Skunk Tracks and Sign: Sometimes Better Than the Real Thing It was not apparent at first that the two lean figures in the moonlight were avid trackers. But as their walk slowed, as their headlamps turned on, and as their bodies stooped to stare at the dusty ground, it became clear that these men were [...]

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Why a Fish Spear? Grrrrroonk, grrrroooonk is a sound I hear quite frequently near lakes and ponds where I live in Western Washington. It is the telltale sound of a bullfrog. This species is highly invasive to Washington state and they will wipe out any smaller animal in their path so it is legal to [...]

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This is the second article in a two-part series on flint knapping basics. Click here to read flint knapping part one. There are two major techniques in flint knapping: percussion flaking and pressure flaking. Both methods utilize a different set of tools, motions, and are used during different stages in the production of stone tools. [...]

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Black Tailed Deer Wake-Up It was an early September morning in Western Washington, and I was slowly migrating from animal tracks and sign dreamland to reality. I had slept in the pasture next to my house, taking advantage of the last warm nights before the rain and cold set in. Hearing a rustle to my [...]

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Is it safe to drink this water? I ask myself that question often and most of the time the answer is no. There often is the risk that bacteria, chemicals and pathogens, specifically giardia, are in the water. Rainwater or dew that is resting on non-poisonous plants such as moss is safe to drink as [...]

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This is part one in a two-part series on flintknapping basics. Look for part two soon. Before the use of metals, stone was the primary material used to create cutting tools. Stone was shaped to create knives, arrowheads and spearheads, drill points, and hammers using a technique called flintknapping. This method of turning raw stone [...]

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In this lesson we turn to the herbal pharmacy, to make healing sweets: herbal honey, herbal syrup, and cough drops. Honey Honey has been regarded as a healing substance for thousands of years. Greek healers relied on honey water, vinegar water, and honey/vinegar water as their primary cures. An Egyptian medical text dated to about [...]

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Flint and steel is a primitive fire-making technique dating back into the Iron Age when steel was first available for this simple and quite effective way to ignite fire. It frequently was used until recently, when matches were invented, making the flint and steel method obsolete. Yet there are many reasons why flint and steel [...]

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Raccoons at the Dunes It was around midnight on the first night of a week of tracking on Oregon’s coastal sand dunes with the Wilderness Awareness School‘s homeschool teen program, and I was snug as a bug in a rug underneath my small tarp shelter. My dreams of clear fox prints and porcupine sightings were [...]

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Herbal Home Remedies: Be Your Own Herbal Expert – Part 6 In this, our sixth session, we remain in the herbal pharmacy and turn our attention to herbs in fat bases. We’ll explore fresh infused oils, ointments, salves, and lip balms, essential oils, and even herbal pestos. Herbal Oils: Infused vs. Essential I make and [...]

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