National Wildlife articles from June 1998

National Wildlife archives from June 1998

How does a female porcupine select a mate? Carefully, very carefully.(Brief Article)
June 1, 1998... In the dead of a dark Nevada night, Rick Sweitzer is thrashing through dense, high-desert brush in search of answers. The biologist from the University of California, Davis, is passionate about his work and on this night, he is par- ticularly...

Tired of pursuing the perfect lawn? Consider these alternatives.
June 1, 1998... A smooth, closely shaven surface of grass is by far the most essential element of beauty on the grounds of a suburban house," landscape designer Frank J. Scott wrote in 1870. "Let your lawn be your home's velvet robe, and your flow- ers not too...

A state without snakes keeps a wary eye out for an alien invader.(authorities in Hawaii worry about an invasion of the brown tree snake)
June 1, 1998... Fred Kraus lifts a piece of corrugated metal, inspecting the ground beneath it. "You have to think like a snake," he says, while considering places where a reptile might hide. In the middle of a Honolulu suburb, this wooded ravine offers...

When it became a new species, a tiny songbird was thrust into the limelight.(the Bicknell thrush is the focus of an intense study)
June 1, 1998... The fog is so thick on Vermont's Mount Mansfield that the communications tower crowning this 4,400-foot peak disappears in the gray ether. All around is a wind-stunted forest of gnarled spruce and fir. The rising sun glows as weakly as a 15-watt...

Listening to wildlife in the Everglades.(includes map and related article on Everglades National Park)
June 1, 1998... What five species are telling scientists about habitat damage and repair in South Florida Peter Frederick and his colleagues have a secret: the exact location of an ongoing wildlife spectacle somewhere in the Everglades. The spot is home to...

When carnivores clash: what happens when hunter becomes hunted?(includes related article on saving wolves)
June 1, 1998... Nine wolves rushed to encircle a male grizzly on a Yellowstone hillside, and a clash of wild titans appeared inevitable. That day in 1996, Steven French believed he was about to witness the first documented battle between grizzlies and wolves...

This prison is for the birds.(The water bird population of Alcatraz)(includes related map of nesting areas of colonial water birds)
June 1, 1998... This is prime tourist season on Alcatraz Island, which means that on any given day as many as 4,900 people visit the famous former federal penitentiary. Some of them may notice Margaret Brown, a woman who frequently can be seen out on the grounds...

Caution: building in a wetland can be hazardous to your house.
June 1, 1998... Developers are nibbling away at the nation's small wetlands, creating big problems in the process for many homeowners "Build your house in a wetland, and you've got a hobby for the rest of your life," warns Ed Perry. "You will be fighting that...

Return of the jaguar.(animals return to North America, not welcomed by all)
June 1, 1998... After a prolonged absence, jaguars are back in the United States, but not everyone is rolling out the welcome mat Jack Childs and his partners suspected that something odd was going on that hot August day in 1996. Their male hounds were barking...

Making sense of the songs whales sing.
June 1, 1998... Using military underwater listening devices, researchers are making dramatic new discoveries about these engaging mammals What is a whale biologist doing on the staff of one of the nation's premier bird research institutions? "Whales and birds...

When the river died, a quiet community raised its voice in anger.(Alamosa River, Colorado)(Brief Article)
June 1, 1998... Ignacio Rodriguez still vividly remembers the horror he felt six years ago after seeing dozens of dead trout lining the banks of the Alamosa River in front of his southern Colorado home. At the time, the trout were the latest victims of a series...