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Something about our bus ride wasn’t making sense. Our driver kept his foot on the gas pedal, even as we zigzagged on a single-lane switch-back gravel road in the Andes Mountains. What, I kept wondering, was his game plan if we met another bus or maybe a logging truck?

Across Minnesota, chloride levels in lakes and rivers are on the rise. So far, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has identified 54 lakes with chloride pollution above state standards and more than 70 more that are at risk. Even though salt is common in our diet and needed for winter saf…

At this time of year, stalking through the forest with my camera in hand in search of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is one of my favorite activities. The crunching of leaves under my boots, the crisp cold air and the smell of the decomposing leaves are all part of the autumn whi…

Early fall brings an amazing insect to our flower gardens across the United States. It is the White-lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata), also called the Hawk Moth or Hummingbird Moth. No matter what name you use, this is a large nectar feeding moth that looks and acts just like a hummingbird.

Sitting at the edge of the nest, the young Osprey is calling out in a begging call, trying to be fed. His high-pitched screams echo across the lake and, unfortunately go unanswered. His parents are not around. He is all alone and, worse yet, he is hungry.

Are there any critical people in your life? We’ll guess you’ve come across people you find to be critical. You’re not alone. We all have critical people in our life. Maybe it’s someone at work or maybe it’s even a family member. Constructive criticism is fine, but some critical people are so…

Club Book returns with a virtual author visit at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13 with acclaimed essayist and poet Boyah J. Farah. Farah immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s as part of the Somali diaspora when thousands of families fled the war-torn Horn of Africa.

The Friends of the Chanhassen Library is preparing for the fall book sale. We’re in need of volunteers to help set up the sale, as well as to work the sale taking money. The sale will be Thursday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 2. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the Patrick Jo…

I spend the entire month of June on a boat watching the sunrise and sunset. I do this because I am leading wildlife photography tours, to capture images of Loons. I am so fortunate to be outside, surrounded by nature for such a sustained amount of time. I see and hear so many cool birds and …

In water management, many projects seek to prevent pollution from getting into lakes and rivers. But one type of project both prevents water pollution and conserves drinking water at the same time, stormwater reuse.

Last week, while leading a wildlife photography workshop to capture images of American black bears (Ursus americanus), we experienced a cuteness overload. Over three and half days, we saw many mother bears with spring cubs.

An aphorism that I say too often to friends and family members is “Don’t do a ready, fire, aim.” That is a reference to people who make unwarranted criticism about subject matter without sufficient research or due diligence. As a result, many of us confuse our “opinion” as fact.

In 1966, The National Academy of Sciences published the “Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society.” The purpose of this paper was to bring attention to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that, at the time, was being neglected.

The key to “seeing” nature is to stop and look. I know that seems rather obvious but it’s true. The simple act of stopping and looking is really all it takes to start to see more nature. This is something I learned a long time ago, but it seems that I need to stop and remember it every now a…

Are you a compliant egg or a defiant egg? You probably are wondering, what is this all about? What got us thinking about this subject recently is that we were peeling shells off of hard boiled eggs. Have you ever noticed that with some eggs the shells peel off quite easily (the compliant egg…