WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly                               Connecting People To Nature Through Education    October 8, 2007                                       Official Publication of WindStar Wildlife Institute       Please Don't Kiss the Brown Bear! An Alberta wildlife park that allows the paying public to kiss a full-grown Brown Bear is under fire from bear experts, including one who describes the show as a "stupid and dangerous example" of bear exploitation. Kerry Williamson of the National Post says the Innisfail, Alberta park's owners say the bear kissing teaches people about the dangers of bears in the wild.   "This is the most stupid and dangerous example of exploiting bears that I have ever seen," said Charles Jonkel, co-founder of the Missoula, MT-based Great Bear Foundation.   The Canadian Discovery Wildlife Centre has offered visitors the chance to kiss a Brown Bear for three years, charging people $20 to have a photograph taken with 24-year-old Ali Oop.   Do you want to kiss Ali Oop? Tell us why or why not at wildlife@windstar.org   Tom Patrick Founder & President   In This Issue Beekeepers Vs. Plague Nature Quotes Bears Prowl For Food Wildlife Photo of the Week Favorite Food Birds and Plants Naturalist Courses American Wildlife Blog WindStar Wildlife Institute Quick Links to the Knowledge Center   Animals   Aquatic Birds   Certification   Garden   General Discussion   Insects   Natural Landscaping   Plants & Trees   Reptiles & Amphibians   Volunteer   Wildlife Habitat   Our Sponsors     Become A Member   Support WindStar's Environmental Education Programs With Your Donations           "I am taking your online Wildlife Habitat Naturalist Course and am enjoying the materials. It will help me with my own "Wildlife Habitat" and help me in my job at a Nature Center." --Vicki Capps     "The Master program has opened up a whole new dimension in my life which I had never considered. I have been challenged to learn about habitat planning, species food preferences, garden design and ecology concepts. It has given me the resources and confidence to be able to share what I have learned with both children and adults.  This outreach has been a source of personal growth and inspiration for me." --Pat, MD     "The (course) far exceeded all expectations. An even greater enjoyment has been sharing what I learned with others-my neighbors and co-workers.  It has been rewarding to help individuals increase their appreciation of nature-starting in their own backyards." --Paulette, MD     "The WindStar course will have a far-reaching and long-lasting influence on the way that people look at wildlife and the ways that we can more effectively share our mutual space.  I'm proud to be part of it."  --Cathy, MD     "I want to commend you on the Master Naturalist program. I particularly like your approach of training wildlife habitat advocates and sending them back to their communities to be messengers for the cause." --Joshua, MD DNR     "The Master Naturalist program is generating a great deal of interest from community decision makers in replacing wildlife habitat lost to residential and commercial development.  We are glad to partner with WindStar Wildlife Institute in this environmental education and outreach endeavor.  You can count on us to provide technical assistance, publications, planning assistance and speakers for future programs." --Michael, USDA Forest Service     "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to be a partner with WindStar Wildlife Institute in creating and implementing the Master Naturalist program." --Kathleen, USFWS       In the Nature Shop...       New...Exclusive for WindStar Readers   Mad Bluebird Men's and Women's Watches   Only $29.95 More Information       Give the Gift Of Nature-- Visit WindStar's Nature Shop       "WindStar Wildlife Institute's web site offers a wealth of information on birds, other wildlife and backyard habitat issues." -Connie, NC         Beekeepers Against A Plague   Charles Mraz, Beekeeper, Champlain Valley Apiaries, Vermont   By Leslie Land  THE DELICATE fragrance of newly made honey and the murmur of bees have greeted visitors to our Hudson Valley home all summer. My husband, Bill Bakaitis, who tends our two hives, has put them in the front yard right beside the driveway. The bee-phobic sometimes get nervous, but for us the suspense is pleasant: between the music and the perfume you can't leave the house without wondering what this year's crop will be like. The flowery 2002, for instance, thickened to velvet within weeks of harvest. The spicy 2003 is still liquid (what's left of it). Each is a summary of its season's flower parade, from locust, clover and dandelion to rose, raspberry and garlic chives. (The bees adore them. They smell like lilies.) Bees usually visit just one nectar source at a time, and it is possible to capture the flavor of a particular source by harvesting each in turn. But our honeys are always the house blend, because for Bill, the family beekeeper, one crop a year is ... Read On       Nature Quotes "What I know in my bones is that I forgot to take time to remember what I know. The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy. Daily prayers are delivered on the lips of breaking waves, the whisperings of grasses, the shimmering of leaves." -Terry Tempest Williams       Black Bears On Prowl For Food   Black Bear Sow with cubs forging for food   KANSAS CITY, MO--Homeowners in the Ozarks are being warned against leaving food outdoors because of the danger of luring hungry bears onto their property. In urban areas like Kansas City where there isn't a danger of bears, residents could see a sharp increase in the number of mice that invade their homes. A freeze in April and drought in August have stifled the nut, fruit and seed production on many plants and trees, experts say. That means more wildlife than usual will be forced out of fields and into people's yards looking for food. "With mice, people better get ready for them this winter," said Alan Branhagen, horticulture manager at Powell Gardens east of Kansas City. "They're going to want inside the house because the food crop is so bad." In the Ozarks, Black Bears that typically gorge on... Read On                     Wildlife Photo of the Week             Playful Cat and Mouse by Ron McGill       Black Oil & Suet: Winning Combination   A SIGNIFICANT amount of the seed people buy often ends up fermenting on the ground because birds scratch it out of feeders in their search for more desired seeds.   A lot of grocery store varieties have seeds birds won't eat. Some of the inexpensive commercial mixes contain unattractive seeds such as milo, wheat and hulled oats. (Northern Cardinal at black oil sunflower feeder by Tom Patrick)   The best one-two punch for pulling birds into your feeders is offering black-oil sunflower seeds and suet. These two foods will attract a wide variety of birds. Regular visitors will include common species such as chickadees, tree sparrows, cardinals, American goldfinches, tufted titmice, mourning doves, nuthatches, downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, Carolina wrens and house finches.   Irregular visitors such as evening grosbeaks, purple finches, pine siskins, redpolls and crossbills may also occasionally...Read On     Birds and Plants--An Ancient Collaboration   By Mariette Nowak OVER THOUSANDS of years, birds and plants have developed a mutually beneficial relationship. Birds help to pollinate plants, disperse their seeds, and eat the insects that can ravage them. To entice birds to do this work for them, plants have evolved colorful, nectar-filled flowers and luscious, nutrient-packed fruits and seeds to nourish them. In addition, their limbs and leaves offer nesting sites and cover. (American Goldfinch female by Pat's Backyard Photos) Why landscape for birds? "Small 'islands' of habitat can provide food resources to birds, particularly during migration.", Victoria D. Piaskowski, International Coordinator, Birds Without Borders - Aves Sin Fronteras, Zoological Society of Milwaukee. Habitat loss is the single most important cause of the decline of species!  Your yard, whatever its size, can offer habitat for birds. Many birds seldom or never use feeders, preferring natural foods.Feeder birds get only a relatively small portion of their nutrition from feeder food Why plant natives? ...Read On     NOW...Two Great Courses! WindStar National Master Naturalist More Information        PLUS... WindStar Wildlife Habitat Naturalist More Information       That's it for this week!      Be sure and sign up for the American Wildlife Blog to receive the latest wildlife news, plus feel free to add comments of your own.   Have An EXCELLENT Day in your WILDLIFE HABITAT!   Tom Patrick President                                                                           (Pileated Woodpecker by Jacob Dingel, PGC)                                                              10072 Vista Ct.      Myersville, MD 21773      301-293-3351         www.windstar.org       wildlife@windstar.org