Late Winter Fishing for Prehistoric Pickerel ~ No. 10, March 8
Few things compare to a bone-jarring strike or the live-wire sensation of a taut fly line that
connects our land-bound selves to the aquatic world of our quarry. And the first fish of the season is simply sweet reaffirmation for fishermen that other outdoor pursuits pale in comparison.
Why Does Blue Crab Health Take a Backseat to Politics? ~ No. 17, April 26
People scratched their heads as word spread like wildfire yesterday that the Maryland General Assembly’s Joint Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee rejected emergency restrictions to reduce pressure on the commercial crab fishery.
Thanks, Dad, for More Than You Can Ever Know ~ No 24, June 14
I’m pretty sure that my old man, who unexpectedly passed away this past February, would chastise me for false sentiment. “Hallmark has plenty of money!” he might scoff. My father’s world centered on the free exchange of ideas, which didn’t prevent him from thinking he was right a vast majority of the time. In nearly all situations he was.
Why I Kill ~ No. 30, July 26
I’d be less than honest if I didn’t own up to feeling euphoric after outwitting a wild creature, which never ceases to enthrall me with its instinct to live. Chasing wild game allows me to become immersed in the natural cycle of life, and sometimes, but not always, the kill is an integral part of that experience.
The Last Cast ~ No. 37, Sept. 13
The thin line unfurled and extended to its full length behind me, casting a narrow silhouette against the plum-rose horizon. Flashes of energy lit up billowy clouds growing darker and more menacing by the minute. Then came the rumblings, like those of a bassoon, which echoed across the evening sky, low and throaty. Count the time between. There was still time.
Bay Takes a Turn for the Worse ~ No. 43, Oct. 25
In my daydream, I wafted high above our Bay watershed and with eagle eyes I took in large tracts of forests, farmland and wetlands preserved and restored to help filter polluted runoff and offer habitat to the hundreds of plants and animals that make their home alongside us. Fewer, cleaner-burning cars were on the road, and every major sewage plant had state-of-the-art nitrogen removal technology. But after reviewing the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 2001 State of the Bay Report, my vision of a healthier Bay became cloudy …
Earth Journal ~ by Gary Pendleton
In Season: Zebra Swallowtail and Pawpaw ~ No. 28, July 12
Pawpaws grow in dense stands in wet woods and near streams and rivers. If you want to attract zebra swallowtails to your garden, you don’t need to go the trouble of planting pawpaw trees. The adult butterflies are attracted to many kinds of nectar sources.
In Season: Peregrines: A Parable of Urban Recovery ~ No. 38, Sept. 20.
As New Yorkers and people everywhere carry on, we are aware that the world is different, but life endures. It helps to notice that the leaves are beginning to change color. The tomatoes in the garden continue to ripen, though more slowly than a month ago. Canvasback ducks and other migratory waterfowl will soon return to the waters of Chesapeake Bay. In the Big Apple, the pigeons should not let up their guard.
