Greetings to all, from what I hope is the beginning of the "Post Covid Era." To say it has been quite the ride, would be an understatement and one cannot imagine a single life or family that has not been touched by this Global Pandemic. Reflecting at lost freedoms, family members and friends, Confucius was probably on to something much larger than he realized when he said that "everyone eats and drinks; yet only a few appreciate the taste of food." After a wild wet 2019, and a Covid 2020, and simply considering those two things alone, 2021 seems to have gotten off to a better start. If one can possibly understand the ups and downs of … [Read more...] about Better Beginnings
Habitat Management
The Water’s Up……So What’s New?
I just received the Mississippi River Forecast/Update for May 3rd, 2019. It comes every day about this time and is a reminder of the current state of wet that defines the lower Mississippi River Delta. Peter Nimrod, Chief Engineer for the Mississippi Levee Board provides these daily updates and I am grateful for this generous public service. Latest forecasting calls for a relatively flat river that will be 48.5 feet (Vicksburg) on May 20. Remember that Flood Stage (Vicksburg Gauge) is 43 feet. Predictions are that the Mississippi will rise another +/-2.5 feet in the days following.....resulting in a 50 something foot river, extending into … [Read more...] about The Water’s Up……So What’s New?
Wildlife Management at Tara – Challenges and Changing Perspectives
“It was a long and stormy night”…………or, as Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band popularized in the hit song “Against the Wind”………. life has its challenges. How one views these challenges depends a great deal on ones perspective. Viktor Frankl, a noted Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist once quoted, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”. To put that quote in its proper perspective, it is helpful to note that Frankl was born in 1905, died in 1997 and was a Holocaust survivor. There is little doubt that Dr. Frankl faced many changes and challenges in the 92 years he spent on this … [Read more...] about Wildlife Management at Tara – Challenges and Changing Perspectives
Flowering Dogwood: Beauty and Wildlife Value
Native to the eastern United States, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small tree that produces large white blooms in early spring and bright red fruits in the summer and early fall. There are many insects, birds, and mammals that use it as a food source. Wildlife Value The bright red fruits are an important food for wildlife in the late summer and early fall. Many songbirds eat the fruits including bluebirds, grosbeaks, tufted titmouse, cedar waxwings, northern flickers, American robins, northern cardinals, juncos, thrashers, and more. Woodpeckers, crows, and grackles also eat the fruits as do wild turkey and bobwhite … [Read more...] about Flowering Dogwood: Beauty and Wildlife Value
The 2015-2016 Flood: What Happened to the Tara Deer?
Management Notes from Tara 2015/2016 Deer Season Update – High Water Edition By W.H. "Bill" Tomlinson, CWB, RF Let me start off by saying that I have been involved with deer and deer management for my entire life; first as a hunter and then as a hunter turned professional forester/wildlife biologist. You might conclude then, and rightly so, that I am a tormented individual, often questioning facts over emotion; and few things are more emotionally charged than conversations amongst deer hunters. Mark Twain said “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” I once had a Sunday school teacher who was a deer hunter. On … [Read more...] about The 2015-2016 Flood: What Happened to the Tara Deer?
How Can I Make My Property More Productive for Wildlife?
by W. H. “Bill” Tomlinson For the past 25 years, I have been privileged to consult with landowners in at least half of the states in the contiguous United States. Without fail, their primary objectives have been and continue to be the management of their respective properties for wildlife, recreation and aesthetics. Timber management, while an integral and inseparable part of the overall management equation, is often a secondary objective pursued to the benefit of their primary objectives. Responsible stewardship is the common thread that binds this diverse group of landowners and their respective properties together. A common question … [Read more...] about How Can I Make My Property More Productive for Wildlife?
