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NATURE NOTEBOOK ----Issue 16
The Newsletter written for parents with kids in mind.
January 6, 2000
Linda M. Watson, lmwatson@naturely.com
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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
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1.     Sponsorship Notice
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for Kids Naturely and Nature Notebook is owned and
sponsored by T. L. Creations http://www.tlcreations.com
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2.     Feature Activity
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Fragrant Foods
The fragrances from herbs and wild flowers are used in
perfumes and other toiletries.  Pomanders were originally
gold or silver balls, filled with herbs or spices and hung
around the waist.
In this week's activity, pomanders are made from oranges and
cloves.  They can be hung in a closet or placed in a drawer.
In either case, the fragrance can be enjoyed for months.
For a full description of Fragrant Foods click on
http://www.naturely.com/pomander.htm?id=nn
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3.    Nature in the News
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Cormorants Threaten Bass
Twenty years ago seeing a cormorant was a rare sighting in
the Great Lakes area. Today there are more than 100,000 in
the area. Just this past fall we watched on flying overhead
and diving for food when we visited a local nature center.
These black, hook-beaked, diving birds are threatening the
bass population.
In the area where cormorants dine, the number of small mouth
bass have dropped to 1,500 from 10,000 in 1980.  These birds
weigh about 4 pounds and eat about a pound of fish every 
day.  At this rate, there is concern about the bass and
other fish population in the region.
Cormorants came to the Great Lakes in the 1920's but were
almost extinct in the 1950's when DDT polluted the lakes.
Their population grew after the use of DDT was banned.
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service is planning to
hold hearing across the country to discuss ways that the
cormorant population can be controlled.
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4.     The Spotlight
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Sandhill Crane
A large, prehistoric looking bird that uses the wetlands as
their habitat is the sandhill crane.
These birds can grow up to four feet tall with a wingspan of
seven feet.  Their color is gray, except for the featherless
red patch on the forehead.
Sandhill cranes live in the wetlands.  There are omnivores,
feeding on mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs,
crayfish, seeds, grains, and berries.  Before migrating they
fill up on wheat and corn for extra energy.  They glean this
food from the local farmers' fields.
The female lays one to three spotted olive-colored eggs.
Both birds take turns incubating the eggs.  The eggs hatch
in about 30 days. The young are able to fly in about 90
days.
You can tell the difference between sandhill cranes and
herons when they are flying by their shape.  Cranes fly with
their necks outstretched and are often called flying
crosses.  The herons fly with their necks in an "S" shape.
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5.     Questions and Answers
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If you have a nature question, mailto: question@naturely.com
We will answer the questions in the next issue of Nature
Notebook.
Q. I've heard several different thoughts on feeding birds.
Some people say to feed them all year round, and other say
only in the winter.  Which is best?
A. Best really depends on where you live and how you feed
the birds.
You can feed the birds all year round if you want to attract
them to your yard.  The best way to do this is to provide
natural foods during the warm months and seeds in feeders
during the cold months.
Plant flowers, shrubs, and trees that provide food for the
birds that you want to attract.  After the fruits and seeds
are gone, then use your feeders.
A note of caution here.  Once you start feeding the birds in
your feeder during the cold months, continue throughout the
winter.  The birds will become dependent on you as their
source of food.  Also, we have observed that birds prefer
natural foods to feeder seed.  As long as we are having a
mild winter, with little or no snow, few birds visit our
feeder.  Once their natural food is gone, we can't keep up
with their demands.
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6.     Guest Column
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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
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7.     Classified
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                    >>> NEW SPONSOR <<<
*** 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
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8.     How to be featured as our guest columnist
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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.
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9.     Subscribe/unsubscribe information
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Send a blank e-mail to one of the following addressed:
Subscribe:  mailto: subscribe@naturely.com
Unsubscribe:  mailto: unsubscribe@naturely.com
Or visit us at our web site: http://www.naturely.com
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Copyright 2000. for Kids Naturely
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