#professor tamarack

[warpednyliummybeloved]

so i made this

[pkmntrainersquid]

Okay, the three of us (me, Prof Tamarack, and Orpheus) have determined a name for his species.

Procezant.

The professor is going to figure out the scientific name as we continue observations, but we've got a "common name" for now.

[beaniebabysnails]

your journey begins by meeting the lively Professor Tamarack, who studies the migratory patterns of Pokemon in Medova! she will provide one of the three starters to you 🍃

.

these works are part of an ongoing fakemon region project, Medova. inspired by the province of Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the LA Times:

Facing criticism over its practice of monitoring some fires rather than quickly extinguishing them, the U.S. Forest Service has told its firefighters to stop using the strategy for now, to help prevent small blazes from growing into uncontrollable conflagrations.

The policy change came days after California and western states politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, publicly challenged the “let it burn” approach in the wake of the Tamarack fire. The criticism was detailed in a Times story on Sunday.

Instead of letting some naturally caused small blazes burn, the agency’s priorities will shift this year, U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore indicated to staff in a letter Monday. The focus, he said, will be on firefighter and public safety.

Moore, who took over as head of the agency last month, wrote that the 2021 fire season is “different from any before” and posed a “national crisis” that required the U.S. Forest Service to put on hold its mission to groom forestlands — at times by letting wildfire clear them — to make them more resilient to fires. Instead, he said, the agency will use its strained resources to protect lives and homes as more than 70 large fires burn across the United States, requiring more than 22,000 fire personnel to battle.

“We are in a ‘triage mode’ where our primary focus must be on fires that threaten communities and infrastructure,” Moore wrote, citing drought conditions throughout the West and cases of coronavirus among firefighters, reducing ranks further.

Christopher Dicus, professor of fires and fuel at Cal Poly, called the change “prudent,” and said the reevaluation was “not surprising at all” given the “horrific” conditions of drought and weather in the West.

In part to reintroduce fire to landscape after decades of suppression that led to dangerous overgrowth, the Forest Service for many years has allowed some small fires in secluded areas to burn. The Tamarack fire was one of those.

[mcad-ae]

Earth Day 2020 Visiting Artist

For Earth Day 2020, MCAD will be virtually hosting Christine Baeumler, a community-based artist focused on ecological restoration. An associate professor at the University of Minnesota in the Studio Arts department, Baeumler has worked on various green spaces within the Twin Cities and abroad, including the rooftop Tamarack Bog at MCAD! To join the Google Meet for the Visiting Artist lecture, use the following information:

Google Meet Room: Christine Baeumler Lecture

Link: https://meet.google.com/hfy-gxsp-swt

Phone, dial 601-935-4191

PIN: 220 663 421#

To lead into this talk, I asked Christine a couple of questions regarding both her work and the current global situation. 

First of all, what are you currently working on?

Currently, I am focusing on the intergenerational as well as the interdisciplinary dimension of my collaborative practice. For example, in the Buzz Lab youth internship program at the Plains Art Museum and in the Backyard Phenology project, I am focused on appreciating how those projects can bring people from different backgrounds and age groups together. We all have so much to learn and gain from each other’s experiences. 

You often work to improve urban green spaces. What are some examples of what you believe is a well done/designed green space? Any in the Twin Cities specifically?

I am most interested in urban green spaces that are not “designed” but intentionally create the conditions for increased habitat, biodiversity, and water quality considerations. This may mean managing plants introduced from elsewhere that thrive here to give the native plants a chance to re-establish, but also considering plants that are beneficial for pollinators and other species.  These places may not appear designed to an outside observer, but a lot of labor goes into creating a thriving space. I acknowledge, however, it is not possible to fully restore our ecosystems given the damage humans have done to the land, water, and soil, at least in a short time frame. 

Several places I particularly appreciate are the Quaking Bog at Theodore Wirth Park, (which inspired the Rooftop Bog at MCAD). It’s a tamarack bog with a walkway so that people can enjoy the bog but won’t disturb the delicate bog ecosystem there.  The Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary in St Paul below Iminija Ska (the White Cliffs)  is an ongoing oak savanna restoration  of a railroad brownfield, managed by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Lower Phalen Creek Project. If you haven’t been to either of those places I recommend a socially distanced walk (the walkway at the Quaking Bog is a bit narrow, so something to consider now). 

I also appreciate the Native American Medicine Gardens on the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul Campus (across from the Bell Museum on Cleveland Avenue). The director of the Native American Medicine Garden, Cante Suta/ Francis Bettelyoun, has built up the soil (and the microbes) on the site over many years. Bettelyoun, students, and a team of volunteers care for the plants and animals there from the Indigenous perspective of Relatives.  I love that among  the neat rows of the experimental agricultural plots,  the NAMG has an organic quality that is teeming with life--insects, birds, and mammals.

What aspects of urban living are you looking to change? How do you believe the integration of art and green spaces work to improve the living conditions within an urban environment?

As I mentioned before, in relation to the Native American Medicine Gardens, I believe that shifting our perspective as the natural world from resource to Relative, which is an Indigenous perspective, is such an important shift in awareness. I hope this shift in our consciousness can lead to different approaches about the ways we live, what we consume,  as well as how we see our role as artists, designers and people with political agency. 

I believe we have the opportunity to reconsider our roles as artists, and expand our notion of what is and what can be. I admire the practitioners of Maintenance Art, Mierle Laderman Ukeles and Sean Connaughty, whose artistic practice involves an everyday attention to dealing with waste (something most of us would choose to ignore).  

This is another chance to think in terms of systems instead of discrete projects. We have big complex challenges, such as climate change, that need comprehensive and coordinated solutions. Individual choices matter, but we have to make systemic and political change on larger scales while keeping issues of environmental and social justice at the forefront of our consideration.  Big topics, to be sure, but they require us to be attentive to ways things are interconnected. Maybe we can see how we are all connected more clearly at this time as we are all starting to feel our own vulnerability. 

Artists and designers can integrate art and the urban environment by playing  a variety of roles--but to me, working in interdisciplinary teams and with and in conversation with communities  seems like an impactful  way to collectively address environmental challenges.

As I watch environmental protections rolled back, for example, during this moment of Covid 19, I believe it is also incumbent upon us to act politically, to make our voices heard, and to vote in the fall. 

We are in a time of great global change and uncertainty. How do you believe the quarantine and constantly shifting events will impact the art world, creatives, and our reactions to the world around us? Any advice for the students in quarantine?

I have so many questions instead of answers. First, how do we, as individuals and a community, consider those most deeply impacted by Covid 19?  Those who do not have a  home, food security or have health or economic challenges? How are we addressing more immediate needs?  How do we effectively stand up to attempts to dismantle  environmental  protections or other moves that are destructive? 

While we are reeling from the impact these changes make in our own lives, how do we stay present to what’s happening in the public sphere? I am asking these questions of myself and turning to those who have more advanced ideas and thinking about the present situation than I do.  

The art world, consisting of cultural and educational  institutions, organizations, community groups, funders  and individuals have all been impacted in ways we are only beginning to comprehend. This may lead to a different way of organizing ourselves and our practices. 

As I look out, I see a  myriad of ways artists are approaching  their work in this time of crises (plural because we face more than the pandemic)  by creating platforms, opportunities, raising up voices, making the invisible visible, calling out injustice, creating awareness, and  expressing  a range of emotional responses through a variety of media --and offering work that provides solace and humor as well. 

Historically, artists have always responded to crises and have been at the forefront of movements addressing injustice, violence, war, health crises, and environmental threats. 

Now it is our turn, as artists, to consider how we respond. What a significant, and perhaps somewhat terrifying, opportunity.  It may take us some time to collect ourselves. In fact, it seems important to take the time we need to adjust before we spring into action. 

For students in quarantine. 

I would encourage students to take this time to slow down, reflect, journal, meditate--whatever self reflective practices help you to be in touch with yourself--and take care of yourself.  Embrace your feelings, and reach out if you need assistance. It’s ok not to be “productive” at this moment. We are in a time where people are experiencing extreme disruption and trauma--so be gentle with yourself.  Connect to others in the ways you are able..  and don’t get too isolated. 

Your voice, your ideas and your work are significant, and matter to the world. But being in touch with where you are in the moment may be the most important thing to honor. 

Right now, many of us have the opportunity to slow down, reflect and more deeply examine our own lives and our relationship to what is important to our own well-being, our Fellow Beings and our Earth.

Any advice for how the individuals reading this can practice creativity, or any overall thoughts on the creative process in this time?

I want to offer a way to refresh our creativity. Take a break from technology. Go outside and connect with your “nature family,” the trees, the birds, the rocks, the sun, moon and stars. The weather.  Using your imagination and the power of observation, quiet your mind and listen to what the world has to communicate with you. Have a conversation with a chipmunk, debate a crow, chuckle with a stone. The human world has become more quiet now, and perhaps it is our chance to engage, through our minds and our senses, with the world outside of our doors and beyond our screens.  

-An Interview with Christine Baeumler, edited by Madilyn Duffy

[professorslog-blog]

Professor’s Log #30

Okay, I think it’s on now...

Sweet, let’s get this over with.

Hello. This is... uh... Professor T—Tamarack.

Wait, what—

Shh! Just go with it! ...Yup, this is Professor Tamarack. Everything’s good here. I’m doing pretty gucci. Just, uh... doing research and stuff. So don’t worry about me. I’m perfectly fine.

This is so stupid.

You got any better ideas? They’re gonna get suspicious if we don’t—

I know, I know! Just... find the keyboard and type something more believable, alright?

Okay, okay... um... oh. Found it.

Good. How do you delete what it already recorded?

Hmm. Delete, delete... Ah. I think it’s this button.

Wait, hang on. That looks like the send butto

[atlanticcanada]

Storm Watch: Closures and Cancellations for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021

Here is a list of school closures, cancellations and delays for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021.

NOVA SCOTIA

All Halifax Regional Centre for Education schools and offices are closed today. 

(Feb. 2, 2021) All HRCE schools and offices are closed today. More information on today’s decision will be posted at https://t.co/p5U5KYJxil

— Halifax Regional Centre for Education (@HRCE_NS) February 2, 2021

All schools in Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education, including those in the Municipality of East Hants and Cumberland, Pictou and Colchester Counties, are closed today due to the inclement weather forecast.

All Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education schools are closed today due to weather/road conditions. Offices and work sites opening at 11 am.

Classes are cancelled at all Strait Regional Centre for Education schools today. Support staff are asked to please report to work at your regular time.

All South Shore Regional Centre for Education schools are closed today due to inclement weather.

All Tri-County Regional Centre for Education schools are closed today due to inclement weather.

Classes are cancelled for all students of the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education

The following schools under the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial are closed today:

École Acadienne Pomquet, Étoile de l'Acadie, École Acadienne Truro, École Beau-Port, École Beaubassin, École Bois-Joli, École des Beaux-Marais, École du Carrefour, École du Grand-Portage, École Mer et Monde, École NDA, École secondaire du Sommet.

All Nova Scotia Community College Metro Campuses (Ivany, Aviation, IT and Akerley), Lunenburg campus, Marconi campus, Pictou campus, Truro campus, Shelburne campus, Burridge Campus including Digby Learning Centre are closed due to weather conditions.

Dalhousie University Halifax and Truro Campuses closed due to weather, courses suspended.

Dalhousie Agricultural Halifax and Truro Campuses closed due to weather, courses suspended.

Saint Mary's University campus closed for in-person classes and services. Virtual classes will continue as scheduled unless students are informed otherwise by individual professors.

Mount Saint Vincent University On-campus services (including Library, Fitness Centre, Bookstore & Health Office) will not be available on February 2. All student services will be available virtually. Online classes will continue, technology permitting. Check Moodle or class cancellations page for info.

Halifax Transit Routes 14 & 32 are now on Snow Plan. Buses will continue straight on Herring Cove Rd. in both directions. No service to Osborne St, Tamarack Dr, Mountain Rd, Cowie Hill Rd, Ridge Valley Rd, or Highfield St. 

The Tancook Island ferry is cancelled for the day due to weather.

NEW BRUNSWICK

All Anglophone East School District Operations will be closed today.

All Francophone Sud schools will be closed today.

Université de Moncton campus is closed for the day. All activities and classes are canceled for the period from 6 a.m. to midnight.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

All Prince Edward Island Public School Branch classes are cancelled for today.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/2YEQl6A

[creativemorningsvancouver]

Join us for our speaker next month as we welcome Shauna Sylvester to our virtual stage.

**Shauna Sylvester - Social entrepreneur, facilitator, commentator, and educator**

Service to community, to friends and family has always been at the core of Shauna Sylvester’s life. Her resume reads like a great novel, filled with intrigue from overseas stints in conflict zones to the Vancouver “girl next door” who sidestepped becoming a nun to found several non-profits and eventually run for mayor.

Those who know her well will tell you that you can’t describe Shauna in conventional terms. While she is a Professor of Professional Practice and the Executive Director of Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, she isn’t an academic. She rejects the ivory tower and works to bring the university into community and the community into the university.

Shauna started out in high school as a peace activist, worked overseas in Bolivia, Ecuador and Indonesia and then shifted her focus in her late twenties to create the kind of work she thought was needed in the world. She then went on to launch and lead five initiatives (IMPACS - the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, Canada’s World, Carbon Talks, Renewable Cities, and the SFU Public Square) while raising kids and caring for elderly parents. She has also served on corporate and non-profit boards along the way - from Vancity, Vancity Capital Corp., Mountain Equipment Cooperative, to the Voluntary Sector Initiative and Tamarack Institute.

Shauna’s feels most at home when she is convening difficult conversations. She is an award-winning facilitator who has designed and hosted hundreds of dialogues related to transportation, housing, land-use planning, democracy, climate change and human rights. She has a passion for cities, a hard-wire commitment to justice and a capacity to create abundance where others see scarcity. Q&A

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? Creativity is seeing a future state and striving to make it so. My life has been a series of creative surges. I see a problem, I sit with it until I feel compelled to act and then I start shaping and reshaping potential solutions. It's never linear or formulaic, it almost always involves talking to other people to understand their perspectives and it is all-encompassing. Sometimes I can't sleep until a clear path emerges and then when it does, I move into "executive mode" - which generally means I'm all in - heart, mind, body and soul and I'm drawing pictures with lots of arrows.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? Sitting in silence.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Curious people who genuinely listen to others tend to be the smartest people in the room.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? Aaron Sorkin – I love his screenwriting.

What did you learn from your most memorable creative failure? When IMPACS, an organization I had founded declared bankruptcy a year after I had departed as Executive Director, I blamed everyone but myself.  Once I accepted my role in its demise, I stopped being angry, I felt lighter and I started unpacking what I could learn from the experience. Being vulnerable and admitting to my mistakes has been freeing.

What's the most recent thing you learned (big or small)? That llama poo is great for the garden and doesn’t smell (My neighbour has a llama).

Where is your favourite place to escape? It’s a toss-up—Point Roberts for the calm, the smell of the ocean and the sunsets and Nelson for the mountains and a sense of community (I was born there and my great-grandparents settled there from Guelph, Ontario)

[catescher]

Review: The Precious Dreadful: A Novel

Quick Disclaimer: I was not in any form or shape paid for this review/compensated for it. I bought the book on my own initiative and out of my own pocket. No strings attached whatsoever. Also Spoiler Warning!

The Data Part

Name of the book: The Precious Dreadful: A novel Author: Steven Parlato Publishing House: Simon Pulse Pages: 353 Formats available: EBook, Hardcover ISBN:1507202776 Price: 10.75/15.99 €, 18.99$, 8.99/9.45 £ (as of writing)

Description (Amazon, Goodreads, etc.)

Combining romance and humor with elements of the paranormal, this is a profound novel about one teenage girl’s decision to redefine her life in the wake of supernatural events. Teddi Alder is just trying to figure out her life. When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her lost childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi fears she’s losing her grip on reality—as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky new boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own. As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

The Author

Steven Parlato, novelist and poet, is also associate professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he serves as faculty advisor to award-winning student newspaper, The Tamarack. Parlato has played roles ranging from the Scarecrow to Macbeth, and his poetry appears in journals including Freshwater, MARGIE, Borderlands, CT River Review, Pirene’s Fountain, and Peregrine. Steven’s manuscript, JUNIOR, YA winner of the 2011 CT Shoreline Arts Alliance Tassy Walden Award, was acquired by Jackie Mitchard of Merit Press. Upon its 2013 release as The Namesake, Publishers Weekly called Parlato “a name to watch.” Most recently represented by Victoria Marini of GSLA/ICM, Parlato has led writing workshops for teens and adults at several CT libraries. Also an illustrator, he is husband to Janet and proud father of two amazing teens. Follow Steven online at StevenParlato.com and on Twitter @ParlatoWrites.

Also, now is the last time to turn back if you are not interested in spoilers! Read on at your own risk!

Cover art (Yes, I judge a book by its cover): 5/5 It’s kept in violet and reddish shade, very atmospheric for the supernatural part of the story. I think the silhouette represents Teddi. I thought while reading the book that Teddi had a more tomboyish look to her in the beginning for some reason, but this does not distract from the cover. The title is written in chalk, maybe representing the writing class. Overall, very fitting.

Readability: 3/5 First POV, and Present Tense. Two pet peeves right out of the gate. Since Teddi is the narrator I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe I’m too old but she was an obnoxious, stupid brat. I could go on and on but I’ll leave it at that… Until I get to the Characters. But, and this is the saving grace, it was easy to read and Mr. Parlato tried to keep it close to what a teenager might talk like.

Fun: 2/5 A few lines had me snickering, I admit that. It was fun, for some parts, but I was mostly shouting at Teddi when she made stupid decisions. Teenagers… Also it was pretty sad at some points. The whole backstory with Corey was nothing short of heartbreaking and I shed some tears, believe me. Hard to make me cry at a book, so kudos to Steven Parlato. I mentioned screaming at Teddi (which explains the bad score here). Mainly I did it because I didn’t quite agree with her choice of a boyfriend. Which leads to the next point.

Characters: 2/5 Frankly, I disliked most of the more prominent characters. I already mentioned not liking Teddi as the narrator - she had a distinctive voice, I admit that at least. She was an obnoxious, stupid teenager and I honestly have no time for that kind of shit anymore. Next point, her “boyfriend” Aiden. He was a shithead. I don’t give a fuck about his sob-backstory. He was an asshole from the beginning. He was borderline abusive and Teddi notices it - but she still went back to being with him. Let’s just say I wanted to smash both of their heads together more than once. This shouldn’t be the reaction to the main character and her, for the most of the book, boyfriend/love interest. Luckily, they don’t get together in the end even though it looked like it for a huge part of the novel. Thank God for that. Which brings me to the next point. Ed (or Joy as he is first introduced) is a punk. The obvious bad boy (except he isn’t) and the one Teddi ends up with. They have some tender moments, but after the last scene with Aiden when Teddi gave Aiden CPR we have a time skip and then they end up together. Nothing more. Like I said, a bit sudden and Ed had a lot less screentime than the other two. Also, he is a bit too much the clichéd  bad boy with a heart of gold. Willa was Teddi’s BFF. I’m kinda… neutral about her. She seemed like a good friend (far better than Teddi was to her). Otherwise… that’s it. But, for all my criticism, I do have characters I liked. Mostly Adaluz and Eleonore who both have far too few page time. Both are wonderfully eccentric, supportive characters. Both tie in with the supernatural plot which might also be why I like them so much. I was really sad to see them not having the scene time I would have loved them to have. Teddi’s mom, Brenda, was one of the more sympathetic characters to me. She had an honest, tragic backstory and tried to look out for Teddi who didn’t make it easy on her.

Predictability: 2/5 The second the two boys were introduced I knew that those two were the Love Interests. I also pegged it correctly that Teddi would end up with Ed (or I at least hoped it). I didn’t know that the romantic plot would be so heavily featured - I preferred the supernatural way more. Also I thought that Corey was the girl who haunted Teddi until I realized that it was Teddi's childhood friend's name. My second thought about the apparition was Fawn, the other friend but she didn’t figure in in the end. Or not much, at least. I thought that Eli would feature in as a major antagonist, maybe even as a Aiden’s dealer or something. Sadly, that didn’t happen and he instead was killed in a fire, away from anything happening during the novel, almost as an afterthought to tie up loose ends.

Overall impression: 2.8/5 Yeah, not happy with the book. I originally thought the supernatural plot would figure more which it didn’t and I didn’t like the romantic plot. I didn’t like Love Interest 1 (Aidan) and found Ed a bit too cliché punk with a heart of gold. If you’re more into romance, this might be a book for you. I’m more of a fantasy type. But, the supernatural plot was heartwrenching, sad and beautiful. I shed tears, and grieved with Teddi in the end. I felt with her because her loss was nothing short of heartwrenching.

In short: If you like love triangles and heartwrenching tales of loss mixed in with a paranormal plot in a writer’s group, this is a book for you.

Favourite quotes

“More like an anomaly. I’m the one mistake my mother didn’t make repeatedly.” (Teddi to Ed about her mother)

“Alder, the Goddess Tree […] But qualities of the alder: Strength. Resilence. These are aspects to explore in your writing. Absolutely. Did you have any idea, for example, when submerged in water, alder wood hardens to the toughness of stone?” “Can’t say I did.” “Names are significant, Miss Alder. They shape - to some degree they even dictate - the people we become.” (Eleanor talking about Teddi’s names.)

Eleanor says, “Crazy? Hardly. There are three more likely possibilities.” “Three. Really?” Voice a whisper, she says, “Yes. You’re either - one: lying in some woeful bid for attention.” “Nope.” “Thought not. Option two: there’s a feral child loose, and she’s imprinted on you.” “That’s unlikely, isn’t it?” “Afraid so.” “Then… what’s option three?” Eleanor thrums the edge of her folder. Biting her lip, she regards me seriously. “I fear, Miss Alder, this may be a haunting.” (On Teddi’s recent experiences)

[pkmntrainersquid]

I sent you a gift for delibird day, you should pick it up at the Pokémon Center. Good luck on your gym challenge.

-Professor Joshua Tamarack

Wait you found my Rotomblr???!!!

Uhh yeah I'll head on over in a bit, thanks! Happy holidays to you too.

[manitofakemon]

Pokémon Professor Tamarack

Professor Robin Tamarack is the rising star of the Manito region, having to fill in the role left by the recent passing of the world-famous Professor Maple. In her youth, she studied in Unova alongside Professor Juniper, and gained her fascination with the origins of Pokémon. Today she specializes in folklore and myth surrounding Pokémon, drawing upon her own Native Manitoan heritage to become at once a successful and controversial voice in the scientific community. She has recently chosen Windrose Town for her base of operations.

There’s a rumor that she is actually related to Minister Wren and Shaman Raven. If this is true, then she certainly doesn’t appear to be on speaking terms with them anymore.

Inktober 2017: Humans of Manito 1/31

So! New plan that I’ve made up on the spot. This October, I’m going to be trying for my own Inktober challenge of drawing the humans of the Manito region. Here’s hoping I can keep up!

Also! Thank you for the 300 followers! That is bonkers, y’all

[pokemon-inspiration]

Professors of the Ouisko region

Professor Redpine: Likely the first professor an aspiring trainer will meet upon arriving in the Ouisko region, Professor Redpine is renowned for having a diverse range of research topics. A tall, slender man with a well trimmed salt-and-pepper beard with ever curious eyes, Professor Redpine often resembles an old fashioned gentleman scientist, preferring suits to the lab coats of other professors. When he’s not pursuing a new research thread of ecology, chemistry, astronomy, or geology, he can usually be found in Creamstone University giving lectures to new students or distributing Ouisko’s starter Pokemon to new trainers. Though extremely intelligent and welcoming to any who express a desire to explore or learn, he can be easily distracted by a new hypothesis. This has gotten him into trouble quite a few times over the course of his academic career.

Professor Sucre: As a contrast to Professor Redpine, who most often can be found in the hustle and bustle of Creamstone City, Professor Sucre is a hermit and recluse among the professors. This is not to say he is unfriendly or misanthropic, quite the opposite; rather, he believes the best way to learn about the interactions between humanity, Pokemon, and nature is to live out in the wilds. A slight, balding, bespectacled man, at first glance few would suspect him of being one of the foremost ecological experts in the region. Professor Sucre tends to a remote cabin among the pine barrens of the Sand Plains, writing copious journals of his observations of nature and his own thoughts on the relationships between all living things.

Professor Juneberry: A newer face of Pokemon academia, Professor Juneberry only recently ascended to professorhood from under Professor Sucre’s wing. A former Adept of the Council of the Sky, the Flying-type Council operating out of Azure Mound Park, the young Juneberry had been infatuated with bird Pokemon for years before she earned her spot alongside the newly instated Council under Council Master Briene, with whom she had and continues to have a powerful friendship. While she was a powerful Trainer, she found her passions were more in learning about Flying-type Pokemon than battling with them, and so ended up working alongside Professor Sucre for many years.

 Professor Juneberry is a young woman with tanned skin, short dark brown hair, and is often clad in flannel, worn jeans, and hobnailed boots. Juneberry considers herself better suited to field work than to lab work, as she is energetic, forward, and isn’t afraid of speaking her mind. Currently, she is studying the migration patterns of Flying-type Pokemon, though she has also expressed interest in studying the Morph Moves of Ouisko, moves that change in power and effect as Ouisko Pokemon evolve.

Professor Tamarack: It is a rare person in Ouisko that doesn’t know Professor Tamarack, at least by name. When she was a young girl, she was one of the foremost voices in opposition to the powerful Team Forge, even before such resistance was popular. Once the tide began to turn against Team Forge and their plans to change all aspects of Ouisko to serve humans, she was continually on the front lines fighting with her loyal Curteract tearing down their fortified institutions. Once the balance between humans, Pokemon, and nature at large was restored, she returned to the coast of Lake Michi-Gami where she grew up so she might fall back in love with its natural beauty. 75 years of researching the ebbs and flows of the freshwater seas that border Ouisko, she has earned quite a reputation of knowing the waters and Water-type Pokemon of Michi-Gami inside and out.

An elderly woman with pale skin, her hair tied up in a bun, often donning her worn lab coat and leaning on a cane, Professor Tamarack still carries a sharp tongue and is tremendously proud of her deeds both past and present. She is a fierce defender of nature, especially the dense forests of the Pink Petal Peninsula she has called home for the last 75 years. She has had little time for study of late, unfortunately, as something deep in her old bones tells her an old enemy might be rearing its iron head...

(Inspired by Increase A. Lapham, Aldo Leopold, Frances Hamerstrom, and Emma Toft respectively, important conservation and naturalist figures in Wisconsin history)

[upperpeninsulabreakingnews]

Keweenaw Peninsula, Mohawk Mining, Wolverine Mine - Gay, MI and the effort to save whitefish spawning habitat on Buffalo Reef: Excellent story by the MDNR PR guy, historian, and former Marquette newspaper legend John Pepin

Keweenaw Peninsula, Mohawk Mining, Wolverine Mine – Gay, MI and the effort to save whitefish spawning habitat on Buffalo Reef: Excellent story by the MDNR PR guy, historian, and former Marquette newspaper legend John Pepin

The century-long journey from Mohawk to Buffalo Reef

By JOHN PEPIN Michigan Department of Natural Resources

In 1896, northeast of Calumet on the rugged Keweenaw Peninsula, lumberman Ernest Koch was cutting a wood road through the trees and brush when, like television’s Jed Clampett, he accidentally stumbled onto a valuable find.

Koch discovered an important native copper ore body in defiance of…

[professorslog-blog]

Professor’s Log #1

Hello, Professor Rowan. Glad to see you found my blog.

As per your request, I’m setting off on an expedition to find Shaymin and document it. Little to nothing is known about this Pokémon aside from urban legends, which is why you asked me to find it and confirm that the data in the Pokédex is correct. Simple enough.

Trust me, Professor. I’ll find this beauty of a Pokémon before you can even hand out another Pokédex. I’ll even log my progress on this blog for good measure.

Oh, and if anyone else stumbles across my account—greetings! I’m Professor Tamarack. I’m a Pokémon professor trying to make a name for myself in the field of science. Feel free to ask me about my studies or my progress on this exhibition.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

  The afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park

We are growing to love the trees and forests as we turn more and more to outdoor life for recreation and sport, and finding them truly irreplaceable. In our ramblings along shady streets, through grassy parks, over wooded valleys, and in prairie wildernesses we find that much more than formerly we are asking ourselves what are these trees, what are the leaf, flower, twig, wood and habit characteristics which distinguish them from other trees; how large do they grow; under what conditions of soil and climate do they thrive best; what are their enemies and how can they be overcome; what is their protective value; are they useful for planting along streets and in parks and in regenerating forests; how can the trees of our afforestation area,  streets and lawns be preserved and repaired as they begin to fail from old age or other causes?

Trembling Aspen grove Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area

In view of the growing taste for rural life, and of the multiplication of country residences in all parts of the province, especially in the vicinity of the cities and of the larger towns, this article will make a special feature of discussing the planning and planting of the afforestation areas of Saskatoon ~ The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park.. Historically, the City of Saskatoon parks department under the guidance of Bert Wellman, in their endeavor to assist the city in its desire to make the urban surroundings attractive and artistic.

Study of the flowering plants or Phanerogamia of the botanist. This classification includes:

Gymnosperms (Naked Seeds.)

Cycadaceae. (Palms, Ferns, etc.)

Gnetaceae. (Joint firs)

Conifers. Pines, first, etc.

Angiosperms (Fruits.)

Monocotyledons. (One seed-leaf.) (Palms, bamboos, grasses, etc.)

Dicotyledons. (Two seed -leaves.)

Herbs.

Broad-leaved trees.

Of fruit-bearing trees (angiosperms), there are two classes, those that have one seed-leaf as they germinate, and those that have two seed-leaves. are the needle-leaved trees or the conifers, including such trees as the pines, cedars, spruces, firs, etc. Under the fruit-bearing trees (angiosperms), are those that have two seed-leaves (the dicotyledons) and include the great mass of broad-leaved or deciduous trees such as chestnut, oak, ash and maple.

“Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your Teacher.” —Wordsworth.

Exploring classifications, even further, they may be quite inaccurate etymologically speaking. Many of the so-called deciduous (Latin, deciduus, falling off) trees are actually evergreen, such those of other locales holly, live oak, magnolia and cherry. So, too, some of the alleged “evergreens,” like bald cypress and the tamarack or larch shed their leaves annually.

“I became intoxicated with the beauty all around me, immersed in the joyousness and exultation of feeling part of it all….I had entered the temple of the woods. “Richard St. Barbe Baker.

The pines belong to the coniferous class of trees; that is, trees which bear cones. The pines may be told from the other coniferous trees by their leaves, which are in the form of needles two inches or more in length. These needles keep green throughout the entire year. To classify pines one from the other examine the pine needl clusters. In the white pine there are five needles to each cluster, in the pitch pine three, and in the Scotch pine two. The Scotch pine needles are short compared with those of the white pine, and slightly twisted. The bark, especially along the upper portion of the trunk, is reddish in color. Overall, Scotch pine is a medium-sized tree with a short crown which grows best on a deep, rich, sandy soil, but will also grow on a dry, porous soil.

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Spring time

To preserve wild animals implies generally the creation of a forest for them to dwell in or resort to. So it is with man.~Henry D. Thoreau

The spruces are pyramidal-shaped trees, with tall and tapering trunks, thickly covered with branches, forming a compact crown. They are widely distributed throughout the cold and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, where they often form thick forests over extended areas. The Colorado blue spruce ( Picea pungens) ommonly used in parks, can be told from the other spruces by its pale-blue or sage-green color and its sharp-pointed, coarse-feeling twigs. Its small size and sharp-pointed conical form are also characteristic.

The blue sky, the brown soil beneath, the grass, the trees, the animals, the wind, and rain, and stars are never strange to me; for I am in and of and am one with them; and my flesh and the soil are one, and the heat in my blood and in the sunshine are one, and the winds and the tempests and my passions are one. ~ W.H. Hudson

American Elm (Ulmus americana) can be told at a glance by its general branching habit. The limbs arch out into a wide-spreading fan or vase-like crown which loses itself in numerous fine drooping branchlets. The elm prefers a deep, rich and moist soil, but will adapt itself even to the poor soil of the city street.

We do not realize how far and widely, or how near and narrowly, we are to look. The greater part of the phenomena of Nature are for this reason concealed from us all our lives. The gardener sees only the gardener’s garden. Nature does not cast pearls before swine. There is just as much beauty visible to us in the landscape as we are prepared to appreciate,—not a grain more. We cannot see anything until we are possessed with the idea of it, take it into our heads,—and then we can hardly see anything else. This is the history of my finding a score or more of rare plants, which I could name. A man sees only what concerns him. A botanist absorbed in the study of grasses does not distinguish the grandest Pasture Oaks. How much more, then, it requires different intentions of the eye and of the mind to attend to different departments of knowledge! How differently the poet and the naturalist look at objects! ~Henry D. Thoreau

The quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides),  and the black or balsam poplar also known as the balm of Gilead (Populus balsamifera) are other common members of the poplar group. The quaking aspen may be told by its reddish-brown twigs, narrow sharp-pointed buds, and by its small finely toothed leaves. The large-toothed aspen has thicker and rather downy buds and broader and more widely toothed leaves. The balsam poplar has a large bud thickly covered with a sticky, pungent, gelatinous substance. Its flowers, in the form of large catkins, a peculiarity of all poplars, appear in the early spring.

Some of the Fine Arts appeal to the ear, others to the eye. There is the art whose purpose it is to create beautiful compositions upon the surface of the ground. No replacement can be found for this artform, for it is as fine as the finest, and which demands as much of its professors in the way of creative power and executive skill as the most difficult. The parks department, herein referred to as The more perfectly the artist attains his aim, the more likely we are to forget that he has been at work. the landscape artist uses the same materials as nature herself. In what is called “natural” gardening it uses them to produce effects which under fortunate conditions nature might produce without man’s aid.

Glad at having discovered the existence of this forest so near home, and wondering why my urban friends had never taken me to it nor ever went out on that side, I set forth with a light heart to explore it for myself. What a wild beauty and fragrance and melodiousness it possessed above all forests, because of that mystery that drew me to it! And it was mine, truly and absolutely—as much mine as any portion of earth’s surface could belong to any man—mine with all its products: the precious woods and fruits and fragrant gums that would never be bought nor sold; its wild animals that man would never persecute; ~ W.H. Hudson

Again, the landscape-gardener’s art differs from all others in the unstable character of its productions. When surfaces are modeled and plants arranged, nature and the artist must work a long time together before the true result appears; and when once it has revealed itself, day to day attention will be forever needed to preserve it from the deforming effects of time. It is easy to see how often neglect or interference must work havoc with the best intentions, how often the passage of years must travesty or destroy the best results, how rare must be the cases in which a work of landscape art really does justice to its creator.

See for yourself, explore the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park.  See the afforestation areas as a naturalist, as an entymologist, bicycle rider, as a botanist, dog walker, a geologist, or an ornithologist.  How does your viewpoint of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park change with each hat that is worn?

And caring not in that solitude to disguise my feelings from myself, and from the wide heaven that looked down and saw me—for this is the sweetest thing that solitude has for us, that we are free in it, and no convention holds us—I dropped on my knees and kissed the prairie ground, then casting up my eyes, thanked the Author of my being for the gift of that wild forest, those green mansions where I had found so great a happiness! ~W.H. Hudson

52° 06′ 106° 45′

For more information:

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Facebook: StBarbeBaker Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Facebook: South West OLRA Contact the Meewasin Valley Authority in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The MVA has begun a Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund. If you wish to support the afforestation area with your donation, write a cheque to the “Meewasin Valley Authority Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area trust fund (MVA RSBBAA trust fund)”. Please and thank you! Twitter: StBarbeBaker

Green Mansions of Saskatoon The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area   The afforestation area formerly named George Genereux Park We are growing to love the trees and forests as we turn more and more to outdoor life for recreation and sport, and finding them truly…