Joshua Tree National Park – Visitors experience desert wildlife, geologic wonders

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Sunset in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Kristin Ciofalo.
BY KRISTIN CIOFALO The Adventure Two and a half hours east of Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is a surreal high-desert landscape sculpted by erosion, weather and numerous fault lines that crisscross the park. Gnarled, spiky Joshua trees stretch out in sparse miniature forests, and jumbles of giant boulders rise up from the desert floor—rounded blocks of sand-colored granite that change shade with the movement of the sun. During the day, one might catch a glimpse of coyotes, lizards, squirrels, a rare desert tortoise or one of more than 200 visiting or resident bird species. As the sun sets, new… Continue Reading

Boston Harbor Islands a ‘micro-wilderness’ awaiting discovery

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Just a few miles from downtown Boston, Lovells Islands is a refuge for wildlife and a chance to humans to enjoy seeing the sunset behind Boston. Photo by Stephanie Schorow
By STEPHANIE SCHOROW Rabbits are everywhere. They skitter across the path, rustle in the bushes, and peer at me out of the tall grass. At dusk I clamber up the crumbled steps of an abandoned military fort and suddenly came nose to nose with a bunny – I’m not sure which of us was more startled. It was my first night camping on Lovell’s Island, one of the 34 islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area and it was a revelation. Indeed, many Bostonians don’t even realize that there are islands “out there,” just a few miles from the hustle of downtown. Designated… Continue Reading

Ocean kayaking a great way to see marine wildlife in the San Diego area

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La Jolla Cove at sunset. Photo by Javier Velazquez.
BY MALLORY MEAD “Lean back, nose up!” Gracie yells to me from shore. It is my first time ever ocean kayaking. As a professional marathon swimmer, I am no stranger to the ocean‘s unpredictability. I have always been taught to dive under waves, where the water is calm and the chaos does not reach. Today I find myself paddling strait into the surf, unable to dive below and scared out of my mind. After capsizing my kayak only once, I make it past the wave break on my second try without incident. This was the start of my… Continue Reading

Lynn Canyon Park – a wildlife adventure on the edge of Vancouver, B.C.

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River otters can be seen below Twin Falls. Photo by Ken Bosma.
BY TRICIA EDGAR “Those are otters!” I exclaim to a couple nearby as I walk down to Twin Falls for catch a glimpse of these new residents of Lynn Canyon Park, a short 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, B.C. As I walk across the Lynn Creek bridge I see four river otters, red-mouthed and full-bellied, finishing off their catch. They crouch in the middle of a damp rock below the falls. As the water pounds down around them, one otter drags a salmon out of the water and they feast. The presence of otters here means there are… Continue Reading

Powell Butte Nature Park – a great birding adventure minutes from Portland

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A view of Mount Hood from Powell Butte. Photo by Chelsea Schuyler.
BY CHELSEA SCHUYLER “Hummer!” our guide shouts and all eyes turn skyward just in time to witness an Anna’s Hummingbird hover for an instant in midair, then dive-bomb a male Lazuli Bunting from twelve feet up. Incredibly, a vibration of the male’s hummingbird’s tail feathers creates a single piercing “chirp!” just as he pulls up from the dive. The volume is remarkable for such a small creature. The bunting doesn’t bat an eye; apparently he is used to this. With his brilliant blue head, orange chest and white wing bars, the Lazuli Bunting is the “target” bird of today’s hike,… Continue Reading