Outdoor classrooms Waldorf school

Check out this article from the NYTimes, it is interesting.

"The children’s “classroom” is 325 acres of state parkland known as the Hemlock Trail, and a long-empty farmhouse, which the state has licensed Waldorf to use for the year. The school also has regular indoor classes at its main building."

Sea Turtle Populations Decline

Check out this article from the NY Times

Sea turtles are sensitive to numerous effects of warming. They feed on reefs, which are dying in hotter, more acidic seas. They lay eggs on beaches that are being inundated by rising seas and more violent storm surges.

More uniquely, their gender is determined not by genes but by the egg’s temperature during development. Small rises in beach temperatures can result in all-female populations, obviously problematic for survival.

Help Big Cats

About the Big Cats Initiative

From lions in Kenya to snow leopards in the Himalaya, the big cats of the world need help. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top felines are quickly disappearing, all victims of habitat loss and degradation as well as conflicts with humans.

To address this critical situation, the National Geographic Society has launched the Big Cats Initiative, a comprehensive program that supports on-the-ground conservation projects, education, and economic incentive efforts and a global public-awareness campaign. “We no longer have the luxury of time when it comes to big cats,” says National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dereck Joubert. “They are in such a downward spiral that if we hesitate now, we will be responsible for extinctions across the globe. If there was ever a time to take action, it is now.” You can help us make a difference. Your donation can help save a big cat and ensure the Earth is not without these majestic creatures. Please donate today! You also can help by signing up for Big Cats Initiative updates with the Geo-Link Newsletter.

Apply for a Grant

The first goal of the Big Cats Initiative is to the halt the decline of lions. Therefore, National Geographic will be collecting all available data on lion populations, demographics, and habitat and will then fund a variety of conservation projects across the lions’ range. You can be part of this important work by donating to the Big Cats Initiative or by applying for a grant to help big cats.

Proposals Encouraged:

• Innovative projects with quick results for saving lions
• Anti-poaching programs
• Projects that test new technology
• Educational projects focused on community
• Projects that establish economic incentives for local people to ensure long-term survival of lions

Please email us at bigcatsgrants@ngs.org with project ideas or questions about the Big Cats Initiative.

Brown pelican removed from endangered species list

A century-long effort to protect the bird is no longer necessary, federal officials say. The population, once imperiled by hunters and DDT, has reached more than 650,000 in North and Central America.

Volunteer at the Beach!

Volunteer with CoosWA this Winter!

In 2009, the Coos Watershed Association sprayed knotweed patches for almost 30 individual landowners and 8 businesses along the Millicoma and Coos Rivers and in the towns adjacent to the Coos Bay. Additionally, due to press coverage of the knotweed program this year, we were able to help 7 other people and learn about other knotweed patches in the area. Visit our knotweed resource webpage to learn more about why knotweed is so invasive: http://www.cooswatershed.org/knotweed.

CoosWA has received a grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture to replant these areas with beneficial native plants. We are looking for volunteers to help us plant these trees in December and January. This is a great way to get involved in restoring your local watershed. Tree planting will take place in December 2009 and January 2010, mostly on the South Coos River. No experience is necessary.

What can you do?

Volunteer to help plant native trees along local rivers to replace invasive knotweed that degrades stream bank ecosystems.

When?

Any day of the week in December 2009 and January 2010, excluding holidays.

What to bring?

Be prepared for cold, wet conditions with rain gear and boots. Please also bring a sack lunch. CoosWA will provide coffee, snacks, and gloves.

Who to contact?

Contact Tyler Pedersen at 541-888-5922 or tpedersen@cooswatershed.org. When contacting Tyler, please specify what days of the week and times you are available, and whether you have tree-planting experience.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Tyler Pedersen

Lowlands Restoration Projects Manager

Coos Watershed Association

Changing Habitats Leads to Moving Species...By Hand

From the NY Times

“In 50 to 100 years, because habitats or climates are so altered, we might end up trying to move species in a restoration context, in assemblages of species,” said Pati Vitt, a conservation scientist
and curator of the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank at the botanic garden.

Wow.

Enough said.

kitty has gone missing from SE 35th & SE Morrison

beautiful kitty has gone missing from SE 35th & SE Morrison
Keep an eye out for our dear kitty! Her name is Bramble Rose & she is a torti with long hair and a white face/chest & paws... pink nose.. She is extremely cute & affectionate- please call 503-913-1937

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I would always be happy to post 'missing/lost' ads.