Wild Open Eye – Natural Vision, News from Wild Open Eye

Destination Kisatchie National Forest—Louisiana Master Naturalists’ Northeast Plants Workshop 2019 a Great Success!

Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast Plants Workshop 2019, Georgetown Louisiana

Louisiana Black Bear, Ursus americanus luteolus, in Tensas River Wildlife Management Area. Global Biodiversity Day 2019 is themed on "Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health".

“We Need To Nurture Nature And Work With It.” World Celebrates Global Biodiversity Day, May 22, 2019

Today the world celebrates Global Biodiversity Day and I do so in a mood of calm resolve to do what I can to help. Global Biodiversity Day 2019 is themed on “Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health”. I’ve just watched Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator speak candidly on video about how …

ENV Produce Chelonian Guide To Assist Law Enforcement

Wildlife Smugglers Jailed, Chelonian Turtle Identification Guide produced, Kids Call For Bears Release, Education For Nature Vietnam Report

Rhino Horn Smugglers Get Jail Time. Turtle Guide To Help Law Enforcement Updated. 94000 School Children Call For Bears To Be Released To Sanctuary! Progress In Schools and Legislation. An informal progress report from Education For Nature Vietnam

Examining a moss with Louisiana Master Naturalists

Rendezvous on Lake Ponchartrain — Louisiana Master Naturalists Gathering 2019

Here’s my account of my adventure in the south recently. I greatly enjoyed the 2019 Louisiana Master Naturalists Rendezvous event. This year it was held at Fontainebleu State Park on the north shore of Louisiana’s massive and biodiverse Lake Pontchartrain. I rode south with our Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast group …

Protected: Mammals On My Mind! An Account of our Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast Mammals Workshop

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS: LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS or VENOMOUS MISSISSIPPI SNAKES

Charles Allen alerted me to these two great children’s programs this Saturday! Call 601-799-2311 now to sign up! Saturday, March 23, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Children will learn about Mississippi’s venomous snakes in this instructional program with Dr. Eddie Smith, Pearl River County Extension Agent. Lifelike snake …

Free Seven Week Massive Open Online Course on Biodiversity Finance Enrol Begins April 15th

This looks very interesting indeed! ” Do you need to make a stronger business case for biodiversity conservation? Do you want to become more skilled at developing financially sound and politically feasible solutions to conservation and development challenges? Do you need to know how to develop an effective biodiversity finance plan? Do you want access to more tools to assess …

The guest accommodation is great! Plant give away at Allen Acres B&B

Forthcoming Events!

This coming weekend brings you four events: in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Austin, and Allen Acres. Events in April Also look at the attached file to see the many in April. Also March 22-23 Southwest Louisiana Garden Conference & Expo Burton Coliseum Complex, Lake Charles https://www.visitlakecharles.org/event/southwest-louisiana-garden-conference-%26-expo/34298/ March …

Event Calendar 2019 Louisiana Nature

2019 Some Environmental Education Events In Louisiana _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Event Calendar Louisiana Nature I’m grateful to Dr. Allen for sharing this information about events. Please note that these dates and event details may be subject to change without notice given here, so please check with the organizers in advance to avoid …

Mammals of Louisiana

Originally posted on Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast:
I almost titled this post “Mammals Wearing T-shirts,” but decided that was too clever by half. Nevertheless….. Time to register for our 8th certification workshop, Mammals of Louisiana, scheduled Feb. 9, 9 am – 3 pm. The registration link is now ready…

News Shorts

Education For Nature Vietnam Reports Massive Ivory and Pangolin Scale Smuggling Bust at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport, also rescues bears, Hawksbill and Gibbons, and reviews Ten Crucial Action Areas In Fight Against Wildlife and Forest Crime Education For Nature Vietnam is continuing to work effectively protecting wildlife, in addition to their education …

Not leaves, but Giant Tiger Swallowtails.

Event List for Louisiana Nature

Dr. Charles Allen has very kindly sent me another Event Calendar for Louisiana Nature, this includes some environmental education/exploration events in southeastern Texas too and a glimpse of some of next year’s events. Dr. Allen is one of Louisiana’s foremost naturalists and environmental educators and is based at Allen Acres nature …

A Blanchard's Cricket Frog sitting still beside diminutive fungi. In some places these little frogs hop like pop-corn at your approach. This one is in Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge C. Paxton image and copyright.

Life In The Leaf Litter

Autumn is here again in the northern hemisphere and I’m celebrating with an exhibition of images on the theme of ‘Life in the leaf litter’. Scroll down this page to view a choice of images of wildlife down there amongst the fallen leaves! There’s a lot going on down there. …

Author Kelby Ouchley with artist Emily Caldwell at the exhibition of her delightfully whimsical artwork in downtown Monroe.

Emily Caldwell’s Wildlife Art Exhibit and Bayou Diversity 2

Emily Caldwell’s excellent exhibition of artwork for Bayou Diversity 2 on display!

Kalem sampling aquatic life in Redwine creek by Cast-net with Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast.

Wading in to Watershed Dynamics — An Account of LMNNe’s Sixth Workshop.

As the dominant terrestrial species on this planet we naturally have a rather grounded perspective of our environment; we named our home planet Earth despite the fact that about 70% of its surface is now covered by water. On Saturday Sept. 15th 2018, 12 members of the Louisiana Master …

Watershed Dynamics

Here’s a great opportunity to learn about Watershed Dynamics !

Cover image of the ARCAS 2017 annual report with an image of a rescued Barn owl.

ARCAS Annual Report 2017 — progress in difficult environment

Today I read the latest ARCAS Annual Report (2017) and was pleasantly surprised by the good news it contained. Central America has a wonderful biodiversity but it is a troubled region with logistical challenges ranging from exploding volcanoes to organised criminal gangs involved in wildlife and forest crime. ARCAS (asociaciòn …

1 Ecologist, 2 Parks, 16 Naturalists

Originally posted on Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast:
And it all added up to a fabulous Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology certification workshop! ? A baby skink (Plestiodon sp.) tries to hide in the gravel of the path in Restoration Park. Sorry, not enough info here for a species ID. (photo…

Micah Petty, President of Louisiana Exotic Animal Rehabilitation Network addressing Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast on the subject of Wildlife Rehabilitation at Union Parish Library August 28, 2018

A Kite On A String and Other Tales of Wildlife Rehabilitation

If you saw a Mississippi Kite, desperately entangled in fishing line, dangling, exposed and pathetically vulnerable high off the ground between a tree and a house. Would you: A: Curse the fates, fall into despair and say “There’s nothing to be done!” B: Wait about 600 years for the fishing …

An enormous Polyphemus moth at Allen Acres. With prodigious plant diversity comes broad animal diversity! long known for its biodiversity, Allen Acres is celebrating the identification of its 711th moth species! The July bioblitz is expected to be rather promising!

Bioblitz at Allen Acres July 21

I heard today by email that Allen Acres will begin its bioblitz on July 21. A bioblitz is an intensive exploration and recording of a designated area’s wildlife within a given period, a popular form of citizen science. The idea is that people can gather in the area and make …

Giant Swallowtail butterfly. Learn how to integrate native plantings in gardening.

Forthcoming Events -Integrating Native Plantings With Roses, Sunflower Festival and More!

My thanks to Dr. Allen again for this interesting events news! First, the 2018 GREEN THUMB SEMINAR “Native Plants & Roses: A Love Affair in your Garden” Shreveport, LA- The American Rose Center invites you to our third 2018 Green Thumb Educational Seminar on Saturday, June 16, 2018. …

Indian pink, just one part of Louisiana's rich plant biodiversity.

Botanical Workshop Events

I enjoyed our Louisiana Master Naturalists Northeast Plants class with Dr. Charles Allen so much that I thought I’d blog his forthcoming events information here to spread the word. Dr. Allen says “In Louisiana, the big event this week is the Cajun Prairie Meeting in Eunice on Sat May 12. …

Louisiana Pine snake on Ranger Nova Clarke's shoulder, Pituophis ruthveni at Black Bayou Lake NWR, Monroe Louisiana.

An Interview with a Pine Snake

by C. Paxton The Louisiana Pine Snake is Officially Listed by US Wildlife and Fisheries as Threatened as of May 7th, 2018 Monroe, Louisiana. It was my birthday. To celebrate we’re standing in front of Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Reserve’s modern and well-appointed Visitors’ center about five yards away …

A lady and a living jewel. One of the chief delights was my first encounter with the exquisite Calico Pennant dragonfly, a living jewel. Louisiana Master Naturalists Rendezvous 2018

Louisiana Master Naturalists’ Rendezvous 2018

Louisiana Master Naturalists and trainees convened on Camp Hardtner near Pollock, Lousiana for the Rendezvous 2018 event. It proved an ideal venue for the annual meeting of naturalists gathered from the various regions of Louisiana. Dr. Bette Kauffman, Ranger Nova Clarke, my wife Kimmie and I attended from the newly …

Blazing sunset at D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge. C.Paxton image and copyright.

The Northeast Louisiana Master Naturalists’ Program Explained

Here’s a date for your diaries next Saturday! Are you a keen naturalist? Would you like to learn more about the Northeast Louisiana Master Naturalists’ Program? If so, why not come along and hear all about it at the Union Museum of History and Art on Saturday, February 17th at …

Alan Futch, Dean of Flowers, has again amazed us and produced an exciting layout of varied high quality art work from a range of talented artists, this time on a natural theme

WILD Art Exhibition and Events at Union Museum of History and Art

I loved seeing my work exhibited alongside some truly breathtaking wood sculptures, taxidermy tableaux, oil paintings, photographs, mixed media and pencil and water colour pictures. I submitted images of Southern wildlife alongside some very accomplished artists, many of these works are available for sale via the museum, mine printed in …

The Biodiversity Heritage Library

By C. Paxton Wildopeneye stretched a bit wider this morning and watered a little when I learned via an article on Open Culture that there are now over two million images of nature available online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL)! What a wonderful resource for writers, teachers and students …

A flock of ibises heading to roost over Black Bayou

Lousiana Master Naturalists Northeast Flock To Black Bayou For General Interest Meeting

Yesterday evening (Oct 3) Kimmie and I went to The Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge to attend the first open meeting of the group that aims to serve as the northeastern chapter of the statewide Louisiana Master Naturalists. As if to salute the formation of the group, a flock of …

Young American Alligator at Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana. C.Paxton image and copyright.

Book Review: American Alligator, Ancient Predator in the Modern World

by C.Paxton for wildopeneye. When it comes to environmental education there’s nothing like a good book, and the one I’m reading at the moment called American Alligator, Ancient Predator in the Modern World by Kelby Ouchley is superb. Full of interesting facts and anecdotes and good clear images that not only …

Shoal of fish fry swimming at the suface in Russel Sage WMA's Gourd Bayou, Monroe, Louisiana. C. Paxton image and copyright.

Inspired By Nature, Haikus Celebrating Nature for Biodiversity Day 2017

Wildopeneye is celebrating 2017’s International Biodiversity Day (May 22) by sharing the link to a very fine collection of Haiku poetry published by UNDP to celebrate global biodiversity, “Inspired By Nature”. A haiku is a form of Japanese poem with a rhythm of five syllables in the first line, followed …

Free Course in Sustainable Consumption and Production

How do we move towards more sustainable business and consumer choices? In what could well be the world’s biggest environmental education initiative the UNDP is launching a massive open online course (MOOC) on the subject of Greening Consumption and Production from Wednesday 31 May to Wednesday 12 July 2017. Learn …

Dr. Leyla Acaroglu awarded Champion of The Earth status in 2016. UN image and rights managed.

‘The Doctor of Change’ Wins Top United Nations Environmental Award

Sustainability Innovator and Influencer Wins Top United Nations Environmental Award 2 December, 2016 – Australian designer and innovator Dr. Leyla Acaroglu has been announced as one of the winners of the United Nations’ highest environmental accolade for her science-based yet creative work on bringing about change for sustainability. UN Environment …

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Wild Turkeys at Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge. Click to view movie on Youtube.

Equipment Test

Environmental educati…

Climate Change

The Carles of Castlerigg photographed by Andy Luck on Sony A7r

On assignment

$Sunlight diffracting through Bald Cypress foliage. This Savannah is beloved by Blue and Painted buntings, Cardinals and White throated sparrows. C.Paxton image and copyright.$ Landscape