FEBRUARY 15, 2017
WEEKLY WAG News and Updates from the Humane Society of Burnett County
This week I’m going to be featuring a couple kitties who have been featured before but overlooked for adoption. Both have been at the shelter longer than they should be and really want to get out of their condo and into a home where they will be pampered, loved and ffree to wander. We start out with Reese, tthe long-haired, five-yearo old, 11-pound fellow that c came to us quite a while ago. E Even though he has longer h hair, he must groom himself a lot because he always looks m marvelous. However, I’m ssure he wouldn’t be opposed tto being brushed either. Reese is eager to get a good h head scratching and attenttion, but when he’s done he Reese might give you a gentle nip to tell you so. We’ve become accustomed to his changing moods and know when he’s had enough. Mostly, I think he is just so sick and tired of being cooped up in his condo and not finding a good home that he’s finding other ways to entertain himself – like letting us know who really is the boss! I think Reese will be on his best behavior once he is home sweet home! Won’t you give him that chance? Ginger has also been a resident at our shelter for some time now and is such a little cutie-pie. She looks more like a kitten, with her smaller size and round head, but she is an adult at 1½ years old. This little lady is so happy to see visitors that she will reach out to try to pull you to her condo to come see her. Once her door is open, she’ll let you pet her and pet her and pet her. But, so far, she’s not so receptive to being picked up. I think that will come in time with a new owner and a home to call her own. I’d call Ginger independent, but she loves attention, too. I guarantee you cannot stand by her cage without her letting you know she’s there, either by a gentle nudge with her paw or a meow. Besides writing the Weekly Wag article, I do updates Ginger on our website called “Happy Tails.” Approximately 2-3 weeks after adoption, I send an email or make a phone call to find out how the new family member is adapting. I have yet to get any terrible feedback. I really love hearing the happy endings. We’ve had critters at the shelter, both dogs and cats, who were very shy and somewhat unsocialized. Fast forward to a few weeks after adoption to my Happy Tails replies, and I am pleasantly surprised at the transformation that took place. That is why you cannot always judge a book by its cover. Reese and Ginger could be totally different from what I described in the article once they are in a home environment. Reese might not be moody in the least! And, Ginger might want to be held all the time! Both human and animal need a little time to adjust and get to know each other. Then, their true colors will come out!
If you are interested in adopting Reese, Ginger, or another animal from our shelter, please visit our website at www. hsburnettcty.org or contact the shelter at (716) 866-4096. The Humane Society of Burnett County is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization. We do not receive financial assistance from the county.
WISCONSIN OUTDOOR NEWS
Wisconsin’s deer overpopulation harms soil, plant growth MADISON (AP) —New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests an overpopulation of deer is having a long-term impact on the state’s forests. Wisconsin Public Radio reports that biologists have known for a long time that an overabundance of deer negatively affects the number and diversity of plants in our forests. A new study headed by Autumn Sabo, a PhD candidate at the university, suggests it’s also changing the soil beneath the forest floor. Sabo took samples from test plots that have been fenced off from deer for up to two decades and found less soil compaction as well as a thinner layer of depleted soil, which is called a leach zone. Sabo said she suspects the thinner leach zones are caused when deer eat hardwood tree saplings, but that more study is needed to find the exact correlation.
www.burnettcountysentinel.com
BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL
11
Winter has 1,000 faces BY EMILY STONE, NATURALIST/EDUCATION DIRECTOR CABLE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
The woods were filled with light and shadows. Blinding white and midnight blue painted the ground, while the breeze blew fairy crystals of snow through rough, brown trunks. Although Lois Nestel (the Museum’s first naturalist) may not have fancied my mode of travel (fat bike), she certainly would have appreciated this scene on the beautiful Seeley Hills trails. Lois had her own favorite ways of getting out to enjoy each winter and she wrote about the snowy landscapes she cherished in her newspaper column, “Wayside Wanderings.” During the Museum’s 50th birthday year, I’m sharing some of her stories again. It’s a relief – a deep cleansing breath – to escape from our current, fastpaced news cycle into her gentle and reverent words. “Winter has a thousand faces,” observed Lois, “Each of us is free to see the face we choose. For example, the colors of winter are subtle and transient. Nothing is as it seems. The snow is white, it is true, but it is also endless hues and shades depending on the light, the type and quality of snow, and even more on the eye of the beholder. “Under leaden skies the snow appears dead white or pearly-toned with shadows that are slate and steel. Sunrise can turn open spaces to rose and palest gold shadowed with lavender and violet. Mid-day brings the clearer blues, and the evening sky may add a depth of tone to morning hues. “Frost flakes caught in morning sun outshine the jewel treasures of the world as prismatic reflections bedazzle the eyes with brilliant sapphire, topaz, emerald, and ruby that change with every movement and finally fade with advancing day, as do the rainbow-tinted sundogs that accompany a chill morning sun. “Moonlight on the snow brings shadows traced in indigo against the cold white flame of diamonds. The blue-black velvet of the night sky, studded with cold, blazing stars, will often show the Aurora Borealis as wavering, tattered banners or as moving spotlights against the northern sky,” wrote Lois. Recently, I caught my breath at the shining magic of the nearly full moon as it played peek-a-boo among the trees. Lois’s words floated through my consciousness. Letting my skis find their own way in the tracks, I swiveled my head as far as it would go to enjoy the moon’s glittering path. Later that night, the luminous glow – amplified by snow – fostered insomnia. Lois summed up snow this way: “However you see
snow, as a burden to be borne or as a base for winter sports, see in it also the incredible beauty beyond the power of man to duplicate or even to describe.” In the Northwoods, trees are as much a part of the winter landscape as snow. They complement each other and accentuate the other’s beauty. Lois appreciated each in her own whimsical way. “Had I been one of the druids of old,” she began, “I believe my worship would have been not for the mighty oak, but surely for one of the evergreens. While other trees have dropped their ruffled gowns and stand in shivering nakedness, the evergreen reaches out with well-clothed arms to offer shelter from the cold. We would be bereft without this royal family of the northern climes. “Here stand the spruces, maids in waiting, dark, slender, dancers of the skyline. And, here the balsams, reserved aristocrats, rich in their own perfume and decked with icicle and frost jewels. There are the tough, gnarled jack pines, outcasts and black sheep of the family, fighters for their share of the earth. What they lack in grace they make up in sheer tenacity. “Here are the hemlocks, full of queenly grace and serenity from seedling to massive and dignified old age, replenishing the earth beneath them and pouring forth their largess in multitudes of cones to benefit the wildlife. Here, too, are sinewy cedars, the crown princes of the swamplands and benevolent overseers of the delicate orchids. “And, head and shoulders above the rest, here stand my beloved white pines. Like lanky, callow youths in their early years, they develop the symmetry of handsome adulthood. In the fullness of their years, they are craggy, unconventional and full of character. There is strength in the clean lines of great limbs and tenderness in the soft-whispering blue-green plumes of needles. “As I see them now, mantled with snow, it is as the cloak of ermine tossed carelessly across the shoulders of the king. Towering in stately dignity, no other tree adds such distinctive beauty to the sylvan scene. “If I were a druid, to this tree would I bow down. But as I am not, I can only gaze in awe and admiration and think, ‘What wonders God has wrought!’” We are lucky to live where snow and trees surround us. Perhaps we should all take a cue from Lois and spend a few moments each day gazing with gratitude at our extraordinary world. For 50 years, the Cable Natural History Museum has served to connect you to the Northwoods. Come visit us in Cable, WI! The phenology exhibit: “Nature’s Calendar: Signs of the Seasons” is open through March 11.
25 24thth Annual
BARRENS CHICKEN BBQ & 50/50 Raffle
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 • NOON - 4 PM On Trail #22 • ½ mile west of A&H on Cty. Rd. A Easy to get to by snowmobile or car!
Proceeds from this fundraiser go to Lakes & Pines Sno-Trails to assist in maintaining our trail system
Music! Bonfire! Prizes! Outdoor Fun! Raffles!
Meal Tickets $700 Many Raffles including 50/50, Meat Raffles & More! Sponsored by McKenzie Landing and West Point Lodge