Happy Earth Day!!

Happy Earth Day!!

The first Earth Day was held in 1970, the brainchild of former US senator Gaylord Nelson and Dennis Hayes. It was originally organized to thrust the environment into the political mainstream.

"The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."
— Gaylord Nelson
former governor of Wisconsin, co-founder of Earth Day

We, as individuals, can make changes that will drastically affect the world that we live in. If each individual does something small, recycle, conserve electricity, take shorter showers, etc.., and there are over 6.5 billion individuals on our planet, those small things become big things.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
— Mahatma Gandhi

We need to stop thinking only about the now, the today, but also think about the tomorrow. Our choices have a lasting impact. Let’s make informed decisions. Let’s make the right decisions.

"What we do today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all of our tomorrows."
— Alexandra Stoddard, author, interior designer and philosopher of contemporary living


"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. "
— Chief Seattle

How will you celebrate Earth Day? What can you do to lessen your impact on our environment? What kind of planet do you want to leave your descendants?

I hope you think of these and other questions and in your thoughts and actions make every day Earth Day.


"Now I truly believe that we in this generation must come to terms with nature, and I think we're challenged, as mankind has never been challenged before, to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature but of ourselves."
— Rachel Carson, author, Silent Spring

Questions and some guesses to how the porcupine died.

1.) Fisher, Fox, Mink, Pine Marten, Badger, Mt. Lion, Wild Dog, Owl and old age. Great guesses. After today's weather, I think it drowned! Actually, since it was found on its back, it was probably dinner for a Fisher. Fishers are able to tip porcupines over onto their back making them defenseless, as their underside does not have any quills.
2.) Are there any lynx in Nova Scotia? Yes, but our chances of seeing one are very slim. There are Lynx, Bobcat and Cougars in Nova Scotia.
3.) Kaila wants to know why you haven't went swimming yet? There have been sharks sighted off the coat and the sight of blood makes me ill. Especially my own!!
4.) Did you take any of the quills? We brought back a lot of the skeleton including most of the skull. The quills were very soft and starting to decompose.

The word for today was RAIN!!! We had a red backed vole in one of our traps this morning that was a recapture, but nothing this afternoon. We did some transects to assess mammal sign and then worked on a trail to Cook's Lake. We were able to stop in Bridgewater today and I boght a new hat. What do you think? Still waiting to solve the porcupine video upload. Keep checking in!

Nova Scotia fact of the day: Nova Scotian's are proudly called "Bluenoses" or "Bluenosers" since the 1700's. Reason: Planting and exporting of Irish Bluenose Potatoes, blue marks on the noses of fishermen left by blue mitts, and the nickname given to the Nova Scotia British troops which occupied New York City and Boston during the American Revolution.