Just for comparison, here is a young bobcat living large at the wildlife rehabilitation center in Custer County, due to be released when the weather warms. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVNBKLmIZWfGtlyFGuspIb1CoGi3r0Ap_bD0GeYg6NV60PF4TIrGxUmARqnNLM2NiiTgKNaFhgoMfdSmdWNogGRoRJhKcwE0qovP4Oz8JmWY8yYS7Wm2Gz8DZWlDfYQhuVGwz9h3Xm-4LQc0n698MMNlvx14Fi92i1u3IHujBUd_Tr93HaiE1/s2432/bobcat%20on%20fur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2432" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVNBKLmIZWfGtlyFGuspIb1CoGi3r0Ap_bD0GeYg6NV60PF4TIrGxUmARqnNLM2NiiTgKNaFhgoMfdSmdWNogGRoRJhKcwE0qovP4Oz8JmWY8yYS7Wm2Gz8DZWlDfYQhuVGwz9h3Xm-4LQc0n698MMNlvx14Fi92i1u3IHujBUd_Tr93HaiE1/w400-h300/bobcat%20on%20fur.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Wet Mountain Wildlife<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="text-overflow: unset;"><br /></span></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-3076896786802399932024-01-12T16:38:00.007-07:002024-01-12T16:49:48.921-07:00Colorado Wolves: Faux "Paws" on the Ground<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsilj0pzeO48dFjeq6WiU6Hr1BET2HNzdXaSMO62A8o-D8VuvjYuzyrGlTt0xfNZSnkvS0w7W88oW_E80LZ9GdQDxUVVm6BMqUW01f1MyvWKI-9w5pFBonKfOOFZipjev5tXe9FZ5W36QXfrSHwvi5wvgxTpTCNZ6jWR5ioDwuO09_6dEz-qs/s1020/wold%20release.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1020" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsilj0pzeO48dFjeq6WiU6Hr1BET2HNzdXaSMO62A8o-D8VuvjYuzyrGlTt0xfNZSnkvS0w7W88oW_E80LZ9GdQDxUVVm6BMqUW01f1MyvWKI-9w5pFBonKfOOFZipjev5tXe9FZ5W36QXfrSHwvi5wvgxTpTCNZ6jWR5ioDwuO09_6dEz-qs/w400-h286/wold%20release.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gov. Jared Polis was on hand Dec, 18, 20203 to release Oregon wolves in Colorado, <br />but some Coloradans deeply involved with the project never were invited.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some officials and Western Slope residents are annoyed that Colorado Parks and Wildlife seemed eager to please Governor Polis <a href="https://denvergazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-a-potshot-at-the-press-from-the-guv-s-mansion/article_db38baed-bd74-56ff-b9c8-fe13dc4bca2a.html" target="_blank">(if not Marlon Reis, his animal-rightist husband</a>) while forgetting promises to them. They were never on the guest list or even informed about <a href="https://www.southernrockiesnatureblog.com/2023/12/wolves-now-add-to-colorado-experience.html" target="_blank">last month's wolf release. </a><br /></p><p></p><p>According to the <i>Sky-Hi News</i> in <a href="https://www.co.grand.co.us/" target="_blank">Grand County</a>, <br /></p><p></p><blockquote><a href="https://www.skyhinews.com/news/some-cpw-commissioners-believe-trust-was-broken-over-lack-of-communication-during-wolf-releases/" target="_blank">Two [CPW] commissioners in particular, Marie Haskett from Meeker, who represents sportspersons and outfitters, and Duke Phillip IV, who represents agriculture and is from Colorado Springs, both believe a lack of communication and transparency has led to distrust of the agency in rural communities. And they both think the wolf reintroduction created animosity between rural and urban areas. While dismayed at the way the wolf releases were rolled out, the commissioners both expressed gratitude for the hard work CPW staff put into making the historic, voter-mandated reintroduction possible.</a><p></p>Haskett was the first to speak about wolves at the Jan. 10 meeting. She called Dec. 18 – the day the first five wolves were released – a “sad day” because comissioners were not notified. She claims that many of the CPW staff who worked tirelessly on the reintroduction were also not made aware. To her knowledge other members of the legislature and local counties were not alerted about the releases either. <br /> <br />“Even the Grand County commissioner (Merrit Linke) who was on the TWG (<a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-Technical-Working-Group.aspx">Technical Working Group</a>) was not invited to the release, and yet other specific members of the working group were,” Haskett said. “The people who politically drove this issue were present. The divide between rural and urban populations was blown up with this ballot initiative. Now CPW has taken a huge political hit with the public because of these political actions.”</blockquote><p><span>Philip in particular was angry because he had worked on the reintroduction but found that it had occured a day afterwards — by watching TV news.</span></p><p><span>Haskett said that poor communications with local people puts CPW's work at risk, since it must manage wildlife on both public and private land. I would add that it also feeds the conspiratorial narrative that the wolf introduction <a href="https://youtu.be/lVPeAylii6c?si=Ae1vy33xmKHSK2Xk" target="_blank">was "punishment" to an area that did not vote for Gov. Polis and other Democrats.</a></span></p><p><span>For official wolf news, <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/CON-Wolf-Management.aspx" target="_blank">check CPW's "Wolf Management" page</a>.</span></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-56574018906519098742024-01-02T15:55:00.001-07:002024-01-02T16:06:46.016-07:00The Man Who Is Buying the Colorado Prairie<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMOv8JlBHAHsHYsxSYaXPyHnyM3841bLn7T81Vl_iyoJ9VCMXTreycDW_Ionah9lJ1lFIerZM0eBiBIM7bv5IEcvkaMVZGKhMOAcnr6ZhCz1u-9v9QwulBgrrOYso9wTJZ90gJ_dC6TOYIfA8RRJ9P1mmBYnA9OOe_Tjx5EDfc10h0tn2wbs0/s1472/land%20holders.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1472" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMOv8JlBHAHsHYsxSYaXPyHnyM3841bLn7T81Vl_iyoJ9VCMXTreycDW_Ionah9lJ1lFIerZM0eBiBIM7bv5IEcvkaMVZGKhMOAcnr6ZhCz1u-9v9QwulBgrrOYso9wTJZ90gJ_dC6TOYIfA8RRJ9P1mmBYnA9OOe_Tjx5EDfc10h0tn2wbs0/w400-h338/land%20holders.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge (Source: Bloomberg)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Stefan Soloviev is only the 26th largest landowner in America, so he has a way to go to catch up with <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-largest-landowners-in-us/" target="_blank">John Malone or Ted Turner.</a><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0c1aXk-ZVGGnnToqRI16VrdygQuD1jWiVaGV2pIJufgWeTG4Sw_tmzIt4f7e7yUkMJ2TYO7NKZYhx1W-aToJBv1Y1sGf7mOIIGeqsZkGVDx2hzABSZwP7Cr0ntOzytAnnfR8uCQgLB1rEjn_vAi4u3nyZ62Cgtc5l70wo1Jny5BteirOmNfP/s474/stefan%20soloviev%20rr.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="474" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0c1aXk-ZVGGnnToqRI16VrdygQuD1jWiVaGV2pIJufgWeTG4Sw_tmzIt4f7e7yUkMJ2TYO7NKZYhx1W-aToJBv1Y1sGf7mOIIGeqsZkGVDx2hzABSZwP7Cr0ntOzytAnnfR8uCQgLB1rEjn_vAi4u3nyZ62Cgtc5l70wo1Jny5BteirOmNfP/w266-h200/stefan%20soloviev%20rr.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stefan Soloviev (Business Insider)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I do remember when he bought the grandly named <a href="https://coloradopacificrailroad.com/" target="_blank">Colorado Pacific Railroad</a>, all 122 miles of it, in 2018. But there was more to come, much more. The New York businessman, still in his 20s, started buying land. Then he went to see it, in this case, in<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prowers_County,_Colorado" target="_blank"> Prowers County,</a> southeast Colorado, which includes the town of Lamar.<br /><p></p><p>
</p><p></p><blockquote><a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/12/31/stefan-soloviev-colorado-farmland/" target="_blank">“It was 6 miles off the paved road and I’m driving and everything looks the same and I’m driving and driving and I finally get to the property and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m in the middle of nowhere.’ And I had a bit of a panic attack,” he says during a wandering interview with <i>The Colorado Sun</i>. “I’ll never forget that first time out here. It’s gotten easier. You adjust. You adjust to your surroundings. You start to become part of the community.”</a></blockquote><p></p><p>He also has a pretty good spread in east-central New Mexico, as you will see if you explore this <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-largest-landowners-in-us/" target="_blank">Bloomberg graphic article on America's top one hundred landowners.</a></p><p>Land: they ain't making any more of it. </p><p><a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/12/31/stefan-soloviev-colorado-farmland/" target="_blank">Soloviev, meanwhile, has big plans</a>:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>So the pitch looks like this: Rent his farmland at market rates. Grow your own grains. Truck them to Soloviev’s <a href="https://weskangrain.com/location/">grain elevator</a>
close to the Colorado-Kansas border. Then ship the grain on his new
Colorado Pacific Railroad to Pueblo to access Union Pacific’s national
rail network. Soloviev says eventually he wants to grow into the
international exporting business with cargo ships that can move Colorado
grain “as far as I can take it.”</p></blockquote>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-7193979728459840862023-12-31T06:00:00.005-07:002024-01-12T16:50:07.569-07:00Wolves Now Add to the 'Colorado Experience'<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC2MY1iCdTs0oHGTXdt29dchOpMotlKNrAbYksrpwSi6znk8SdJbetJuJDbpBiU5uqzxSCNV2n-_U1tl-pmjazlm08OLM_8Yn9nLGV16s48-NhhNqxs51taBgIai_cuU-9_6Fm-W-t2EuvZ1l-MkWI00PgaMki1VQUEn3iu-x1g7t5ESj8Znp/s720/NOrth%20Park%20wolf.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC2MY1iCdTs0oHGTXdt29dchOpMotlKNrAbYksrpwSi6znk8SdJbetJuJDbpBiU5uqzxSCNV2n-_U1tl-pmjazlm08OLM_8Yn9nLGV16s48-NhhNqxs51taBgIai_cuU-9_6Fm-W-t2EuvZ1l-MkWI00PgaMki1VQUEn3iu-x1g7t5ESj8Znp/s320/NOrth%20Park%20wolf.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wolf who walked in from Wyoming caught on a scout camera<br />in North Park in March 2023 (<span class="caption-text">Don Gittleson via AP).</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Dad was still alive when the debate on reintroducing wolves to Colorado began, soon after the 1995 reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park. His US Forest Service career began and then ended in Colorado, and he had thoughts. <p></p><p>His days of being a horseback district ranger in the Eastern San Juans were long gone. "Now," he said. "this state is just a big park. There's no place for wolves."<br /></p><p>That's setting aside the livestock issues. When Dad was asking herders, "¿Cuántas borregas tiene?" there were no wolves to think about. Those sheep outfits are much diminished, for other economic reasons, but some remain, as do cattle, horses, llamas, alpacas, and other speciality livestock.<br /></p><p>The late Ed Quillen, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2012/06/04/denver-post-columnist-ed-quillen-dies-at-age-61-in-his-salida-home/" target="_blank">mountain-county newsman and publisher</a>, prided himself on being the only <i>Denver Post </i>editorial columnist who lived outside the Denverplex. He liked to say that Colorado used to be a "colony of Chicago," providing minerals and agricultural products to industrial America. </p><p>But then, he said, we became part of the "Los Angeles economy" — a colony of the entertainment industry. Now Colorado's best-known export is <i>experience</i>. </p><p><b>If that is so, then think of wolves as just another tourism experience, like ziplines over canyons</b>. </p><p>So maybe Dad had it backwards? Colorado is a "park," so it <i>should</i> have wolves? Wolves that will add spiritual value to the Colorado experience without hurting anyone. </p><p>With some wolves already filtering from Wyoming on their own (<a href="https://www.thefencepost.com/news/more-wolf-depredation-in-jackson-county/" target="_blank">and killing livestock</a> and <a href="https://www.thefencepost.com/news/wolves-attack-2-dogs-in-jackson-county-killing-a-working-cow-dog/" target="_blank">dogs</a>) was it necessary to bring in more? The voters in their wisdom thought so in 2020. <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/News-Release-Details.aspx?NewsID=4007" target="_blank">Now 30–50 wolves are planned to be released in Colorado over the next three to five years.</a><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRDq7CK_Lw1YBEnHsse7_iT_NXYqU3cedHp7R8CMtk_X6GEjw0-LMyaVS35YX0Wl-vbLZhggDXsav8tOwfQECPj5TN1iShfcTdAtA6sqpXAfyRZT2s35Q3cD27AMcpmAMhyLjWDV-XCDqcpsC68pcfJCshC3ymJyCE3mYc7Ty9jIyL1xZC-Re/s1200/Wolf%20released%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1200" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRDq7CK_Lw1YBEnHsse7_iT_NXYqU3cedHp7R8CMtk_X6GEjw0-LMyaVS35YX0Wl-vbLZhggDXsav8tOwfQECPj5TN1iShfcTdAtA6sqpXAfyRZT2s35Q3cD27AMcpmAMhyLjWDV-XCDqcpsC68pcfJCshC3ymJyCE3mYc7Ty9jIyL1xZC-Re/w400-h306/Wolf%20released%202023.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wolf 2302-OR, a 68-lb. female yearling, is released somewhere in Grand County on Dec. 18, 2023.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b> </b><p></p><p><b>Some headlines and squabbles:</b>.</p><p>• <a href="https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2023/02/17/wolf-update-adam-baca/" target="_blank">Maybe colorful flagging will keep wolves away from livestock</a>. So says Adam Baca, Colorado's first "wolf conflict coordinator."</p><p>• <a href="https://www.thelobby-co.com/content-library/controversy-surrounds-relocation-of-wolves-from-oregon-to-colorado" target="_blank">Some Oregon ranches think flagging ("fladry") and other counter-measures are not enough</a>.</p><p class="preFlex flexIn" style="transition-duration: 0.8s; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.19, 1, 0.22, 1); white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><blockquote>[Tom[ Birkmaier, an Oregon rancher, expressed his concerns about the relocation, telling Oregon Public Broadcasting, "It's just going to bring the problem over to a lot of ranchers and end up killing a lot of livestock in Colorado."</blockquote><blockquote>This sentiment is not limited to Oregon ranchers alone. Lawmakers in other wolf states, including Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, have also declined Colorado's request for wolves, despite their own sizable wolf populations.</blockquote><p></p><p></p><p>• Cat Urbigkit, Wyoming sheep rancher, writer, and livestock guardian dog expert, <a href="https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/12/26/cat-urbigkit-the-botched-optics-of-colorados-wolf-release/" target="_blank">points out misinformation in the Colorado Parks and Wildlife press kit and says some of the released wolves came from livestock-killing packs.</a></p><p></p><blockquote>CPW wasn’t up front in telling the public about the depredation history
of the packs the newly released wolves originated. It was Rachel Gabel
who dug into the details and told the public what she’d found.</blockquote> Gabel is a rancher and ag-journalist from Wiggins, Colo., <a href="https://www.thefencepost.com/profile/rachel-gabel/" target="_blank">who has covered the wolf reintroduction extensively.</a><p></p><p>She was promptly <a href="https://denvergazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-a-potshot-at-the-press-from-the-guv-s-mansion/article_db38baed-bd74-56ff-b9c8-fe13dc4bca2a.html" target="_blank">attacked by the governor's husband, Marlon Reis</a>.<br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Reis doesn’t just differ with Gabel in a lengthy thread of Facebook
comments he posted over Christmas weekend. He repeatedly, personally
attacks her abilities and standing as a journalist and urges the public
to “never trust anything Rachel Gabel writes." . . . <br /></p><p>It also
makes us wonder whether our politically astute governor winced while
reading Reis peevishly accuse Gabel of seeking, “not to report the
truth, but to inspire fear.” Or, where Reis pettily huffed in the same
post, “I'll never understand how she got hired as a journalist.”</p></blockquote><p>• Wolves did not just wander into Colorado their own. <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2021/06/11/gray-wolf-pups-colorado-parks-wildlife-reintroduction/" target="_blank">The first pups were spotted in spring 2021. But that did not count as a "self-sustaining population," Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.</a> It was interesting to the wildlife biologists though.</p><p><i>Stay tuned, there is more to come, for sure. </i></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-78799322727652582032023-11-29T17:12:00.002-07:002023-11-29T17:12:44.722-07:00Life, Death, and Coffee in Clayton, New Mexico<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi7KCOrYCSYKdEVPkWeqknhh-lxAuGE3Qv4c05BAtH72wHIVT5rlCJLEzJHAa8oFsD6REQ0thh5V_ScF3hjgK8RN18ouRkY1nOSFFfoOyfdyFStTXekpMhiyq_fiv9Xj2sPtjnZBR7DXecZTjgfBsfkCd-4BoWhDQalTeqd77eQW6FqDhRfr0/s640/crossroads%20coffee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwi7KCOrYCSYKdEVPkWeqknhh-lxAuGE3Qv4c05BAtH72wHIVT5rlCJLEzJHAa8oFsD6REQ0thh5V_ScF3hjgK8RN18ouRkY1nOSFFfoOyfdyFStTXekpMhiyq_fiv9Xj2sPtjnZBR7DXecZTjgfBsfkCd-4BoWhDQalTeqd77eQW6FqDhRfr0/w400-h300/crossroads%20coffee.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />No one is ever on the sidewalks in Clayton, New Mexico. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton,_New_Mexico#Demographics" target="_blank">Its population has trended down since 1960</a>, and if you want to visit a store or other business, you can generally park right in front. The longest walk in town is probably from the farthest truckers' diesel pumps to the convenience store entrance at the <a href="https://www.loves.com/" target="_blank">Love's fuel stop.</a> <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0ZAXkHncCn0YyQfnCTuEjJZlDte570752AEMySYEjdjhqB1DHqXgmQNu5HIoB0oxZhbKN17CnQ68bCPeDdWrFcTPxtLAWk1eKlFzLOuQk1PGXyEWB0UNBwnDvq7saJttJMa2NUzMsO1GuTQiPPDTcXayB-KtntUvEpSJuOK2Lc_PZB5qAFHv/s273/mocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="273" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0ZAXkHncCn0YyQfnCTuEjJZlDte570752AEMySYEjdjhqB1DHqXgmQNu5HIoB0oxZhbKN17CnQ68bCPeDdWrFcTPxtLAWk1eKlFzLOuQk1PGXyEWB0UNBwnDvq7saJttJMa2NUzMsO1GuTQiPPDTcXayB-KtntUvEpSJuOK2Lc_PZB5qAFHv/w170-h156/mocks.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>I once tried to walk around downtown (was staying at the <a href="https://hoteleklund.com/" target="_blank">restored Eklund Hotel</a>) and came the nearest ever to being forcibly disincarnated by a passing pickup truck, even through I was crossing with the light. I felt the backwash of Death's wings, I can tell you that. <p></p><p>Maybe the driver was so unused to seeing a person on crossing the street that he assumed I was an incorporeal ghost. Or he was drunk.<br /></p><p></p>So when I make my regular US 87 coffee stop at Crossroads Coffee (a.k.a. Mock's Crossroads Coffee Mill) I park in front or in the little gravel lot alongside, or on rare occasions I use the drive-up window.<p></p><p>There's no need to walk.<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-80583824400342657032023-10-20T17:10:00.002-06:002023-10-20T17:10:27.311-06:00Give Your Jeep a Prairie Road Advantage!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_bRsul88GilHd8W_8pQX7d7X7zUWzY-zzCtLn9mCVNtFQLi10h5lQRNW-OoyentzkmpKTyJjZDzh_LezwL6sG8aXGvrpylwEN-9IavkUjSCMt1QdIfjruHn8lBgTDDuHB1ZtKknsp1H_mC2htKiClVUICdLSBhh6am2zGU15cOOb26qq4O5t/s1368/IMG_7676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_bRsul88GilHd8W_8pQX7d7X7zUWzY-zzCtLn9mCVNtFQLi10h5lQRNW-OoyentzkmpKTyJjZDzh_LezwL6sG8aXGvrpylwEN-9IavkUjSCMt1QdIfjruHn8lBgTDDuHB1ZtKknsp1H_mC2htKiClVUICdLSBhh6am2zGU15cOOb26qq4O5t/w336-h400/IMG_7676.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><p></p><p>Jeep's "Borrow Ditch Advantage" option is available only from Great Plains dealerships, so it is not well-known to the automotive press.<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-49706724056647218862023-10-19T11:00:00.005-06:002023-10-19T11:00:49.611-06:00What the Hunter Said to the Dog, and What the Dog Replied<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvljs6rMNatTUzPINks3aS41w4uyCD2foHpwjaukd_9QbqJpEOSUWlLnsCR5yOP7t7u6qOpyk5LzxUJkqinxghynS-_6Qd7UyQ08V4foKAor9l7TqF5bZHepNQdIl7Bj3GltaKjVM78YY_ntnxIZ8quimQIvGlnosK9auKorPe-mXKJHlQjcRj/s1008/marco%20on%20gun%20case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1008" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvljs6rMNatTUzPINks3aS41w4uyCD2foHpwjaukd_9QbqJpEOSUWlLnsCR5yOP7t7u6qOpyk5LzxUJkqinxghynS-_6Qd7UyQ08V4foKAor9l7TqF5bZHepNQdIl7Bj3GltaKjVM78YY_ntnxIZ8quimQIvGlnosK9auKorPe-mXKJHlQjcRj/w400-h300/marco%20on%20gun%20case.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Long ago in the Ice Age, a rough fluffy Dog lay down on the Hunter's reindeer-skin pack.<p></p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":ro9:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs xlh3980 xvmahel x1n0sxbx x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">When the Hunter returned, he spoke: "Hey, you stinking animal! My quiver is under there! If you broke one of my good arrows, I'm going to shove it into your ribs, you unclean beast!" </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">And the Dog spoke with his tail, as Dogs do: "We're going out? I'm ready! Let's go!!"</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">And <span><a tabindex="-1"></a></span>they lived happily ever after, until Dog did something else that was Wrong.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-4770697806742620282023-10-17T13:23:00.001-06:002023-10-17T13:23:31.922-06:00The "Heart of Wilderness" Lies in the Prairie<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-_fUmGXZQc?si=W81X-BqKJ01RUyam" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p><i>If you take your finger and place it on a map marking the geographical center of the nation, somewhere above Kansas and below South Dakota, it won’t simply be resting on a blank spot, it will be touching the beating heart of true American wildness; a place of windswept, impossibly vast tableaus, ancient, grass-covered hills, and fast-flying prairie grouse. </i></p><p>I am on a Northern Plains journey night now, with a traverse of the Sandhills planned for the return leg of it. Here is one of several links to earlier crossings: "<a href="https://www.southernrockiesnatureblog.com/2010/09/self-advertisement-in-nebraska.html" target="_blank">Self-Advertisement in the Nebraska Sandhills</a>."</p><p>I never have spent as much time there as I would have liked, but this video helps to make up for that lack. It's scripted by Oklahoma writer Chad Love for the Pheasants Forever conservation group. <a href="https://quailforever.org/sandhills" target="_blank">You can find more still photos here.</a></p><p>There is public land there too. <br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-29205687727723748392023-10-11T16:45:00.003-06:002023-10-12T10:17:21.719-06:00What Fall Aspen Gold Tells Us about Water<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0jV1w4DgPHym0p2imOD8ScX8oWnGNevqyJuyS6dA_D_SAWf-MvImHDSM4GB-rQu7Ehgzy4dsCZr_8goM_U8ufvgqBktHnHHTQYn5Ow_vF-2ELjBa9zM22hwtjwBkAm3nMM8TH4SIys-QnJIKAM4XnshMzHAWuI5lg8f1Vxrxjhm9FZDonH0q/s2272/MTC%20locke%20mtn%20rain%20gauge.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2272" data-original-width="1520" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0jV1w4DgPHym0p2imOD8ScX8oWnGNevqyJuyS6dA_D_SAWf-MvImHDSM4GB-rQu7Ehgzy4dsCZr_8goM_U8ufvgqBktHnHHTQYn5Ow_vF-2ELjBa9zM22hwtjwBkAm3nMM8TH4SIys-QnJIKAM4XnshMzHAWuI5lg8f1Vxrxjhm9FZDonH0q/w268-h400/MTC%20locke%20mtn%20rain%20gauge.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiker looks a rain gauge in an aspen grove</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This year's Colorado aspen leaf-peeping season was a fine one, and the reason is last winter's snowpack, r<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/10/11/colorados-vibrant-fall-foliage-water-conditions/" target="_blank">eports the <i>Colorado Sun.</i></a><p></p><p></p><blockquote><p>With enough water and nutrients, deciduous trees can produce more
leaves, creating denser foliage that offers even more of a spectacle to
enthusiastic leaf peepers in the fall. </p>
<p>This year, winter precipitation blanketed Colorado in a deep
snowpack, which acts as a vital natural reservoir for the state’s water
supply. By May, most of Colorado mountains <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/05/23/snowpack-spring-runoff-colorado-2023-river-update/">had an average to above-average snowpack</a> compared with historical records from 1991 to 2020, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/09/27/wet-water-year-colorado-repeat-not-quite/">summer was cooler overall</a>,
and some parts of the state even received record rainfall. The state
hasn’t seen many of the windy days, cold temperatures and snowfall in
aspen stands that all contribute to falling leaves.</p>
<p>“It’s just shaped up to be a fantastic year to get out and see some
of the colors in Colorado, and it’s a good year for trees in general in
Colorado,” [said Dan West of the Colorado State Forest Service].</p></blockquote><p>With the wind coming in, the northern Colorado aspen leaf season is ending, but you can still see them in parts of southern Colorado into New Mexico.</p><p>The orange, yellow, and red scrub leaves are peaking down here, but the Denver-centric media like the <i>Colorado Sun </i>don't mention those!<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-90845803708673372862023-10-07T16:38:00.006-06:002023-10-07T20:52:39.510-06:00Of Bear Spray, Bears, and a Missouri Hog<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkySxiQUQ9Sr4cPqyW56EDh3BIOJLvBuS6CDYschn0X0TekojaYLbFu7O8I7LE5neEOhDRvaBUAjv1UYcdXTJxqJ4qpLx8Z6EeWu1D-b45BMI4y03IU4pVufb-A3czinLqa6vZDBBluDW5XOdvD6KV4CvXfWUIDDxZY9o8a1rA6Ap5qRrm1t7v/s2048/canoeing.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkySxiQUQ9Sr4cPqyW56EDh3BIOJLvBuS6CDYschn0X0TekojaYLbFu7O8I7LE5neEOhDRvaBUAjv1UYcdXTJxqJ4qpLx8Z6EeWu1D-b45BMI4y03IU4pVufb-A3czinLqa6vZDBBluDW5XOdvD6KV4CvXfWUIDDxZY9o8a1rA6Ap5qRrm1t7v/s320/canoeing.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gusse and Inglis canoeing in Canada (NY Post).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I have been reading the sad story of Jenny Gusse and Doug Inglis, experienced Canadian canoeists and backcountry travelers, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/06/canadian-couple-killed-by-grizzly-bear-were-highly-skilled-hikers-friends-say/" target="_blank">killed September 29th, together with their dog, by a grizzly bear in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.</a><p></p><p>A friend who sometimes traveled with them said, “Their skill level was extremely high, they were conservative. They took every precaution they possibly could."</p><p>Another of the couple's friends said, "“I remember him telling me about camping and how you got to go so far
even to pee from your tent. He would tell me all the safety
precautions.” </p><p>An expended can of bear spray was found at the scene. <br /></p><p>Naturally the commenters weigh in on how bear spray is useless and ya gotta have a big 'ol gun in a caliber starting with 4 or 5. Except this is a Canadian national park: "<a href="https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/securite-safety/regles-rules" target="_blank">The use of firearms (including pellet guns, bear bangers, bows, sling shots etc.) and hunting are not permitted in Banff National Par</a>k." So there is that. </p><p>I am not a big bear expert, and I have used pepper spray only on angry dogs (where it worked just fine). But I am reminded of my late brother-in-law Stone Curtois and one of his hogs.</p><p>He used to raise a small number of hogs at at time, ten or fifteen, on a little farm in southeastern Missouri, supplementing his main source of income, which was a portable sawmill. </p><p><b>The hog pen was fenced with electric wire</b>, which the animals respected, except for this one. It wanted to break out, he told me, but it knew that the electric fence would "bite." </p><p>So it would charge the fence, screaming in pain<i> <b>before </b></i>it hit the wire. In other words, its commitment to breaking free overruled the pain that it knew was coming.</p><p>I've read of various bear attacks, talked with people who used pepper spray on grizzlies successfully, and interviewed one woman who was shaken like a rag doll by an Alaska brown bear but saved by the person in her BLM survey party who had a rifle.</p><p>I have noticed that people living in places like Cooke City, Wyoming (adjacent to Yellowstone NP), mow their yards and walk to the store with bear-spray cannisters on their hips.</p><p><b>It seems that bears can be like that Missouri hog</b>: once they stop assessing the situation and commit to an attack, pain won't stop them. But if they are still only assessing, bear spray can be effective.<br /></p><p>The 2018 attack on Wyoming hunting guide Mark Uptain and his client seems similar to this recent case: <a href="https://outdoornewsdaily.com/wyoming-hunting-guide-killed-by-grizzly-bears/" target="_blank">bear spray was used, but the bear (or two) involved were not fazed.</a> Like the hog, the bears had already made up their minds.<br /></p><p>It's also indicative that both of those attacks occured in September, when bears are "hyperphagic," as the biologists like to say. In other words, eating eating eating.</p><p>As for my brother-in-law, he died in a tree-felling accident. Him, a guy who read logging-supply catalogs for recreation. You can know what you are doing and still have something go wrong, or make that one tiny error. <br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-56776974574515000682023-09-03T12:48:00.001-06:002023-09-03T12:48:39.856-06:00On Seeing Liatris -- Thoughts of Poverty and Summer Sadness<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfDGGUNeKGx248H_pwPo8jHi_b0opswj9-y2TFRxz_R-DRSxVSEowcBffnP7wzqqma0lyXs2tWbCp-b-fohOnVtQtZIm8sO-_f4867600oXzfI1XHW46sG8smHAqKw9Oz76eUEicLNwFvsd1NYV9CtNry8blnZLEoPPQnC9CuGFZqEidmRrKr/s3264/liatiris%20sept.%202023.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfDGGUNeKGx248H_pwPo8jHi_b0opswj9-y2TFRxz_R-DRSxVSEowcBffnP7wzqqma0lyXs2tWbCp-b-fohOnVtQtZIm8sO-_f4867600oXzfI1XHW46sG8smHAqKw9Oz76eUEicLNwFvsd1NYV9CtNry8blnZLEoPPQnC9CuGFZqEidmRrKr/w400-h300/liatiris%20sept.%202023.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Many people call this late-summer wildlflower "<a href="https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=LILA" target="_blank">blazing star,</a>" but I always call it by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris" target="_blank">bontanical genus name, <i>Liatris</i></a>. It is the only wildflower that I call by its Latin name, and the reasons have to do with poverty and sadness.<p></p><p><i>Liatris</i> blooms in late August. It is a perennial, and its e<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corm" target="_blank">nergy-storing coms </a>must have gotten a good soaking in our wet early summer, because I have never seen it thicker on the slope behind the house.<br /></p><p>Its message is obvious: this is the last blaze of summer — enjoy it while you can. (Meanwhile, some are impatient for summer to be gone, but that is another story.)</p><p>I almost hate to see its blossoms, not only because summer is ending, but because they always take me back to the summer when I turned 36 and the bottom fell out.</p><p>M. and I had come to Cañon City, Colo., so that I could work on a friend's start-up magazine, but it failed (as most start-up magazines actually did in the pre-Web era). There we were in our 1910 smelter worker's cottage without enough money to leave town, nor any idea where to go if we did.</p><p>The mortgage payment was low, but with her working only part-time and me just selling an occasional freelance article, our finances were tighter than tight.</p><p><b>Our friend Hank stepped in</b>. His family were florists in Pueblo. He had earned a master's in agronomy at Colorado State and worked for a seed company in Idaho breeding peas, but he wanted a change, so he came home and started a wholesale flower business on part of his family's little acreage on St. Charles Mesa (SE side of Pueblo). </p><p>It was pretty much a one-man operation -- including the long drives to deliver flowers down the Arksansas River and over into the San Luis Valley -- and sometimes when he had a lot of harvest and prep to do, he hired us as casual labor.</p><p>He grew commercial varieties of <i>Liatris</i>, taller than our wildflowers, because they made good cut flowers, with the blossoms opening over several days. Good "vase life," you might say. He always called it "Liatris," so I did too.</p><p><b>Things changed.</b> I thought I was done with newspapers, but took a job at the <i>Cañon City Daily Record</i> that fall. It paid the bills, and overlapped partly with our seasonal job censusing owls for the Bureau of Land Management. I finished the overdue thesis and started teaching part-time, then full time, finally saying goodbye for good to journalism. M. did likewise, teaching at a community college and finding she was good at it.<br /></p><p>Hank's marriage ended, and so did the flower business, but he too switched to community college teaching, got a doctorate, and ended up on the biology faculty at Merritt College in Oakland, Calif. </p><p>I wonder if he sees any <i>Liatris</i> out there, and if so, what its mental associations are. When I see them, I still get a quick gut-flinch: <i>What am I going to do?</i></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-6717502155302026272023-08-24T16:27:00.004-06:002023-08-24T16:35:03.021-06:00A Dog's Three-Dimensional World of Light, Shapes, and Scent — Mostly Scent?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gQYz55g9bPsIVdpX167BwpJQNF3_H1GVLtGOKtZboyhLDsklCVIJdLqLJIoy9KPsOhwGSSVyipdywbZ2od67LK2YBFl5CFIurUdRqDDVECrEvzxMXt8MKz3EtqQc9nHWUzDFA8dq3-5gKyCnqeOzvB4pvuYBqInMnV6uZuoIv1sXthTXGUVp/s910/Marco%20on%20the%20trail.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gQYz55g9bPsIVdpX167BwpJQNF3_H1GVLtGOKtZboyhLDsklCVIJdLqLJIoy9KPsOhwGSSVyipdywbZ2od67LK2YBFl5CFIurUdRqDDVECrEvzxMXt8MKz3EtqQc9nHWUzDFA8dq3-5gKyCnqeOzvB4pvuYBqInMnV6uZuoIv1sXthTXGUVp/w316-h400/Marco%20on%20the%20trail.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>Is Marco the dog following a visual trail, with the additional visual cues of rocks lined up on the side, or is he following "a rippling, three-dimensional tapestry of light, shapes, and
scents, with every object effusing odors that are further revealed upon
nose-first investigation"?<p></p><p>According to the researchers interviewed for this article in <i>Popular Science</i>, "<a href="https://www.popsci.com/environment/dogs-sense-of-smell/" target="_blank">Why Your Dog Needs to Smell the World,</a>" too many dog owners neglect smelling opportunities in favor of motion. </p><p></p><blockquote>Many dogs, however, live in less enriching circumstances. They spend
most of their time in relatively scent-impoverished indoor environments
and then, when <a href="https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/best-walk-dog-guide-tips/">taken outside for a walk</a>,
are hurried along at a pace that’s more about their caregiver’s
interests than their own. Even just a cracked-open window can make a
difference, says Horowitz, though she tries to let her own companions,
Quiddity and Tilde, sniff to their hearts’ content while exploring on a
stroll.</blockquote><p></p><p>Dogs change too: Our former collie-mix, Shelby, used to charge forward on walks. She never learned not to pull the leash -- or I was unwilling to correct her again and again times 1,000. </p><p>More often she was off-leash except for the last bit of the walk home, past the other houses.</p><p>But as she aged, she more and more prefered to take "sniff walks," going a couple of yards and then pausing to examine some tuft of grass or bush. That is what old dogs often want to do.</p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-38049210611941206102023-08-13T17:23:00.001-06:002023-08-13T17:24:32.055-06:00Blog Stew with Mountain Lion (Tastes like Pork, They Say)<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI-qyHw-bChPL6owUNpNTdabAhKdtfVeVHFrKz60N_t5yJ1cVklOyZIEF4aPJHmg-QwlhQzIew9jRK_U8JcIlJJEDA7uz4-r6PFI_i7DKkI8ITZtJtt92dBbKTa-L7KLbMWPb_cBR6vgar9RIOOGbTb373DGU3a7VfirzIYPbvyMleuYKxnqA/s2592/mtn%20lion%20HT%209-6-2021.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI-qyHw-bChPL6owUNpNTdabAhKdtfVeVHFrKz60N_t5yJ1cVklOyZIEF4aPJHmg-QwlhQzIew9jRK_U8JcIlJJEDA7uz4-r6PFI_i7DKkI8ITZtJtt92dBbKTa-L7KLbMWPb_cBR6vgar9RIOOGbTb373DGU3a7VfirzIYPbvyMleuYKxnqA/w400-h300/mtn%20lion%20HT%209-6-2021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a lion walking past a trail camera two years ago.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />• <b>The culinary side of mountain lion</b>s (cougars) is not covered in this Colorado Parks and Wildlife video series, but you get one legally, be my guest. (Or should I be yours?)<p></p><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">Episode 1 - <a href="https://state.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5144ed31c5f2ba642e0393361&id=148d2e12cc&e=e86935e424">Mountain lion biology and historical perspective</a><br />Episode 2 - <a href="https://state.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5144ed31c5f2ba642e0393361&id=5d27360bbb&e=e86935e424">Mountain lion habitat and human expansion</a><br />Episode 3 - <a href="https://state.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5144ed31c5f2ba642e0393361&id=d7d04a1d90&e=e86935e424">Hunting</a><br />Episode 4 - <a href="https://state.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5144ed31c5f2ba642e0393361&id=09f7b050dd&e=e86935e424">What to do if you encounter a mountain lion</a></div><p></p><p>• What is chronic wasting disease and why is it a problem for deer, elk, and msein the Rockies? <a href="https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2023/01/11/seeing-is-believing/" target="_blank">Two more videos here from CPW.</a></p><p> • <a href="https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/colorado-abandoned-mines-beavers-environment/" target="_blank">Yes, beavers are great! Beavers in every drainage! </a> </p><div id="blog-entry-content-04d69080-e2a4-4a4f-8af1-1b6c35720450" style="max-width: 100%;"><p></p><blockquote><p>SILVERTON, Colo. — Colorado’s San Juan Mountains are
home to about 15,000 abandoned mines, according to Rory Cowie, the
president and owner of <a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="["620a5fff85aaebcee542cfaa"]" href="https://alpinewaterresources.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2638c4;">Alpine Water Resources</span></a>.</p><p>Several hundred of these abandoned mines are in need of a cleanup, which is something multiple <a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="["620a5fff85aaebcee542cfaa"]" href="https://drms.colorado.gov/programs/inactive-mine-reclamation-program" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2638c4;">federal agencies are working on</span></a>. Cowie refers to these mines as “legacy mines”— mines that are no longer in use.</p><p>“They either have draining water that's of poor quality, or they may have a bunch of mine waste or <a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="["620a5fff85aaebcee542cfaa"]" href="https://earthworks.org/issues/tailings/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2638c4;">tailings</span></a>
... near them,” Cowie said. “And so, for the past 25 or 30 years,
there's been efforts to clean up these mines, but there are a lot of
them and it takes a lot of funding.”</p><p>But Cowie has a low-cost, natural solution in mind: the American beaver.<br /></p></blockquote><p>But be careful. As Ben Goldfarb writes <a href="https://amzn.to/3qlLYiF" target="_blank"><i>Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter</i></a>, mountain lions look at newly dropped-off beavers the way that you might look at a cheeseburger. There is a video embedded.<br /></p></div>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-5688631017562038342023-08-12T16:28:00.002-06:002023-08-12T16:28:30.194-06:00Instagram Blamed for "Crystal Mill" Access Closure<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcMc0i2Z8JsvvQw-jvro_VuVQsb6tTNSNF0cQLjnUsC-_qbH4R1uicoGk40pNMZRxhmA6yk_jeOS97Gk3AHpbtuzksM0IPq849Yka8wtI5Im96Wh4YtIY4FYwdXVvT1q3gaYxJ-jJrDASEC9zIsxdCjtBzp4ERZZxLafa2Qs4EP0guBAuHxGS/s1051/crystal%20mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1051" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhcMc0i2Z8JsvvQw-jvro_VuVQsb6tTNSNF0cQLjnUsC-_qbH4R1uicoGk40pNMZRxhmA6yk_jeOS97Gk3AHpbtuzksM0IPq849Yka8wtI5Im96Wh4YtIY4FYwdXVvT1q3gaYxJ-jJrDASEC9zIsxdCjtBzp4ERZZxLafa2Qs4EP0guBAuHxGS/w400-h275/crystal%20mill.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1892 Crystal "Mill" was actually a powerhouse. (Library of Congress)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> If you live in Colorado, you know this image. As the man quoted says, it's on the wall of every dentist's office. (Except my old dentist, who stuck streamer flies in the ceiling tiles sothat you could contemplate them when the chair reclined.)</p><p>What used to be a popular destination is now closed off. It was just <i>too too </i>Instagram-able. The owner used to charge visitors a $10 fee. <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/07/06/crystal-mill-closes-visitor-trail-marble-colorado/" target="_blank">Now access is closed, reports the <i>Colorado Sun</i>.</a></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Some of the visitors to the Crystal Mill and <a href="https://www.uncovercolorado.com/ghost-towns/crystal/">Crystal City</a>
ghost town area — estimated at thousands a week in the summer season —
had started prying off bits of the historic mill. They were carving
their names into surrounding trees and spray painting on structures.
Some threw a party inside the rickety mill building. One slung a hammock
from the side of the mill. Some buzzed drones over the area. One pulled
a gun on a Cox employee when asked to pay the $10 access fee.</p>
<p><a href="https://marblecolorado.org/" target="_blank">Marble</a> locals have reported that others went to nearby private
historic cabins and walked in on summer residents, thinking the
structures were there for more of their backcountry exploration. People
relieved themselves outside the cabins after they found they couldn’t
wander in and use a toilet.</p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote>Marble business owners who run tours to the mill or rent rugged vehicles
capable of getting there, blame social media for the influx of
ill-intentioned visitors bent on snagging the best selfies with an
internationally recognized mining-era structure.</blockquote> <p></p><p> Find your own damn social media hotspot, OK?<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-59990287264744965962023-08-08T15:15:00.004-06:002023-08-08T15:18:23.066-06:00Help! Which Beetle is This?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmRkdlk8j6w41k6OX0d3DIwQfPHj0FmURZYrfsbVWp-0wf3cMhEIqO9ech0XDgKmI42_3fXgm4Ec8ksem85kjwcP77v5IPdPj9tlTbWfnducZAwdIJo65E2cJ6CGkG-1zbMTDlsHyzCqkF2SPpfgPGJjnsthyfKAOpguP8Bv1uaKn1jejXxSq/s2049/big%20beetle.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1558" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmRkdlk8j6w41k6OX0d3DIwQfPHj0FmURZYrfsbVWp-0wf3cMhEIqO9ech0XDgKmI42_3fXgm4Ec8ksem85kjwcP77v5IPdPj9tlTbWfnducZAwdIJo65E2cJ6CGkG-1zbMTDlsHyzCqkF2SPpfgPGJjnsthyfKAOpguP8Bv1uaKn1jejXxSq/w304-h400/big%20beetle.JPG" width="304" /></a></div>I was taking Marco to a favorite pond yesterday when I saw this large beetle marching down the dirt road we were on. Overall length was about 2 in./5 cm.<p></p><p>I thought of a pine sawyer, but there are no pine trees in that area, only cottonwoods. There is a cottonwood borer, but it has a distinctive black and white pattern. <br /></p><p>One that looks close is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derobrachus_hovorei" target="_blank">palo verde beetle</a>. No palo verdes grow here in southern Colorado, but I read that their grubs will also bore into cottonwood roots. Maybe someone could save me a hard day's night of reading guidebooks and websites and identify it? </p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-38243375718873307222023-07-20T08:00:00.001-06:002023-07-20T08:00:00.141-06:00A Kinky Barn Owl<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaRifXkV9wbdsQsoA_irxrHOGaGybIRLQoCxYyu5QZX50UZDN21nOHEY8LYiFhqvfO1EPqNZluBy6NUFdlMOHbIF7EUT_HSp6RLLXHJyEjWwnJXNr7q6N8LBmkgJ5PLvhtTOcDhXZEY508lCJTufmHtWhtnOGSurCNPrPE8ZS_zkDql-v8yXH/s822/look%20at%20plumage%20on%20that%20one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="822" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaRifXkV9wbdsQsoA_irxrHOGaGybIRLQoCxYyu5QZX50UZDN21nOHEY8LYiFhqvfO1EPqNZluBy6NUFdlMOHbIF7EUT_HSp6RLLXHJyEjWwnJXNr7q6N8LBmkgJ5PLvhtTOcDhXZEY508lCJTufmHtWhtnOGSurCNPrPE8ZS_zkDql-v8yXH/w400-h381/look%20at%20plumage%20on%20that%20one.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I was going to say "kinky" because p. 236 in my Sibley guide is Amazon parrots, but then I realized that I was using the "Western North America" version. <br />Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-89663650873197553742023-07-19T15:48:00.002-06:002023-07-19T15:48:51.419-06:00Restoring Shortgrass Prairie for Native Plants and Carbon<p><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.5280.com/2023/06/Aurora_prairies_Fendi_Despres_Volunteer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="599" height="400" src="https://cdn.5280.com/2023/06/Aurora_prairies_Fendi_Despres_Volunteer.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fendi Despres (<em>right</em>) and a prairie-restoration volunteers. (Photo: Fendi Despres via <i>5280</i>).<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />5280 Magazine</i> describes how the 1,100-acre <a href="https://www.auroragov.org/things_to_do/parks__open_space___trails/nature___open_space/nature_centers/plains_conservation_center" target="_blank">Plains Conservation Center</a> (owned by the city of Aurora) is a test area for restoration and carbon sequestration.</p><p><a href="https://www.5280.com/restoring-colorados-prairie-could-help-fight-climate-change/" target="_blank">[It’s] one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet,” [ Fendi Despres, natural resource specialist] says. This includes a surprisingly long list of native animals,
ranging from birds to reptiles. The shortgrass prairie also performs
critical services for the environment, such as providing clean air and
water. But perhaps the prairie’s most intriguing characteristic is a
superpower that we can use to combat climate change and the effects of
greenhouse gas emissions: carbon sequestration.</a></p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://www.5280.com/restoring-colorados-prairie-could-help-fight-climate-change/" target="_blank">Depres says that the prairie ecosystem is particularly effective at
capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground
because its root systems run surprisingly deep—as much as 12 to 15 feet.
And unlike forests, which can lose sequestered carbon stored in tree
trunks during logging and wildfires, when the prairie burns, most of its
carbon remains safely stored below ground.</a></p><p>The area is inside the E470 beltway, which means that it is accessible to visitors who want to take wagon rides and learn about regenerative agriculture. No dogs permitted though.<br />Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-36644972953334183372023-07-10T06:00:00.003-06:002023-07-10T06:00:00.144-06:00Colorado Is Now Out of Drought, But New Mexico Is Not<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6edUCVo_MhxmYVa-Pv08IztxpnlI50FU7X7HALQ-x7wpv1A-6YQAmF2iJozWiMCIExjVWWCu-kOPhMOVCoYUbdsop9FuFA_ykiqiFSfhEVVR-y4T0I_ovBpWXTRgZu_IETCDP_M0A3MTgZGZuxlONY5aRooATTqnM01kGMtIufPW-1W_Tb3we/s1742/Colorado%20drought%20picture.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1742" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6edUCVo_MhxmYVa-Pv08IztxpnlI50FU7X7HALQ-x7wpv1A-6YQAmF2iJozWiMCIExjVWWCu-kOPhMOVCoYUbdsop9FuFA_ykiqiFSfhEVVR-y4T0I_ovBpWXTRgZu_IETCDP_M0A3MTgZGZuxlONY5aRooATTqnM01kGMtIufPW-1W_Tb3we/w400-h269/Colorado%20drought%20picture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to embiggen.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This graphic displays moisture changes in Colorado over the last 90 days. As you can see, the Eastern Slope and High Plains have been wet. Nearly 11 inches (28 cm) have fallen at my house, and other places have more. While in some climates that counts as "somewhat damp," for us it is "Oh my gawd when will it stop?"<p></p><p> The plains in particular have had tons of hail, which threaten the wheat harvest.
</p><p>"Heavy rains and severe thunderstorms continue in the Southern Plains where producers are watching forquality impacts. In Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota, producers are hoping for dryer and/or warmer weather ahead of harvest." (<a href="https://www.uswheat.org/crop-quality/harvest-reports/" target="_blank">US Wheat Associates harvest report, </a>July 7, 2023).</p><p>On the other hand, <a href="https://gazette.com/life/outdoors/colorado-could-see-one-of-best-wildflower-seasons-in-a-while-experts-says/article_da726b7e-1136-11ee-8b5e-13ecf1748213.html" target="_blank">it is starting to look like a good summer wildlflower season</a>, although spring was not so good.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9tbcT-Apfwuiq5txc-6gDAJF2w5R000-0_TKkWdXp__5PltGk-vwpsI4-r9v7G_4Ugt7QsGCEpnUI0Bm-Whqsb8_-gYYdFo9stuk00MVghzHiH9NGhRztX816dQvULCWDPRiv-n29trC84RINaMoIa3Td_Xvvv1sS1IuXJD3hYsG5BfRMol3/s1406/New%20MExico.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1406" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9tbcT-Apfwuiq5txc-6gDAJF2w5R000-0_TKkWdXp__5PltGk-vwpsI4-r9v7G_4Ugt7QsGCEpnUI0Bm-Whqsb8_-gYYdFo9stuk00MVghzHiH9NGhRztX816dQvULCWDPRiv-n29trC84RINaMoIa3Td_Xvvv1sS1IuXJD3hYsG5BfRMol3/w400-h343/New%20MExico.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<p>A quarter of New Mexico is "abnormally dry," while the southeastern quadrant is in either "moderate" or "severe" drought.</p><p>If you find this information endlessly fascinating, visit the .gov "<a href="https://www.drought.gov/" target="_blank">Drought Portal</a>." Your tax dollars at work.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-58430242797723948372023-06-30T05:00:00.002-06:002023-06-30T05:00:00.158-06:00A Summer When Some Signs Fail<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-PyCs4zrGJFvOCMpr0atNyrQPvyxRYJ0VS91chiUJf2873dNnS_jVTXj1IXY7OTnxxqZCU4JyYlgV0sHklBF7hQqH3Zvb6Y2YtX2uh94aTTjAU58xNAyoeE54Uxvbrd4wNbkc04_zOeDln3DD7nVrQkG73OhtehRq6fcFbAEpbUv0GW60ohJ/s432/low%20penstemon.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="432" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-PyCs4zrGJFvOCMpr0atNyrQPvyxRYJ0VS91chiUJf2873dNnS_jVTXj1IXY7OTnxxqZCU4JyYlgV0sHklBF7hQqH3Zvb6Y2YtX2uh94aTTjAU58xNAyoeE54Uxvbrd4wNbkc04_zOeDln3DD7nVrQkG73OhtehRq6fcFbAEpbUv0GW60ohJ/s320/low%20penstemon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last of the low penstemon.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">A</span> now-gone rancher friend used to say, "All signs fail in times of drought." Maybe they fail in times of heavy rains as well.<p></p><p>Spring started dry. I was out on a couple of small fires in April, and we all worried what was coming next. <i>Rain was coming next</i>: from mid-May to mid-June we got more than nine inches (24+ cm). </p><p>All my May outdoor projects — plantings, rail-fence repair, house-painting — were postponed.</p><p>The natural world was similar. The usual spring wildflowers were never seen or only rarely. Spring beauties (<i>Claytonia</i>) not at all. Sand lilies — just one or two. Pasque flowers, hardly at all.</p><p><b>Bird life changed too</b>. A flock of<a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak" target="_blank"> evening grosbeak</a>s (as many as eighteen) that had hung around all spring finally dispersed, except for a couple, when M and I went down to Taos for a week in early June, taking away their free food, because we don't leave bird feeders out all night when the bears are about.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwvIxpQufWaC0rjMP0T2S5npzLENFqpAuzHDlAsu6uurgvDXFPnzNtheOAq2GVKvuh0g6zv5oKqWfI3VfOA3ZswtB7QhHj4xwdelwkNJbI0b7mvYcfoWIeH9JaZcZHIubZ-ey-PgweUDtw0_yh4VPyfOUP9qw3mKVVOCRX0BRkls5zL_BddvO/s1360/wettest%20june%20ever.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1360" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwvIxpQufWaC0rjMP0T2S5npzLENFqpAuzHDlAsu6uurgvDXFPnzNtheOAq2GVKvuh0g6zv5oKqWfI3VfOA3ZswtB7QhHj4xwdelwkNJbI0b7mvYcfoWIeH9JaZcZHIubZ-ey-PgweUDtw0_yh4VPyfOUP9qw3mKVVOCRX0BRkls5zL_BddvO/w400-h361/wettest%20june%20ever.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado Springs had the wettest June since record-keeping began.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I don't know if it was the cold and rain or what, but the roll call of spring migrants was incomplete.<p></p><p>The <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-tailed_Hummingbird" target="_blank">broad-tailed hummingbirds</a> arrived in April as usual, and two males are busy disputing rights to the sugarwater feeder.<a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-headed_Grosbeak" target="_blank"> Black-headed grosbeaks </a>are here, although perhaps not as many as I expected.</p><p>But<a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Towhee" target="_blank"> spotted towhees</a>, which are usually <a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/55072" target="_blank">screeching from every oak thicket</a> as they proclaim their nesting territories, don't seem to be here at all. </p><p><b>I miss Lucinda. </b><a href="https://www.southernrockiesnatureblog.com/search?q=Lucinda" target="_blank">There were many Lucindas over the years</a>. Back in the 2000s, every year a little <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cordilleran_Flycatcher" target="_blank">cordilleran flycatcher </a>would nest in some inconvenient (to us) place, <a href="https://www.southernrockiesnatureblog.com/2014/07/all-my-flycatchers-season-10-plop-plop.html" target="_blank">like on the front porch light,</a> and so we named all the mother birds Lucinda. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qUc-XYzmgUo/YQQfLGhoF7I/AAAAAAAAEdU/0cNu3KPSmhgHwPLyjPDeYE1AcmjA631cQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/lucinda%253As%2Bnest%2B2021.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="178" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qUc-XYzmgUo/YQQfLGhoF7I/AAAAAAAAEdU/0cNu3KPSmhgHwPLyjPDeYE1AcmjA631cQCNcBGAsYHQ/w237-h178/lucinda%253As%2Bnest%2B2021.JPG" width="237" /></a></div>A few years ago, I built the Official Flycatcher Nesting Shelf high up under the eaves on the quiet back side of the house, and the birds liked it. They would nest mid-June, and the young would be out of the nest by late July. <p></p><p>In 2023, as I recall, some eggs were laid but never hatched. Did some predator nab that year's Lucinda? And this year, no flycatchers. The chain seems to be broken, and I am surprised how sad that makes me feet.</p><p>So many things seem to be happening late, and I keep hoping, but I don't think it is likely that they will show up to build a nest two weeks later.</p><p><b>Wildflowers recovered better<i>.</i></b> June saw a burst of blue-flowered low penstemon in every forest clearing, supported by some vetches, clover, feral lilacs and others. Wild plums bloomed profusely , but ponderosa pine pollen was scanty.<br /></p><p> In late June, we flipped from rainy to hot with highs hitting 90° F, all of which goes to show that when it comes to weather, "average" is just a number. So M. and I are still setting out plants and even seeds, hoping for a long warm fall, with backup plans of moving some container plants into the unheated greenhouse if need be. </p><p><b>And mushrooms!</b> Thanks to all the rain, we're picking here around the house, mostly shaggy parasols, but a twenty-minute drive put us into some giant puffballs, sitting in the high grass creekside like skulls on an ancient battlefield. Two of those in a shopping back feel like <i>serious food. </i>Maybe 2023 will go down as a great mushroom year.</p><p>I can't tell what it all adds up to though. Some things good, some puzzling.<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321070.post-90635500505597557132023-05-04T11:44:00.000-06:002023-05-04T11:44:30.233-06:00Shootout at the Watering Hole<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7Xr-2gcbED0/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7Xr-2gcbED0/hqdefault.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Colorado Sun</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> "Pastoral cultures are always violent," I read once in an anthropology book. </p><p>You know the scenario: two herds are convering on a watering hole from different directions, and the respective herdsmen get into a fracas over whose animals will drink first.</p><p>I figure it will be the same with electric vehicles, which politicians are pushing with religious fervor. </p><p>They typically take about an hour to charge, and charging stations are still few and far between in most places. Like having a small city of 100,000 people with two filling stations.</p><p>Today's headline out of the Denver inner suburb of Edgewater: "<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/05/03/tesla-driver-shot-denver/" target="_blank">Fight between Tesla drivers ends in deadly shooting at Denver-area charging station</a>."<br /></p><blockquote>A fight between Tesla drivers at an electric vehicle charging station in
suburban Denver escalated into a fatal shooting that killed one driver
and left another man in custody, authorities said Wednesday<p></p></blockquote><p>With all the "plans" and "mandates"out there, and all the glee in the news media, this might be a new part of our future.<br /></p>Chas S. Cliftonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00923547685265741325noreply@blogger.com1