For many years, I have been concerned about the influx of noise in the world — even in “wild” places — and aware that the National Park Service has been taking this seriously as well. Silence, in a sense, is a truly endangered natural resource, and only a few parks remain relatively untarnished by noise pollution. I was please to see this good (albeit brief) AP summary of the issue was reprinted in the Mining Journal. The article mentions that Isle Royale is considered one of the most quiet….

Read the article:
Isle Royale a quiet park.

River (water sample A) with Dunn photo

During the past month I gathered “water samples” in both scientific sampling bags and plain old fashioned mason jars. I felt like a little kid again, over-brimming with curiosity!

Threehorn Wartyback (Obliquaria reflexa)

This species can be easily identified because of the “pustules” on the exterior:  they alternate from side to side, so they are not the same on both halves, or wings of the shell.  In this photo:  the first nob is on the left wing of the shell, the second nob is on the right wing, etc.

Books from residency at St. Croix Watershed

I love living with my books. They are friends — each with their own personalities, and none minds staying up late with me, telling me stories, or being quiet. I’ve packed them back up and brought them home now — but as I look back at this wonderful heap of books, I find myself wishing I could drag them all out to Isle Royale with me, too! Nope. Not feasible. Sigh. The book on Whitman (A measure of his song) and the old Delphian Course volume covering both “Drama” & “Nature” were invaluable. And “Nature in Miniature” (which I had on loan from the Research Station) is a terrific phenology: a year spent looking at the world through the magnifying glass or microscope.

Greenburg Island: Candy-Striped Dawn

During my final weekend at the Pine Needles cabin, the skies over the St. Croix River ranged from dazzling to soft and subtle. File this particular sunrise under “DAZZLING.”

Web, Morning Light

Each day, the world threatens to come apart into a million fragments, a million problems, but overnight it is stitched back together with tiny filaments, visible just for a moment, as the sun comes up….