By Eilene Lyon At the end of my freshman year at Fort Lewis College, in 2005, I did a 10-week internship in the Natural Resources department at Mesa Verde National Park. One of the full-time employees, Marilyn Colyer, invited me to join a bat survey in the La Plata Mountains. Though wandering the forest at... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Lawn Begone!
By Eilene Lyon While I wouldn't say our decades-old drought is over, we had an unusual amount of moisture this past summer. We got over an inch of rain just last week. Normally August and September are what I call "brown season." The grasses and forbs have died or gone dormant by then. Even today,... Continue Reading →
Hummer Update
By Eilene Lyon My last post, about the black-chinned hummingbird nest under our deck, proved quite popular! Therefore I must offer an update and a few more photos. Last week, they were covered in pinfeathers and had barely begun opening their eyes. Through the week, I spied on the nestlings as they stretched and exercised... Continue Reading →
Hangin’ on the Line
By Eilene Lyon Under our west-facing deck, I have strung some colored lights. The patio below is furnished as an outdoor living room with loveseat, coffee table and two rocking, swivel chairs. The fence lizards love lounging on my furniture, therefore I initially credited them with the mess of poop all over the cushions. But... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Abandonment
By Eilene Lyon “We know surprisingly little about vanished civilizations whose majesty and whose ultimate demise were closely linked to liberties they took with water.” – Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water It’s no secret that the southwestern United States is a dry place—and getting drier. We’ve entered our third... Continue Reading →
Gone Skiing!
Back soon! (Just kidding -- I'm actually snorkeling.)
From the Vault: Fishing
By Eilene Lyon The “From the Vault” series features an artifact or family photo from my collection to illustrate a tale from my distant past. Bluegill The photo I posted recently of Ward Cutting with his trout catch made me think of other fishing tales. My father isn’t much the outdoorsy kind of guy. My... Continue Reading →
Heidi’s Home
By Eilene Lyon While my Colorado Rocky Mountain home is fabulous, something about the Old World charm of the Swiss Alps has always called to me. We took this dream vacation in 2014. We flew into Zurich, visited Luzern, Lausanne, and Bern, but we spent the bulk of our trip in Lauterbrunnen. You will see... Continue Reading →
Where Wolves?
By Eilene Lyon Introduction I have seen only one wolf in the wild. It was in Denali National Park. Not deep in the wilderness, but at the park entrance, crossing a road into the campground. It was big, it was black, it was unquestionably a wolf. It was one of those whiplash moments where you... Continue Reading →