Rhode Island Feeds

Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge, Maple Valley Road, Coventry, RI
Sunday, Feb 12, 2012, 10am – 12pm

Join Audubon at the Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge for an adventure in snowshoeing. Explore the snow-covered trails in search of tracks and signs of animals. What better time of year to visit a wildlife refuge? Participants must provide their own snowshoes - they can be rented from REI or Eastern Mountain Sports.

Note: If the trails are too icy or there is no snow, the program will be cancelled. This walk can be somewhat strenous.

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Avenue, Seekonk, MA
Saturday, Feb 11, 2012, 7 – 8:30pm

Enjoy a wonderful evening in search of owls at the Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, a location that usually is very productive. It may be a little chilly, but this is when the owls are most active. Take to the trails with an Audubon guide to look for these amazing birds in their natural setting.

Dress warmly.

Ninigret NWR/Kettle Pond Visitor Ctr.
Saturday, Feb 11, 2012, 10:30am – 12pm

More info: www.rifamiliesinnature.org

Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, 99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI
Friday, Feb 10, 2012, 7 – 9pm

Head out on the trails for an evening of fun - learning about the owls of Rhode Island. Start the evening with a presentation on these amazing creatures and visit with one of Audubon's live owls. Then walk the evening trails in search of these intriguing birds in their natural setting.

Dress warmly and bring a flashlight.Meet in the nature center

Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI
Friday, Feb 10, 2012, 6:30 – 10pm

Dinner Reservations? Check! Verified Theatre Time? Check! Booked Babysitter? Uh oh. Don't fret, Let Audubon handle childcare for you with our new Parents Night Out Program. Kids ages 6 to 10 will enjoy a fun filled and educational evening under the supervision of Audubon Society of RI educators. While you enjoy your night out, your child will be involved in hands-on activities including hikes, games, crafts, a live animal interview and more. Their night will wind down with a snack and a nature movie while they await your arrival at pick-up time.

Drop-off starts at 6:30 pm and runs through 7:00 pm. Children can be picked up anytime between 9:00 and 10:00 pm. Pick-up ends promptly at 10:00 pm. Class size is limited to 20 children and advanced registration is required.

Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, 99 Pardon Joslin Road, Exeter, RI
Wednesday, Feb 8, 2012, 6:30 – 8:30pm

A white expanse of snow blanketing the forest, the moon creeping up through the silhouettes of pines, and the stars twinkling overhead. All set the scene for a guided Full Moon Snowshoe Walk at Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge. The trail winds through the forest to apond where the moon will be rising. Survival of plants and animals as well as lunar folklore are discussed along the way. Participants must provide their own snowshoes - they can be rented from REI or Eastern Mountain Sports. Note: If the trails are too icy or there is no snow, the program will be cancelled.

Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI
Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012, 7 – 8:30pm

Everything changes after dark -- the trails, the trees, and even the sounds. Join us this winter and spring for a moonlit walk. You'll get to test your night vision and other senses as we leisurely walk along the trails. You might hear the call of an owl or the howl of a distant coyote. After the hike enjoy some tasty treats for dessert. Be sure to dress for the weather, bring a flashlight, and let us know if you have any food allergies.

Repeats Each Full Moon:
Tuesday, 2/7
Thursday, 3/8
Thursday, 4/5

Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI
Saturday, Feb 4, 2012, 1 – 3pm

Okay, now that I have your attention, come and learn to identify some common trees when they are 'buck nekkid' in winter. We will discuss branching patterns, bark and buds to help us determine deciduous species and will talk about evergreen species as well. We will both indoors and outside for this class, so dress accordingly and for the weather.

Departs from Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Road, Smithfield, RI
Saturday, Feb 4, 2012, 12 – 3pm

Warm up with a bowl of soup at Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge before you brave the cold for a look at the natural beauty of the dormant season. Travel by van to the Audubon Newman Refuge in Smithfield to look for signs of plants and animals coping with the cold. Dress warmly and wear appropriate foot gear.

In case of bad weather, the date will be moved to February 11.

Need another reason to get outside with your kids? It’s good for their eyes!

Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to be near-sighted. This is a correlation, not proven cause-and-effect; my grandmother would tell you the real cause for better eyesight is that the outdoorsy kids spend less time reading books in dim light. Still, it seems like a good reason to put on the snow boots and head outside.

I learned this tidbit from the book Welcome to Your Child’s Brain, by neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang (Bloomsbury, 2011). Here’s how they summarize the research:

“One study compared six- and seven-year-old children of Chinese ethnicity living in Sydney, Australia, with those living in Singapore. The rate of myopia was more than eight times lower in Sydney (3.3 percent) than in Singapore (29.1 percent), despite similar rates of parental myopia (about 70 percent in at least one parent). Children in Sydney spent fourteen hours per week outside, on average, compared with three hours per week for children in Singapore.”

The authors also cite a U.S. study that found that “two hours per day of outdoor activity reduces the risk of myopia by about a factor of four compared with less than one hour per day.”

The incidence of near-sightedness has been on the rise over the last few decades in many countries, suggesting that something more than genetics alone is at work, Aamodt and Wang say. Although the reason for the positive association between time spent outdoors and good eyesight is unknown, they offer the hypothesis that bright outdoor light may provide better conditions than dim indoor light for the development of the correct distance between a child’s pupil and retina. Since earlier generations spent many hours outside every day, Aamodt and Wang say, our eyes may develop better if we spend more of our childhood outdoors.

Playing armchair neuroscientist, I wonder if spending time outside also helps because kids are focusing on objects at a range of distances, rather than staring for long periods at a book or computer screen at the same distance from their eyes. Aamodt and Wang don’t address that question, but I know where my grandmother would stand.



Learn more
- Check out Aamodt and Wang’s blog, Welcome to Your Brain.


Great Kids, Great Outdoors is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Kristen Laine and Heather Stephenson. Heather wrote this post.

Audubon Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI
Saturday, Feb 4, 2012, 9am – 5pm

Thanks to the Citizens Bank Foundation, the Environmental Education Center is open free to the public the first Saturday of every month. Join us for crafts, nature stories, animal discoveries, hikes and more. No need to pre-register.

75 Wrentham Rd, Cumberland, RI 02864
Friday, Feb 3, 2012, 7 – 8:30pm

Bundle up with boots (snowshoes) and enjoy a gibbous moon hike through the (snowy) fields and woods. Reflect on “WHOOS” about in the woods. Enjoy a hot drink and warm company after the hike.
Donation: $10

Friday, February 3 (snowdate, Sat Feb. 4) 7:00pm -8:30pm

More info: www.newdawnearthcenter.org

By Mark Divver

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Celtics All-Star guard Rajon Rondo will miss his seventh straight game with an injured right wrist.

Boston coach Doc Rivers said at the team's morning shootaround that Rondo will not play Tuesday night against the Cavaliers but could return to the lineup later this week.

Rondo is traveling with the team. Boston hosts Toronto on Wednesday.

The Celtics have gone 4-2 without Rondo, who hasn't played since Jan. 18, when he fell and sprained his wrist. Tests have shown no structural damage.

Rivers said center Jermaine O'Neal will play against Cleveland. He has been out for a week with a bruised left knee.

When I was a little kid, getting dressed for a winter’s day outdoors started with putting on a union suit. My father bought us full-body long underwear, complete with buttoned “trap doors,” from an Army-Navy surplus store. The suits were red, made of wool, and — at least on my skin — terribly scratchy. “If they’re good enough for the 10th Mountain Division,” my father said whenever I complained, “they’re good enough for you.”

If you’re of a certain age, the outdoor clothing you wore as a child may also have had a World War II lineage. Which may mean that you, too, were present at the revolution in outdoor clothing that took place in the latter decades of the 20th century. As we grew into young adults, new petroleum-based fabrics — stretchy, breathable, water-resistant, warm when wet — transformed the outdoor experience. From base layers to outerwear, from our feet to our heads and hands, we bought “technical” clothing that kept us warmer and drier, weighed less in our packs, and didn’t restrict our movement on the slopes or cliffs.

One of the companies in the “technical” clothing vanguard was Patagonia, whose founder, Yvon Chouinard, had revolutionized climbing gear in the 1960s. In 1980 the company introduced long underwear made from polypropylene, a synthetic fiber that had been used in marine ropes and disposable diapers. “Polypro” insulated without absorbing moisture. And though it acquired a fearsome stink after a season of hard use, it didn’t itch. In its company history, Patagonia calls itself “the first company to teach the concept of layering to the outdoor community,” and my consumer’s experience backs up their claim.

As revolutions often do, this one moved down to children. Again, Patagonia led the way, designing outdoor clothing out of its new fabrics for babies and children. “No union suits for this one!” I wrote to a climbing friend after her daughter was born in the early 1980s, attaching my note to a soft fleece bunting.

Three decades later, families reap the benefits of ongoing research in outdoor fabrics. The clothing we buy for our children to wear outdoors comes from a wide variety of manufacturers in many styles, sizes, and price points. We are the beneficiaries, as well, of a continuing search for what Patagonia calls “the cleanest line” — the most sustainable approach to the environment, including the gear and clothing that we purchase and use. Companies use recycled plastics in their synthetic fabrics, work with cotton growers to reduce and eliminate pesticides, and track the environmental impact of their products, from the manufacturing process to our front doors.

So I was intrigued when someone from Icebreaker, a company I hadn’t heard of before, contacted me a few months ago. The company, based in New Zealand, has manufactured outdoor clothing in merino wool since 1994. They offered to send me some samples and to talk to me about the development of their children’s clothing line. After speaking with Michelle Mitchell, the general manager of Icebreaker’s kids business unit, I have a sense that the revolution is continuing — but also circling back in interesting, even surprising, ways.

Like U.S. companies Ibex and SmartWool, which also started in the 1990s, Icebreaker is pursuing research in non-synthetic fabrics such as wool. “In New Zealand, everyone grew up wearing traditional itchy wool long underwear,” Mitchell told me — and moved away from it, just as I did, with deep relief. But recent advances in fiber technology mean that the merino wool used by these companies is not the same stuff that raised red welts on my skin. I was able to see the advances with my own eyes. Virgil, who also has sensitive skin, wore the shirt that Icebreaker sent him for several days in a row without complaint and without an itch. And the socks didn't stink after even days of wear. Now that’s progress.

High-performance clothing for children is also high-cost, however, and children can outgrow clothing in one season. Buying large works especially well for base layers, giving children several years of use before they outgrow an item. We’ve also been the grateful recipients of hand-me-down synthetic long underwear, fleece, and outerwear for our children since they were born, and we make a point of hitting local ski and gear swaps. The long underwear that Virgil is wearing this winter was worn by four kids before him, and it’s still good enough to pass along to a smaller child.

I wasn’t surprised to learn from Mitchell that Icebreaker created its children’s line after the people who worked there started having children. At first, employees sewed baby versions of the company’s merino wool tops and bottoms out of sample fabric and gave them as baby presents. Getting a “baby Icebreaker” became something of a company tradition.

Mitchell admits that Icebreaker’s kids’ line is a small part of the company’s overall business. But she believes that the benefits of high-quality outdoor clothing are even greater for children than for adults. “Good gear makes a huge difference if you’re taking kids outside on adventures,” she said. “Kids overheat so easily and get so miserable if they’re too hot or cold. You want them to stay warm even if they’re wet.” If children are comfortable, she believes, they’ll enjoy being outside — “and we’re passionate about getting kids outside.”

Getting children into the outdoors, keeping them safe, taking care of the environment. That's a revolution I can join.

Learn more
...about children's clothing and environmental initiatives at
- Patagonia
- Icebreaker
- Ibex (no separate children's line)
- SmartWool (check out "our values" in the "Discover" section of the website)

Photo: Virgil, dressed in hand-me-down synthetic long underwear, fleece-lined water resistant ski pants, a wool shirt, wool socks, and fleece mittens — and happy even when down.

“Great Kids, Great Outdoors” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Kristen Laine and Heather Stephenson. Kristen wrote this post.

Departs from Charlestown Mini-Super, 4071 Old Post Road (Route 1-A), Charlestown, RI
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012, 8 – 10:30am

Tuesday Morning Bird Walks will be continuing through the end of January. Phil Budlong will be coordinating the programs. Meet at the Charlestown Mini-Super on Route 1-A at 8:00 a.m. If you'd like advance details on the itinerary for that week, email Phil at pbudlong@cox.net.

By Mike Szostak

NEWPORT -- Bob and Mike Bryan, the best doubles team in tennis history, have entered the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Chamionships in July.

The brothers last played in Newport in 2002. They have won 76 titles, more than any team, and have been ranked No. 1 in doubles for seven years.

Check tennisfame.com for tournament information.

Fort Nature Refuge, (Rt. 5), 1443 Providence Pike, North Smithfield, RI
Saturday, Jan 28, 2012, 1 – 4pm

Explore the beauty of the Fort Wildlife Refuge in winter! Look for tracks and other signs of wildlife. If there is no snow we will hike the trails. If the trails are too icy the program will be cancelled. You must supply your own snowshoes or they can be rented from REI or Eastern Mountain Sports.

Last winter, for a post here on teaching cross-country skiing, I interviewed a coach in our area Bill Koch League (BKL), an after-school and weekend Nordic program for more than 400 local kids. The program impressed me, and it seemed like fun. Virgil thought so, too, especially after hearing me describe the skills games the kids played. He didn’t know that “gorilla walking” — striding forward in a slight crouch and swinging arms “like a gorilla” — helped kids learn a classic cross-country ski technique or that playing ski-tag helped them become comfortable moving in many directions on skis. He just thought it was something he’d like to do, too.

We were too late for last year’s program, but throughout the winter I’d often see kids wearing the program’s hats or jackets out on the trails. This year we signed Virgil up early for the one-day program on Tuesdays. I volunteered to be a parent coach, too. We splurged on new skis and poles for Virgil, plus a hat with the program logo. Then we waited for the snow to come.

In late January, we’re still waiting for decent snow. I won’t lie: I’ve dreaded many a Tuesday since late November. What can you with a group of a dozen 8- and 9-year olds when there’s no snow? When it’s raining out? When the snow that we did have, briefly, is now mostly natural slushee?

This past Tuesday, after a warm front carrying heavy rain had blown through, I arrived at the practice with Virgil, our gear, and a healthy dose of skepticism. “There’s hardly any snow,” Virgil moaned. “This won’t be any fun.”

I didn’t think it would be any fun either, but I couldn’t tell him that. Instead, I told him to get dressed. I gave myself the same command, and we joined our little group, where a high school skier would be helping me coach that day.

As soon as I was out there, though, surrounded by the other kids, some of them looking as reluctant as Virgil, I stopped noticing the bare patches of ground and started focusing on what we were going to do. The remaining snow, saturated with water, offered easy gliding. Relatively warm temperatures meant that a sideways tumble into a slush puddle was all wet silliness and no risk of hypothermia. When we sent the kids down a short little hill and their skis sent out sprays of slush, we knew enough to send them down into the slush pool again, and again.

“I’m completely soaked!” Virgil crowed happily back in the car, as he pulled off each item of wet clothing and let it fall to the floor with a liquid thumph. “I’m not sure that was skiing,” he said. “But it sure was fun.”

He and I both learned (or re-learned) a classic lesson on Tuesday: You don’t need much to have fun outdoors, even in the winter, even in a sloppy, messy winter. You just have to open the door and get out.

Here are some more ideas and tips for fun on skis, whether they’re Nordic or downhill, in good snow years or bad.


At home
- Let kids wear their boots (Nordic or downhill) and play “space adventurer” even before you leave for the slopes, says Billie Munro Audia, a Safety Ambassador on the ski patrol at Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort who has also taught skiing to children in Colorado and elsewhere in New England. Becoming familiar with the equipment is the first step toward becoming comfortable with the sport.
- Celebrate snow, or pray for more, by doing a “snow dance” in your yard. Encourage kids to put on their skis for the celebration.

In the car
- Keep a bag of spare clothing in the car with hat, mittens, socks, extra mid-layers, and underwear (both the long and regular variety). It can come in handy when you arrive at a ski area and realize that you've left the mittens behind, or at the end of a day of skiing, when everything your child is wearing is soaked. You can also keep snacks and juice boxes or water in the bag, for quick pick-me-ups.

On the snow
- Children love humor, songs, silly word play. Put that fun to use teaching the basics of skiing. When Audia teaches downhill skiing to children, she encourages them to “walk like a penguin” (ski tips turned out, walk forward by bringing one ski tail forward at a time); make “French fries” (skis pointing forward and parallel, about shoulder width apart); and a make a “slice of pizza” (aim ski tips together and widen the distance between the ski tails). The vivid images stick with kids even better than pizza and French fries at lunch.

On the mountain or trail
- Falling happens. It helps kids to know that falling down is part of learning. “Blaming snow snakes for falls works wonders,” says Audia. “You know snow snakes, right? Those hard-to-see white snakes that pop up from the snow, grab your ski pants, and make you fall?” Keep the light touch by making a game out of getting up.
- Play games. Children learn by playing. To help kids practice transferring their weight on downhill turns, Audia plays Follow the Leader. We ended our practice on Tuesday by playing Capture the Flag. Ski poles stuck into the soggy ground served as our flags. Virgil and the others moved tentatively at first, but quickly forgot that they were on skis. I watched Virgil glide past the sentries (he was imagining himself a Viking warrior, he told me later), capture the other team’s pole and make a dash for safety. It was the most confidently he had skied all day. And he was smiling.

Photos courtesy of Ford Sayre Nordic Program and Mt. Snow Ski Resort.

“Great Kids, Great Outdoors” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Kristen Laine and Heather Stephenson. Kristen wrote this post.

Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Sachuest Point Road, Middletown, RI
Saturday, Jan 28, 2012, 10:30am – 1pm

Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge is one of the few places in Rhode Island where the hot birding comes during the colder months. Winter specialties include Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, Short-eared Owls, Purple Sandpipers, and the stars of the show, Harlequin Ducks. We'll meet in the refuge parking lot, then head for the shore to look for waterfowl and other winter residents of the rocky seashore and scrubby coastal habitats. Be sure to dress for the cold and the wind.

Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Rd, Middletown, RI
Thursday, Jan 26, 2012, 6 – 7:30pm

Winter is a wonderful time of year to go bird watching, improve your naturalist skills, or simply hike with less worries of mosquitoes and ticks. Colorful ducks congregate along RI shores, rare birds are often sighted after seasonal storms, and it is also owl breeding season. This is the best time to hear owl hoots and screeches during the early evening hours as they search for mates and defend their territories. To celebrate the wonders of nature in winter, Norman Bird Sanctuary is offering several educational opportunities.

If you’re interested in winter birds and don’t want to travel, NBS is offering an Owl Prowl on Thursday, January 26th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Sanctuary. This program starts indoors where you will learn about the different species of owls in Rhode Island, their unique adaptations, and then you will be introduced to one of our resident birds-of-prey. Following the presentation, we will head out on the trails in search of owls. We will make frequent stops to listen for their calls and to participate in some fun, night hike activities. This program is appropriate for ages 8 and up and registration is required. The cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members.

For complete details for any NBS program, please visit: www.normanbirdsanctuary. Registration and payment is required in advance for all programs. To register, call 401-846-2577.