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This Monday, May 4, 2015 photo shows pea plant seedlings on display in New Paltz, N.Y. A lot of "six-packs" of pea transplants would be needed for a row of peas, so just plant seeds instead. (Lee Reich via AP)

Life

Believe in seeds: They’ll expand your gardening horizons

“Plant seeds” may seem like an inane suggestion for a gardening column. But I’m serious. More and more…

In this March 30, 2015 photo, a lawn is fertilized before rain falls near Langley, Wash. One of the most common mistakes in lawn care is over fertilizing which can burn the plant roots and contaminate area water supplies. A good time to fertilize is just ahead of a soaking rain. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Life

Lawn-care basics: how much to cut, irrigate, fertilize

Well-managed turf care means more than simply firing up your lawn mower and buzzing around the yard. There’s…

Jacob's ladder in all its spring glory. (Courtesy Mary Stensvold, US Forest Service)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Nature’s first green is gold

Many of us are engaged this week in the annual spring sport of watching the birch trees begin…

Life

An Outdoor View: New twists on fish and shrimp

New twists on fish and shrimp by Les Palmer It happens now and then, and a few days…

Joe Donohoe measures a wolf track found along the Continental Divide near Canyon Creek, Mont., in March, 2015. Donohoe and other volunteers met in early March to run one of the transects and see what animals were using the Continental Divide as part of a project to recruit and train volunteers under the tutelage of wildlife researchers at Bozeman-based Wildthings Unlimited with data generated going to the Helena National Forest as it develops a new forest plan. (Tom Kuglin/The Independent Record via AP)

Life

Researchers track elusive wolverines

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Much of the Continental Divide in winter remains a place seldom visited by people…

Participants in the 2015 Youth Game Warden Camp learn to navigate in the woods with GPS units and compasses. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Learning to be a game warden

  This past weekend, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge hosted the 2015 Youth Game Warden Camp. This camp…

Life

An Outdoor View: Everything is about fishing

Author’s note: My favorite outdoor writer/humorist, Ed Zern (1910-1994), left a legacy of ridiculous and hilarious stories. His…

In this Sunday, April 19, 2015 photo, in addition to being pest resistant, Chestnut is a crabapple variety good enough for you to enjoy it eating fresh, right off the tree in Geneva, New York. (Lee Reich via AP)

Life

Crabapples come in many varieties (some aren’t even crabby)

Crabapple branches drenched in white, pink or red blossoms are a strong enticement to go out and buy…

Spraying downward and in front of a charging bear is good technique for using bear deterrent spray. Bear spray only works if you keep it handy so wear the holster on your belt or attached to a pack shoulder strap, but don't stuff it in a pack. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Tips for using bear spray

Bear spray is a weapon. Just like any weapon, you’ve got to know how to use it so…

Life

An Outdoor View: Fish board

I was disappointed Sunday when state legislators voted against confirming Soldotna resident Robert Ruffner’s appointment to the Alaska…

Young swimmers and their teachers swim in a pool during a swim lesson in the Bronx borough of New York, Wednesday, April 15, 2015. They are in swim swim swim I SAY, one of 65 programs around the country to receive grants from the nonprofit Autism Speaks to provide the personal attention and patience if often takes to help children on the autism spectrum learn to swim. Many are prone to wander and many are drawn to water.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Life

Autism Speaks offers grants for lifesaving swim lessons

NEW YORK — “Ian, Ian, Ian,” squeals 8-year-old Anna as she spots her friend across a pool in…

In this April 8, 2013 photo, these old hard-sided suitcases at the Ball Horticultural Co.'s field trials near Ventura, Calif., make an innovative plant bed idea for space-starved gardeners. They also can be moved from one location to another, even if it's just to follow the sun across a balcony or patio. Adaptable planters with wheels or handles can be inexpensive yet attractive and capable of being used indoors or out. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Life

Gardeners on the move make their plants portable

People on the move often spurn gardening as a hobby because they have to leave their plants behind.…

This undated photo shows an electric set of smart hearing protection for hunters, from Sound Gear in Spokane, Wash. But technology has erased the shortcomings of the standard ear plug. Excuses for neglecting hearing protection in the field are obsolete. (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Jesse Tinsley) COEUR D'ALENE PRESS

Life

Hunters often overlook hearing protection

SPOKANE, Wash. — While most shooters would never walk onto an active gun range without ear plugs or…

Poking things with a stick is a rite of passage for kids as they learn about Mother Earth. (Photo by Matt Conner)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Poking at Earth Day with a stick

Earth Day is next Wednesday. It reminds me of a program I taught last year to a fourth-grade…

Life

An Outdoor View: On feeling free

Unless you’re still hibernating, you’ve probably heard the story about the boy, 10, and his sister, 6, who…

A short hike with a float tube can open up a whole new world of fishing possibilities. (Photo courtesy Dave Atcheson)

Life

Tight Lines: the beauty of the belly boat

I have to smile to myself as I watch a line of buddies negotiating the trail in front…

Word clouds are a fun way to show words, where the most important ones are bigger than the others. This cloud shows the responses that participants at a recent workshop on climate change gave when asked what they value about living on the Kenai Peninsula.

Life

Refuge Notebook: What do you value about living on the Kenai Peninsula?

The League of Women Voters recently hosted a “Climate Change in our Backyard” workshop. Over 100 people gathered…

Life

An Outdoor View: That got me thinking

My dentist loves to fish. Like me, he also likes to talk about fishing, which he often does…

This 2006 photo provided by ArcticCycles.com shows Arctic Cycles guiding a fat-tire biking trip in the summer in south central, A.K. Fat bikes are the ultimate year-round adventure bikes. (AP Photo/ArcticCycles.com, Erica Koitzsch)

Life

Stability, extra grip make fat-tire biking a hit

There’s a new trend in mountain biking: Fat is in. Not the riders. The tires. Big, puffy tires…

Mosaic of high-resolution aerial photographs of 110,000 acres of the Funny River Fire was captured in less than eight hours of flying. The inset shows the clarity of one segment of the Kenai River. (Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Life

Refuge Notebook: New aerial photography technology – little camera, big picture

There are myriads of ways to measure and describe an area, but as they say, “a picture is…