A Little Flash of Happy

There is a noisy bunch of birds that live, or at least seem to "hang out," in the Cottonwood tree across the street from my apartment. The tree is massive, easily dwarfing everything else around it, except for a few other Cottonwood trees in the area. These birds habitually inhabit that tree and make a racket in the process. Not that I mind, except nearly every single one of those birds are European Starlings...an invasive species that wreaks havoc on local bird populations. But today, as I was checking the mail I heard a call rising above the usual chatter. There in the flowering plum tree in my neighbors yard was a brilliant bird I'd never seen before.

I stared at it for a while, watching and listening, trying to remember all of it's features so I could get online and figure out what it was. Turns out it is a Lesser Goldfinch, and it sure has a pretty call. I wonder if this guy lives around here, or if he's just passing?


"The lesser goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, occurs throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, as well as in portions of northern South America. In Utah, this bird can be found statewide at mid to low elevations, but most predictably in the southern half of the state. Utah breeding populations generally withdraw south in winter, with the exception of birds in the southwestern corner of the state, which are year-round residents of the same area. This bird prefers scrub woodlands, such as scrub oak and pinyon-juniper habitats."

Credits: Text and Photo from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Have Fun and Be Safe: The Importance of Being Prepared

Being prepared in the wilderness is something that comes up frequently, whether it's posted on a trail head sign, being touted by forest rangers, or on the news when Search and Rescue had to pull someone off the mountain. Being prepared when hiking, camping, or doing other activities in the back country is not only a safety issue, but it also determines how the experience unfolds.

A few weeks ago I went down to Cedar City for work. (Have I ever told you how much I love my job?) I went with my boss, Jason, and Mark who is the Chair of USEE's Program Advisory Council and was helping us out. We were there to do some outreach and for a Focus Group meeting we had in the area. Our meeting got out early and we had some extra time, so we decided that it would be great to do a little exploration in Color Country. Little did we know, we were (or at least especially I was) extremely unprepared. We had plenty of water and warm clothes, but in Cedar City it was a beautifully sunny day. There sky was free of clouds and the weather was the warmest I've felt since September.

We decided to try Kolob Canyons. The scenery is picturesque and classically Southern Utah. What we didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of snow there would be on the trails. Cedar City was so gorgeously warm, with no snow to be found, but as we ascended the road to the trail head, the snow kept getting deeper. Mark was smart enough to bring along some gaiters to cover his shoes and pants and had a fine time. Jason had some boots that went up pretty high on his ankles, and seemed to do okay in the deep snow. I, on the other hand, had my hiking boots (which are really more like shoes rather than boots) and not-warm-enough socks. I am also considerably shorter than Mark and Jason.

Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The snow was 3 feet or more deep. There had been a snowshoer on the trail recently before us, so we opted to follow in his tracks. The scenery was beautiful. There's nothing quite like snow gracing the steep walls of the red rock canyons. I had a hard time following the guys as the snow was from my knees to almost my hips every step of the way. We trudged along, laughing at our unpreparedness, telling stories of similar times when we'd been unprepared, and listening to Mark tell us of his encounters with mountain lions. Inevitably, my shoe got stuck deep in the snow. I stood there on one foot bending, flailing, and reaching into the hole where my shoe was lodged, my face mashed against the melting snow as I stretched down, all the while the snow packing into my empty boot. My socks, shoes, and pants were soaked and we were all tired from wading through the crunchy, sinking snow. We decided to head back. I gather that the whole excursion was barely longer than a mile, if even that.

Canyon Overlook
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The canyon was breathtaking, and the event itself was even fun, but mostly the whole situation was quite comical. What's the lesson I learned that day? Just because it's warm in the valley and Zions National Park is in the "desert" doesn't mean that it will be snow-free and dry. A little preparation and planning would have changed the whole experience. Snowshoes, anyone?

Mark, doing fine with his gaiters, and Nicole struggling to keep her balance in the snow.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor

1st Photo: Pinyon Pines and Snowshoe Hare Tracks, Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park. Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor.

Nutrition and Community

My favorite day of every month is known quite affectionately as Distribution Day. I am a member of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah and on the last Saturday of the month I walk to my local distribution center (about 2 or 3 blocks from my home) and pick up a wonderful array of food. On these special Saturdays I can expect to pick up a healthy assortment of fresh fruits and veggies along with some grains, too. This month I was happy to bring home:

• 1 loaf of locally made whole wheat bread
• 1 5 lb. bag of red potatoes
• 1 lb. of brown rice
• 1 package of Utah's Own mushrooms
• 8 kiwis
• 6 apples
• 6 oranges
• 2 bunches of green onions
• 1 bunch of red leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• and, my favorite treat this month, 4 artichokes!

And what did I pay for this beautiful bounty of healthy foods? $14. Can you believe it? I have been ordering food from the Co-Op for almost 3 years now, and I still can't believe it sometimes.

The mission of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah is to "provide quality, healthy food at a substantial savings through cooperative purchasing; and to build a sense of community and to promote volunteer service." The Co-op is for anybody and everybody. The catch? There is a one-time membership fee, of which value you may choose, and then each month you must volunteer 2 hours of your time. The Co-op provides many opportunities to do so and through their needs the Co-op community is built. But, if you can't volunteer with Co-op and already volunteer with another organization, then that counts too. It just has to be 2 hours of your time volunteered for a cause other than for members of your family.

Since I'm a vegetarian, I always order the Harvest Share. But, for the meat-eaters the Standard share comes with plenty of good meat from local butchers. There are all kinds of add-ons that you can get with your order, too. For instance, this month I purchased some local fresh apple cider for $2. They have team sites all over the Wasatch Front, from Park City to Tooele from Ogden to Nephi, where you can pick up your orders. (And if you don't live along the Wasatch Front, I'm sure there is a similar service in your area. I encourage you to find out.) I think this is a fantastic system for tackling some of the issues that concern me such as healthy eating and getting to know your neighbors.

One of my favorite things about the Co-Op is that we don't just get apples, oranges, and bananas every month. We get different things, depending on the season. Tomatoes, corn, squash, and peaches come in the late summer and fall from local growers. This month we received artichokes, which proved to be an exciting adventure as I have never even thought of buying and cooking an entire artichoke. (Which is DELICIOUS, by the way.) Sometimes we even get eggplant. Participating in the Co-Op has definitely inadvertently expanded my taste buds' appetite and my cooking abilities over the years.

So, if you want to purchase a healthy balance of foods for the next month (and embark upon a peregrination of the palate), I suggest you print out an order form, find a pick-up near you, and enjoy!

Note: If you are thinking about trying this out, order forms are due by March 13th!


Credits:

• Peppers
  
• Leafy Greens