Author Archives: phillmil

Local Event – Wildlife Photo Contest!

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$3000 Prizes Open to Pros & Amateurs

CALL to PHOTOGRAPHERS – http://wildriverslandtrust.org

Dear Photographer Friends,

I wanted to invite you to participate in our first ever Wild Rivers Land Trust Photography Contest!


We are thrilled to be working with some local property owners and  some of our local photo friends like you, to create an all new program of photographing wildlife along the southern Oregon coast. There are so many possibilities for this and we are hoping you can be our charter group to pave the way!

The basics:
– go to our website – http://www.wildriverslandtrust.org/news–events.html
– read the rules and register
– we will match you with a landowner/partner so you make arrangements to set up your shooting dates sometime between Sept 26 and Oct 4th
– if you have any questions, please give me a call at 541-253-1260

Hope to hear back from you soon! Feel free to pass this along to some of your other serious photo friends. I should also mention that we have only five properties available so there will be a limit to the number of photographers for this first year.

From WRLT

Pamela, Wild Rivers Land Trust

USDA Community Resource Guide on Outdoor Recreation, 2020

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US Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (USDA-RD) program recently launched a resource guide that supports recreational economies in rural America.

This guide provides rural community leaders and economic development practitioners a complete program list for the Rural Development program, Forest Service, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

Get one

Find this resource guide in a PDF format at
https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/RD_Recreation_Economy_USDA.pdf

Rough Skinned Newt Anyone!

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Rough-skin Newt
Rough-skinned Newt (Taricha granulosa)

What do think of when you say the word Newt? Maybe you thought they were just a mythical made-up creature!

Well in fact the Oregon coast is home to this very interesting creature the Rough Skinned Newt!

Rough-skinned newts were named for their dry granular skin―most other salamander species have moist, smooth skin. A terrestrial adult newt has a brown head and back with a bright orange belly. They can grow to almost eight inches long.

Where Found

Through the non-breeding season, terrestrial adults live in forested areas along the coast and through to the eastern Cascade foothills. They find protection in or under soft logs.

For their size, newts migrate relatively long distances between breeding and non-breeding habitat. You may see them traveling during spring and fall as they migrate.

Toxic

An interesting study from Standford University reveals Rough-skinned newts harbor the same deadly toxin found in blowfish in their skin. A newt must be ingested to be toxic.

The newt emits an acrid smell that probably discourages most predators from tasting it. Except for Garter snakes which dine on the newts and have evolved resistance to the toxin.

Researchers report that in some areas, the snakes have somehow spurred greater toxicity in the newts through natural selection. Through this process the newts have increased their levels of resistance far beyond what the newts are capable of.