Cows grazing on High Hope Farm in Clay County Mississippi

Rev. Johnny Wray of Cedar Bluff was inspired to begin grass-fed protein production as a result of his work as executive director of the humanitarian response fund for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He did extensive travel abroad to help respond to natural disaster, hunger and refugee issues.

A lot of our work was in small-scale agriculture allowing communities to be more self-sufficient in food production, Wray said. That is where I was coming from professionally. I was very interested in food, concerned about what was in food, where it came from and who produced it. I traveled to countries in Central America and Africa and to Bosnia and North Korea where communities were struggling and often very poor.

He experienced something unexpected. After a couple of weeks eating healthy food produced without herbicides, pesticides or commercial fertilizer, he felt better. He realized people in the countries he visited were eating very close to the land. He and his wife, Deb, decided they wanted to do something similar in Mississippi.

We were going to know where our beef and other food came from, and how it was produced, Wray said. We were able to find people with similar interests. We knew someone who raised pastured pork and someone with a large organic farm in Starkville.

Ten years ago Johnny and Deb Wray moved onto the farm to live a life of hospitality to friends and strangers, and to raise and offer the finest grass-fed beef for sale.

In 1980, they bought a small farm in western Clay County primarily as a getaway. Then they discovered writer Wendall Berry, a foremost advocate of healthier farming. Berry provided a philosophical underpinning for farming closer to nature.

I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me, Berry wrote. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade.

Then they met Dr. Allen Williams, who consults around the world with grass-fed producers.

Allen provided the practical part of it: regenerative agriculture, Wray said. At the end of 2008, my wife and I made what some people would say was a crazy decision to give up good-paying jobs in Indianapolis and move to the farm and do food production that was sustainable and organic. We knew it wouldnt be the traditional way of farming. We decided that raising grass-fed beef would be particularly suited to us. We are now in our 12th year.

The first year they raised just one steer. The next year they raised three, and sold shares in the beef produced. Over the next several years, they geared up to doing 20-25 annually. Then the Covid crisis hit. People saw the rampant Covid infections in workers at big meatpacking plants, and shortages of meat in grocery stores.

Covid uncovered issues about our broken food system, Wray said. People were looking for alternatives. We did some advertising, and saw our numbers grow to 41 steers a year. Almost every day I get an inquiry about our prices and availability. Even before Covid, there was a growing local food culture in our region. Starkville and Oxford have a very strong local food culture that is evident not only in restaurants, but at farmers markets. There are quite a few producers growing sustainably and organically.

The UN produced a recommendation people stop eating beef because cattle emit methane that contributes to climate change. But Wray said that study was based on industrially produced beef.

Data has shown cattle grown on grass regeneratively actually mitigate the climate crisis, Wray said. Cattle manure fertilizes the soil and creates plant growth that stores carbon. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has visited our farm several times and felt we were becoming at least carbon neutral based on the grazing techniques we were using.

Lambs grazing on High Hope Farm in Clay County.

Currently the biggest issue for state grass-fed protein producers is the lack of local processors.

We are very fortunate, Wray said. We only have to go about 25 miles to our processor, which is custom exempt. That means we can only sell shares. We cant sell off the farm. Farmers who do retail have to go 100 to 120 miles to a processor. Because of what happened with Covid, those processors are backed up. You have to get on a waiting list and sometimes you are talking months before you can get an animal in.

Some consider grass-fed production elitist food that can only be afforded by people with high incomes. But Wray said they are merely going back to the way his grandparents farmed, and they were not elite.

They were not landed gentry, just yeoman farmers. Wray said. The roots of this go back generations. A lot of what has happened to modern food production, including the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, came in after World War II. I know if you go to a restaurant or a grocery store, something organic tends to be more expensive. But if you look at what we do here and go to the farms we are connected with, I think it is a much better bargain, especially in buying shares. We have customers who say they actually find it more economical.

Marketing can be an issue. People need to be educated about what is in their food and how it affects their health and why supporting local farmers and local food is important to the community, animals, people and the planet. That kind of ongoing education is an obstacle, but it is also an opportunity, Wray said.

The Wrays highly value their quality of life.

Work should be pleasurable, he said. We find a lot of pleasure in our work. Our customers value us and will send email or text messages with pictures of their roast or grilling hamburgers. I find that pleasure is missing in a lot of modern agriculture. I dont hear big producers talk about much pleasure and there are concerns about foreclosures and high suicide rates.

The Wrays also enjoy being hospitable. They have a guest lodging called the Grateful House where people come for rest, retreat and exposure to regenerative agriculture.

Our farm is small farm, just 38 acres, and one of our goals is to develop a farm that can be an example to young farmers of how they can make a decent living and have a good life on a small farm," Wray said. Allen has helped us develop a vision about how our farm can be pretty much self-supporting. We are essentially retired with some income. We are moving towards being self-sufficient.

The Wrays practice rotational grazing through most of the year moving their Angus/Charolais cross steers daily on pastures fertilized by the manure. No antibiotics or steroids are used, and a diverse variety of native grasses and forbs grow that are healthy fodder for the animals that can also improve the quality of the meat.

Our customers tell us the herbs are a good addition to taste, Wray said.

They also raise Katahdin sheep that do well in the warm and humid climate. Lambs are also frequently rotated on pasture.

More:
Grass-fed producer was inspired by work in Third World countries - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

Getting ready for Easter required a quick walk around the yard to scan out the best lawn sites to hide the golden eggs. Some eggs can be placed anywhere. But, the Golden Eggs must be strategically in a location eliciting the most effort to be found. While on my search for the perfect hiding spot, I confess to multitasking and included a review of my lawn care basics for the upcoming season.

Golden Egg in Grass

Another confession, we do not have a Kodak Moment lawn. We have a yard. Our yard tolerates an array of stressful conditions; a Great Pyrenees named Betty, grandchildren having bonfires, ash trees dying, utility vehicle trails, and a collection of incomplete visions in various stages of development to name just a few. We have challenges but we love them. Ill take a fire scare any day if it means I get to hear the laughs and see the smiles of my family.

Many seed choices are available. We choose Kentucky Blue Grass. Two considerations for grass seed selection are maintenance and site. I like to mow. I have a zero turn mower that takes me to a place of rainbows and unicorns. Our yard site is both sun and shade with areas of wet and dry. We do little maintenance outside of mowing. Yards are subject more to seasonal grass growing cycles and less with advertising schemes. Spring is here and is known as the rapid growth and greening cycle. We do not fertilize this time of year, usually. Nitrogen is naturally being released into the soil and will be sufficient for growth. The other seasonal grass cycles are Summer with slow growth and focus on irrigation. Fall is the cycle of root development and optimum for adding fertilizer. The Winter is when the grass becomes dormant and nutrients are stored for Spring. Our yard is an established yard and requires no significant seeding.

We always have dandelions or broadleaf weeds. I am one who is not particularly bothered by this, but there are many who are and this is the time to research the pre-emergent applications. I refer you to this site for recommendations. https://gddtracker.msu.edu/ Other methods that may impact weed control are proper techniques with mowing, irrigation, beneficial insects, and companion planting practices. Our mower deck height is set to cut at 3 inches. The blades are balanced and sharpened near a 45 degree angle and free from chips and bends. My mowing season begins as soon as the grass turns green. I am not one who bags my cuttings. Cuttings are beneficial when turned back into the soil.

Being on the look-out for disease and insect damage to our yard is a simple scanning exercise. I know the typical look of our yard. My eyes scan for what is not right. Visuals that cause me to ponder disease or insect damage may be brown or bare patches, patterns with different color shades, unlevel terrain; too tall or too short, too wet or too dry. Odor is another trigger of concern. Sometimes, Betty (our Great Pyrenees) does not venture into the field and has been known to contribute to a brown or green spot in our yard. She has also been guilty of digging a familiar yard spot for comfort and relaxation. Not all scanning disturbances are disease and insect related. At our house, spilled ice melt salt, end of season mulch bags left outside, sand box lids left unattended and similar findings have led to false assumptions. Once human interference has been ruled out there are some disease and insect conditions that may require intervention: https://turf.purdue.edu/homeowner-publications/ As for now, my yard has its typical look and one golden egg has not been uncovered for this year.

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Lets Grow Together! Eggs Among the Blue Grass - Shelbynews

Retired stay-at-home mom shares why she devoted an entire year to cheer up the nation by creating over 200 fun bear scenes on her front lawn.

A young at heart 59-year-old plays with teddy bears in an astronomical way.

Laura Snyder who is a retired, stay-at-home mom rises in the morning with a grateful heart and counts her blessings.

In February, a post showed up on my Facebook feed that made me smile, and I'm excited to share her "beary" cool mission of love with you.

Snyder who lives life to its fullest and faces all that it presents impacted the world with her compassionate and playful spirit during a time when people needed it the most.

Like many cities across the nation, Snyder's hometown of Yorba Linda, California encouraged neighborhood bear hunts for families going stir-crazy from being cooped up.

Teddy bears were placed in windows so that families quarantined due to the pandemic could partake in a fun, safe, and exciting adventure spotting the plush, cuddly toys.

Snyder's jumbo-sized bears Goldie and Brownie were too big to place in her windows, so she took bear hunting to a new extreme.

When Snyder placed her furry friends in her front yard sitting in camping chairs on March 22 last year, she had no intentions of going beyond that first bear scene. But, over 200 more were designed with the help of her husband Jerry, and their three grown children.

"I never had done anything like this before," said Snyder. "I started doing the bear hunt because it sounded fun."

Snyder first heard of bear hunts on the news a few days before Yorba Linda made an official announcement to participate locally.

In the beginning, Goldie and Brownie appeared in simple scenes posed with props such as sporting goods, toys, and household items. Then, the themes became more elaborate. Laura and her family enjoyed entertaining everyone while they stayed quarantined.

"My husband and I would talk in the morning over coffee about what the bears would do today," shared Snyder. "It gave me something to work on when everything else had closed down. I started borrowing and making stuff to fill in a story or idea."

I asked Snyder how the heck she acquired all of the coffee containers she used in some scenes.

"LOL! Funny thing about those...I started saving them when I noticed my grandbaby playing with them; stacking two of them on top of each other," said Snyder. "After that, I saved all of them and we had enough to stack towers and castles.

"I drink a lot of coffee but it still took a couple of years to accumulate that many," said Snyder. "I thought it would be funny to use them for the bears."

Each time Snyder switched the bears' activity, it was like turning the page of a storybook to see the next fabulous illustration.

"I saw comments and had conversations that overwhelmed me with the gratitude others felt for having something to look forward to every day," said Snyder. "I was truly humbled by this."

Snyder's mom was thrilled when she found out The Progress-Index wanted to feature her daughter's yearlong act of kindness during this unprecedented time of uncertainty.

"I'm thrilled that the bears will reach more people because they have a way of lifting spirits," said Snyder's 81-year-old mom Edna Jones. "We all need all the help we can get in these days and times."

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For most, providing bear hunts was short-lived, so what inspired Snyder to continue with her fun, arduous journey?

"I saw my bears being posted on a community Facebook page by a neighbor that I hadn't met yet," said Snyder. "The comments on those posts, the conversations with people walking by, and eventually comments and messages from social media kept reinforcing that there were people that needed the bears."

Snyder triesto keep the real world separate from the bears' world.

"I wanted to give people something fun to look forward to that wasn't touched by COVID or politics," said Snyder.

Snyder's creative juices stop flowing on May 30.

"I usually decide what the bears are doing today as I'm having my morning coffee. This morning my heart is breaking at the ugliness of ALL of this and I couldn't bring myself to try to put on a cheerful show," posted Snyder. "I'm trying to figure out how to not let the ugliness win. Please join me."

"Violence is ugly, people treating other people badly is ugly, injustice is ugly, feeling like we will never get this fixed is ugly," said Snyder. "All of this was the biggest news of the day on May 29, 2020. Please join me...was an invitation to reach out and help with the healing."

When did Goldie and Brownie join the Snyder family?

"We had the bears for a couple of years before the bear hunt. My husband bought one from Costco. "It was fun to have around, so he picked up another one when Costco restocked them."

For $40 apiece, the bears have provided an enormous amount of joy.

"The bears were part of the family before all of this." shared Snyder. "I talk to them, and my grandkids play with them. They were pulling shenanigans before they were front yard performers and will continue after they retire from public life."

"I rarely know what they are definitely doing tomorrow," said Snyder. "Sometimes, I'd wake up and tear around like I'm on that cooking show 'Chopped'. What can I make with what I have in this basket?"

According to Executive Chef Snyder, she came up with most of the bear themes, but her sous-chef and team came up with quite a few ideas which she turned into a story.

It was hard for Snyder to pick a favorite bear scene.

"I'll say the car wash day. I got to use my wacky, waving, inflatable tube guy we call Frank to help it look like a real car wash," said Snyder. "I really got into the details of the story. The 4x4 car had mud splashes, and the car in the front of the line was 'beary' clean."

"On the day I had set up the farmers market, it started drizzling so I set up the canopy that I used when I had a craft show booth," said Snyder. "I had to use it on Easter Sunday too. The bears were already 'in church' so we had to put up shelter when it started to rain.

"One time I was setting up and the sky was threatening. I kept telling myself...it will be fine, it will be fine," shared Snyder. "However, as soon as I had everything in place it started pouring. Everything back in...hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Due to weather issues, Snyder created indoor bear scenes as well but admits a couple of times she did it just because she needed a break.

Based on the number of likes, comments, and shares, which three themes received the most reaction?

"The best I can figure is Star Wars Day, the dog rescue/adoption day, and the Bernie Sanders day with Baby Bear," said Snyder.

"Oooooh. Be sure Brownie doesnt get Peanut Butter and Jealous," commented Deborah Williams on Snyder's bear scene of Goldie and Bernie Sanders together.

"Yay! My favorite message," commented Michele Burns Aerts referring to Snyder's dog rescue scene. "Im 'beary' grateful for you helping spread the message."

Snyder receives a special gift.

"I received a scrapbook that a woman made from my photos," shared Snyder. "She told me she worked on it while her family was in the hospital with COVID, and she could not visit them. Our bear stories gave her something positive to think about."

"My friend Chris Kettenhofen made a scrapbook of the first 100 photos of the bears shared on Facebook for me as a gift," said Snyder. "I felt it was perfect for what had been repeatedly requested of me - a book of all the bears' photos."

Lori Stenovich from the Littlest Angel Guild reached out to Snyder about making a book and offered to help make it happen.

"When Lori said her guild supportsCHOCit seemed like a perfect fit," said Snyder. "I have had a couple of brushes with the hospital and was familiar with the good they do."

Children's Hospital of Orange County [CHOC]'s mascot is a bear so Snyder thought it was meant to be.

The book laid out by Kettenhofen was provided with donations of $75 or more. The proceeds from the 165 books were presented to CHOC's Thompson Autism Center and CHOC's Palliative Care Unit benefitted from the fundraiser.

The bears go into hibernation one year and one day from when they debuted.

"March 22, 2021 was their last day," said Snyder. "It feels like now we can all finally see a light of the end of this pandemic tunnel."

What emotions are going through Snyder's mind three days after the bears went into hibernation?

"Its like the day after graduation when you dont have to be someplace and no projects are due but a little sad because this part of my life is done," said Snyder.

According to Snyder, the bears might share some of their adventures, travel, and holiday photos in the future.

"If they are ever needed again to help our neighbors they will be here for them," said Snyder.

I asked Snyder what she received personally from providing this 'beary' wonderful, visual, uplifting, positive gift to the world.

"When I want to remember a time I made a difference in someone's life, and, I think we all want to do that in some way," said Snyder. "I will remember how many people let me know how much they needed the bears and how it helped them get through the pandemic."

"I just didnt have the words for how I was feeling this morning," said Snyder in her final bear photo caption. "Lucky for me, Winnie the Pooh did: How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

"Near or far, we loved the bears for the year and Snyder's selflessness in faithfully setting them up," said Williams of Yorba Linda. "They brought us such joy daily."

"Thank you for doing your part to make our COVID-19 quarantine year so much more 'bearable'," posted Saul Valdez on Facebook. "And, for adopting our bear."

"Your wonderful creativity has brightened our lives. I always looked forward to seeing what the bear family was up to next," posted Lisa Peterson Hollingsworth of Nappanee, Indiana on Facebook. "Every post made me smile and often times giggle. Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing us something to look forward to during this past year when our world turned upside down. God bless you, Laura."

"You will remain a legend long after you retire," posted Helping the Behaviorally Challenging Child CEO and Founder Debra Ann Afarian on Facebook. "Thanks for a year of bright light during a year of cloudy."

Follow "lulu's big bears" on Facebook. By the way, Lulu is the nickname Snyder's family has called her since birth. To viewthe posted bear images in chronological order, go to instagram.com/lulusbigbears.

Thank you Laura for bringing joy into my heart and for making me chuckle.

Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter, and subscribe to us at progress-index.com.

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Bear shenanigans raise $15,000: 'Something fun to look forward to that wasn't touched by COVID or politics' - Progress Index

Des Moines, IA The grass is starting to turn green and a turfgrass specialist with the Iowa State University Extension says its time to begin working on our lawns. I-S-U horticulture professor Adam Thoms says the first thing he does is to pick up all of those twigs, sticks and other debris that gathered during the winter so it wont get stuck in the mower or dull its blade.

The stores are full of heavy fertilizer bags and they can be pricey. What ingredients should we be looking for in a fertilizer for the yard?

Some Iowans may be finding large grey spots in their yards, which he says can be fixed without too much trouble.

Now is also the time to hit those pesky weeds that seem to creep back every year.

If youre planting grass this spring, he warns do -not- use any crabgrass prevention products as theyll keep your grass seeds from germinating.

Continued here:
Spring's here & it's time to start working on our lawns KCHA News - KCHA News

Ticks commonly overwinter by nesting in groups; taking refuge under the soil, ground litter, and snow cover which acts as an insulating blanket, sheltering them from the frigid winter temperatures. When warmer weather arrives, they position themselves on vegetation and wait patiently, front legs outstretched, for any warm-blooded host to pass by; a behavior known as questing. When one does, the tick latches on and soon begins taking its next blood meal.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases have become a significant public health issue in New York. Its imperative that you protect yourself, your family, and your pets when enjoying the outdoors.

According to some experts, ticks have been on the planet for about 120 million years; literally forever.

In the journal Nature, Volume 206, Issue 4988, pp. 1060-1061 (1965),an article titled Ticks in Egypt in 1500 BC? by D.R. Arthur,featuresa drawing dating back to the 15th Century BC showing what are believed to be three ticks fixed firmly to the ear of a hyena. And a recent autopsy on a 5,300-year-old mummy indicated the presence of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

In his Historia Animalium, Aristotle (384322 B.C.) describes the tick as a disgusting parasitic animal generated from couch grass. The Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder (2379 A.D.), in his extensive natural history of the world, Historia Naturalis, denotes an animal living on blood with its head always fixed and swelling, adding that this animal is frequent on cattle, sometimes on dogs. He goes on to call them the foulest and nastiest creatures that be.

German physician, Alfred Buchwald, first described the chronic skin rash now known as Lyme disease in 1883. It wasnt clinically recognized, however, until 1975, when a group of children and adults in and around the hamlet of Lyme, Connecticut, were suffering from skin rashes followed very quickly by arthritic conditions, headaches, and fatigue. All cited being bitten by ticks. Researchers called the condition Lyme disease, but the cause remained a mystery until 1981, when medical entomologist and self-described tick surgeon, Wilhelm (Willy) Burgdorfer,discovered the infectious agent that causes Lyme disease, a bacterial spirochete that now bears his name;Borrelia burgdorferi.

Lyme disease (or Lyme borreliosis) is one of the fastest-growing vector-borne infections in the United States with, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 400,000 new cases reported annually. Untreated, Lyme disease can become severely debilitating; affecting joints, the heart, the brain, and/or the central nervous system.

Roughly half a million Americans currently grapple with late-stage Lyme disease, for which there is no recognized cure. Long-term antibiotic use remains controversial.

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, more commonly known as the deer tick, is the primary vector for Lyme disease.

With geographic spread and steadily increasing incidence of Lyme disease, theres an urgent need for homeowners, public health officials, and the pest control industry to learn how to manage and/or control the unrelenting tick problem.

Treating clothing and gearwith products containing 0.5% permethrin can provide extremely effective protection. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing, and camping gear and will remain protective, even after several washings. Read the product label and be sure to follow the directions carefully. The label is the law! You can also buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.

When hiking or camping, avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and stick to the center of the trails.The wider the trail and the less vegetation it has beside and within it, the less risky it will be.

When you come indoors, check your clothing, gear, and pets carefully. Tumble drying clothes on high heat for 10-15 minutes will kill ticks.

Conduct a full body check of yourself and your children. Take a shower. And call your doctor if you get a fever or a rash.

Simple steps you can take toreducepotentialexposuretoticks include:

For more information about ticks, tick diseases, and how to avoid them and protect yourself and your family, visit Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Franklin Countys online resource, Tick Talk, atfranklin.cce.cornell.edu/gardening-grounds/tick-talk

Top photo: Attached black-legged tick credit: NY State Integrated Pest Management

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Ticks: They're baaaaaaack - - The Adirondack Almanack - Adirondack Almanack

Polly Powers Stramm| For Savannah Morning News

This isnt a typical lost dog-found dog story. Instead, its the tale of a three-legged beagle who faced a heartbreaking start in life, was rescued by a dog lover but went missing before the two completely bonded.

Most of all, the story of Snoop the beagle shows how people from all walks of life can come together for a common goal to find a dog who desperately needed a second chance at love.

Last fall, Snoop was a throwaway dog living on the streets in Effingham County and was believed to have been used for hunting and later abandoned. Neighbors kept seeing the little beagle but never saw the man they thought was her owner. They began feeding the skittish dog and became concerned when they noticed that one of her back legs was injured. The Effingham animal shelter was notified and someone there, in turn, called One Love Animal Rescue, which has a history of helping injured animals find forever homes.

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Robin Fay volunteers for One Love and offered to foster Snoop until she was ready for adoption. The dog was evaluated by a veterinarian, but her injured hind leg was too far gone to be saved. On top of everything else Snoop had gone through, she had heart worms. She was treated with medicine that caused a bad reaction and had to spend a few days at the vet, further traumatizing her, Robin said.

During the first part of February, One Love decided that Snoop was ready to be adopted, but Robin had grown attached to Snoop and asked for a week to think about the situation.

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After a few days I knew I couldnt give her to someone else, Robin said, adding that Snoop, who is 2, seemed so sad and neglected.

I had never seen a dog (who) wouldnt wag its tail, she added.

Robin decided to adopt Snoop and became what is known in animal rescue circles as a foster fail. On Feb. 12, Snoop officially joined Robin and her animal family a group that includes cats, Tao and Sushi, and a 13-year-old Border Collie named Jersey, who was 10 when Robin rescued him.

Snoop was still getting adjusted to a loving home when she pulled away from Robin while they were on a walk in the Ardmore neighborhood. Robin was holding a lightweight leash that was attached to the dog collar when the pounding of a nail gun spooked Snoop.

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The sound of the nail gum scared her and she bolted, pulling the leash from her new owners hand, Robin recalled. With the leash dragging behind her, Snoop ran toward Atlantic Avenue and disappeared into what seemed like thin air. Robin looked for Snoop for more than three hours, then took to social media and other means to try to find the newest addition to her family.

I did everything I could think of, said Robin, who created fliers, sent posters to friends and social media contacts, and visited Chatham County Animal Services on a regular basis. The hunt for Snoop had a domino effect strangers who saw the posters told their friends and so on and truly became a citywide effort, she explained.

The chatter (about Snoop) on social media was crazy, Robin said.

Meanwhile, Robin and others continued to spread the word. Radio deejay Mark Robertson made announcements and police patrolling were on the lookout for a three-legged beagle dragging a leash.

There were no sightings of Snoop for about a week. Then, she was spotted, first around the Starland District and then at 35th and Price streets, some 20 blocks and many busy streets from home.

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Somewhere along the way, Robin had read that dogs gravitate toward railroad tracks, a theory that jived with one of the sightings. One night Robin packed up a lawn chair, put a leash on Snoops buddy, Jersey, and set up a makeshift camp in a lane near the crosstown train tracks. It wasnt long before she spotted Snoop peeking out from a patch of weeds not too far away.

She ran toward Jersey and then ran back across the street, Robin said. I never knew her to bark but she started baying. It was the weirdest thing.

Snoop took refuge, of sorts, behind a fence surrounding a group of apartments. Eventually, two rescuers arrived to help Robin and the three women walked in circles around the parking lot trying to coax Snoop into coming their way.

More: Top 10 birds killed in flight because of urban, suburban landscapes

But the frightened dog had gone into full-on survival mode and played peek-a-boo with them until about 3:30 a.m. when they finally called it a night. Robin and others planned to return in the morning with enticing treats like a rotisserie chicken.

The next day, shortly after they had gathered at the apartments, one of the rescuers managed to grab Snoop and hand her off to Robin. At first, not knowing who to trust, Snoop wiggled and struggled to escape Robins loving embrace.

She finally settled down and never struggled again, said Robin who cradled Snoop in her arms. I didnt want this dog to think another human had abandoned her.

Robin credits Jersey with showing up for Snoop during the rescue attempts.

(Jersey) was a champion through it all, she said.

Robin is grateful and amazed at the countless folks who helped her find Snoop. During her search, she even visited homeless camps.

First, I thought I was incredibly lucky to have (Snoop) back, she said. Now I know how incredibly blessed I am to have gotten her back with the support of so, so many.

As soon as Snoop got home, she drank plenty of water and ate, then settled down for a long nap. The next day she didnt even mind being bathed, Robin said.

Funny thing, people who had never seen anything but her flyer have now recognized her at Hull Park or in our front yard, Robin said.

Robin also is happy about something else.

The sweet little three-legged beagle has started wagging her tail, likely indicating that she finally could trust and love a human.

Contact Polly at 912-657-3877 or pollparrot@aol.com. See more columns by Polly Powers Stramm at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/.

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For the love of a lost three-legged dog, Savannah community responds - Savannah Morning News

Gardening isn't just about plants. Its about the entire ecosystem those plants can support.

As winter phases into spring across the U.S., gardeners are laying in supplies and making plans. Meanwhile, as the weather warms, common garden insects such as bees, beetles, and butterflies will emerge from underground burrows or nests within or on plants.

Most gardeners know how beneficial insects can be for their plots.Flies pollinate flowers. Predatory bugs, such as thespined soldier bug, eat pest insects that otherwise would tuck into garden plants.

As ascientist whose research involves insectsand as a gardener, I know thatmany beneficial insect species are decliningandneed help from humans. If youre a gardener looking for a new challenge this year, consider revamping all or part of your yard to support beneficial insects.

Some gardenerschoose native plantsto attract and support helpful insects. Often, however, those native plants are surrounded by vast expanses of lawn.

The vast majority of insect species find blades of grass as unappetizing as we do. Yet, lawns sprawl out across many public and private spaces.NASA estimated in 2005that lawns covered at least 50,000 square miles of the U.S.about the size of the entire state of Mississippi.

A well-manicured lawn is a sure sign that humanity has imposed its will on nature. Lawns provide an accessible and familiar landscape, but they come at a cost for our six-legged neighbors. Grasses grown as turf provide very few places for insects to safely tuck themselves away, because homeowners and groundskeepers cut them shortbefore they send up flowering spikesand apply fertilizers and pesticides to keep them green.

Entomologists have a recommendation: Dig up some fraction of your lawn and convert it into a meadow byreplacing grass with native wildflowers. Wildflowers provide pollen and nectar that feed and attract a variety of insects like ants, native bees, and butterflies. Just as you may have a favorite local restaurant, insects that live around you have a taste for the flowers that are native to their areas.

This bold choice will not just benefit insects. Healthier insects support local birds, and meadows require fewer chemical inputs and less mowing than lawns. The amount of attention lawns demand from us, even if we outsource the work to a landscaping company, is a sign of their precarity.

A meadow is a wilder, more resilient option. Resilient ecosystems are better able to respond to and recover from disturbances.

EntomologistRyan Gott, integrated pest management and quality control specialist at Maitri Genetics in Pittsburgh, describes lawns and meadows as two opposite ends of a resiliency spectrum. As far as basic ecological functions go, a lawn does not have many. A lawn mainly extracts nutrition and water, usually receiving outside inputs of fertilizer and irrigation to stay alive, and returns very little to the system, he told me.

Native flowers, by definition, will grow well in your climate, although some areas will have more choices than others, and growing seasons vary. Native plants also provide a palette of colors and variety that lawns sorely lack. By planting them as a meadow, with many different flowers emerging throughout the growing season, you can provide for a diverse assortment of local insects. And mowing and fertilizing less will leave you more time to appreciate wildlife of all sizes.

There are many different types of meadows, and every wildflower species has different preferences for soil type and conditions. Meadows thrive in full sunlight, which is also where lawns typically do well.

Not every yard can support a meadow, but you have other ways to be a better, more considerate neighbor to insects. If you have a shady yard, consider modeling your garden after natural landscapes like woodlands that are shady and support insects.

Whats important in landscaping with insects in mind, or entoscaping, isconsidering insects early and oftenwhen you visit the garden store. With a few pots or window boxes, even a balcony can be converted into a cozy insect oasis.

If youre gardenless, you can still support insect health. Try replacing white outdoor lights, whichinterfere with many insects feeding and breeding patterns. White lights also lure insects into swarms, where they are vulnerable to predators.Yellow bulbs or warm-hued LEDsdont have these effects.

Another easy project is using scrap wood and packing materials to create simple hotels forbeesorladybugs, making sure to carefully sanitize them between seasons. Easiest of all,provide water for insects to drinktheyre adorable to watch as they sip. Replace standing water at least weekly to prevent mosquitoes from developing.

Many resources across the U.S. offer advice on converting your lawn or making your yard more insect-friendly.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation publishes aguide to establishing meadowsto sustain insects. Local university extension officespost tips on growing meadowswith specific instructions and resources for their areas. Gardening stores often have experience and carry selections of local plants.

You may find established communities of enthusiasts for local plants and seeds, or your journey could be the start of such a group. Part of the fun of gardening is learning what plants need to be healthy, and a new endeavor such as entoscaping will provide fresh challenges.

In my view, humans all too often see ourselves as separate from nature, which leads us to relegate biodiversity to designated parks. In fact, however, we are an important part of the natural world, andwe need insectsjust as much as they need us. As ecologistDouglas Tallamyargues in his book, Natures Best Hope, the best way to protect biodiversity is for people to plant native plants and promote conservation in every yard.

This story originally appeared inThe Conversation, and is reprinted here with permission.

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OBSERVER Photo by Valory S. IsaacsonChautauqua Lake/Westfield/Broctons Luke Waters (12) finds the end zone as Cassadaga Valley/Falconers Karsen Depasquale attempts to make the tackle Saturday night

FALCONER With high school football returning to the gridiron for an unusual springtime start, teams were forced to prepare on a much shorter schedule than normal.

And in Saturdays game between Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton and Cassadaga Valley/Falconers readiness proved to be one of the defining factors.

The Thunderbirds were able to power by the Golden Cougars at Bill Race Field on Saturday night, 26-14. CL/W/B scored all of its points in the first half after falling behind 8-0 and used its edge in the turnover battle to force short fields for quick scores.

We didnt do a really good job during this short season, said Golden Cougars coach Dan Greco. They did better than us with the short preparation.

The game started off well for the Golden Cougars. After forcing a turnover on downs on the Thunderbirds opening drive, Cassadaga Valley/Falconer needed just six plays to find the end zone as quarterback Dalton Caldwell found Landon Mower for a 24-yard touchdown pass on third-and-15. The two-point conversion was punched in by running back Noah Abram, and the Golden Cougars found themselves in front, 8-0 with just under eight minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Thunderbirds drove to the Cassadaga Valley/Falconer 7-yard line and went for it on a fourth-and-4, but were stopped. Everything appeared to be going in the Golden Cougars favor.

But the turning point would quickly follow.

After three straight incompletions from Caldwell, the Golden Cougars were forced to punt on fourth and 10 at their own 20. They attempted a quick punt that was not executed well enough, and the TBirds came up with a huge block, setting themselves up at 5-yard line. CL/W/B made quick work, as Luke Ormsby scored on the very next play, followed by quarterback Luke Waters hitting Ricky Syper on a two-point conversion to tie the game, 8-8, with two minutes to go in the first. That blocked punt, according to Greco, was the turning point of the game.

The kick down here turned it around, Greco said. We wanted to quick-kick it, but it got blocked. That really changed momentum and got them excited.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Golden Cougars couldnt corral it, and the Thunderbirds got another possession with a very short field, and Ormsby scored his second touchdown in the opening minutes of the second quarter, putting CL/W/B up 14-6.

The Golden Cougars punted away the ball on their next possession, and it looked like the Thunderbirds had another quick score on a deep pass from Waters, but the play was called back due to a penalty. A few plays later, after a 59-yard hookup from Waters to Gavin Sauerland, it looked like momentum would switch back to F/CV, as Ormsby put the ball on the ground at the Golden Cougar 22-yard line.

But on the very next play, the Golden Cougars handed the ball right back with a fumble of their own. With just a brief interruption for the Thunderbirds offense, who got to pick back up effectively where they left off, Waters scored on a 2-yard carry to extend the lead to 20-6.

History would almost repeat itself on the next Thunderbirds possession.

Following another Golden Cougar punt, CL/W/B would turn the ball over on downs at the Golden Cougars 37-yard line. This gave CV/F a chance to cut back into the lead right before halftime, but Caldwell threw an interception on the next snap, giving CL/W/B the ball back right at the 37.

We talk about it all the time, said Thunderbirds coach Ryan Gibbs. We cant let stuff snowball. When we make a mistake, we have to turn it up on the very next play. Im proud of the defense for getting the ball back.

The Thunderbirds would score in one play, as Waters connected with Sauerland again, to extend the Thunderbirds lead to 26-8 heading into halftime. The only touchdown in the second half came very late in the fourth quarter, as Abram found the end zone for the Golden Cougars to cut the score to its eventual final of 26-14.

Ormsby and Waters each showed up big for the Thunderbirds. Waters was 11 of 24 passing for 141 yards, while rushing and throwing for a touchdown. Ormsby had 21 carries for 94 yards rushing and two scores.

Luke Waters didnt play football last year, Gibbs said, but we talked him into coming out. Hes our leader, without question, and he played a great game. And Ormsby had some good, tough carries, and played tough on defense, too.

For the Golden Cougars, Caldwell went just 3/10 passing for 44 yards, throwing a touchdown and an interception, while Abram ended up with 15 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Were going to work, Greco said. Were not packing it in. Its just one game, and well go to work next week and fix what we can.

The win for Gibbs was his first at the helm of the program, and he was treated with a Gatorade bath from his players following the game.

I have a lot of respect for that team tonight and Dan Greco, Gibbs said. Its pretty special to me. Im going to enjoy myself for a bit.

He doesnt have much time to relax, however, as his team is next in action against Clymer/Sherman/Panama next week. Meanwhile, the Golden Cougars also have a tough task, as the Fredonia Hillbillies will pay them a visit. Greco knows that if Fredonia quarterback Nick Whitfield is good to go, his team will need to tighten up its pass defense.

If their quarterback is ready, I hear great things about him, Greco said. We will have to play a whole lot better than we did tonight in coverage.

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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 14: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees gives a fan a baseball while warming up in the eighth inning for the first time after being activated from the disable list earlier in the day against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 14, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Lost in the New York Yankees embarrassing Opening Day performance against the Toronto Blue Jays was the moment in which a fan tried to steal from Aaron Judges glove.

Judge caught the final out of the top of the ninth inning in foul territory near the seats along the right field line and was met by a number of fans who were enjoying Opening Day (at the moment).

One fan was having such a good time (perhaps a few pints deep?) that he thought itd be a good idea to attempt to swipe the baseball from Aaron Judges glove. Guess thats what happens when youre stuck in the house for a year and start warping your own brain.

Luckily, Judge gave the guy a pass.

The big man himself knows how difficult it was for fans being unable to attend games since the 2019 postseason and the bottled up excitement that came with it. What else did we expect from Judge, whos always so calculated with his responses.

Judge himself had a rough day, so he was likely just treating others the way he wanted to be treated. The slugger went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and failed to bring home a run in both the seventh and ninth innings with runners in scoring position (one was a BRUTAL GIDP).

Yankees fans would rather not get into it, but he also took a ton of strikes and allowed the Blue Jays pitchers to either get ahead in the count or rebound after falling behind. Not very Judge-like.

But dont say he didnt try to hook up the spectators at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. He tossed a foul ball to a spectator and this guy completely beefed it.

All around, it was a bad day for the Yankees and their fans. Forgettable performances by all parties. Fans acting a fool, the players simply not doing their jobs, and a loss on Opening Day to kick of a 2021 season that has sky-high hopes.

Maybe on Saturday we can get some more hits and fewer nimrod fans? Thatd sure make everyone feel better.

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Doug Fraser|Cape Cod Times

HARWICH Thanks to COVID-19, the proposal for Harwich, Dennis and Yarmouth to form a regional wastewater district that will build a new treatment plant in Dennis was postponed a year. But voters in all three towns will get to vote on the agreementat town meetings this spring.

Last month, Harwich selectmen voted to place an article on their annual town meeting warrant asking voters to approve joining the Dennis Harwich Yarmouth Clean Waters Community Partnership. Yarmouth selectmen have also put it on their spring town meeting warrant.

Laurie Barr, the Dennis town administrators executive assistant, said selectmen have not yet voted to put articles on the warrant, but Suzanne Brock, a member of the towns Wastewater Implementation Committee, said her committee, which includes a representative from the selectmen, voted to place it on this springs warrant.

Last year, select boards from all three towns approved putting the article on their 2020 town meeting warrants.

The goal is to reap the savings of regionalization as opposed to each town building its own treatment facility.

An estimate provided by consultant David Young of CDM Smith showed the cost of building the wastewater treatment facility, installing the main pipe bringing sewage to the plant and the discharge infrastructure would cost approximately $289 million if each town built its own facility. A regional plant was estimated to cost $213 million, and that $76 million savings was augmented by $6.5 million in the annual cost savings for operations and maintenance of a regional facility.

It cant be overlooked that the efficiency of the regional approach ends up saving each town a lot of money, said Yarmouth Selectman Mark Forest, chairman of the board.

Cape Cod and all of Southeastern Massachusetts is dealing with a wastewater contamination problem that has degraded the water quality of coastal bays, rivers and ponds. Nitrogen and other contaminants in wastewater discharge largely from individual septic systems but also road runoff and lawn and agricultural practices acts like lawn fertilizer promoting the rapid growth of algae in the water. The algae outcompete other native plants and use up the oxygen in the water-creating dead zones.

Cape Cod's cleanup is detailed inwhat is known as Section 208 of the Clean Water Act regional plan. That update, which included more regional approaches,is the result of a 2014 settlement agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Conservation Law Foundation.

CLF has filed more lawsuits in recent years as they see progress moving too slowly in Cape towns. The implicit threat is having a judge decide how the Capes cleanup will proceed instead of towns determining the best and most cost-efficient solutions.

Understandably, financing projects with price tags in the hundreds of millions of dollars had been the big hang-up for most towns, andfor Yarmouth in particular. After a failed vote in 2011, Yarmouth officials decided to remove wastewater projects from the property tax base by using a combination of a surcharge added to the short-term rental tax, a dedicated state clean water fund from the short-erm rental tax, Community Preservation Act money, revenues from solar power projects, and betterments assessed for those who are served by the sewage system.

The DHY regional agreement, which was approved by the state Legislature in 2019, directly stems from the updated regional plan with a watershed approach instead of town by town. Approval of the agreement at town meetings this spring would create a seven-member Wastewater Partnership Commission that oversees the project from construction to annual operation.

Yarmouth will have the highest level of wastewater flowing to the plant and bears the largest burden of construction and other costs, so the commission will include three representatives from Yarmouth, and two each from Dennis and Harwich.

Yarmouth Department of Public Works Director Jeff Colby said that once the agreement is approved, the commission would start contracting for design work on the treatment facility. Unlike major municipal projects that come to town meeting for approval of funds to do design, engineering and construction phases, the towns would be billed by the district for the work, and taxpayer and voter input into the process would go through the wastewater commission, said Colby.

But an additional layer of review was built into the process as the Clean Waters district has to go to select boardsfor approval of their budget and projects, said Colby. Colby said the project will need two years for design and another two for construction with the first flow of sewage to the plant in 2025.

We might be able to tighten that up, Colby said.

The project still seems to be in line for all three towns to take advantage of Massachusetts Department of Transportation road work on Route 28, scheduled for 2024, to save millions by incorporating sewage pipe installation in that project.

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Yarmouth, Dennis and Harwich to vote on wastewater pact at town meetings - Cape Cod Times