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Carol Patterson

INSPIRING EVERYDAY EXPLORERS Through wildlife tales and trails

Carol Patterson

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Making a night-time attraction better for birds

November 14, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Tribute-of-LightThe world and travel changed forever on September 11, 2001. Since then we’ve learned to navigate shifting security rules before boarding a plane and we have not forgotten images of airliners crashing into the World Trade Center. Surprisingly a tribute to lives lost that day has created opportunities for avian science and conservation.

Where the Twin Towers once stood there is a memorial – Tribute in Light – that shines two beams of light into the sky each September 11. Wildlife lovers noticed the large beams – each with 44 xenon bulbs of 7,000 watts – were having a dramatic impact on birds.

September is prime time for bird migrations but birds are attracted to light, especially the powerful beams of Tribute in Light. Birds slow down, circle in the light, and call more frequently. This wastes energy and increases the risk of colliding with buildings or being killed by predators. When the Tribute is illuminated 60 to 150 times the number of birds normally found in the area can gather.

The New York Audubon Society reached out to tribute organizers in 2002 to make them aware of the problem and develop a protocol for turning off the lights for twenty minutes when more than 1,000 birds are seen circling (within minutes of turning off the lights birds continue their migration).

The memorial has provided scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the University of Oxford a unique research opportunity. A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proves that artificial light at night causes radical change in migrating bird behavior.

It remains to be seen if this study will encourage tourism facilities to dim their lights but Andrew Farnsworth, Research Associate of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who explains to visitors why the Tribute in Light monument goes dark has an interesting observation. He finds most people, after their initial concern that the attraction is broken, just want to talk about the loss of a loved one.

Maybe illuminating the sky isn’t always critical to visitor experience and we can balance wildlife needs with the desire to entertain. Hopefully other attractions will soon give thought to non-human users of night skies.

TWEETABLES

Making a night-time attraction better for birds. Click to Tweet.

Discover how the Tribute in Light is affecting bird migrations. Click to Tweet.

Will this study about artificial light & migrating bird behaviour be enough to encourage change? Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: U.S. Tagged With: birds, tribute of light

Last Chances in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains

July 11, 2017 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

“Is it called Last Chance Saloon because of the building or the people who visit it?” quipped my travel companion as we pulled into the parking lot of a small wooden building with an even smaller sign in downtown Big Horn, Wyoming (population 490). “Perhaps both,” replied Randy Stout, a watercolor artist who had volunteered to teach us to paint among the Bighorn Mountains’ whispering aspen and shooting stars.

It was a last chance for me to learn to paint. In high school my right brain labeled my drawing attempts as failures and for several decades I lived life as a non-artist. At a writers conference five years ago I met a watercolor artist who claimed she could teach anyone to paint. Nothing I produced that weekend was headed to the Louvre but my tiny paintings proved I could enjoy art.

Now I was bouncing along a rutted gravel road to a place Stout deemed suitable for a painting lesson for our group of amateur artists. Perched among wildflowers, I gripped a black ink pen and struggled to capture the shiny, white aspen trunks and bright blue Wyoming sky my eye could see but my hand couldn’t recreate. When I finished my first plein air piece and I could see the resemblance to the subject matter it sounded like the white-crowned sparrows were singing with joy.

Packing away the paint supplies and heading down the mountain, the Last Chance Saloon seemed a good place to meet some locals after trying to immortalize their neighborhood on paper. “Queen Elizabeth visited that mercantile building in 1984,” said Stout pointing at a white clapboard structure with brown lettering. “It’s a pizza place now.” Queen Elizabeth came to visit her cousins and to see where British horses for the Boer War had been trained using polo matches. Polo caught on with the locals. Over thirty years later the region has more polo ponies and games of any place west of the Mississippi.

Shaking off the trail dust, I swung open the door to the saloon and was greeted by a wave of cigarette smoke and the glances of five men balanced on top of black-vinyl bar stools. One moved over a seat so our group could belly up to the bar. The entire place was slightly bigger than a singlewide mobile home but the wine list surprisingly lengthy. My Pinot Grio was cool and smooth, the service excellent.

“Do you want to roll the dice?,” asked our waitress as she wiped the bar and placed a jug full of dice in front of us. The rules were simple, three of kind got you a free drink, four of a kind six beer to go, and five snake eyes delivered all the money collected in a jar from people who played but didn’t win.  I won a free drink, my painting compatriot a six-pack of beer. Our last chance to unlock our inner artist had scored us some original art and the libations to celebrate our newfound artistic confidence.

TWEETABLES

Last Chances in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure, recently went on a painting adventure in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains: Click to Tweet.

Discover how my friend, @Reinventure, unlocked her inner artist in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: U.S. Tagged With: sheridan, sheridannaturally, sheridanwyoming

Eight things you don’t know about Sheridan, Wyoming

July 12, 2016 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

sheridan-wyoming1. A lot of wealthy people live here. The private airport is bigger than the public airport (handy for those private jets) and gorgeous horseflesh peeps across the fences at sprawling country estates. Forrest Mars Jr. (grandson of the founder of the Mars candy empire) calls the area home. Another Sheridan citizen, Leandro Rissuto, started Cuisinart.
2. The soil around Sheridan contains proteins that grow great grass and build strong horses. Over 20,000 horses were shipped to the British Calvary in South Africa’s Boer War and ever since horse lovers have been raising beautiful horses. Which leads me to #3.

visit-sheridan-wyoming3. This is a great place for polo. Polo players come from all over the world to participate in the free polo matches every summer weekend. Ascots and fancy hats are optional; having a good time is not.

4. Buffalo Bill Cody held auditions for his Wild West show on the front porch of the Sheridan Inn. You can audition for a full stomach with the mouth-watering Wyoming steaks served at the hotel’s Open Range restaurant.

5. The Brinton museum has a rammed earth wall built with the same construction methods as the Great Wall of China and expected to last longer. The wall protects a fabulous art collection including paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.

6. It has a vibrant theatre community. Producers work with Sheridan College to develop and test shows before taking them to major U.S. cities.

sheridan-wyoming7. Queen Elizabeth likes the place. She came for a private holiday in 1984 to see her relatives and admire the horses.

8. There is a herd of bison and elk in town next to Kendrick Park. The Elk Pasture is supported by a 1% local sales tax.

To plan your trip go to: www.sheridanwyoming.com

TWEETABLES

Eight things you don’t know about Sheridan, Wyoming. Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure , shares 8 things you don’t know how Sheridan, Wyoming. Click to Tweet.

My friend, @Reinventure , learned these 8 interesting facts about Sheridan, Wyoming on her recent adventure: Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Other States Tagged With: adventure travel, brinton museum, leandro rissuto, sheridan, sheridan wyoming, travel tips, visit sheridan wyoming, wyoming

An Urban Fairy Phenomena?

August 11, 2015 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Fairy Door Ann Arbor“That’s a fairy door,” said Stephen Kerr – well known Ann Arbor resident and artist – pointing to the ground near the entrance of a local music venue. I knew Ann Arbor was home to thousands of artists but I hadn’t realized some of them were small enough to fit in your pocket.
Kerr explained that doors built for creatures shorter than fifteen centimeters are found on almost a dozen downtown buildings, “They are perfect replicas of the larger doors they are on.” I peered at the tiny oak door with a miniature stainless-steel doorknob and stained glass window,’ The Ark ‘ scrawled in black ink. Jeff Daniels plays the Ark when he’s in town and I could envision music-loving fairies slipping through the diminutive entrance.

“The fairy doors started appearing about ten years ago. Some stores have maps to help people find the fairy doors,” Stephen said. Self-described fairyologist, Jonathan B. Wight, was the first to discover a fairy door in his house in 1993. It’s rumored he’s behind similar doors that started appearing at downtown businesses in 2005.

Previously unaware that an urban fairy phenomenon had sprung up in the American Midwest, I set out to find a fairy. Peaceable Kingdom – an art and gift store – has fairy maps, a fairy door and tiny windows peering into a fairy-size replica of the store. I peered through the teeny windows nestled under the store’s street-front display, no easy feat on arthritic knees. A Jack Russell terrier ambled over to sniff my hand, happy to have someone at canine eye level, but the fairies were out.

With fairy-door map in hand, I set out on the trail of the littlest residents of Ann Arbor – sometimes called A2. It appeared fairies hung out in some unlikely places. Google’s AdWord headquarters has a fairy door, as does the University of Michigan’s MOTT Children’s hospital. The university is one of the world’s foremost research schools but it’s not above a bit of whimsy with its own fairy door.

Visit Ann ArborAt the Kelsey Museum of Archeology there are no fairy doors but the Egyptian coffin of Djehutymose has its own Facebook page. Somehow separated from its mummy, social media is helping Djehutymose. “Other mummies have liked its Facebook page and there is some discussion on the page about finding the missing mummy,” laughed Terry Wilfong, Professor of Egyptology. I wondered if the fairies could help.

At the University’s Nichols Arboretum, over three hundred of species of peonies waved in the early morning breeze, the fragrance reminding me of Saskatchewan summers. Tucked in the woods overlooking the carpet of peonies, a sign read ‘Fairy Woods and Troll Hollow’. “It’s for kids,” explained Intern Joel Klann, “they like to make miniature fairy houses out of sticks.”

My next destination was Matthaei Botanical gardens. I skidded to a stop at a large display inside the front door. A sign extolling people to ‘Build your own fairy garden’ was surrounded by tiny chairs, birdhouses, and even miniature wine bottles for the fairy with a preference for Chardonnay. “Have there been any sightings?” I asked Allison Correll, Visitor Services & Events Supervisor. She just laughed but I wondered about this Michigan preoccupation with fairies. If they were real, why settle here?

It could be the food. With over 200 restaurants, 65% with fairy-friendly outdoor seating, Fodor’s Travel called A2 one of “America’s Best College Towns for Foodies.” Maybe it’s because Ann Arbor decriminalized marijuana in the 1970s, or perhaps that just accounts for the number of people who think they’ve seen a fairy!

Thinking a bigger lens might help spot fairies, I headed to the Detroit Observatory, the second oldest building on the University of Michigan campus. Nearby Great Lakes create dreadful astronomy conditions, but in the mid 19th century it was necessary to have a planetarium if one wanted a research school so one was built. Even a fairy might find that logic confusing.

As my tour group watched Program Coordinator Karen Wight point the telescope towards the sky, explaining how early astronomers sighted stars, the doors to the room slammed shut – apparently on their own. “It’s the fairies,” cried one of our group. I spun around; it might have been a trick of the light, but for a second, I thought I saw a gossamer wing slip under the door.

TWEETABLES

An Urban Fairy Phenomena? Click to Tweet.

Fairy maps and fairy doors are a common feature in Ann Arbor. Discover how it got its start: Click to Tweet.

Discover how a trip to Ann Arbor could have you seeing fairies: Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Other States Tagged With: adventure, adventure travel, ann arbor, fairy, fairy myth, fairy phenomena, google adword, kelsey museum of archeology, university of michigan, visit ann arbor

Reinvent Your Diet with Tart Cherries

September 16, 2014 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment

Tart Cherry PieI thought I was risking my health when I signed onto a three-day press tour to eat all things cherry. I tried cherry margaritas, pork loin with cherries, cherry ice cream, cherry wine, chocolate-dipped cherries, cherry bars, even cherry-clam linguini. While I wouldn’t recommend a steady diet of sugar-laden treats, the tart cherry itself has amazing health benefits.
Researchers have discovered that tart cherries – the kind seen in pie fillings – may be a super food. Michigan State University scientists were among the first to identify three powerful anti-inflammatory anthocyanins in tart cherries. These compounds may protect artery walls from plaque and help relieve pain.

The tart cherry is also a significant source of melatonin, an anti-oxidant that can reduce brain deterioration associated with aging, and improve sleep. It might be coincidence or placebo effect, but I slept better in Wisconsin knowing I was improving my health by eating cherry pie. The sacrifices made by a travel writer!

TWEETABLES

Reinvent Your Diet with Tart Cherries via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.

My friend @Reinventure ate all things cherry for 3 days straight. Read more about her adventure: Click to Tweet.

Want to improve your sleep? Add this super food to your diet and enjoy! Click to Tweet.

Filed Under: Other States Tagged With: cherry, reinvent your diet, reinventure, tart cherry, think like an explorer, wisconsin

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