Yinan Chen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper barely remembers how to rant about positive things, so there was some verbal fumbling with the good news this week that the Wisconsin DNR Board approved the $1.64 million purchase of 220 acres to be added to …
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Category:Nature
Kickass Up in the Clouds
Photo by Naldo Mesquita from Pexels By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, turns it over to the keeper as he and Phyllis fly over the country in returning from their Colorado visit with Rick and Becky on a magnificent day of endless cumulous clouds that–as the summer solstice is marked–make it appear that the earth has blossomed …
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Kickass and Pond Life
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper and Phyllis in the proximity of pond eco systems where hidden predators—huge snapping turtles, dominate to the threat and detriment of all other life forms; and, of course, the keeper and Phyllis find …
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Kickass 6/2/21 Bear at Bird Feeder
Photo by Bill Pennell on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, tries to help the keeper stay calm over bird feeder issues, particularly after hearing from the keeper’s brother Orville up in Barron County where a black bear has smashed the bird feeder and taken up a lounging presence in the feeder’s proximity. Dedicated animal/bird people, …
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Kickass and Wolf Traffic Control
National Archives and Records Administration , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in noting the recent research implication that the presence of wolves—an estimated 1,000 in Wisconsin, greatly reduces the incidence of deer-traffic collisions, which averages nearly 20,000 annually and results in eight deaths and 477 injuries …
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Kickass and Natural Commission
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, assists the keeper in establishing a commission to investigate the seasonal insurrection of the spring of 2021, when the human species continued its destructive ways as the rest of the natural world went on about the business of propagation and existence with a glorious display of blossoms, exuberance …
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Kickass and Rants to Howls
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports some progress with the keeper’s efforts to transform his rants into howls, particularly as another summer approaches when Wisconsin will again be the ONLY STATE allowing bear hunters to train their hounds by running them through the woods at the height of family rearing by countless wild …
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Kickass and Renewal
By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper and Phyllis joined the mass exodus to the gloriously blossoming natural world Sunday with a patrol of the Driftless area where Phyllis photographed trilliums and other wildflowers, and the keeper finally caught a breakfast trout. Increasingly aware of age-related limitations, the keeper did not …
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Slaughterhouse North
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter There was a time, not so long ago, when Wisconsin was considered to be a national leader in conservation. We had a long and storied tradition of vigilant stewardship for our lands, waters, and wildlife. Former Wisconsin Governor and U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, a longtime environmental activist, was …
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Kickass and Women Hikers
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in being continuously awed by women, but never more so than when it comes to “taking a hike.” There has been recent news of Jessica Killinbeck of Mt. Horeb hiking all of the Dane County parks; and Halora Kiddes, Sun Prairie, …
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The Neal Wiseman Gallery
Down in the Loxahatchee
Kickass and the Third Insect
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper hesitates to repost a photo, but after several sharp-eyed viewers—Jan and Gene among them, pointed out the presence of a third insect in the keeper’s butterfly-wasp photo, and Gina claimed to have photographed an invisible wasp, it was obvious that …
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