American Buffalo

American Buffalo:

In 2005, Steven Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo, or American bison, in the Alaskan wilderness. Despite the odds--there's only a 2 percent chance of drawing the permit, and fewer than 20 percent of those hunters are successful--Rinella managed to kill a buffalo on a snow-covered mountainside and then raft the meat back to civilization while being trailed by grizzly bears and suffering from hypothermia."American Buffalo" is a narrative tale of Rinella's hunt. But beyond that, it is the story of the many ways in which the buffalo has shaped our national identity. Rinella takes us across the continent in search of the buffalo's past, present, and future: to the Bering Land Bridge, where scientists search for buffalo bones amid artifacts of the New World's earliest human inhabitants; to buffalo jumps where Native Americans once ran buffalo over cliffs by the thousands; to the Detroit Carbon works, a"bone charcoal" plant that made fortunes in the late 1800s by turning millions of tons of buffalo bones into bone meal, black dye, and fine china..

Frank and Deborah Popper on BTBNMP3: Pete Seeger - Home On The Range

Endangered Species

Here:

With less than four months to go before leaving office, the Bush administration has proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act that would end mandatory review by independent federal scientists. Under the proposed Bush rule, government agencies would be given the authority to "self-consult" when seeking approval for projects that could harm rare and threatened wildlife or their habitat. This plan would erase essential checks and balances between government agencies that have worked effectively for 35 years.

The Endangered Species ProgramList of Endangered Species in North AmericaMP3: The Meters - Darling, Darling, Darling

Blue Buttons

From here:

Blue Buttons are not true jellyfish, but are Chondrophores. These are actually colonies of polyps. In other words, they are like a tiny colony of animals. Each animal contributes something different to the colony. Some form the central disk, while others form the tentacles. Blue buttons exist in colonies, and mass beachings frequently occur since they are at the mercy of the wind and water currents. Blue buttons generally measure 1.5 inches across or less, and are generally dark blue or turquoise in color, although a lemon-yellow color variant sometimes occurs.Blue buttons, like the Portuguese Man of War, and the By-the-wind-sailor (velella velella), are not true jellyfish, although they are closely related. They are all in the same phylum (cnidaria).

Well, it looks cool.MP3: Michael Hurley - Blue Driver (Thx Justin)Because you're sweet and lovely, I love you.

Mother Nature's Quite A Lady

Beside a singing mountain streamWhere the pussy willow grewWhere the silver leaf of mapleSparkled in the morning dewI braided twigs of willowsMade a string of buckeye beadsBut flesh and blood needs flesh and bloodAnd you're the one I needFlesh and blood needs flesh and bloodAnd you're the one I needYoutube: Johnny Cash - Flesh and Blood* If anyone can find that video from The Man, His World, His Music where Johnny sings this song to June on their couch, let me know. That video can probably cure a few diseases.

Future House Farm

Future House Farm is one of Cold Splinters' favorite blogs. Kelly and Meg live in a house outside of Philadelphia and have converted their backyard to an organic farm with loads of vegetables and a few chickens. They both have 9 -5 jobs and they're not experts, so they're learning as they go along, which makes the blog so damn enjoyable. Kelly on their newly built chicken tractor:

*Have you ever heard the sounds a chicken makes when it eats a really fat grub? Imagine someone eating a raw steak with their mouths open. It may not be as loud, but yeah, it's nasty. I just have to remember that the slurping makes the eggs taste better. Shit, that doesn't help at all.

Their trials and tribulations can be found here.

bee-hind

As you may have heard, there has been an epidemic devastating our country’s bee population for the past few years.  Billions of have died, leaving scientists and apiculturists struggling to keep a population that pollinates 80% of our fruits and vegetables alive.Back in the news this week, it seems that we may be a step closer to understanding the root of Colony Collapse Disorder, leaving yet more questions than answers.  A mathematician even weighed in on the op-ed page of the Times this week.Here’s hoping that it gets sorted out soon.For further reading: check this fact-filled piece by one of the best environmental journalists in America, Elizabeth Kolbert.

Surround Yourself With Predators

If you want to surround yourself by the densest population of major predators in the Lower 48, go to the Black Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. Doug Smith, a park biologist, says that the canyon hides as many as one griz, wolf, cougar, or black bear every two square miles. Here."Wilderness can be defined as a place where humans enjoy the opportunity of being attacked by a wild animal" - Ed AbbeyMP3: Viking Moses - Still My Home

Sweet Annie

Last fall we went up to Unity, Maine to attend the Common Ground Country Fair. There's nothing wrong with a weekend full of alpacas, roosters, sheep, and loads of locally grown food. But I'll tell ya, the highlight of Common Grounds was the smell. Everyone was walking around with crowns made of Sweet Annie, one of the most heavenly things that's ever filled our noses. It might remind most of autumn and rumor has it that some people consider it a weed in their gardens because it spreads so easily, but if you're like us and your garden consists of some plastic containers on your fire escape, then buy a bucket now and plant some Sweet Annie seeds next to your cilantro. In a few weeks, you'll be in the Maine woods no matter what town you live in.Youtube: Rolling Stones - Waiting On A Friend