2004 Contents

December 2004

Treetop ornaments: Like kids on holiday, red-breasted nuthatches poke and probe around evergreens looking for winter goodies.
The pleasure of dead trees: For natural drama and entertainment, there's nothing quite as good as dead wood.
Where sleeping bears lie: For 20 years, Maggie Heino has tracked the roving black bear population across northern Wisconsin.
The core of recovery: What does Wisconsin most need to do to protect, restore and enhance its waters in times of diminishing funds and increasing pressure on natural resources
The glass ceiling: Winter diving opens a window to life under the ice.
The perfect partner: Wisconsin's land trusts connect the conservation goals of individuals with the landscape at large.
Wisconsin Traveler: Stand up and be counted.
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.
Special Insert:
Breathing easier: Forecasting air quality in Wisconsin.

The snowbird chorale: Juncos twitter in the fall and winter chorus.
Deer in the headlights: Split-second actions can help you avoid and survive highway collisions with deer.
Bucks in the rut: Remarkable photos catch whitetails in this season of signaling their mating intentions.
Fowl weather boating: Cold fall days provide mixed risks and rewards to duck hunters on the water.
Generations of good company: The family deer camp provides enduring comfort, sanctuary and fellowship.
Outdoor traditions: WNR readers share some fond memories and favorite outdoor rituals.
Wisconsin Traveler: Stage fright!
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.
Special Insert:
Managing Wisconsin's old growth: Protecting and producing old forest characteristics.

Red in the yellow: Cardinal flowers flag down hummers in the heat of summer.
How now, Frau Blau?: Skullduggery at a country auction.
Loosening a knotty hold on rivers: The Baraboo provides a national model for removing obsolete dams and measuring the natural recovery of free-flowing rivers.
Nature's dry bouquets: Gathering and preserving wildflowers and grasses is festive and easy.
A spud in the spotlight: With the help of a global conservation organization, Wisconsin potato growers are improving farming practices to benefit the environment and consumers.
Searching for Alder Fork: A determined fly-fisher wades through time and place to find and fish the stream of his conservation hero.
Wisconsin Traveler: Scuba do
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.

Two hearts in three-four time: Wild ginger "couples" sway in the breeze.
The water wolf's invisible nursery: Miles of tiny streams and flooded ditches less than 10 inches deep form a temporal lover's lane for northern pike along Green Bay's west shore.
Rallying the water brigade: It takes people, patience and time to recognize and prevent the spread of tiny aquatic invaders.
A Growing thirst for groundwater: Where water demand outpaces supply, times warrant a fresh look at a resource considered unfathomable and unending.
Restoring Devil's Lake from the bottom up: A 15-year DNR project will drain phosphorus by withdrawing water from the deepest part of Devil's Lake.
Safer shores: Recent legislation helps states keep a close watch on beach water quality, but funding for continued monitoring may be at low tide.
Wisconsin Traveler: A grand event
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.
Special Insert:
Reach the beach: A special section about the treasures and challenges on Wisconsin's sand and rock shores.

Saving the best of the best: The special parts of our landscape deserve special attention. They get it from the Natural Resources Foundation.
Krawk!: The pipes are rusty, but this enthusiastic crooner is a beauty.
Wading with damsels: Walk through water to glimpse these winged beauties in action.
Pirate perch: A story and a remembrance of a rare breed.
The elusive turk: For five years, respect was about as hard to find as a turkey.
Have guides, will travel: 75 tours take you to the right place at the right time.
Wisconsin Traveler: Spring delights
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.

100 years of Wisconsin forestry: Some highlights in managing vast resources and working with people in Wisconsin's forests.
Good grounds for conservation: Time for a lesson about the birds and beans.
A bittersweet tale: This colorful vine gets all wrapped up in the season.
From the trail to the garden: Where there's a will, there's a way to enjoy Wisconsin woodland plants at home.
Homegrown recovery: Steps to restore a slumping economy need to sustain our natural assets as we expand business opportunity and create new jobs.
Mornings: Memories of special days start early and linger a lifetime.
Wisconsin Traveler: Get real
Readers Write: Your letters to the editor.
Special Insert:
For our patrons: News for Conservation Patron license holders.