Meet Some of Our Friends….

Every day we meet some amazing people who enjoy the outdoors. We thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of them so that you can get an idea of some of the wonderful things we can all do outdoors. You don’t have to be a fancy scientist, a hunter, an extreme climber – you just have to be willing to open that door and walk into the sunshine….so – in honor of Spring – here is our first friend – Dawn Freeland hosts Women Camp Too – visit her and let her know you support other Chicks!

Dawn Freeland

616-644-3767

www.WomenCampToo.net

Twitter @Women_Camp_Too

https://www.facebook.com/WomenCampTo

The Outdoors

 

I grew up fishing & camping with my family, in lakes & ponds of all sizes, and fishing from small boats and pontoons, docks, and embankments.

 

As an adult, life has taken a different path for me. I fish less often and hunt & camp more. However, I have never forgotten my roots, and every summer we throw out the old worms, real and/or rubber, a few lures just to see what will bite. Sunfish/Bluegill, Perch, and Bass are a few of our favorites to catch. We keep the bigger ones and throw back the fish nuggets.

Cooking and eating the days catch is just about as fun as catching them.

 

This is me.

 

I am an average women doing what she loves. I am trying to make a difference in the way women fit into the outdoors, whether it is hunting, camping or fishing. I believe that woman of all ages do not just belong in the mall, home or work. That there is another place for them, just waiting for them to take part and enjoy….the great outdoors.

As an adult, I have never fished in a tournament. As and adult I have only fished outside of Michigan a couple of times. I just love and respect the outdoors and in-turn it loves and respects me back.

 

I don’t have the fancy equipment or the best gear, I am just me.

I have never fished in far off waters nor have I broken any records, I am just me.

I love what I do, and I do what I love and, I am just me.

~♥~

” I love what I do, I do what I love, and I love to empower others!”

No room for a garden?

Check out this idea from Eco Village International Network!

 

Want to grow a salad garden but have no room? Try gutters! Affix them to a fence, slope them for drainage, and voila!

Fallen

 The sound was eerie.

The crack of bones and branches ringing long through the forest.

I ran to the clearing that wasn’t there yesterday.

There he lay silently broken.

New sky shone on the bed of leaves the forest lay beneath him.

They must have known it was his time.

How long must he have cast shadow on the forest floor? How long must he have held the nests in spring? How many storms had he weathered? We never heard his story.

We will never know how he sang when the wind blew.

We will never smell the scent of his leaves or feel the cool of his roots reaching down into our mother earth.

The others will come.

The feathery fungi will claim him.

He will soften.

He will fade.

He will disappear.

Fallen.

I have been trying to find some interesting articles to pass along….check this out!! Must haves for us all!

MIKE OFF THE MAP

With National Park Week coming up, it’s essential to have all your tools ready. One of the most useful devices you can have outdoors is the invaluable smartphone. I’ve heard the opposition from the purists who say that we should abhor technology in the wild, but if used responsibly it can be an extremely valuable asset. From finding park events, to trail guides, climbing spots, and reserving campgrounds, apps have become as essential a tool as a pocketknife. Here are five great apps that you can use outdoors this season:

View original post 713 more words

Chapter 20 – The Wetland

We Chicks have had to do a lot of things that seemed okay on paper, iffy in the truck, and then darned scary when we got there. It’s not unusual to hear nervous laughter on occasion. Somehow, though, by the middle part of the task at hand we seem to find the beauty or wonder in it and we forget – totally – that we were terrified.

That’s the case every time at some sites. One, in particular, on a confidential site, is a “wetland” of epic depth. It is typically a nice day and we are headed there to do the monitoring of the vegetation. You see, we want our clients to succeed and it’s our job to go out and see what’s doing well and what’s not working. Then, we make recommendations based on what we see.

Nuphar lutea

This “wetland” (which is, in reality, a small lake) is rather deep for a wetland. I would say that it comes up to my chest and I am 5’8”. Our job is to walk the transects (lines across the “wetland”) and list tree heights and such and take a look at what plants are thriving.

Now, the water is fairly clear. The bottom is sandy. It’s easy to see the bottom once the organics settle. BUT – and this is a big BUT….there is a lot of floating vegetation and the presence of alligators is a definite!

Something happens….something odd. When you enter the water at first, there is almost always snickering of the nervous type. Somewhere in the middle of the “wetland”, when the water is about thigh high, you get nervous and wait up for the other person. Then, the magic happens.

You notice the nuphar or floating lilies, the minnows, and the cool twirly tendrils of the plants in the clear water. You see that some of the little trees are doing better than last time. You start to relax. You start to think how pretty the water is. You wonder if you can see under water because it’s so pretty.

You forget…you are no longer threatened by the unknown but you are impassioned by the known. You are engaged. You are fully immersed in the watery world and all that live in it. You are no longer afraid.

 

The Wetland

That’s when I know I am doing what I love – how do you know? I want to hear.

Informational Bulletin!! Please read…proceed with caution!

LinkedIn Groups

Group: Natural Resources Conservation Service Discussion: DO you have Spring Fever? Look out, Chicks, here come the ticks! http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/ticks-season-coming-ll-bug-spring-213325176.html .. Ticks season is coming: They’ll bug you this spring ..By Claudine Zap Claudine Zap .PostsEmail .By Claudine Zap | The Upshot – Wed, Mar 28, 2012….Email Share92Print….. Courtesy of CDC Because of the extra-mild winter this year, the early spring could bring an unwelcome guest: the tick. Be warned: The warmer weather is good news for people and pets who want to be outside, but beware of an uptick of the hard-to-detect pest. The basic reason is that the eggs will hatch sooner. “Eggs are already in the ground, but this is the time that they will be coming out in great numbers,” said Pollie Rueda, an entomologist stationed at the Smithsonian and Walter Reed Army institute of Research. He noted that the normal tick season is from May through August, but with the 70-degree temperatures in some places, the ticks may get a jump on the season. Ticks that are already out and about are the visible adult, sesame-sized ones, noted Kristen Nordlund of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Think of these little buggers as the arachnid form of vampires. They hang out in blades of grass for a host to come along — a mouse, a dog, or a human — to attach themselves and feed off your blood over days, or until discovered, and they often leave disease behind — sometimes multiple illnesses. The big concern for humans, according to the CDC, is that most tick infections occur during the “nymph” stage. Those recently hatched ticks are the size of the period at the end of this sentence, and they have four sets of legs and the ability to suck your blood. Because they are essentially invisible, preying on a host can easily go undetected. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36-48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. Infections from ticks, such as Lyme disease (plus babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosisis), are on the rise and are difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are awful: from headaches to long-term joint pain and even heart problems. Since 1992, the cases of Lyme disease have doubled, according to the CDC, and more than 21,000 cases are reported every year. The CDC is conducting tests on actual households to confirm if spraying a pesticide in the backyard helps to reduce the incidence of human disease. Check its website for good information on preventive measures. Posted by Ron Harben