Boats and Birds

Well folks, as you probably know I am spending yet another summer of my life chasing around good ol' Charadrius melodus, aka the Piping Plover.

My hand and the Piping Plover that just flew out of it

I am once again stationed in Vermillion, South Dakota for the summer. This year, however, the Mighty Mo is not flooded, and we are getting tons of work done on our stretch of river below the Gavin's Point Dam in Yankton, SD. Of course I have not forgotten about my beloved Niobrara River in Nebraska, and I visit her once a week (ish). I like driving our skiff, but I think paddling will always be my preferred mode of transportation.

Things started off slow this year; the birds seemed to take their sweet time returning from their wintering grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Coast. Once they got here they wasted no time getting eggs on the ground. We had our first chicks hatch last Saturday and they've been popping up all over the place since then. It is quite difficult to focus on work when you have adorable baby plover chicks all over the place...

This nest hatched today.. well, most of it did anyway

Other than all the birdy business.. things have been pretty quiet around here. I am missing the ocean quite a bit these days but trying to convince myself that the River is an acceptable alternative. I miss everyone back home, but I am surrounded by lots of good friends out here to keep me busy.

Sadness

Today we lost our friend and brother Matt. I don't have words to express what this feels like.

We will miss you more than you know.

Killingworth man dies in early morning crash

The End of an Era

Yesterday was a sad day.

Five years ago I was an unemployed freshly graduated college student. I had no job and no direction. Based on the recommendation of my old friend Alex, I decided to apply at North Cove Outfitters. It was perfect. I learned all about the wide world of outdoor gear. (How I wish I knew about synthetic baselayers and gore-tex membranes when I was freezing my butt off during field classes in college). Over the next 5 years I worked at North Cove between field jobs. I can't express how grateful I have been to have a job that will always take me back with welcome arms. Sometimes I am gone on my bird chasing adventures for a year at a time. Long story short, North Cove is my second home, and my coworkers are my second family.

Yesterday it was revealed to us that North Cove Outfitters will be closing its doors after 23.5 years in business. It was a sad day for those of us who work there. Now that the news is out it will be a sad day for all of the store's loyal customers. I started the day blissfully unaware of the closure, and ended the day hanging giant yellow and red "Store Closing" signs all over the store. That was certainly not how I had expected my day to go..

Why I Hate the Keurig Machine

Several years ago, some of my relatives were proud to show me their fancy new Keurig coffee makers. I was immediately appalled at the dozens of miniature plastic cups they so proudly displayed on their cutesy little K-cup "trees".  I had hoped that this fad would wear off quickly, but it has not. Several years later the machines have seemingly taken over every home in America. 

As a an environmentalist at heart, I immediately shun the thought of all these single serve, non-recyclable plastic cups. Whenever I express this concern to any Keurig owner, they immediately say "Oh don't worry, Keurig makes a re-usable stainless steel filter cup!". That's just fine and dandy, except that NOT ONE OF YOU ACTUALLY USE IT. Jerks. 

In 2011, over 5 BILLION K-cups were bought. That's 5 BILLION non-recyclable plastic cups rotting in our landfills. I know Keurig states that they are "working on" recyclable options but honestly, recyclable cups only do good if people actually recycle them. We know americans aren't the best recyclers. 

I was also disappointed to see that Green Mountain Coffee owns Keurig now. As a young college activist, I had worked closely with Green Mountain executives to help me get my university on board with fair trade coffee. As you may or may not know, coffee farmers rarely get paid a livable wage for their product. Often coffee farmers turn to growing more illegal crops in order to support their families. Fair Trade coffee ensures coffee farmers get a fair wage for their product. I guess I had assumed that since Green Mountain is socially responsible, and based in the  Green Mountains of Vermont, that they would be environmentally responsible as well. 

My last gripe with the Keurig machine is that the COFFEE IS NOT GOOD. Every cup of coffee I have had from a Keurig machine is weak, and barely fills the cup. And should you decide to change the setting to make a bigger cup, it gets even weaker. I fail to see the attraction of the Keurig machine. 

If you need me I'll be at Cumberland Farms or Dunkin Donuts with my re-usable mug....

Things I Miss About Being A Child

It is 7:55 am on a Saturday morning. I am currently watching the Penguins of Madagascar cartoon on Nick (That's Nickelodeon to those of us from older generations).

If I were a child, I would be able to lay here comfortably enjoying cartoons for the next few hours. Instead I am anxiously watching the clock. I must get up and get ready for work. I also have to account for time to clear the frost and snow off of my car because it is indeed winter.  Fortunately the snow only amounted to a light dusting, so clean up will be quick today.

Winter to a child means 2 things: SNOW DAYS and sledding. Winter to an adult means 2 things: SHOVELING and a longer commute to work. The child in me loves to wake up and see a freshly fallen blanket of snow. And as I am shoveling, the child in me finds some pleasure in making mini snowmen along the way. It doesn't take long for the adult in me to quickly become annoyed as I shovel my way to my car. It is usually the town's dim-witted plow truck driver plowing my car into a snow bank that sets me off. By the time I get to work in a snow storm I find myself angry and cursing mother nature for ever inventing such an evil substance. Were I still a child, I could still look upon snow as a blessing from above. Perhaps if grown-ups got snow days and were allowed to go sledding all day I would retain that childlike admiration.


I would say that I miss exploring the woods and playing outside all day long, however I as an adult I have managed to find a way to get myself paid for exploring outside all day.  As a child I was never really happy being stuck indoors and I never grew out of it. Next month I will return to field work and it will be glorious.

And now I must go get ready for work... (Indoor work selling outdoor gear).

The Internet is Scary.

Recently, while attempting to internet stalk my missing cousin, I discovered some frightening things about the internet. Not only did the magical internet find lots of records for my cousin, but it knew we were related. When I clicked on my own name, I was even more disturbed to see how much the internet knows about me.

There are a number of directory "aggregate" sites which compile information about you. I am currently in the process of deleting my name and info from as many sites as possible. One of the scariest is called spokeo.com. This website knows your age, your address (and any prior addresses). It knows your relatives, your phone number, and scariest of all, it shows a google image of your house. It also tells your credit score and the value of your home. It's disturbing. So far I have discovered this is the way to remove yourself from spokeo.com

Here's how to remove your name:

1. Go to Spokeo.com and type in your name.
2. Copy the URL when it brings up your information
3. Go to the bottom of the page and click on "privacy"
4. Paste the URL in the box provided
5. Include your email address (it gives you further instructions via email)
6. Enter the code
7. Go to your email and click on the link they provide to you
8. Confirm the directory listing has been deleted
9. Go back to Spokeo.com and put in your name to be sure it was deleted

Do yourself a favor and start googling yourself. So far I have removed myself from mylife.com and spokeo. I am in the process of trying to remove myself from peekyou.com

I am learning quickly that there is an endless supply of information about me on the internet. If all these "aggregate" sites are getting all my info there must be more out there than I will ever know about. 

Dear Alyssa Milano...

Dear Alyssa Milano,


Please stop begging me for money to save the children. I appreciate the work you are doing for UNICEF, but I do not have any money to spare. Last week I sold all my jewelry to put gas in my tank and food in my stomach. This week I had to spend all of my christmas money on an awesome trip to a walk-in clinic on new year's eve because of my sinus infection from hell.

Long story short, Alyssa, I do not have 50 cents a day to send you to feed that adorable little starving child. Begging me at every single commercial break is not going to change the fact that I do not have any money to send you. Please stop. Seriously.

I bet you are still earning royalties for Who's the Boss and Charmed re-runs. And I see you are now making Lifetime made-for-TV movies. I am sure you can spare enough change for the both of us.

While you're at it, tell Sarah Mclachlan to knock it off with the ASPCA commercials. I give all my spare change to the animal shelter whenever I see a donation can around town. Singing sappy songs and showing injured puppies does not make me want to donate it makes me want to change the channel.

Sincerely,
  Audrey