Wild Earth Integration

GAH!

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m not much of a ‘winter person’. Sure I like winter as much as the next gal, but sometimes, after countless hours of staring at the gray sky and gray ground, while freezing my stuff off, one can go a little nutty. The shorter hours, curse-worthy temperatures and runny nose-sicles are just too much. Must. have. spring.

Now, I understand that some people love winter (and I am jealous of those people), and I also know that we must have winter to maintain any sort of balance in the natural world.

I’m cool with that.

But. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to show snow who’s boss every so often. Join me in the revolt and together, we can teach snow a lesson.

Here are 10 ways:

• Smush it. Yeah, go around in the biggest pair of boots you have and trample it all down. Pitch a fit and take out those winter frustrations on it. Borrow a big guy’s boots if you need to. What’s it going to do, melt?

• Paint it. If it’s going to exist, it’s going to stop being so darn cocky. Grab some water bottles, fill them with H20 and food coloring and away you go. Turn that snow into a canvas. It will wish it had just stayed up there in the clouds for sure.

• Give your dog lots of extra water, send him outside and let nature take its course. Take that! (This option also works for boyfriends/husbands, but do be careful of your neighbors.)

• Blow dry it. (It’s worth a shot.)

• Make a snowman (or entire snow family). Then, hold it hostage until Jack Frost decides to give in. Make demands, including warm weather and helicopter. Do not negotiate. Note: this might actually take awhile, so bring extra snacks and/or hot beverages.

• Pretend it isn’t there. Like a school yard bully, snow thrives on attention. It likes to know that it’s messing with your day. So one of the best ways to beat it is to just act like you can’t even see it. I recommend going outside in sandals and a Hawaiian shirt, while exclaiming ‘Lord, is this heat wave ever going to end?!’ Before you know it, snow will lose interest and wander off to some other hemisphere.

• Run around your yard lighting torches, Indiana-Jones style. If your neighbors inquire, tell them you’re teaching snow a lesson and that if they’re smart, they’ll join in too. Soon, you can have torches lit everywhere and the whole place will look like the Survivor set. Snow will have no choice but to melt already.

• Make fire from ice. This will reeeaally tick snow off, because snow’s main goal is to keep everything nice and chilly. Using your hands, you can form a lens from a chunk of ice, which you can use to direct the sun’s rays and start a fire. Snow will be so dismayed at your ingenuity and audacity, it will know you mean business. (Incidentally this can also work if you’re lost in the woods and need to start a fire sans matches.)

• Hire a guy in a suit, dark glasses and an ear piece to stare at it angrily. It will cost you a little bit of money, but it will surely make the snow uncomfortable. If you can’t afford a guy in a suit, maybe you can borrow one from  this guy.

• Teach it a lesson with music. Snow has a superiority complex – it hates to be reminded that it isn’t King. Show it your unwavering resolve by blasting this song everytime you feel like snow is winning. It will pick up on your confidence and disappear before you can say “Another dacquiri, please”. Other good alternatives are here and here.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some sandals to find…

Keep it wild!

Hey!

It’s Family Literacy Day.

Or as I like to call it, “put down the joystick and pick up a book’ Day. Rock on.

As you know, we go pretty nutso about nature and animals here. So I thought I’d inspire you with some nature and animal inspired reading for you and yours on this literary occasion.

I organized (or at least, attempted it) my bookshelves yesterday. We’ve recently had to install a handful of extra bookshelves because *someone* has too many books. Alas, I admit it – my name is Jess and I’m a book-a-holic.

The good news is, I found some gems in there you may love. Here are the tops gracing my shelves, for the nature adventurer in you:

• Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau – This guy basically said ‘Bah! Enough of society!’ and took off to live by himself in a cabin for 2 years. He grew his own food, talked with the animals and pulled the ultimate ‘unplugging’ known to man. His writing will make you want to go outside immediately and start preparing lists of vegetables.

• The Survival Handbook by Peter Darman – A book that everybody should have, in my opinion, because you just never know when you’re going to end up in the mountains without anything but some toothpicks and a shoelace. Learning the survival skills of “the world’s elite forces” will make you a better person, not to mention make for some great party tricks.

• The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki – Should be required reading for people who live on Earth. That is to say, everyone.

• The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff – Bekoff is easily one of my favorite writers and scientists. I was lucky enough to meet him at a lecture and his passion is contagious. This book outlines his work as a cognitive ethologist (someone who explores animal minds) and is a must read for animal lovers.

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit (the whole series) by Beatrix Potter – This woman is one of my heroes. She was not only a talented writer and artist, she had the observant eye of a scientist. Back in the day when women were expected to seek nothing in life other than a rich dude (gag me), Beatrix was writing nature journals in code and publishing what would later be the most successful children’s books of all time. Treat yourself to one of these classics.

• White Fang by Jack London – Nobody writes nature like Mr. London. To the best of my knowledge, this was one of the first books told from the perspective of an animal main character. You might want to move to the North after this one and buy some sled dogs.

• Supernature by Lyall Watson – I’ll bet a dollar to a donut that most people haven’t heard of this one. But don’t let its obscurity fool you. It’s a book about the ‘natural history of the supernatural’, but it’s not talking about ghosts and zombies. This book is about communication between living things, including plants. When science catches up with the natural world, I have a feeling this book will resurface and we’ll all say “Ohhh.. here it is written down already!” Definitely one for the ol’ noodle.

• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr. Don’t lie – you’ve fantasized about living on a tropical island. Feed your imagination with this book and revel in a life where coconut is a staple. Also a great one to read to your kids during the grey of winter.

There you have it! I know there’s a lot I haven’t covered here, so I’d love to hear what books you pull out for a dose of nature – leave ‘em in the comments!

Happy Literacy Day, stay wild!

Well well well… if it isn’t Monday again.

Today, I thought it would be nice to show you an illustration I’ve been working on for awhile. Ta-dah! As many of you know, I’m a bit of a plasticine fiend, so it’s nice to get to show you these as I finish them.

But what’s Monday without a few facts that you could whip out at a cocktail party. I think it’s high time for a Wild 5 again.

And so I give you, the Wild 5: Bear Edition –

• Never ever try to outrun a bear. It just won’t happen. Although they look big and lumbery, they can run as fast as a horse. So picture them as large, furry, carnassial-toothed horses. *nods*

• Most people know about a few species of bears – the grizzly (like my clay friend), polar bear, black bear and of course, Yogi, are fairly famous. The spectacled bear, Asiatic black bear and sun bear are less famous. But just as awesome. Go Google them, I’ll wait.

• If you ever ate even a small part of a polar bear’s liver (not that you should, just sayin’) – you would most likely die. Like most arctic seals, a polar bear’s liver is insane-o high in retinol (also known as Vitamin A). To put it in perspective your liver should have about 575 IU of Vitamin A per gram. A polar bear has roughly 24,000-35,000 IU per gram. Moral? Please don’t eat polar bears.

• Some bears faced a pretty cruel past. Bear bile farming is one example. Kept in small cages known as ‘crush-cages’, many Asiatic black bears are unable to move or stand for their entire lives, while an IV removes their bile. Needless to say, this is an awful fate for any animal, so efforts are constant to stop bear bile farming in Vietnam and China. If this bothers you as much as it does me, you can pop by here to learn more, or make a donation directly to my site and I’ll send it to the right people.

• A male bear is called a boar, while a female is called a sow. This is not because they are related to pigs. In fact, I actually think if you encounter a male bear, you ought to be calling him ‘Sir’. But that’ just me.

Have a beary good week, all!

(Can you blame me? Really?)

Oh, hiking boots.

We’ve been through a lot, you and I.

You’ve kept me company on a plane across the Pacific Ocean.You’ve kept me dry on the Atlantic sands and hoisted me up yet another tree branch.

For over 7 years now, you’ve been going strong.

Remember the days of wildlife rehab? You were clawed at, peed on, bitten and covered with mud.

At least I’m pretending it was mud.

What about New Zealand? Don’t pretend you weren’t afraid while clamoring over rocks with 80 degree inclines while planting trees. Speaking of trees, I wonder how many shovels you’ve helped propel into the dirt?

You took me to 5 years of University labs and classes. You even showed up the day I defended my thesis, even though you tracked a bit of dirt into the fancy room. That carpet needed a good cleaning anyways.

You’ve been in whitewater rafts (and got soaked), canoes (ditto), horse stirrups (smelly) and snowshoes (frigid). You’ve taken me through snow, sand, mud, water, grass and even a little bit of magma. As a result of all those adventures, you’ve also been in the wash. At one point, you were even told by family to ‘stay outside on the deck’ because you looked ‘questionable.’

Hmph.

You’ve steadied me across makeshift bridges of rotting wood – your tread gripping while I wondered aloud ‘how in the hell did I get in this situation again?!’ You don’t seem to mind that I attract heights that would give a mountain goat a run for his money.

It hasn’t all been carefree meadows with daisies and immaculate landscapes. In fact, I remember your first wound. A dog got a hold of you and used you as a chew toy. For shame. You never complained once while I stitched you back up, without drugs no less.

After all this time, you’re still relatively in one piece. Indiana Jones says, ‘It’s not the age, it’s the mileage’.

If that’s the case, I’d say you’ve earned your stripes.

So, boots – where should we go today?

Happy Friday everybody! I hope you (and your footwear) are ready for weekend adventures. Keep it wild!

**Winner Update! Congrats to Mel and Adrienne for winning The Great Goodall Giveaway! I’ll be in touch for addresses to mail out your prize!**

Winners were chosen by random number generator, because all of your answers were so awesome. Thanks to everybody for entering!

Just a reminder:

I have some happy news this week – as of 12:26 on Sunday morning, I officially have a new baby nephew!

My brother and his wife had their first child – a happy, healthy 7 pound 7 ounce wonder – born exactly on his due date. He clearly understands the importance of being punctual.

We are all ecstatic of course, and all of this baby business got me thinking about how much the world has changed since I was a wee one. Being a child of the 80′s (yes, I’m still rather young, but I *have* seen four decades), my generation has seen the rise of the Internet, globalization, climate change and yes, the Wii.

In the digital age, it’s easy to get seduced by the details. The high-res-high-def-high-speed-surround-sound-microwaveable-would-you-like-fries-with-that mentality is everywhere. I wondered what things my little nephew would see in his lifetime. How would the landscapes of the world change?

Then it hit me – the best things in life, those things that truly affect us, are timeless. The things I enjoy most about the world are the things my parents enjoyed, and theirs before them. They are also the things I hope any children I have would get to see. Incidentally, they’re also free.

Bonus.

So here, little nephew, is a list for you and other children (and kids-at-heart like my lovely blog readers), to remind you of the timeless things in life.

In your life, I wish you:

• Birds outside your window, singing away the night every morning.
• Mud to squish between your toes. Don’t worry what your parents say, just tell them that feet wash.
• Snow-fort building snow, and lots of it.
• Hot summer days, shared with lemonade, cool breezes and true friends.
• Open fields with itchy grasses that tickle your legs while you run.
• Flat rocks to skip, and big ones that just make huge splashes.
• Stars to count while you’re camping, or just to gaze at when you’re feeling small.
• Bugs! Watch them, follow them, enjoy them and set them free again.
• Trees to climb, with perfectly placed ‘helper’ branches.
• Polar bears, tigers and gray wolves. Remember every life has its place.
• Waterfalls that take your breath away.
• Heights that do the same.
• Hot sand on a beach that makes you do the anti-burn dance.
• Strawberry baskets for catching crayfish in ponds.
• Bridges. Some will lead you to better versions of yourself.
• Crackly piles of raked-up leaves in the fall. Feel free to leaf-dive.
• Rain on your face and inside your rubber boots. *Squish*
• Winter coat zippers that never nip at your chin as you do them up.
• A warm towel after a cool swim in the blue ocean.
• Books. These will take you to rainforests, deserts and the depths of the ocean.
• Grass stains on your legs and the perfect walking stick.
• Feathery, furry and scaly friends to learn about.
• And last but not least, a trusty dog. He’ll be a friend for life that you’ll never forget.

Happy Monday everyone! I’d love to hear about your timeless nature thoughts, so leave ‘em in the comments if you’re up to it!

Keep it wild!

Happy Friday folks!

In the spirit of the end of the week, I”m going to keep it short ‘n snappy today. Consider it Fish Friday!

Animals can do some pretty incredible things. Recently the stingray has been in the news for its ability to use water as a tool to flush out its prey. Back in the day (now I sound like an old woman), tool use was a trait that only humans were thought to have. We couldn’t have been more wrong, and I’m loving that we’re starting to open our eyes to the amazing feats of animals.

But stingrays aren’t the only fish out there to use water as a tool. There’s another species out there that uses water in a way that just might blow your mind. You have to see it to believe it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Archer Fish.  Words don’t do it justice, so grab a cuppa and enjoy watching the sniper of the fish world.

For those of you who haven’t yet entered my Great Goodall Giveaway, swing by here to check it out – only one week left! Who doesn’t like free stuff?

Stay wild and I’ll see you Monday!

I’ve been tagged! For an adventurous game of blog tag, that is. That’s right, Tripbase is putting together a series of posts on travel secrets. I’m a big fan of tag, so I’ll gladly accept this challenge!

Being a proponent of the motto ‘Go big or go home’, my first trip away was to New Zealand. After 23 hours on a plane (3/4 of which was spent listening to James Blunt concerts on loop – Lord save me), I found myself in what I can only describe as ‘a postcard on Earth’.

Put it this way – you could give a monkey a camera and set him free in New Zealand, and within a week he would return with the most gorgeous pictures you’ve ever seen. The landscape writes itself. As a zoologist, naturalist and writer, I was in heaven.

My 3 Wild Secrets to exploring this stunning destination? Read on, Frodo.

#1. Risk your life (in the presence of a trained professional).

A good place to do this is at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Glowworm cave exploring sounds like a nice, safe adventure doesn’t it? That’s exactly what I thought when a feisty little tour guide named Snappy was describing our task. (Looking back, her name should have tipped me off).

I’ll let you in on a secret – when black water rafting to see glowworms, there is no raft. Instead, you are given an inner tube and propelled into the deep, black abyss of glow worm caves. You are told to hang onto your partners hand (if you don’t, you could actually float away) and that the water is quite cold, so don’t be surprised if you lose feeling in your hands. Yes, the very hands that are meant to keep you attached to your peers. Excellent.

The most harrowing part of the adventure is reaching an underground waterfall. Here, you are told to “turn around, face your butt (contained in said inner tube) away from the falls, and jump off backwards”. Of course, you can’t actually see the falls because of the inky blackness, nor can you judge exactly how high you are jumping from. At this point I was considering how quickly one must get medical attention after a concussion. What do you do? You take a deep breath, listen to Snappy and jump! I promise, this adventure is one for the books!

Why it’s worth it: Glowworms are nature’s reply to the constellations in the sky.

#2 Go glacier hopping.

Franz Josef Glacier is one of a handful of temperate glaciers in the world. This means it’s situated in a rainforest, but is somehow still a frozen block of ice that can be seen all year round. This is one not to miss on your trip to NZ, because of its sheer awesomeness. I mean that in terms of its actual size, and also its badass-ness.

Whenever you glacier hop, you’re given a pair of metal spike attachments for your boots. These will not only make you feel like a superhero, but will help you out immensely in those moments of sheer terror. (Did I mention I have a bit of a fear of heights?)

While climbing Franz Josef, you will learn you have muscles in places you only dreamed of. This glacier is a bit of an optical illusion – while climbing (and looking only at the white in front of you), you don’t realize how high you are. It is only when you arrive at the top and look out over the landscape that it hits you. For me, this realization was a mix of awe and ‘oh $#!t how am I going to get down?!’. Luckily, you have your superhero boots on and are free to enjoy the view.

Why it’s worth it: The paradox of being surrounded by snow while feeling hot is out of this world.

#3. Get up close and personal.

During my entire month-long stay in New Zealand, few places rivaled the natural beauty of Abel Tasman National Park. Here you are free to canoe, sea kayak, hike and generally traipse about feeling fantastic to have survived your previous adventures. As New Zealand’s smallest National Park, Abel Tasman is like the Mona Lisa of parks – it captivates everybody with its beauty, but is actually smaller than you’d expect.

It is also a great place to take some time and explore the local flora and fauna. New Zealand is home to many endemic species – those that live there and only there – so grab your camera (bring extra batteries and memory cards) and shoot to your heart’s content. Close by and not-to-miss is also a Sculpture Park and natural garden center, with mind-blowingly beautiful natural artwork like this:

Why it’s worth it: Two words: Photo Ops.

There you have it! I’d love to hear about your travel adventures, so leave your secrets in the comments! Kia Ora and stay wild!

It was the summer of 1960 when a young secretary named Jane first stepped foot onto African soil to study chimpanzees.

She didn’t know it at the time, but she was making history.

In those early years, it was unheard for animals in scientific arenas to be given names. Instead, they were assigned numbers because ‘they were just animals, after all’. Jane would hear none of it. The first chimpanzees she observed were then dubbed David Greybeard and Goliath. None of this number nonsense for Jane, she was on a path of discovery.

During her many years of observation, Jane witnessed what can only be described as world changing. Shortly after arriving in Gombe, Jane observed chimps eating meat. This shattered the myth that chimpanzees were vegetarian and opened the door to the real lives of these creatures that are not so unlike ourselves. She also observed acts of compassion and tool-making, traits which were previously seen as solely ‘human’. Chimps also routinely self-medicated with plants, passed on knowledge within a group and demonstrated planning for future events. One by one, Jane witnessed chimps doing the things we said only humans could do. In 1970, Jane also noted chimps performing a spontaneous dance-like display by waterfalls. Many believe that this exhibited expression of awe runs parallel to early forms of religion in humans.

What I mean to say is, by observing chimpanzees for what they really were, Jane challenged what it meant to be human.

Of course, the scientific community was not always happy about Jane’s findings. Einstein said that ‘great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds’. This was never truer than for Jane’s work. When it comes to declaring the great capacities of humans, we are easy to dole out the compliments. But when it comes to other species, we’re sometimes not so generous. Jane was ahead of her time, but she forged ahead, stated her case and continued her work.

For half a century, Jane has worked tirelessly for animals, conservation and people. She understands that to help the environment, we must also help people and vice versa. Thirty years after her adventures in Gombe, Dr. Goodall created Roots & Shoots, a humanitarian and environmental educational program for youth around the world. To date, the Roots & Shoots program is active in over 100 countries.

Dr. Jane Goodall is a testament to how influential one person can be in the course of history. She opened the door for others like myself to study animals, but have a heart while doing it. She exemplifies integrity, intelligence and compassion for all life. I had the pleasure of meeting Jane once – she oozes serenity and understanding. Her spirit is contagious and she holds nothing but hope for the future of our planet, despite the events we may see unfolding before us. In her eyes, you can see that she is an adventurer at heart.

Today, I’d like to honor Dr. Jane Goodall by having a little giveaway. Recently, I dropped by the Jane Goodall Institute in Toronto and bought some goodies. Along with many other organizations, the Jane Goodall Institute partners with African women through micro-enterprise loans. By supporting Ugandan Paper Bead Jewellery makers, we are giving them economic alternatives to selling bushmeat (chimpanzee meat) in the local markets.

I have one necklace (gorgeous, 3-strand purple beaded) and one bracelet (also 3-strand with black and irridescent beads). To spread the word of conservation and compassion I’d like to give them away! Because I love alliteration, I’m calling it the Great Goodall Giveaway (catchy, no?)

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here and answer the following question -

Which animal do you most relate to, and why?

Winners will be chosen next Friday, but of course you can support Dr. Goodall’s organizations by going here or here.

I can’t wait to read your answers!

Well, winter is full swing around here and the temperatures have quite literally been dipping to what I call ’20 degrees below cold’. Brrrrr! But cold or not, there’s always something to be learned out there.

As I don my ever-so-classy fingerless gloves, I thought I’d let you in on some of the things that wintry nature has taught me. Relax, grab a cocoa and read on, winter traveler.

• Walking the dog: Make plans, but be flexible if something unexpected pops up. Follow your nose in all circumstances – all roads lead to new smells.

• Climbing Trees: You’d be surprised of what you can accomplish when you’ve got good footing. Start with the basics and go from there.

• Snowstorms: Sometimes the landscape of life is never more beautiful than after a storm. Stay hopeful, no matter what the forecast says.

• Icicles: Over night success is overrated. Slow and steady acts can bring dramatic change.

• Longjohns: It’s what you have closest to you that matters most. Don’t waste your time on things that don’t warm your heart.

• Watching the Birds: Life is too short to eat shoddy food. Go for the prize, even if others think it’s out of your league.

I know we’ve got a lot of winter explorers out there, so on this fine and chilly Monday, I’d love to hear what winter has taught you. Bundle up out there!

P.S Stay tuned for the next post – I’ve got a giveaway up my sleeve!