The Art of Archery
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Moths of the Pine Barrens
Some researchers have all the fun. Jeff Lougee of The Nature Conservancy spends
summer evenings mixing up a strange brew of bananas, corn meal and beer, which
moths find to be a tempting treat -- like super-high-octane enhancer of the
pitch from pitch pines. He uses the concoction as bait, collecting moths in
the rare pine barrens habitat of Ossipee. More than 250 species of moths have
been identified here. Some of them are common, while some moths are so rare,
they don't even have common names. Researchers aim to find out what it is that
keeps the moths here, and what they need to survive.
The pine barrens are a delicate and disappearing ecosystem in New Hampshire;
ecologists say Ossipee represents the "last and best example" of this habitat type
in the state. In trying to protect the pine barrens system, biologists and conservationists
believe they can also protect the complex array of wildlife -- including all
those moths -- that make their homes among the pitch pines and scrub oak.
Wild
Ways: Tree Stands
Wildlife Journal's Lisa Densmore goes "out on a limb" for her
first ascent into a tree stand. Most often used by hunters and wildlife watchers,
lightweight, portable tree stands give the user a high vantage point -- usually
12 to 15 feet up a tree -- from which wildlife can be observed without being
disturbed. Learn how to choose your tree, and how to position and climb into
the stand. An amazing one-third of all tree-stand users report having had a
fall; so, please pay special attention to Lisa's safety tips -- such as always
wearing your safety harness!
A Return to the Primitive
These days, archery hunters use all kinds of modern materials and gadgets in
their pursuits. But for Bob Holzhauser, archery is all about the bow -- specifically,
the longbows he's been carving by hand for some 40 years, and the primitive
tradition they represent. Holzhauser learned the craft of bowmaking as a child,
and still finds endless enjoyment in creating "something that will put
an arrow where he wants it."
Starting with an entire tree -- usually osage orange -- Holzhauser peels away
layers until he finds the bow he says is hidden inside every tree. When not
in his workshop, he practices "stump shooting," shooting at stumps
or rocks with a blunt-tipped arrow, to keep his skills and muscles honed.
Wild
Places: Kancamagus Highway
Take a wintry trip along N.H. Route 112, the famed 34-mile-long Kancamagus Highway
in north-central New Hampshire. Running east to west, from Conway to Lincoln,
the Kancamagus Highway twists and turns, and rises to nearly 3,000 feet. The
"Kanc" slices right through the heart of the White Mountain National
Forest, providing access to hundreds of miles of trails. It's an area of multiple
uses, from forests of beech, maple, white pine and spruce, to wildlife management
to outdoor recreation. In winter, the Pemigewasset River is frozen and rather
solitary, waiting for a spring thaw to arrive.
Many of the names along the Kanc reflect the early Native Americans who lived in the area: Kancamagus, which means the fearless one, was the third and last Sagamore, meaning the subordinate chief, of the Penacook Confederacy.
For information on hiking or other activities on the Kanc, go to www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/recreation/hiking/rog/kanc_hiking.html.
Or, contact the Saco or the Pemigewassett offices of the White Mountain National
Forest.
