Although I’ve been through Jackson Hole multiple times, I’ve never visited the National Elk Refuge just north of town. The National Elk Refuge is one of 553 refuges managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There is good evidence that elk once ranged all across North America, inhabiting forests, river valleys, the prairies and…
Tag: natural resources
Doomsday Wyoming Style
Well, there’s been a lot of hoopla in the media the last few days due to a bill introduced in the Wyoming State Legislature. I don’t know why, that at this stage in my life, I should be surprised by the kind of reporting and commenting I came across as I tried to find out…
Groundwater Test Results in Pavillion, Wyoming
The EPA has released initial findings from ground water testing in the Pavillion, WY area. Pavillion residents have complained of contaminated drinking water wells for many years, suspecting fracture drilling, or fracking, is causing contamination. The EPA results can be found here. Their interpretation of these results should be forth coming in the next few…
Wyoming Butterfly
As I drove past the Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), a common native plant of the western United States, I saw it was covered with these medium sized orange-brown butterflies. First we had to remember how to tell a butterfly from a moth. The overlapping wings and bulb ended antennae are indicative of butterflies, along with the…
Water Quality in the Arid West
Rural Property in the Arid West: Water Quality Rural property owners in the arid west often face water quality issues. The rock strata holding our ground water often results in saline and alkaline water. If you are a rural property owner with a private well, you should regularly test your water. If you are considering…
Map of Wyoming Rivers
From geology.com, a map of Wyoming rivers.
Gardening Books
Our local library has two book sales every year. I always look forward to rummaging through the discarded and donated books and magazines for gardening and landscaping books, and I am happy to support the local library. When it comes to gardening books, sometimes old sources have valuable information and forgotten plant lists that merit…
Wildflowers
With over 20,000 flowering plants native to North America, the term ‘wildflower’ does not necessarily mean a flowering plant which will thrive in your particular area. Also, the term ‘wildflower’ can include any flower naturally occurring anywhere in the world. For those reasons, I usually use the term Wyoming native to specifically refer to plants…
Landscape Planning in the Long Winter Evenings
We are having a wonderful, warm, windless autumn here in central Wyoming, but the days are getting noticeably shorter and winter isn’t far away. My mind is already turning to plans for next spring’s landscaping efforts. My planning always includes looking for resources of native plants, drought tolerant plants and ground covers suitable for my…
Wyoming Life 