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A TOUCH OF NATURE
December 1, 2002 Issue

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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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Teaching children about kindness to birds and animals makes them kinder with people also. We've been sponsoring classrooms for many years with a newspaper for kids. It's called KIND (Kids In Nature's Defense) NEWS. It's a monthly newsletter that uses articles, puzzles, celebrity interviews, and project ideas to teach humane lessons and inspire kids to take action for animals. One of the classroom teachers had each student write a thank you note to us and it was very heart-warming to say the least. What a good feeling to make a difference in a child's life.

Last year, 98% of elementary school teachers whose classrooms subscribed to KIND News said that it increased their students' concern about animal protection. You can help spread the seeds of kindness in the elementary school classroom(s) of your choice by sponsoring a subscription to KIND News.

Busy, busy, busy! Everybody gets busy during December. We don't stress over the Holiday Season, but we enjoy the increase in volunteer opportunities and we have broken ground for our rural home in the woods. Since we are doing much of the contracting, we are surely busy with that project.

To give you and me a break for busy December, I'm going to skip the next issue and will resume the schedule on January 1. Thanks for your interest in this ezine and your love of Nature!

Happy Holidays!
Donna

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ABOUT CRITTERS
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ROBINS

According to a Breton legend, a robin's breast was covered with blood as it tried to pull a thorn from the crown of thorns as Christ hung on the cross. The red breast serves as a sign of imminent attack. When dealing with intruders, the male erects feathers on the breast and throat and the invader usually flees.

INSTALL A NESTING BOX FOR BIRDS
Give a gift to birds at Christmas

Installing nesting boxes for birds is an easy way to help create habitat in your yard. Many species of birds require a cavity in which they build their nest, lay eggs and raise their young. Some species, like woodpeckers, can excavate their own nesting cavities in the trunks of decaying trees. Other species require the tall meadow and prairie vegetation to weave and hide their nests. Get some how-to info on providing a place for birds to raise their young and a link to plans to make your boxes at National Wildlife Federation. What a wonderful winter project.

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BIRD TIPS AND FACTS
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ADVICE FOR WINTER FEEDING
From The Birdhouse Network News

Now that winter is here, most of us will begin our winter-time bird feeding regimen. If you have unwanted House Sparrows in the spring and summer, you might want to consider switching the type of bird seed you provide in the winter. The common bulk bags of bird seed (cracked corn and millet) sold in department stores are a favorite of both Starlings and House Sparrows. To minimize House Sparrows on your property try using Black Oil Seeds ( Sunflower, Safflower, etc) and Nyjar Seed which are not as appealing to House Sparrows. You can also try using tube feeders which are less accessible to House Sparrow beaks

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"GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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WHO'S POLLUTING IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

Visit Scorecard and enter your zip code to find out what pollutants are being released in your neighborhood, and who is responsible.

BUILDING A HOME: WHAT MAKES A PRODUCT GREEN?

We're in the process of building a home and we began wanting to do as much of it "green" as we could to make a difference on our health and the health of the land we're building on. When I got into researching what is green, I discovered there are a lot of avenues to consider.

There's so much environmental information out there to encourage us to "build green," but what does that mean? How do we know what to look for? Visit the website for Environmental Building News to get a detailed article on this subject.

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
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"You can't pluck a rose
all fragrant with dew
Without part of its fragrance
remaining with you."
Helen Steiner Rice

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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STUDY FINDS OVERWHELMING ECONOMIC BENEFITS IN LAND PRESERVATION

A group of scientists and economists have calculated that forests, wetlands and other natural ecosystems are worth far more to human economies than the same land developed. The study, published in the August 9 edition of Science , found that every year, conversion of wildlands via logging, farming, or development costs the world economy a whopping $250 billion.

It would cost approximately $45 billion to protect threatened areas of temperate and tropical forest, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, etc., but the return over time in goods and services would amount to at least $4.4 trillion -a nearly 100-1 benefit-cost ratio.

"The economics are absolutely stark. We thought the numbers would favor conservation, but not by that much," said co-author Andrew Balmford of Cambridge University.

David Constanza of the University of Vermont added: "We've been cooking the books for a long time by leaving out the worth of nature. Economics has traditionally focused on the market. But we have been finding that a lot of what is valuable to humans takes place outside of the market.

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DISCLAIMER:

The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed our sponsor "The Herbs Place.com" This is a personal publication by Donna Watkins. The ideas and information expressed in it have not been approved or authorized by anyone either explicitly or impliedly. In no event shall Donna Watkins or "The Herbs Place.com" be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation.

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