Spotted Owl call

Barred Owl call

Northern spotted owls are medium sized brown owls characterized by a dark brown face with small white spots. They have circles of dark brown around each dark brown eye. They have a yellowish green bill and their legs and feet are fully feathered.

The northern spotted owl was listed as a threatened species in northern California, Oregon and Washington by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1990 citing loss of old-growth habitat as the primary threat. 
Old Growth Forests are forests that have attained great age without significant disturbance and therefore has unique ecological features.  These forests have  a complex structure characterized by large(an understatement!), live and dead trees, distinctive habitats and a diverse group of plants, fungi, and animals. 
Logging in national forests containing the northern spotted owl was stopped by court order in 1991. I cant believe the logging in these ancient forests continued 21 years after the first Earth Day was celebrated.

The 1991 court order pitted loggers and small sawmill owners against environmentalists. One study conducted at the University of Wisconsin–Madison(Yay for UWM) by environmental scientists argued that logging jobs had been in a long decline and that environmental protection was not a significant factor in job loss.

The logging industry, in response to  bad publicity, started the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. The industry claims to promote sustainable forestry management, improved forestry practices and responsible purchasing of forest products. 
 Environmentalists view the Spotted Owl as an "indicator species," a kind of  "canary in a coal mine" whose preservation has created protection for an entire threatened ecosystem.(Old Growth Forests)  The "canary in the coal mine" originated in early coal mines that did not have ventilation systems. Legend has it that miners would bring a caged canary into the mines. Canaries are especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, which made them ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups. As long as the bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary signaled an immediate evacuation.

One group used as an indicator species today are amphibians, which includes frogs, toads and salamanders. Their skin is porous and absorbs gases and liquids so amphibians at all stages are sensitive to changes in the environment, especially pollution that may be in the atmosphere, water or soil.

Protection of the Northern Spotted Owl, under both the Endangered Species Act and the National Forest Management Act, has led to significant changes in forest practices in the northwest. The purpose of the ESA is to protect species in jeopardy and the ecosystems they depend on. The purpose of the National Forest Management Act is to have the forest service use a systematic and multi-faceted approach to resource management. In other words, the forest service had to begin using sustainable methods when working within our countries forests.  It also provided for public involvement in preparing and revising forest plans. President Clinton's Northwest Forest Plan of 1994 was designed primarily to protect owls and other species dependent on old-growth forests while ensuring a certain amount of timber harvest. 
In 2004 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reaffirmed that the Spotted Owl remained threatened, but the recognized cause of endangerment had changed. Spotted Owls are now threatened by the invasion of barred owls into their range and habitat. Since the 1960's, Barred Owls have been expanding their range westward from the eastern United States. When Spotted Owls and Barred Owls share the same environment, the Barred Owls are more aggressive and out-compete the Spotted Owl. They are owl bullies. They have also been known to interbreed, creating hybrids that will threaten the species. ("sparred owl" or "botted owl").
My interest in the plight of the Spotted Owl started years ago when I discovered a fascinating book that I read a book to my second graders every year titled, "There is an Owl in the Shower". 
In a nutshell, the father in the story is a "cutter" and loses his job when the government orders logging to stop in order to save the Spotted Owl. He is very angry and blames the owls and the people in town that he terms, "owl lovers". His young son takes on his anger and rides to the forest each day to shoot owls. During a storm, an owlet falls at his feet and he takes it home. That is when the adventure begins. The owlet is a Spotted Owl but they don't realize it because juvenile Spotted Owls don't have spots. The story covers so many topics that it takes us almost the entire school year to get through it.
The town in the book is fictional but it could have been any one of the small towns that are within bicycle riding distance from the magical ancient forests that I walked through.  It was so exciting for me to put myself in that place. I cannot wait to read the book this school year!
Unfortunately, despite my owling calls,  I was not able to see one of these beautiful owls in its habitat, although one did fly in front of our windshield as we were driving through the forest at night.
Court battles are still ensuing over the logging of these beautiful forests and the future of the Northern Spotted Owl. After being in these forests, I cannot believe that anyone would take a chainsaw to these trees. It boggles my mind that trees deemed "ancient" wouldn't be protected at all costs.

 I love, love, love this definition of a wilderness. It comes from the "Wilderness Act" signed into law in 1964.

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."


Click here to learn more about this initiative and the labels to look for when shopping for wood or wood products: Sustainable Initiative labels 


F.Y.I.      Old Growth Forests in Wisconsin...

Wisconsin	Apostle Islands National Lakeshore[	1,500 acres
Wisconsin	Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Wisconsin	Namekagon Barrens	4,000 acres

sea otters.MOV

I stood among giant trees and I felt small,
I stood in the valleys of vast mountain ranges and I felt small,
I stood in the ocean waves and again I felt small...like a grain of sand against the giant ancient rocks
On this Earth, we are all small....we are nothing at all.....but guests for a short stay.

One of the most anticipated parts of my west coast adventure was the experience of tide pooling. The Pacific coastal shorelines of northern California and Oregon are so different from the Atlantic coastal shorelines of Florida, the other place where I have walked in Ocean waves. You see,  this part of the Pacific Ocean has rocks..big ones, small ones, tall ones, short ones, jagged ones and flat ones. As the wielding waves crash against these rocks they deposit the creatures that have hitched a ride on the surf.  There are also permanent residents affixed to the rocks depending on the intertidal zone.
The splash zone is the area above the high tide water line and mainly depends on sea spray and mist for water coverage. The characteristic species of the splash zone are the little acorn barnacles, sea lettuce and the periwinkle snail. 

The high zone is the area that is covered by most high tides. It is inhabited by the larger acorn barnacle, limpets, chiton and rock weed.

The mid zone is characterized by the seastar, the mussel and the gooseneck barnacle.
We climbed over and in between many rocks but unfortunately were never able to find a sea star. They were on my priority list of things to find so they will help mold the purpose for me to go back.



The low tide zone is mixed with organisms that can be found in both the high zone and the mid zone habitats and has large fleshy brown algae. Several algae species are common such as the feather boa and the sea palm. The low zone provides more food, shelter and protection and is therefore inhabited by a greater number of species.

On one of the beaches we explored, I began watching some children who were climbing on the rocks. I watched as they climbed over the barnacles, the sea lettuce and the mussels. I thought about reminding the children that the rocks were inhabited by living creatures but I did not. I watched as they carefully voyaged their way pointing out their discoveries to each other. The experience was spiritual for me. I learned from watching them.  I wished I could take my second graders to a place as magical as this beach. 

It was then that I remembered the trips I used to take my students on when I taught second graders in Milwaukee. Each year we took them to Doctors Park along Lake Michigan. This is where an owl flew out from under the bridge right in front of us as we walked the long wooded trail to the beach. This is where my students picked beautiful rocks out of the water and jumped over the incoming waves.

Bodies of water... whether they are oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds or puddles are wonders of nature. Water is the life blood of all living things. Take your shoes off...put your feet in.

I will return to this place.

Devil's Tower

Close Encounters Connection

In a remote area of Wyoming there is a sacred and spiritual place. From a distance, it resembles a plateau that stands well above the surrounding landscape. As you get closer, it begins to call to you.

Many Native American tribes from all over America consider the site of Devils Tower to be sacred.  The Lakota Indians call it  Mato Tipila, which means “Bear Lodge.”  Other names from other American Indian tribes are Grey Horn Butte, He Hota Paha, Bear Rock or Bear Mountain, Tree Rock, and Grizzly Bear Lodge.   
The Legend of its creation goes like this…..

Before the Kiowa came south they were camped on a stream in the far north where there were a great many bears, many of them. One day, seven little girls were playing at a distance from the village and were chased by some bears. The girls ran toward the village and the bears were just about to catch them when the girls jumped on a low rock, about three feet high. One of the girls prayed to the rock, "Rock take pity on us, rock save us!" The rock heard them and began to grow upwards, pushing the girls higher and higher. When the bears jumped to reach the girls, they scratched the rock, broke their claws, and fell on the ground.
The rock rose higher and higher, the bears still jumped at the girls until they were pushed up into the sky, where they now are, seven little stars in a group (The Pleiades). In the winter, in the middle of the night, the seven stars are right over this high rock. When the people came to look, they found the bears' claws, turned to stone, all around the base.No Kiowa living has ever seen this rock, but the old men have told about it - it is very far north where the Kiowa used to live. It is a single rock with scratched sides, the marks of the bears' claws are there yet, rising straight up, very high. There is no other like it in the whole country, there are no trees on it, only grass on top. The Kiowa call this rock "Tso-aa", a tree rock, possibly because it grew tall like a tree. I love sharing this story with my second graders. They are intrigued with the land form and it is a great introduction the "legend genre". I am eager to share with them how the geologists believe it was formed.
Geologist believe that Devils Tower was formed by the intrusion of igneous material.  

Long ago Devils Tower was not visible above the sedimentary rocks that covered it. But the forces of erosion, particularly water, began to wear away the soft sandstones and shales above and around the Tower. Because it was harder, the igneous rock of the Tower survived the wind and water and the gray columns of Devils Tower began to appear above the surrounding landscape.

Even now, as rain and snow continue to erode the sedimentary rocks surrounding the Tower's base, more of Devils Tower will be exposed. But at the same time, the Tower itself is slowly eroding. Rocks are continually breaking off and falling from the walls. Sometimes entire columns fall. The piles of broken columns, boulders, small rocks, and stones at the base of the Tower, indicate that it was even larger than it is today.
Visiting the tower was a spiritual experience for me. There is a peaceful aura that surrounds the tower. A beautiful place to meditate. Prayer cloths are visible hanging from trees and prayer towers are built up on rocks.
Devils Tower is this countries first official National Monument.

Welcome to Prairie Dog town

I thought this one was funny

Prairie Dog hole

da da da da deee

Native names for Devils Tower

Plants and trees grow in the rocks

I am thrilled to see the respect shown by the National Parks toward the Native American prayer vigils.

Can you see the bear claws?

Beautiful red pine bark