For a few nights, the coyotes had been howling and yipping close to the house. We’d even heard foxes barking much closer than usual. One morning, after the evening snow had created perfect tracking conditions, we wandered down to see what we could find. First, a lone coyote’s tracks ...

One of the best of nature’s predictable shows begins in March — the dance of the woodcock. The exact time and place is difficult to know, but it’s a great harbinger of spring. Unless heavy rain or snow interferes, woodcock rarely miss a performance. I first observed the woodcock dance ...

Last month, my column entitled “Warming Worries” addressed climate change and its disruptive threats to the seasonal symphonies now playing out in the wetlands, woodlands, fields, and forests of our Chautauqua watershed and elsewhere. And yes, there is cause for worry. Warming ...

I’ve always been intrigued by the creatures that live underwater. Their adaptations that allow them to live, breathe, and flourish under immense pressure underwater is fascinating. When I relax by the television, an episode (or six) of “River Monsters” on Animal Planet is usually ...

Gaze across any late winter landscape as February winds down, and you’ll soon notice small patches of fresh greenery. Longer days, warmer temperatures, and frequent rainfall promote lush plant growth. Because plants — grass, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees — are such ubiquitous parts ...

We all use wood products — every single one of us in one way or another. Those products must come from somewhere. Fortunately, they literally do “grown on trees.” It may seem antithetical coming from CWC, but we DO support appropriately conducted timber harvests. The issue is not with ...