Childhood Obesity

A recent study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and making its rounds through the national news media, concludes that obesi...

Winter of our Disbelief

For the last few years, if not the last few decades, we have enjoyed relatively mild winters in the U.S., especially when compared to those ...

The Nature of Success

While virtually all humans hope to be successful, our definition of success varies widely.  Most of us focus on achieving a mix of personal ...

Defense & Mental Illness

The United States has a massive Defense budget, greater than most of our allies combined.  We have military bases and fleets across the glob...

Naturalists & Vacations

We naturalists enjoy immersing ourselves in a wide variety of natural ecosystems.  Many of us prefer to explore those areas in solitude or p...

Super Bowl Mysticism

In the past few days, the results of two surveys have been reported by national news programs.  The first revealed that 50% of American adul...

Our Nomadic Ancestors

Having evolved in Africa, some 130,000 years ago, our ancestors remained on that Continent for the first 50,000 years of human history.  Abo...

Winter Wetland

The Garth Wetlands, in the Bear Creek Valley of north Columbia, are, like other wetlands across the Temperate Zone of North America, a riot ...

Hominin Evolution

While nature writers, including myself, have long used the term hominid to refer to humans and our post-ape ancestors, the more proper term...

The Barren Ground Songbird

Horned larks, the only true larks in North America, are summer residents across the Arctic tundra of Alaska and Canada and permanent residen...

Winter Sunrise at Eagle Bluffs

Today dawned clear and cold as I entered Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on the Missouri River floodplain.  Despite the morning chill, recent...

California's Drought

The severe, ongoing drought in California is due to a persistent high pressure ridge over the eastern Pacific Ocean.  Beneath that atmospher...

Rough-legs on the High Plains

Winter is not the ideal season for crossing the High Plains of North America; strong winds, blizzards and dust storms may pose a challenge f...

Humans & White-tailed Deer

Earlier this week, I watched an episode of Nature on PBS, dedicated to the interactions of humans and white-tailed deer and focused primar...

Hunters in the Night

Last night, I was awakened by the call of a great horned owl on our Littleton farm.  Long enamored with those raptors, I stepped out back to...

The Nature of Morality

Morality, in essence, is respect for the dignity of our fellow humans and the other life forms that share this planet.  It is this trait tha...

The Adopted White-Front

Ever since I returned to Colorado, flocks of Canada geese have been grazing near the entrance to our driveway and, over the past few days, t...

Sunrise Spectacle at Barr Lake

This morning, I arrived at Barr Lake State Park, NNE of Denver, just after sunrise.  A winter storm, pushing in from the west, obscured the ...

A Winter Walk in Spring Air

As is often the case along the Colorado Front Range, a southwest wind has brought a sunny, mild interlude in the midst of winter.  Determine...

The Arctic Blast & Global Warming

The recent invasion of Arctic air across the central and eastern U.S. was the latest event to embolden those who, for whatever reason, are c...

Long-tailed Ducks in Colorado

Long-tailed ducks, formerly known as oldsquaws, nest along rivers, lakes and ponds of the Arctic tundra.  Most winter offshore along the Pac...

Winter Morning at Red Rocks

Red Rocks Park, in the foothills west of Denver, is famous for its rock-walled amphitheater, scenic sandstone formations and outdoor concert...

National Winter Waterfowl Count

Every year, in mid winter, the National Wildlife Service enlists State Wildlife Divisions and refuge personnel to assess the status of North...

Faith, Science and Education

Last week, an Op-Ed in the New York Times reported on a Pew Center study regarding the acceptance of evolution among various political and r...

Crawling Westward

Heading back to Colorado, I left Columbia this morning in blowing snow and frigid air; the edge of our latest Arctic front was pushing throu...

GPS Dependence

The development of global positioning satellite (GPS) technology has been a major advance for the military and for a wide range of industrie...

Toking into the New Year

As 2014 dawned, sales of recreational marijuana began in Colorado.  Many residents and visitors celebrated this cultural "enlightenment...

Eagle Bluffs in Snow

After an overnight snowfall of about 4 inches, I arrived at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, southwest of Columbia, at eight-fifteen this mor...

A New Year's Storm

On this first day of the year, another winter storm is developing across the Heartland as low pressure forms along a deep atmospheric trough...