For my birthday back in February, my family gave me something I’ve been wanting for several years – a new BIG tent with 5 comfortable cots. Yes, greenmomster is no longer camping; it’s “glamping” for me! So I decided to take my beautiful new tent
out for her maiden voyage to Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland VA, about an hour west of Richmond. What a pleasant surprise this park is! This 326 acre park includes a 40 acre lake and is surrounded by the 16,000 acre Cumberland State Forest. Our campsite sat right next to the lake, so we woke up to million-dollar views of the lake out our tent window! We tried a little archery and took a canoe tour led by the very friendly park staff and interpreters (can you believe that $5 paid for a 1 1/2 hour archery lesson?) Of course, we went fishing, hiking, and swimming at the lake beach. And what camping trip would be complete without a campfire and s’mores? But our campfire had an international flare, as we shared s’mores with our camping “neighbors” from down-under! Now we know a little more about camping in Australia! From the Sowing the Future Facebook page (and my friend Randi Mears!) – this is a great reminder of household plants that do more than just beautify your house. These are very hardy plants that help to clean your indoor air. Just a reminder – don’t plant the English ivy outside, it’s invasive.
This week’s endangered species is the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa), a small bird with a 20 inch wingspan that makes an incredible migration each year. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the FWS status assessment report, the Red Knot migrates approximately 9,300 miles each year, from Tierra del Fuego north to its breeding grounds in the central Canadian arctic, and then back again! Upon reaching the breeding grounds, the birds form breeding pairs and establish nesting territories. Like piping plovers (discussed in an earlier post), the Red Knots create nest scrapes and lay usually 4 eggs per nest over 4 to 6 days. After the eggs hatch (about 22 days later), the female abandons the brood, while the male remains with the chicks in wetlands habitats until after fledging (about 25 days after hatching).*
Red Knot populations are currently very depleted and the Calidris canutus rufa was named as a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection in 2006. When Red Knots migrate, they make several stops along the way, in
If you’d like to learn more about the red knot and horseshoe crab, be sure to check out this terrific program by PBS/Nature.
Watch Crash: A Tale of Two Species on PBS. See more from Nature.
* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. May 2007. Status of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in the Western Hemisphere.
If you’re headed to New England this summer and you’d like to learn a little something about sustainable fisheries and whales, a visit to the New Bedford Whaling Museum is definitely in order! I know, when you're thinking green getaways, whaling doesn't often come to mind, but this museum is very informative and really tells a very honest story of the history and impacts of whaling. The museum, which is over 100 years old, sits next to the New Bedford
Whaling National Historic Park. It’s filled with many exhibits on the local area and the history of whaling in the area. The museum also includes fascinating displays giving information on various whale species (I especially like the comparison between a t-rex tooth and a whale tooth) and the impacts of overfishing and depletion of natural resources. The museum has the world’s largest library of whaling logbooks, the world’s largest collection of scrimshaw (unbelievably detailed work!), and the world’s largest model ship, the Lagoda, a half-scale whale ship built in 1916. Many of the exhibits are hands-on, which always makes a museum visit more fun. A fascinating and honest look at the whaling industry, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is worth a visit!
