*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ NATURE NOTEBOOK ----Issue 12 The Newsletter written for parents with kids in mind. November 4, 1999 Linda M. Watson, lmwatson@naturely.com *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Welcome to Nature Notebook. This newsletter is by subscription only. If this edition was forwarded to you by a friend, see the bottom of the newsletter to receive your own, personal subscription or visit our website at http://www.naturely.com
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Index: 1. Sponsorship 2. Feature Activity 3. Nature in the news 4. The Spotlight 5. Q & A 6. Guest Column 7. Classified Ads 8. How to be featured as our guest columnist 9. Subscribe/unsubscribe information
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 1. Sponsorship Notice *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ for Kids Naturely and Nature Notebook is owned and sponsored by T. L. Creations http://www.tlcreations.com
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 2. Feature Activity *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Going, Going, Gone
One of my favorite activities at this time of year is walking through the woods and listening to the "crunch" of the leaves under my feet.
Even if you don't have woods to walk through, it's still fun to scrunch through the leaves in the backyard. With all this fun comes the chore of raking the leaves.
But, have you ever noticed that no one rakes the leaves in the woods? Every spring, the woods come into full bloom with hardly any old fall leaves on the ground.
This activity looks into the decomposition process. The children are encouraged to find and identify leaves at different stages of the decomposition process. They will also identify decomposers and their role in the ecosystem.
For a full description of Going, Going, Gone click on http://www.naturely.com/gone.htm?id=nn
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 3. Nature in the News *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Down with Dams
One of the ways to generate electricity is to capture the power of water. Erecting dams in rivers usually does this. As the water passes over the dam, the energy is captured and turned into electricity.
Since I'm not an engineer, I'll stop right there. As a naturalist, though, I know that erecting dams in rivers can change water levels in the tributary and prevent fish from swimming upstream to spawn.
That's why the agreement signed in California with Pacific Gas and Electricity is significant. PG&E will eliminate five dams on Battle Creek. This re-opens more than 40 miles of stream that fish, like steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, can use when spawning.
Initiative like this will help restore that habitat for all creatures.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 4. The Spotlight *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
The Black Tern
The black tern is commonly found in marshy areas. One reason for this is the abundance of food the black tern can find there.
Their diet consists of insects like dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers, and moths. They also feed on crayfish and small mollusks as well as spiders.
They are graceful flyers who can pick an aquatic insect off the water's surface, catch a dragonfly in midair, or hover over a meadow watching for a tasty insect.
The tern has its share of predators. Foxes, weasels, raccoons, rats, gulls, and other seabirds prey on the tern and their eggs.
An inland bird during the summer, the term migrates to the coast of South America during the winter months.
If you live near a marsh, watch for the graceful black tern.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 5. Questions and Answers *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
If you have a nature question, mailto: question@naturely.com We will answer the questions in the next issue of Nature Notebook.
Q. Someone told me that they used to make tea out of Sumac berries when they were a child. I thought Sumac was poisonous, like Poison Ivy.
A. Your friend is right, and so are you. There are different types of Sumac. Poison Sumac grows in marshy areas. When touched, you can develop a rash, just like you would with Poison Ivy. Staghorn Sumac grows in the wetlands. They produce a fuzzy, cone-shaped growth of red berries. These berries can be made into tea. They are very sour and more pit than berry. Few people even realize that these berries are edible.
**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 6. Guest Column *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
If you have information to share that would be of interest to our subscribers, consider writing an article for our Guest Column.
See 8. How to be featured as our guest columnist
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 7. Classified *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
*** We reserve the right to limit sponsors to five per issue on a first come, first serve basis upon approval of the editorial staff.
All ads must be family and nature friendly.***
For more information mailto: advertising@naturely.com
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 8. How to be featured as our guest columnist *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Nature Notebook is always looking for articles pertaining to nature, activities that adults and children can participate in together and ways that we can work together to sustain the balance of nature.
Articles should be no more than 700 words long. Submit to editor@naturely.com. No attachments please. The article should be part of the body of the e-mail.
Articles should not be advertisements disguised as information.
Do not query. Submitted articles will be reviewed and responded to within 2 working days.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ 9. Subscribe/unsubscribe information *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Send a blank e-mail to one of the following addressed:
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