Category Archives: Wildlife

Fishy Town Names

Posted on June 3, 2018 by

Here’s my working list of cities, towns, and villages that are named after fish, fish related activities, or include some form of fish terminology in their name. Please note that in some instances the place name may not have originally … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, cities, environment, fun, geography, history, Language, nature, place names, Wildlife | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Advice from a Saguaro cactus

Posted on March 23, 2018 by

Came across this list on a bookmark of all things. A little fun on a Friday evening. Stand tall Reach for the stars Be patient through the dry spells Conserve your resources Think long term Wait for your time to … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Communications, Environment, geography, Nature, peace, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged | Leave a comment

Let’s stop dissing deserts!

Posted on March 14, 2018 by

In response to a recent post about “transit deserts” on The Market Urbanism Report’s Facebook page, I made the following comment: “I think we need to rethink using the term ‘desert’ to describe an area lacking something. Deserts can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Animal rights, Animals, climate change, deserts, diversity, ecosystems, environment, geography, history, land use, nature, planning, Science, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Planning lessons from Tucson

Posted on February 25, 2018 by

My wife and I just returned home from an amazing week in gorgeous Tucson, Arizona. Unlike many places visited, it was easy to come up with many more than ten planning lessons from this beautiful desert oasis. While we adore … Continue reading →

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, Advocacy, Alternative transportation, architecture, art, bicycling, bike sharing, Biking, Cities, civics, colleges, Cuisine, culture, diversity, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, entrepreneurship, environment, fitness, Food, food systems, fun, geography, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, sprawl, third places, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, urban planning, visual pollution, walking, Wildlife, zoning | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The nine volcanic sisters of San Luis Obispo

Posted on October 26, 2017 by

During a recent visit to San Luis Obispo, California in September, we had the opportunity to view the dramatic Nine Sisters. These nines peak are a dramatic multi-mile chain of volcanic plugs (former volcanoes) that dominate the geography between the … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, geography, Geology, history, land use, Maps, nature, Statistics, trails, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan’s ‘skyscraper’ coastal sand dunes

Posted on April 25, 2017 by

Michigan is blessed with some of the most beautiful and tallest coastal sand dunes on the planet. Below is a list of the tallest dunes as measured about the level of the adjoining lake elevation, many of these freshwater dunes … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, place names, planning, Statistics, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Awesome Acadia turns 100

Posted on August 12, 2016 by

I have had the distinct privilege of visiting 72+ of our national parks, historic sites, battlefields, lakeshores, memorials, seashores, trails, and similar units of the National Park Service. Similarly, I have had the pleasure of visiting a variety national parks … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, bridges, civics, culture, environment, fun, geography, Geology, government, hiking, historic preservation, history, land use, nature, peace, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, sustainability, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What’s your choice for New Zealand’s new flag

Posted on September 1, 2015 by

And then there were four. Here are the four finalists for New Zealand’s new flag. Personally, of these I prefer the top left, which essentially retains the colors and the Southern Cross star system from the New Zealand’s current flag … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, art, branding, civics, civility, Communications, culture, environment, geography, government, history, nature, Oceania, peace, pictures, tourism, Travel, Welcome, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nothing but blue waters…smiling at me

Posted on August 17, 2015 by

I don’t know about the rest of you, but whenever I am traveling to Lake Michigan, my anticipation continually grows until I get my first chance to glimpse those lovely blue waters. Through cities, towns, farmland, and wooded forests we may … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, civics, civility, Communications, culture, environment, fun, geography, health, history, humanity, land use, Love, nature, North America, peace, pictures, placemaking, pollution, rivers/watersheds, sustainability, topography, tourism, Travel, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No place better on Earth than “Up North” in the summertime

Posted on August 2, 2015 by

We spent the past week in Mother Earth’s idyllic playground – also known as the Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan, centered around Traverse City. I have yet to find a photograph or painting that adequately depicts the visual beauty and … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, Canada, cities, culture, entertainment, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, historic preservation, history, holiday, land use, nature, pictures, placemaking, recreation, spatial design, sports, States, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, Travel, UK, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment