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NATURAL HEARTWORM PROGRAMS - AVOID DRUGS
No drugs, only natural supplements. Avoid costly and
heartbreaking treatments. Prevent heartworms while
nutritionally supporting your pet's health in other areas
with the Herbal Heartworm Prevention Program. It's
working for others.

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A TOUCH OF NATURE
March 1, 2004 Issue

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DONNA'S COMMENTS
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Do you know about these free online courses?

Wildlife University™ is brought to you by the National Wildlife Federation
with the generous support of the Surdna Foundation. The main goal of
Wildlife University is to provide people with the opportunity to learn about
the environment and the issues that impact it. Wildlife University is
committed to providing online educational resources to those with an
interest in wildlife and wild places. 

The "Creating Places for Wildlife Series" is for people who want to learn
how to garden for wildlife and now includes seven (7) courses. The
" Endangered Species Series" teaches you about the issues facing endangered
and threatened species and includes two (2) courses.

You can register and find out more here.

Spring is Almost Here! Yippee!
Donna :-)

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CRITTER FACTS
*************

GRIZZLY CUB MOTHERS

Grizzly cubs are taught everything they must know for survival from their
mother. She teaches them where the best plant foods are located, how to hunt
ground squirrels, elk or caribou, how to find the fish spawning streams, and
much more.

Quick Facts:

* Grizzlies can run 25 mph, and swim across lakes and rivers. Cubs less than
a year old are adept at climbing. As they age and their claws grow longer,
they lose the ability to use claws in climbing, but they still may climb to
some degree by stepping on branches, much like a human would do.  * The largest grizzlies (males of up to 1,500 pounds) are found in coastal
areas like Kodiak Island where they have abundant salmon to eat. In interior
areas where bears may have little to eat but grass, roots, and berries, the
largest males may be no more than 500 pounds.

* Male grizzlies require ranges of 600-1000 square miles. Females roam areas
up to 250 square miles. These bears may travel 20-40 miles a day.

  Read more from the National Wildlife Federation site.

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THOSE AMAZING BIRDS!
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BLACK FEATHERS ARE STRONGER THAN WHITE
From the book: "Bellevue Farm" by Curtis Badger

In finding feathers on the beach, I have noticed that black feathers are
stronger than white ones. When I find a black-tipped feather from a snow
goose or a ring-billed gull, the white areas will often be worn away while
the black tip remains intact. This is why birds that live around the water
usually have black wing tips. When a gull, for example, takes off from
Burton's Bay, its wings beat the water on the first few strokes. Were it
not for those strong black wing tips, the flight feathers would soon be
broken and the bird's ability to fly diminished.

Nearly all gulls and terns have black tips or trailing edges on their wings.
Many sea birds are dark all over. The cormorant, a poor flier that beats
its wings unmercifully on take-off, is a good example.

The gannet is a beautiful white seabird that dives for its dinner. It has
black wing tips. Ditto the osprey. Black vultures and turkey vultures,
which make their living on land, are dark, but the trailing edges of their
wings are lighter.

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RAINFOREST FACT
***************

Almost half of all rain forests have been cut down since the 1940's, and the
destruction goes on. As many as 50 million acres (20 million hectares) are
destroyed every year.

Our rain forests are so important! Click here to help rainforests with a free click. Register for email reminders.

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GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE- Restoring the Balance
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It's time to plan your Spring gardening. Want to attract more birds,
butterflies and other creatures to your own backyard? Let National Wildlife
Federation show you how. They'll offer advice every step of the way.
They'll help you create an online habitat and a species list complete with
photos and even show you how to have your yard certified as an official
Backyard Wildlife Habitat site.

Click here and get started now!

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NATURE'S BOUNTY FOR US
*********************

Nature offers essential oils with potent properties that can be used in many
areas around the home. For health, bath, beauty, and household cleaning
supplies. Here's our featured recipe for this issue:

LAVENDER-PEPPERMINT SOAP RECIPE

4 ounces clear, solid glycerin (usually about 3 cubes)
15 drops Lavender Oil
5 drops Peppermint Oil
soap molds
coloring (optional)

Melt glycerin in the microwave (about 40 seconds) or in a double boiler.
Pour hot glycerin into the soap molds. Allow it to cool slightly, then drop
in the essential oils and coloring. Glycerin blocks and soap molds are
available at craft stores. Soap hardens in about one hour.

Read more about the benefits of these oils, find other recipes, and purchase oils.

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" GREEN" INFO- Making It a Way of Life!
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FARM EXPERIMENT THRIVES IN THE CITY

It's a real farm, all right, except there are no endless acres of green, no
silo, no hardworking family rising with the rooster.

Instead, this pastoral patch is a half-acre plot in the midst of the city,
with nearby strip malls, busy streets, and farmers who travel to work on a
SEPTA train. With two full-time workers churning out everything from
tomatoes to cilantro - and a salad mix that has already become legendary
among its devotees.

" We wanted to prove that a city person who didn't have a lot of resources
could, in fact, practice urban agriculture and be successful at it," said
Roxanne Christensen, a volunteer accountant for the operation.

" It's just not economical for farmers to farm on a huge scale anymore. The
taxes on their land is going up, and they're selling out to developers who
can get more out of the land by building houses and selling them. We're
going to have to farm closer to cities and on a smaller scale."

Read more

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MUSINGS: POETRY & PROSE
***********************

" Begin doing what you want to do now.
We are not living in eternity.
We have this moment,
sparkling like a star in our hand
and melting like a snowflake."

-- Marie Beyon Ray

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR PLANET
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MARK TWAIN'S FROG FOUND IN CALIFORNIA!

The species of frog made famous by Mark Twain in his tale "The Celebrated
Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" has been rediscovered in the county 34
years after it was last seen in the area, reports The Associated Press.
Guess who found it? The children of a cattle rancher. The specific location
is not being revealed so researchers can protect the rare California
red-legged frogs and their newly-discovered habitat. Twain's fictional frog
was named "Dan'l Webster," and the locals joke that these just-found frogs
are direct descendants.

The last sighting of one of these frogs was in 1969. Fish and Wildlife
Service biologists who verified the discovery of one male and two female
frogs are now offering to work with neighboring property owners to determine
if the frogs live there as well. Robert Stack of the Jumping Frog Research
Institute estimates there are just 10 to 20 frogs alive today so he is
seeking grants to develop a captive breeding program.

See a photo of this frog and get more information.

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to somebody you know. It's how we grow! Thanks!
***********

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
publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or
defamation..