• child in nature
    Education,  Home Garden,  Nature

    Planting the Seeds:

    One of the gifts of childhood is an eager and natural curiosity of the young learner’s mind. The study of plants is one of the most interesting and accessible activities to engage learners of all ages.

  • Vancouver Water Resource Center
    COMMUNITY,  Education,  Human Interest,  Nature

    Vancouver Water Resources Education Center

    If you haven’t been to this hidden jewel at 4600 SE Columbia Way in Vancouver, put it on your list and visit. It opened its doors in February 1996, in concert with a new, innovative and advanced Marine Park Water Reclamation Facility, but many people have yet to discover it. Their mission: Teach people of all ages how to better care for and make wise decisions about water. They do this with interactive exhibits, aquaria swimming with fish, classroom laboratory, toddler-friendly Puddles Place, inspiring White Sturgeon gallery, natural gardens, wildlife-friendly wetlands and more! Inside and outside, the Water Center is brimming with things for visitors of all ages to do…

  • Home Garden,  Nature

    Landscaping for Wildlife

    This article was published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Green Living Journal. With suburban sprawl fragmenting and reducing wildlife habitat, what we do in our yards is very important for the survival of wildlife. Suburban yards are usually stripped of most of their topsoil and little concern is given to wildlife when planning a new landscape. The typical yard has a large lawn area with a few ornamental plants providing little ecological value. By landscaping with nature we can provide some of the necessities for wildlife survival, as well as, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment for people. When designing an ecological landscape, the vertical levels should be emphasized…

  • ENERGY,  Nature,  Wind

    Purple Wind Turbines May Be Less Likely to Harm Birds

      Researchers Chloe Long, Dr. James Flint,  and  Dr. Paul Lepper, all colleagues at the Loughborough University in the United Kingdom,  conducted experiments to learn whether color might play a role in attracting insects to wind turbines. They measured how many insects were attracted to different colored cards laid out in random order next to a 43-foot-tall three-blade wind turbine.   The experiments showed that insects are most attracted to yellow followed by white and light gray. The researchers discovered that the color least attractive to insects was purple and  reasoned that wind turbines painted purple would likely kill fewer birds and bats: Birds and bats are often hit when…