Outdoor Nation Opportunities

July 12, 2010

Outdoor Nation, a “youth-led movement” that is sponsored by many heavy-hitters in the outdoor industry, encourages young outdoor enthusiasts (ages 13-26) to take matters into their own hands to “reclaim, redefine and rediscover the outdoors – building an Outdoor Nation for this and future generations.” I have enjoyed reading their Web site and learning about what they are [...]

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Blackberries are Ripe!

July 2, 2010

To me, nothing tastes more like summer than a blackberry. Eaten warm off the brambles or sipped in sweet wine, blackberries are a summertime culinary joy. My girls share in my love of blackberries, and I am thankful for this. I think this is a result of being taken on blackberry-picking adventures during their first [...]

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Volunteer Opportunities for BP Oil Spill Recovery

June 16, 2010

It’s Day 58 and scientists are estimating 116 million gallons of oil have spilled so far into the Gulf of Mexico since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers. I go to sleep listening to the news of how many barrels have leaked into the water that day, and I wake up listening [...]

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10 Simple Ways to Renew Your Spirit Outdoors

June 8, 2010

One of my favorite quotes from naturalist and author Rachel Carson is: “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” Whenever I feel that world weariness, the outdoors is sure to renew my spirit. Yesterday, I took a long walk and listened to my all-time [...]

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Venemous Worries about the Outdoors

May 30, 2010

While my parenting Worry List ebbs and flows as my children grow, a constant on the list is the threat of spider and bug bites. In southeast Tennessee, it is not uncommon to find black widow spiders hanging out between garden rocks, ticks dropping from trees and brown recluse spiders lurking about. Recently, the threat [...]

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Snakes, endangered flowers and campfires … Oh my!

May 2, 2010

May 1, 2010 “We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”    – Charlotte Mason, British educator We lived in Massachusetts when I was in [...]

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25 Nature Adventures for Kids

April 27, 2010

“Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives,” says author Thomas Berry. If this responsibility sounds too heavy, rest assured that it is actually very simple to explore nature with a young child. Most of these activities can be done easily at home or [...]

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Growing Food with Kids

April 24, 2010

Gardening as a family is a great way to get your kids outside and teach them about where their food comes from. However, if you haven’t had a garden prior to having children, learning to garden will develop in you a great respect for farmers and the miracle of food-producing plants. Simply knowing what to [...]

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The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: The bug that is eating the forest

April 21, 2010

The eastern hemlock tree, a keystone species in the stream-side forests of the southern Appalachian region, is one of the most beautiful trees found in the Southern landscape. However, the hemlock is experiencing widespread decline and mortality because of hemlock woolly adelgid (a tiny non-native insect) infestation. New research (published in the journal EcoSystem) by [...]

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