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…
Our family recently took a trip to visit a university. This was the kids’ first official college tour. It was a large university that had a sprawling campus and offered a variety of educational paths, housing options, and extracurricular activities.
Operant conditioning (behavior modification) is a metaphor for accountability. B.F. Skinner was an experimental psychologist at the University of Minnesota in the 1940s whose name and work came to be associated with operant conditioning and behavior modification. Skinner trained small animal…
Operant conditioning (behavior modification) is a metaphor for accountability. B.F. Skinner was an experimental psychologist at the University of Minnesota in the 1940s whose name and work came to be associated with operant conditioning and behavior modification. Skinner trained small animal…
It’s official: summer is over and fall has arrived. The days are shorter, the winds are cooler, and the trees are changing to their vibrant orange, red and gold. There are so many reasons to love autumn. On the top of my list is getting to enjoy all of the warm, comforting meals that find th…
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.
What you see is not always what you think it is. This could be my mantra for nature.
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 …
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.
Recently I have been spending some time photographing a pair of trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) with six little cygnets. This swan family is not in a wilderness setting, but a suburban backyard pond.
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…
Not everything in nature appears the way you see it! I’ve said it over and over again in various ways. We see the natural world through the lens of a human and all of the things that go into being a human.
Tralfamadore is an alien world that appears in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut.
As we near the close of the 2021-22 school year, I have been reflecting not only on this year, but also on my seven-year career at Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools (PLSAS) that has been filled with meaningful relationships, wonderful accomplishments and complex challenges. Throughout it all, I…
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. A time to thank the moms out there for all that they do. As a mom, I definitely enjoy the acknowledgment and pampering that often comes with the special day. My only problem is that I have a tough time answering the question, “What do you want for Mother’s Day?”
Back in the day when we lived in rural St. Peter, my kids went to school on a bus and loved it. They had a fun driver, "Snookie," who gave out candy for treats and they sang songs on the way to school.
This past weekend I did something I haven’t done in a long time. After a couple of years off, I felt like I was starting from scratch and had to relearn so many important skills. It took a lot of preparation and it wasn’t easy, but I made it through it just fine. In fact, I actually enjoyed myself!
Looking up into the dark Wyoming night sky, all the stars in the Milky Way were shining so brightly it looked like white paint had been splashed across the sky from horizon to horizon.
The other day, I spent several frantic moments searching the entire house for my phone. I eventually found it on the arm of a chair I’d been sitting in just minutes earlier. Whew, what a relief!
It seems like there are as many different strategies employed for a bird’s survival as there are species of bird.
I am fascinated by the diversity of mother nature. And this was abundantly clear to me the other day while I sat in a tiny chair blind, in the dark, waiting for the sun to come up and for a ruffed grouse to enter the habitat that lay before me.
Recently, I found myself back in a familiar place. One that I’d rather not have to visit so often. I was once again in the greeting card aisle, looking for a sympathy card.
Recently while leading a photo tour throughout Florida to photograph birds, it occurred to me how much things have changed. I don’t mean how much things have become worse, or crowded, but rather how much several species have increased in population.
A while ago, there was some discussion about how old is too old to shovel snow. One article said 45 years old was the time to stop. Another said that those over 55 should definitely find someone else to move the white stuff.
The Prior Lake American welcomes letters from all readers and makes every effort to print letters that conform to these guidelines:
Last week while leading a photo workshop in warm and sunny Florida, I was walking down a long stretch of beach with my group of photographers in tow.
I’m responding to a letter to the editor that appeared in the Feb. 26 edition of the American, "The real problems facing our country," in which the writer blames President Biden for everything from high inflation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Several weeks ago, we expressed our shared sense and trust that elected officials and others in key leadership positions would commit to learning and actively engaging in the work needed to create a truly welcoming Prior Lake.
I am writing this letter to address the real state of the union in this country. The current state of our union is not pretty.
My family has just made it through our busiest months of the year. Between November and January, we celebrate our four birthdays as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. This not only means calendars that are full of family gatherings and special celebrations, it also means that m…
Once again, I found myself sitting outside in my small photo blind trying to capture a handful of images of birds in a winter/snowy setting. The temperatures were a balmy 5 below zero and I was starting to feel the cold penetrate my many layers of clothing.
Technology and technological change remind me of a dog chasing its tail. We apply technology to solve one problem only to create other problems that require more technology to solve the problems the new technology creates.
In a rebuttal letter to the John Diers column of Jan. 8 ("We can't have a repeat of 2021"), John Sernett takes the author to the woodshed ("No room for righteousness in discourse," Jan. 15).
Our daily lives are confused and unsettled. If cold weather and the latest COVID variant has you boxed in at home, you may be ready for some bold and invigorating action.
Like other school districts and industries, Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools continues to experience staffing shortages unlike any the district has seen in its history.
I was interested to read Stan Tekiela’s column “What causes a species to decline?” It’s not often we hear about anyone in the animal kingdom who’s doing better, as he described of the red-bellied woodpecker. What surprised me most however is what he did not mention the effect of a changing climate.
Today, as I opened my Facebook app, I received a notification that I had “memories” to review. This is actually one of my favorite parts of Facebook — the ability to read my posts from years ago.
As a southern girl and a Minnesota transplant, winter activities have always been fascinating to me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would move from the Land of Enchantment to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, yet alone go ice fishing — but here I am. I can now say I have crossed ice…
Having just returned from three weeks in Yellowstone leading photo tours and workshops, I am tempted to write more about the several encounters I had with the large charismatic predator, the gray wolf. However, this time I think I will write about a small, rather un-charismatic predator. A p…
The Met Council and Metro Transit have two problems; both interrelated and neither easily solved. One is the Southwest Light Rail line; four years behind schedule, $450 million over budget and, already, the most expensive public works project in Minnesota’s history.
I genuinely believe that every single person has the capacity to change the world for better or for worse. We live in a time where so many Americans are hurting in many ways with the pandemic crisis, increased competition for jobs and economic security, and the pressure to simply survive is …
In a Jan. 15 letter to editor, "No Room For Righteousness in Discourse,” the writer states:
As Club President for Prior Lake Rotary, it seems daunting having 52 weeks in front of you on July 1, and then, just like that, the rotary year is halfway through! The fact that the club has been very busy these first six months may have something to do with that.
The complexity of nature is often hard to understand and even harder to witness. Sure, we learn about it in school, read about it in a book, or watch it on a TV nature documentary, but it isn’t until you see it firsthand that you start to understand and appreciate the complexity of nature. I…
The planet 51 Pegasi b is a long way from Prior Lake, 48 light years (several billion miles) to be exact. It orbits a fifth magnitude star, similar to our Sun, in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered in 1995 and is the first exoplanet found orbiting a star outside our solar system.
Prior Lake Jake was the biggest pup in a litter of eight puppies at a Wisconsin dog kennel, advertised as purebred Golden Retrievers. Mom and dad Goldens were on hand to prove the claim.
I am no stranger to winter weather. After all, I do live in the frozen northland. So, I really didn’t think much about it when I went out the other day to photograph some owls.
In this open letter to our neighbors, we hope to explain how our community’s increased awareness of what has been occurring for decades, and a small group’s efforts to enact meaningful steps to address the racism in our town have provided a catalyst to be better.
In reviewing the Laker Connection from January 2022 I note we have yet another letter from Superintendent Staloch regarding racist videos and comments made by some students directed at other students.
