Newsletter May 2012

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:52:00 +0100

Knife wielding Golden Eagle

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:58:00 +0100
A forgetful photographer had the shock of his life when this soaring golden eagle made off with his knife.

Dutch snapper Han Bouwmeesterhad been using the utensil, in V�sterbotten, Sweden, to carve up chunks of meat in a bid to attract the birds of prey.
But, busy with the task in hand, the wildlife aficionado clumsily dropped it in the snow.

Attack of the killer: Han Bouwmeester captured this 'once in a

Wild Stoves: woodgas stove review (YT vid)

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:59:00 +0100
After deliberating for a while on getting a woodgas stove, I decided to go with the UK company Wild Stoves and got their small backpacking woodgas stove. I love the thing. It's any excuse for a fire at the moment. Here's vid I've just put together if you're not too familiar with the stove or the woodgas idea.

Duncan

Bodges Staffordshire Oatcake Tutorial (pic heavy)

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:34:00 +0100
Bodges� Staffordshire Oatcake Tutorial

Anybody from the Staffordshire area will know about our local delicacy �The Oatcake�
They have been a staple part of the Staffordshire diet for generations and (unless filled with bacon and cheese) are a healthy nutritious food which can be served anytime of the day.

I have taken Oatcakes to many of the meets I have attended and handed out samples for folk to try. These samples have usually contained bacon and cheese, but can be filled with anything you fancy really, even jam works well.

Around the Staffordshire area you will find Oatcake shops dotted around the city, some in high street

The return of outdoor play

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:03:00 +0100
Outdoor play is making a come back as cash-strapped parents swap spending on DVDs and the cinema for free days out in the park, research suggests.

A poll of 1,250 UK parents of school-age children suggests 44% of youngsters are now spending more time playing outside than they did two years ago.

Many parents recognise that trips to local parks and open spaces can be cost-effective days out.

Review - Suunto Core

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:30:00 +0100
Review - Suunto Core

The Core has been a staple in Suunto�s product range for a number of years and looking at the features, it�s easy to see why.

Refreshed Countryside Code

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:24:00 +0100
Natural England has re-launched the Countryside Code - the refreshed version gives updated advice on rights of way, controlling dogs around livestock and wildlife, and preventing fires. Natural England, the Moorland Association, the National Farmers' Union and the Ramblers are all encouraging people to read the Code to help them enjoy, respect and protect the countryside:

Enjoy the outdoors � Even when going out locally, it�s best to get the latest information about where and when you can go. For example, access to some areas of open access land and coastal land may be restricted in particular places at particular times. Find out as much as you can about where you are going, plan ahead and follow advice and local signs.

Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:17:00 +0100
The past two decades have seen an increasing number of virulent infectious diseases in natural populations and managed landscapes.
In both animals and plants, an unprecedented number of fungal and fungal-like diseases have recently caused some of the most severe die-offs and extinctions ever witnessed in wild species, and are jeopardizing food security. Human activity is intensifying fungal disease dispersal by modifying natural environments and thus creating new opportunities for evolution. We argue that nascent fungal infections will cause increasing attrition of biodiversity, with wider implications for human and ecosystem health, unless steps are taken to tighten biosecurity worldwide.

Drawing Connections Between Food Webs: Universal Truths About Species' Roles Uncovered

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:43:00 +0100
Ecosystems today face various threats, from climate change to invasive species to encroaching civilization. If we hope to protect these systems and the species that live in them, we must understand them -- an extremely difficult and time-consuming task, given the world's seemingly endless number of Ecosystems, each with its own complex dynamics and relationships.

But what if we could pinpoint the most powerful players in a given food web, those "keystone" species without which the entire ecosystem would collapse? And what if we could predict how changes to one ecosystem would affect its various organisms based on data collected from another ecosystem half a world away?
Researchers from Northwestern University, with partners from

Evidence of 'earliest fire use'

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:17:00 +0100

Wonderwerk Cave is in the Northern Cape and was occupied by ancient human species

Scientists say they have new evidence that our ancestors were using fire as early as a million years ago.

It

BushcraftUK

Newsletter May 2012

Knife wielding Golden Eagle

Wild Stoves: woodgas stove review (YT vid)

Bodges Staffordshire Oatcake Tutorial (pic heavy)

The return of outdoor play

Review - Suunto Core

Refreshed Countryside Code

Emerging fungal threats to animal, plant and ecosystem health

Drawing Connections Between Food Webs: Universal Truths About Species' Roles Uncovered

Evidence of 'earliest fire use'