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A TOUCH OF NATURE
February 1, 2003 Issue

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This newsletter is sponsored by The Herbs Place.com
Natural Health Solutions for Adults, Children and Pets!
Newsletters, Online Classes & *Herbal Medicine Chest*

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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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Hi Nature Lovers!

Thought you'd like to know that we're nearing 3,000 subscribers now. Thanks for sharing this with your friends. We are growing!

We're having winter here in Virginia and I'm dreaming of Springtime. I love having the doors and windows open and with low temps that's not happening now for two months. Although we have lots of birds and wildlife to watch through the windows, there's nothing like hearing the breeze blow the leaves
and the birds courting with their springtime vocals.

As many of you know, we moved to Virginia over two years ago to find land and build a home. We found the land and closed in August and began building in November. We have the basement wall blocks half way up, but the project is dead with the cold weather which makes the mortar freeze. We're excited
that it's begun and that's what's important. We're taking one day at a time and it will be done soon enough.

I'm very thankful that the floor plan is finished. I redid that thing so many times I lost count at 20. We kept discovering different things about the direction or the land that required changes and of course, as you go along you think of things and redo because of preferences. I can't say I enjoyed having to do the plan to the inch [I'm definitely not an architect], but am grateful that we are getting to build exactly what we want.

I Love Valentine's Month!
Have a great February! Tell somebody you love them!

Donna

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CRITTER FACTS
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DO MAMMALS AND BIRDS SLEEP?
By Rich Sefcik, Buffalo Grove, Illinois

According to researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine, the presence of
sleep has traditionally been judged by a variety of behavioral criteria.
Some of these are minimal movement; a typical sleep posture; and reduced
responsiveness to external stimulation-a responsiveness, however, that is
reversible with relatively intense stimulation (distinguishing sleep from
other states such as anesthesia or coma). On this basis, they conclude that
sleep is present throughout the animal kingdom.

Only mammals and birds, however, register changes in brain waves and
experience the two distinct sleep states-rapid eye movement (REM) and
non-rapid eye movement (NREM) -commonly associated with "true" sleep.
Reptiles show some brain activity but demonstrate only NREM activity. Other
animals with more primitive nervous systems, such as amphibians and
invertebrates, don't have brain structures that generate the same electrical
patterns of activity, and so the presence of true sleep in these groups is
difficult to determine.

Mammals and birds experience sleep quite differently. REM and NREM steep
states are shorter in birds than in mammals: Episodes of NREM sleep average
only 21/2 minutes and REM sleep only 9 seconds. Most birds don't lose muscle
tone during REM sleep as consistently as mammals dounderstandable, since
many birds sleep while standing or perching.

Many bird species can sleep uni-hemispherically-that is, with only one side
of their brain. Research at Indiana State University in Terre Haute proved
that birds are able to deliberately keep one half of their brain awake as a
safeguard against predators. The researchers lined up groups of mallard
ducks and videotaped them while they slept. The ducks on the edge of the
group were nearly three times as likely as the birds on the inside to keep
one eye open-usually the outward-facing eye. When shown an expanding video
image simulating a predator attack, the birds reacted within a fraction of a
second. Electroencephalograms showed the brain hemisphere regulating the
open eye was alert, while the other was experiencing high-quality sleep.

Not as many mammals can sleep unihemispherically; only aquatic mammals such
as dolphins, porpoises, and a few species of seal can alternate sleep and
wakefulness between the sides of the brain. This allows these mammals to
swim to the surface to get air while at rest; research has also suggested
that, as with birds, bottlenose dolphins may sleep this way in order to
monitor their environment.

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THOSE AMAZING BIRDS!
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GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT: February 14-17

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds
are. Now that winter has gripped much of the continent, what are our birds
doing? Bird populations are dynamic, they are constantly in flux. We want to
take a snapshot of North American bird populations and YOU can help us.
Everyone's contribution is important. It doesn't matter whether you
identify, count, and report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or
the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge. Your data
can help us answer many questions. Find out more

PESTICIDES AND NEST BOXES

Please Be Careful When Placing Bird Houses

In 2001 The Birdhouse Network reported that 26% of nest boxes were exposed
to pesticides used within 100 feet of the box. This affects the breeding
success of cavity-nesting birds. Some participants collected data on golf
courses. The study isn't finished, but if you'd like to read profiles of
pesticides and information on their environmental effects, visit here.

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Restoring the Balance
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Not much going on right now with gardening, but I thought you might enjoy
this piece of wisdom sent to me by a friend.

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM TREES
Sent in by Jan Price

It's important to have roots. If you really believe in something, don't be
afraid to go out on a limb. Be flexible so you don't break when a harsh wind
blows. Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow. You can't
hide your true colors as you approach the autumn of your life. It's more
important to be honest than poplar.

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"GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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THE WOODCHUCK CAFE

This innovative website combines down-to-earth environmental reporting with
everyday tips and advice, so you can use what you learn to make a
difference. Visit now

ECO-FRIENDLY KITTY LITTER!

Some kitty litters can be burdens on landfills, and the traditional clay
variety, often contains silica dust, a carcinogen. Try litter made from
recycled newspapers or made from reclaimed wood. Read more about kitty
litter in this article

GREEN PAGES ONLINE

This is a green resource catalog site for you to find all kinds of green
products.

NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS

Safe, Non-Toxic Microbest Cleaning Products
to provide a Safer, Cleaner and Healthier Home
for you and your children and pets.

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
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"Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind"
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

For me, nature provides the landscape for a quiet mind. There's nothing
more peaceful than being in a forest listening to the sounds of animals,
birds and insects living their day. It really puts perspective onto my
canvas when I realize how simply other created beings live. It slows down
the pace, even if it's just for a day

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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HUMPBACK WHALE ENTANGLED IN ROPE RESCUED
by Liz Wiseman

An approximately 65-foot-long humpback whale entangled in rope from a
fishing net was recently rescued by the crew of a small boat used for whale
watching.

The Nautilus was about 12 miles off the coast of Kennebunkport, ME when
whale spotter Doug Barber caught sight of a humpback bobbing on the surface
of the water. This was very unusual since whales surface only to breathe.
Upon closer inspection, the crew found that the whale, a regular in the area
named Sickle, had gotten approximately 300 feet of nylon rope tangled around
her left pectoral fin. This posed a danger to Sickle and her young calf
since the rope could have gotten caught on something underwater and fatally
entangled both of them.

After the crew moved the boat closer to Sickle so the line could be cut, she
and her calf came right up alongside and allowed the work to be done.
"It was amazing," Nautilus crewmember Kathleen Anuszewki told a Portland
Press Herald reporter. "She did not resist at all."

Local reaction to the rescue was positive. "Whales are as important as people, and
if a whale's in trouble, you should help it," said Biddeford High School student
Ashley Gagne.

However, National Marine Fisheries Service spokesperson Teri Frady stated
that the crew not only violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and
Endangered Species Act by taking action themselves instead of contacting
authorities, but made finding out how Sickle became entangled difficult
because they did not save the rope they'd removed.

© 2002 Animal News Center, Inc.

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DISCLAIMER:

The content, suggestions, and web links in this newsletter are for
informational purposes only and not necessarily endorsed by 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
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