Beach Clean Up 2012

Chepiwanoxet Beach Clean Up

Almost every year in September when I participate in a beach clean up, I veer off to the left of Chepiwanoxet Point in Warwick and through the bushes I see a snowy egret or some other predator lurking in the tall grasses. I would hate to be a fish going up against the long neck and spear like beak of this bird. Minutes later the egret lifted off in slow motion, as they always do, and soared off over my head as it looked for a quieter place to eat breakfast. Little did it know, that many beaches this morning were hosting the International Coastal Clean Up, organized by the Ocean Conservancy and the Audobon Society of Rhode Island.

When I first organized a beach clean up at Cole, I thought only a few kids would be interested in cleaning up beach litter on a free Saturday morning. I could have not been more wrong. Almost every year we have around 40 students and chaperones show up to don the gloves, pick up the litter and record it on a data sheet. That's what makes this beach clean up special. The kids can actually see their impact of their action by looking at the amount of trash that was picked up.

As you can see here on the right, the squarish rock like "garbage" happens to be rusted old staples that Stanley Bostich dumped here many
years ago. Old machinery and rusted odd looking objects are a common find during our annual beach clean up.

Look at all of the garbage bags of litter that were collected by our students. Every year at this place it looks the same. But I have to be honest, I think we picked up the huge pieces of waste in all of the year prior to this year. So things are looking up for the creatures and people that use this little hideaway of an island.

From the parking area, you can see Goddard Park. Maybe next year, we will change our spot and clean up that beach. The clean up was cancelled for Goddard this year, so maybe they will need a little more help next year. I am always so uplifted by the community spirit that surrounds this event year after year! Thank you to all of the Cole Middle School students who participate and to all of the chaperones for their time, patience and positive outlooks!

Have a great school year! It's off to a great and cleaner start!

Salt Marsh Greenhead

Salt Marsh Greenhead, Long Beach Island, NJ

This bug bit me! While swimming in a pool, this female Salt Marsh Greenhead bit my head. I was so upset, I swatted it into the pool and collected it in a recycled water bottle. I found out that this sucker can lay 100-200 eggs per blood meal and can live for 3 to 4 weeks.

I despise and hate this fly but as I walk out onto the top of the roof I can see it has a reason to despise me. Summer homes surround the salt marsh. This makes me appreciate the Cape Cod National Seashore. There are rows of houses between a sand dune and the beach. That doesn't seem right. If Hurricane Andrew hit lower Long Beach Island, every house would be destroyed similar to Watch Hill during the Hurricane of '38. When that happened, people never rebuilt their homes and now Rhode Island has Napatree point, a beautiful walking beach. I have a feeling that this area would be built up again. Too many people use this area for anyone to declare this "Long Beach Island National Seashore."

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The Higgs Boson. Not Explained at All.

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Higgs Boson particle which imparts mass to other particles. I truly respect this pivotal finding and after reading many different articles about the Higgs Boson, I find it demoralizing to try to simplify it and explain it in "kitchen table" language. The fact is that there is no easy way to describe the Higgs Boson without fearing a glassy eyed, ten mile away stare emanating from the face of your listener. For example, I was looking for something simple like this:

Important Discovery         Result of the Discovery
Fire                                     Cooked Food

Automobiles                        Fast Cars

Flight                                   Fast Airplanes

Higgs Boson                       What the heck?

You see, I'm trying to fill in the "what the heck" part, and I am stone cold out of luck. I could throw in a possible discovery of dark matter but that would lead to more confusion because dark matter would require more explaining as well.

There are unknown applications that can come from the discovery of the Higgs Boson, so I will focus on a list of possible future applications for the Higgs-Boson. These results are not science based but just pure fantasy and fiction, which could turn out to be true anyway.

Important Discovery          Result of Discovery

Higgs Boson                        Deep fried oreo cookies..
                                           (oh wait these already exist)

Higgs Boson                       Think a thought and think of a friend and that friend has your thought.
                                           (This would make texting look as relevant as 8 track tapes)

Higgs Boson                      Wiggle your nose and poof! You just traveled to China in less than a second!
                                         (No more salty peanuts for me!)

Higgs Boson                     Hover Cars that run on "special water."
                                        (But Saudi Arabia would have all the world's "special water.")

Higgs Boson                     Friendly people, no lines and a pleasant atmosphere at the DMV. 
                                        (Not even a "God Particle" can accomplish that!)


Only time will tell what practical applications can come from the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle. Until then, our imagination will have to mollify our need for instant gratification. 

Arcturus

Mountain Lion Track in Rhode Island

Possible mountain lion track in Rhode Island

There is an area off of 95 South (exit 6) called the Dunes. A huge expanse of sand. Basically a huge litter box. This track was seen there, I'm going back with an animal camera and hopefully will capture a cougar!

Barred Owl Sighting

This one can be crossed off the bucket list. For the longest time I wanted to see a real, wild owl. Not an owl that comes with a wildlife rehabilitator. Not an owl stuck in a zoo. An owl that can silently swoop in, gaze at me and silently melt away into the forbidden darkness. It finally happened a few nights ago.

Of course I was in my car. But it still counts! I was the only one on our street and I had my two youngest daughters with me. Nine times out of ten, that unusual figure sticking up from a branch is a broken limb or maybe even a piece of garbage caught by a snag. But this time, the large round head and two unmistakable black front-facing eyes told me that this was my first wild owl. I would have been ecstatic if it had looked at me for five seconds and flew off, but we were treated to some predatory action as well! 

I know you really can't see the Barred Owl. But if you can zoom in on those points of light, you will see two eerie owl eyes staring at you. I did not know owls had reflective eyes.

I pulled safely to the side of the street and we all observed the owl looking a bit uncomfortable. Why didn't this predator fly off into the forest? It was spying its dinner. After a minute it swiftly landed on a mouse at the base of the tree and landed on a different branch a little deeper in the forest. After it swallowed its meal, it swooped down on the ground again, snatched something and blended into the dark. 

A much better picture but I know... you really can't see the Barred Owl. But you can barely make out its eyes. Unless it's a Squatch.  Now that would be spooky.

This was a Barred Owl, probably 15-18 inches tall. A huge predator. The cold, black, marble-like eyes were a feature that I would never forget. Hearing Barred Owls is always a treat as well. I have heard them numerous times, even at 3:30 in the afternoon. And just like coyote howls, the Barred Owl's call always sends a shiver down my spine. Click here to see if it does the same for you.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/sounds

Not my picture but at least my bucket list does not have, "Take a great photo of a wild Barred Owl".



Click the above video to hear and see a Barred Owl making its distinctive call.

$200 for each fish caught! Sounds too Good to Be True!

Possible Blizzard Ahead?

During the record breaking warmth earlier this week, I made a move to take out all of my driveway sticks that will help a snow truck discern the boundaries of my driveway. No one wants to see their snow plow driver pushing a row of sod across the front yard. Unless you're a worm loving American Robin. The removal of sod would be like a Chinese Buffet to them.

But as I started to pull out the first stick, I stopped. Over 70 degrees and I had to stop and leave it. It's only the middle of March. There might be a blizzard around the corner. And I'm not kidding.

Years ago I recalled the April Fool's Day Blizzard that dumped between 20 and 30 inches of snow on me up in Marlboro, Massachusetts. East Greenwich did not receive as much snow that day, but having a blizzard of that magnitude hit you that hard on April 1st leaves an impression. A hiking trail that I constructed was obliterated by small trees that snapped under the weight of snow and ice. I don't remember that much about that storm, but the lasting impression it made was to not be surprised by a blizzard in late March.

So my shovels are still ready and my bags of ice melt are still waiting. Even the sleds are hanging in the corner of the garage, looking longingly outside, hoping to be taken for a second run this winter. Most likely, they will not be used again, because I left those sticks in the ground. If I had taken them out and stored my shovels and sled and put away the ice melt, I am sure that there might have been a 10 inch snow storm right around the corner. Or maybe even a small, surprising blizzard.

I Hate Ticks

Every year it happens. I hear about another person in East Greenwich that is diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I hate parasites. They are so selfish. I hate how small ticks are. I always read about how they are the size of a period at the end of a sentence. I do tick checks on myself and my family but sometimes I feel it's futile. Even that stupid bull's eye rash does not consistently show itself after a tick bite. This is when I appreciate, dare I say it, the bump and itchiness of a mosquito bite. At the very least you knew you were bitten.

Here are some odds and ends about ticks that have been rattling my brain recently.

So you think your kid is safe playing outdoor soccer? When the ball goes into the woods, cheer them on when they stay on the field. The kid that gets the ball may also get a tick bite.

A bus driver from Lyme, Connecticut told a friend of mine to put some soap on a paper towel and rub counterclockwise on a tick that is biting you. The soap in the paper towel makes them let go. One week later I was forced to try it and it worked like a charm. So no welder torch needed.

Do you know that ticks can kill a moose? Especially if thousands of them are biting the animal.
I learned about it in a National Geographic video here. http://bit.ly/zUBH1I

The earliest known human with Lyme disease was Otzi the Iceman. And that was 5,300 years ago.

The best way to fight Lyme disease is to check yourself for ticks every day and to have a heightened awareness of tick prone areas. Stacks of wood, leafy forest litter and pets are tick hotspots.
The University of Rhode Island has an outstanding website to learn more about ticks. Here is a link to the "Top Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Ticks."
http://www.tickencounter.org/think_tick_take_action/top_ten_things

I am hoping that one full year will go by and I will not learn of a person contracting Lyme disease. I also hope that this post will heighten your awareness of these blood suckers and urge you to check yourself 
for ticks, even in the winter. If only they were a bit bigger, I would scour the forest with my welder's torch put an end to them Rambo style. But right now, we have to settle "tick checks." 

Not Finding Bigfoot in Rhode Island

I just watched a show on Animal Planet called "Finding Bigfoot", where four Bigfoot investigators searched Rhode Island for this fearsome beast. This was the first episode that I watched and it was so horribly done, that I would rather subject myself to the pain of watching the Patriots lose the 2007 Super Bowl again.

After meeting with two Bigfoot witnesses who were as credible as the Milli Vanilli singers, the investigators headed over to our own East Greenwich town hall to hear what people have seen around this state. The first indication that proved that this was a set up was the fact that the investigators found a big empty parking spot on our own EG Main Street! Was it 6:00 am Sunday morning? If they used all of their luck to find that cavernous Main Street parking space, then there was no way they would catch or see a Rhode Island Bigfoot.

The show has reenactments to show what the Bigfoot witnesses have seen. And it's the investigators who always get to play the part of Bigfoot, just to see if a human can do what the witnesses are describing.
If I was a witness, I would tell them that I saw Bigfoot slipping off a rock and falling into a murky swamp. And then I would tell them that I saw Bigfoot ride bareback on a horse and fall over the horse and into a ravine- all while trying to eat a live, squirming porcupine. That would add a little excitement and challenge to the reenactment, and make it enjoyable to watch at least one part of the show.

I think that the "Finding Bigfoot" show is a waste of time. The only show I want to see is a one hour special called "Found Bigfoot" where they have a dead body or a live specimen in a cage. Then I would love to see them release the live specimen only to have it attack its hunters like the Sasquatch in the Beef Jerky commercials.

PLACES TO SEE SASQUATCH IN EAST GREENWICH

I was looking forward to seeing what spots in Rhode Island or East Greenwich had Bigfoot sightings but was disappointed by the lack of disclosure. So here is my list of possible places to see a 'Squatch in East Greenwich.

1.   Carr's Pond
It's so obvious that Sasquatch uses that little island in the middle of the Pond as a secret lair. The investigators will never go there because that would be the end of their little show.

2.  Frenchtown Pond. 
There are witnesses that have reported a Sasquatch trying to catch that wily alligator that was seen in the pond late last fall. 

3.  The Bleachery Falls
The waterfall is so big, that an entire Sasquatch family can take a shower under the falls.

4. Your Yard!
Any place where you have seen white tail deer. Everyone knows that Sasquatch consumes deer the way we eat ribs at the Texas Roadhouse. So if you have seen deer in your yard, then a Sasquatch was probably there hunting them.