Ranger Rick articles from August 1996

Ranger Rick archives from August 1996

Wild shots: they're my life.(nature photographer describes how he shot photos of Galapagos Islands wildlife)
August 1, 1996... The creature behind the face mask on page 3 is me. Most of the time, you'll find me behind a camera. Come see the world through my eyes. When I was a little girl, all my best friends were furry, feathered, or scaly! Take a look at that old...

Adventures of Ranger Rick.(cleaning a beach)(short story)
August 1, 1996... Cubby Bear wanted some help cleaning a beach--and got more than he'd asked for! A pink ray of early morning sun peeked through the trees of Deep Green Wood. Scarlett Fox half-opened one sleepy eye. Hmmm, she yawned, just a few more minutes of...

Kids' wild wall.(Kansas City, MO, Zoo's 60-foot mural containing kids' pictures of endangered animals)(Greenzine)
August 1, 1996... First they learned about saving wildlife. Then they decided to DO something to show how they felt. Who are "they"? Thousands of kids from Kansas City, Missouri. And what did they do? They painted their favorite animals on tiles. But here's...

Threatened-animal updates: piping plover; desert tortoise.(2700 piping plovers now live on US Atlantic coast; Utah preserves desert tortoise habitat)(Greenzine)
August 1, 1996... Piping Plover Good news--a little bird is coming back in bigger numbers! The piping plover has had trouble on the beaches where it lives along the East Coast. (See "The Adventures of Ranger Rick, July 1995). These shy birds can be disturbed...

The cycle of recyling.(curbside collection grows from 1000 cities to 7500 since 1988)(Greenzine)
August 1, 1996... Across the country, recycling is skyrocketing. Eight years ago, there were about 1000 local curbside recycling programs in the United States. Now there are almost 7500! Hundreds of schools have recycling programs too. In last month's Ranger...

Reader riddles.(animal jokes)
August 1, 1996... Why should you go to chicken shows whenever you get a chance? Because they're so hen-tertaining. Kelly Bruels; Windom, MN Why does a firefly glow? It eats light meals. Mitchell McLaughlin; Puyallup, WA What's the best way to move a...

Bullfrog.(poem)
August 1, 1996... Bubblingup from the cool mudof the soggy pond,I've come to squat a bit in the sun, blinking, to sing a plump song.Bullfrog, me,I might jump a fat jump,plop down, pull in a bug with a flick of my tongue. Then--splash--I'll be gone.--

Talented trunks: an elephant's trunk is more than just a long nose!
August 1, 1996... An elephant's trunk is more than just a long nose! Hey--what's going on here? Are these elephants waving hello? Nope, they're raising their trunks to sniff the air for danger, food, or other scents. An elephant also raises its trunk to trumpet...

Switch and save: never forget! Turn out the lights.(making an elephant face out of a light-switch cover with construction paper)
August 1, 1996... NEVER FORGET! turn out the lights. What You Need: * construction paper * pencil * scissors * glue and tape * marker or wiggly eyes What You Do: 1. Have an adult unscrew the light switch cover plate from the wall in your...

Nature numbers.(nature and environmental facts)
August 1, 1996... 4 Number of noses that a slug has. 12 Average width, in inches, of the largest eye in the world. (It belongs to the giant squid.) 30 Number of years Ranger Rick magazine has been around. 100 Number of miles away a polar bear can be from...

Hurricane!(surviving the flooding during Hurricane Camille, in 1969, in Long Beach, MS)
August 1, 1996... I couldn't believe my eyes. It wasjust before midnight, and a crashing sound by the front door made me look over that way. The ocean had knocked down the door and was gushing into the living room. It was August 17, 1969. I was 15, and I was...

Hurricane bits.(facts about hurricanes)
August 1, 1996... * Hurricanes are powerful, whirling storms that start over warm water in the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean. They usually happen in late summer or early fall, and may measure up to 300 miles (480 km) across. In the center is a calm area...

Yikes, it's a shrike! Is there a killer on the loose?(songbird of prey with curious feeding habits)
August 1, 1996... Is there a killer on the loose? You're walking along a country lane when you come across a scary sight. On a low branch of a thorn tree, you find a dead mouse hanging from a thorn through its chin (see photo at right). Nearby you see a sparrow...

Gulp!(grey rat snake can swallow a large egg)
August 1, 1996... This gray rat snake has found a favorite meal. By stretching its jaws wide, the snake can swallow an egg bigger than its own head! What happens when parent birds discover a snake in their nest? They may scream and swoop at it, trying to chase...

Making honey.(beekeeping and honey collection)(Cover Story)
August 1, 1996... See these space aliens checking out a filing cabinet? Hey, it's really Doug and me being beekeepers. The things we'll do for honey! Tommy is my name, and I'm on lots of teams. I'm on a soccer team in the fall, a basketball team in the winter,...