ducks

(Excerpt): I wrote a funny anecdote about the wild ducks in my town and my experiences feeding them. One reason I wrote this was because I have looked in vain to find websites devoted to mallards, which simply appreciate ducks for being ducks. Many websites are devoted to the hunting and eating of ducks. I think it's important to learn to appreciate other species in order to expand our awareness of the natural world, which all too often, we humans take for granted and consider ourselves separate from.

First come the blasts: The thunderous sounds of more than 100 tons of explosives ripping through tightly packed soil. Then, the water: More than 2,500 acres flooded in less than an hour. This isn’t a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. It's the latest step in The Nature Conservancy's efforts to restore wetlands on its Williamston River Delta Preserve in southern Oregon.