Foxes, May 8, 2009

Here they are today: more active and chasing each other a lot. Mom looks thin and so far, no sign of dad. I saw a lot of the male last year. He often stood watch as she played with her puppies. So far, I have seen four kits.

All photos are taken from my kitchen window. I need to wash it.

Erica

Fox Photos First Day Out, May 7th, 2009

First Day Out, May 7th

Dear Friend of Foxes,

Today dawned bright blue and green. The ruckus beneath my kitchen floor intensified and I knew this was the day. I first saw the female sitting beneath my kitchen windowsill and took this photo. She is so intently watching her babies. What a job she has ahead of her and where is the male? I haven't seen him yet.

The babies were most likely born 6 weeks ago. They sure look tiny for all the noise they have been making. I only saw two. Last year she had five, so I think there are more.

Enjoy!

Erica

A Window On Foxes, May 5, 2009

Dear Fox Lovers,

One night, back in January, I returned home to a stench at my front door so strong that I thought a skunk had sprayed me. I quickly moved indoors only to find that the odor increased as I went to the back room of my cabin. Had I trapped a skunk inside and was only now discovering my mistake?

As I stood in my office I heard a huge ruckus beneath the floorboards. High-pitches squeals, screaming like it was the end of the world, punctuated by deep growls. Then I heard bodies tumbling, banging against the wood beneath my feet. It sounded like a fight to the death, with me standing just inches above, bathed in ever stronger "smoke rings" of scent. Finally the fight ended and I went to bed, to be awakened periodically by waves of skunk odor. But all was quiet.

I never smelled skunk after that night and had no idea whether the fox, at least I thought it was a fox, had won the use of the den. At the time, I actually thought the skunk had won. However, since January I have heard diggings and scufflings too energetic-sounding for a skunk. Then I began to see fox scat and, very rarely, a fox wandering long my driveway during the day. More recently I thought I heard tiny squeekings and scufflings beneath the floor at my rocking chair and beneath the kitchen. Today I know for sure!

The sun poured into my garden between rain clouds. From my kitchen window I watched the female sun herself, just a few feet away, nose and ears twitching as she kept track of the now very loud head banging, growling and tumbling that shook the kitchen floor. The babies sound like they are just ready to emerge. For all their noise, they are most likely still very tiny. Perhaps the grass is just too tall and wet for them. I think I'll get out and trim it.

Besides foxes out my window this morning, I watched two pairs of Canada geese with their tiny goslings. When the goslings first emerged last week, they reminded me of furry eggs balanced on toothpicks. Then I saw seven double-crested cormorants and several pairs of merganser ducks swim into the cove. That many fish-eaters in one place meant to me that there must be a school of fish beneath the rain-muddied waters. Sure enough, they dove and emerged with fish, flashing brilliant lights against the misty landscape.

The cove is filled with birdsong and the recent rains only intensify the joy I feel for the life that is bursting forth. Time to go pull a few weeds!

Erica

Newsletter About to Launch

I decided to create an informational newsletter for people who want to communicate to the public about their natural or cultural site because I want to see a higher standard of interpretive panel in every park you and I visit. I want us to turn the page on the old-style panel that looks like it came from a textbook. And, I want you to know the latest National Park Service and National Association for Interpreters techniques for weaving memorable story through word and image.

Each bi-monthly issue of my new newsletter will highlight a tip on how to make your interpretive panels more beautiful and effective. Topics will cover How to discover Your Audience, How to Design for Readability, Which Fonts are Best, How to Design Color Into Your Panel, How to Write to Inspire Readers, and so on. By reading these tips, you should be able to think of new ways to convey your site's dynamic tale through the art of display.

Also, by applying the tips presented in this newsletter, you will discover a great side-benefit. All your site materials, be they brochures, nature guides, museum displays and more, will become increasingly more effective and valuable to your visitors.

I look forward to your comments. If you send me your own favorite tips on how to make beautiful, effective interpretive panels, and give me permission to do so, I will be happy to publish them in the newsletter and mention your name and park.

Bioneers in Northern California

I recently attended the Bioneers conference in northern California. The high points were speeches on how fungi can detoxify soils in brown fields where toxins are present; the use of bio-mimicry in industry such as patterning propeller blades after the nobby fins of humpback whales to reduce turbulence in the system; and revamping our investment system to better support our communities. A rep from Google Earth presented a fantastic example of how communities can map areas of concern, for example clear-cuts near their waterways, and publish this map to gain huge support from the media.

Award Given to Interpretive Panel Business

I wanted to let you know the good news that Erica Fielder Studio won an award for being a long-lived, successful business in northern California. Here is the press release:

Erica Fielder Studio, a firm that designs interpretive panels and creates illustrations and graphics for displays, recently won the Sustainable Small Business Award for Longevity and Success in Mendocino County. The West Company, a nonprofit economic development organization serving entrepreneurs and micro-business owners in Northern California, gave the award in 2008 to four small businesses. Erica Fielder Studio is a leader in the re-emergence of artisans as an economic force. Erica combines nature, culture, fine art and technology to position herself in the new artisan economy – small and personal businesses producing one of a kind specialty goods for customers who seek unique, customized, and niche products. Visit the website to view the high quality panels and graphics created in Erica Fielder Studio: www.ericafielder-ecoartist.com.