There are profound connections between humanity and our natural world, offering a refreshing perspective that can resonate deeply.  We can connect with Nature on many different levels.  As Benjamin Franklin once said, “What signifies knowing the names, if you know not the nature of things?” We make connections with scientific facts and spiritual relationships that open us to different perspectives and increase the awareness of the sacred all around us. Nature Absorption brings about physical, mental, and spiritual transformations. The Science of Watching, The Art of Seeing, and the Power of Nature Absorption was written by Chris Lewey, Sharon Fisher … Continue reading →

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is world famous for its work with birds, but did you know that it also has an Elephant Listening Project? In recent decades, forest elephant populations have dramatically declined largely due to poaching, habitat fragmentation, and habitat loss. To help conserve west and central Africa’s tropical forests and forest elephants, the Elephant Listening Project (ELP) utilizes passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). PAM is a non-invasive method that enables evidence-based conservation strategies through large-scale monitoring of elusive, acoustically active species, as well as human disturbance, such as illegal gun hunting and logging. Research Analyst Bobbi Estabrook explains … Continue reading →

Guatemala is a wonderful birding destination with many avian specialties, beautiful scenery, a colorful culture (including the proud Mayan, perhaps the richest indigenous culture remaining in the New World), and some of the best coffee in the world. In March of this year, Doug Hitchcox was a leader of a spectacular trip to view the birds of Guatemala.  The areas that they visited were varied, from the cool pine-oak forests near Antigua and Tecpan (think Pink-headed Warbler) to humid tropical lowland forests in the Petén (the Caribbean slope). The tour started in the Petén with a visit to the Classic … Continue reading →

It’s almost spring and we’ve all got a hankering to get back outside to do some landscaping and gardening. Instead of grabbing the same old plants off the garden center shelves, consider going the native route. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials are the glue that holds our ecosystems together and are directly tied to the health of our environment. All of our backyards could use some extra natives planted in them, but sometimes you don’t have to recreate the wheel; recognizing and preserving the natives we already have growing around us is important too. We will learn how the food … Continue reading →