Last night, I noticed the viewcount for my seals/glacier video had gone up by about 50%. So naturally, I had to figure out why. First I looked at where the viewers were from - all over the US (with a concentration in Calif), Brazil, Oman, Portugal, Morocco and Pakistan. Interesting, but why? While hunting up the reason (or chewing up time) I found a new feature of Google called Live Search. You can search on a topic and view 20 videos at one time. If this were to explain the increase in viewcount, I would expect the viewcounts of all 4 videos to go up. They didn't. So the mystery remains, but Live Search was still worth mentioning.

I also received an email with a very encouraging comment from a scientist "This is a very cool article! It is fantastic that you are educating high school students and perhaps inducing them to go into science and make new discoveries."

Here's a day worth noting - National Public Lands Day. I was delighted to be at a National Historic site at the right time to take advantage of the free admission. Next year it will be on September 26, 2009.

I am currently revamping the school visits portion of this website. Please check back at a later date for some exciting changes.

With visions of vitamin water dancing in my head I cut myself some slack and did 10 this morning instead of 11. Yep, you won't catch me signing up for one of these again. No sirree.

This evening, I received a couple of emails from the National Wildlife Federation asking for support against proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. They didn't have to ask. I noticed they caught wind of the "we don't accept email" sentence that I've been harping about. Since they had a preprinted form, I shipped off my email to Congress. Before I did, I tacked on a few sentences about my own experiences of chewing up 1/3 (11 days) of the allotted public comment period of 30 days by mailing the document from CT to VA and losing 1/3 (1 pg out of 3) of the document when it went into the government's system.

This morning, my brother mentioned he cleaned up a torn garbage bag between his house and his elderly neighbor's house. The neighbor came out to explain that at 11PM a black bear had dragged her garbage can all the way around the house. He also offered me some bear "scat" (yeah that's the word he used) for my class. Sorry to pass up such a find (he reported a "large find"), but my class is about grizzly bears. Such a shame, really it is.

Here's where the latest viewers of my videos reside:
Seals - Germany, Dall Sheep - Italy, Sea Lions - Australia, Grizzly Bears - Australia.

Yesterday, I found some helpful information online. It energized me enough to dig up a project I spent considerable time on in the Spring of 2007. I'd buried it in the cellar in disgust. Now, with renewed hope, I will revise it, make it stronger, and ship it back out.

On the running front, 2 days ago I ran 11 without incident!!!!!! I can't help but wonder why I signed up for this? What was I thinking?

Here's an update on the study I wrote about for a December 2006 Highlights article.

I tested out a few new hands-on activities for the class I'm proposing. On the upside, my helper spent a good hour on my food chain idea - and she's not one to sit still. It was a HUGE success. I allocated only 20 minutes for this activity, so I will up that. I played with plaster and playdough. I love the fact that I can make my own playdough and it's easy to get out of these awesome molds I picked up. But my efforts to air dry and slowly bake the playdough to harden it didn't work. I ended up with a hard casing that softened and cracked in the humidity. NO GOOD. So I'm off the library to get a book called Mudworks by Bright Ring Publishing, in hopes it will have some kind of clay that will permanently keep its shape. Good luck to me.

Found those comments on this link.

Today I cut and pasted all of the missing page (#3) as a comment (Add comments) to this award winning system. The comment doesn't show up anywhere on this award winning system so I have no idea if it worked. Prior to my letter getting into this award winning system I did a search on "Linda Zajac" and came up with 23 hits. The two that I reviewed did not have "Linda Zajac" in them anywhere.

I also found out my 10 mile run was really more like 11 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, I went on the award winning website, http://www.regulations.gov/ to find my letter (click views) about the Endangered Species Act. But I mailed in THREE pages, not two!

I have now committed to running a half marathon in mid October. Like writing, it's another long journey that seems to be plagued with challenges. I've been hobbled (by three blisters crowded on my pinky toe), stung (by two hornets), and sickened. Yesterday after ten miles (yippee!) the glass of tropical carrot juice didn't sit well. As I looked in the mirror at Casper I said to myself I am NOT running this half-marathon. I'm done. Then I went online and found out that after a long run you need to keep walking around afterward or you can get sick. As long as I can keep identifying the problems and fixing them, things may work out. I bought new sneaks, so the blister is gone. I was relieved the hornet's nest has been completely removed. I suspect the person that played pinata with the nest was the first to complain the hornet's were a problem. Could they have gone to science as this article makes mention of?

The Hartford Marathon is making waves with it's focus on the environment. Much of the proceeds are donated to various charities.

I have an article for high schoolers coming out in ChemMatters in December. I thought it might be an eye-opening topic for a class for elementary kids, but the content was too advanced. So I decided to create a class based on another article for younger kids.

Yesterday, I spoke to my neighbor about some of the amazing research that I read about for the ChemMatters article. Believe me, he can use a ray of hope. It has rekindled the challenge of taking an advanced topic and presenting it to younger kids in a way they can understand. Hm. This will require some thought.

Todays encounter with nature was not a pleasant one. I was out running on the trail and got stung twice by hornets. When they came after me, I screamed. My left hand now looks like a boxing glove. The knuckles and veins have been replaced by a hot itchy swollen mass. Last week, I noticed this hornet's nest hanging from a small tree like a tether ball. Today it was cracked in half. BUT I DIDN'T DO IT.

I was up at the University of Connecticut pulling 2 research papers today. One paper is not only interesting, but the most visually appealling paper that I will probably ever read. I ended up printing page 3 and 4 in color - and the colors on page 4 are just beautiful!

Ok, here's the entire slideshow of my comments about changes to the Endangered Species Act redone. I scanned the pages in with higher resolution, but I was still unable to add it to the blog even though I reduced the size. Hm.

After reviewing it without the aid of an electron microscope (oh no reason), I can clearly see that you can't read it. Stellar. An exercise in wasting time. Yes, but I learned something didn't I?

I tried it again and found that by clicking on the slideshow page it BLOWS it up. Then you can adjust the slideshow to go fast or slow. SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two days ago I shipped off a 3 page letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service about proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. I tried to get the slideshow embedded in this post, but it didn't work so here's the link where it can be viewed. It was more of a test of this slideshow feature with music then anything else. I added some photographs of endangered species. Unfortunately, the text is not terribly clear and zips by pretty fast even if it was clear. So there are some glitches I have to work on. Here's the last line "A large volume of species in danger (or paperwork) signals a larger problem that is not being addressed."

This weekend we're off to another college. When the dust settles the fog is moving in.

"Say goodbye these days are gone." .........Sigh.
(lyrics from These Hard Times, Matchbox Twenty)

Busy. Busy. Busy week - niece slept over, mother in hospital (out now!), daughter off to college(will she ever stop packing?), son needs parking practice (FOUR times). Last night while in the midst of backing in and out of spaces at a church parking lot, we were surrounded by cops. Is parking a crime? It was amusing that they kept their distance like we were really dangerous. He radioed in my license number. Meanwhile the second guy stood behind the drivers side keeping an eye on my son. Must have been a slow day at the precinct. Thank goodness I used the weekend to make good headway on some revisions.

I still can't believe I finished 8 miles on the trail today. I'm pondering whether I should run a half marathon. Running and writing both require perseverance and mental toughness. Fellow runners and writers are very supportive. My friend once told me she thought I was the most persevering person she ever met. If that was the case I'd be willingly signing up for a marathon versus being talked into a half.

The document has changed, but the link to the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act is the same. Now, it's pages 1 and 6 that are not clear. "You may submit your comments and materials concerning this proposed rule by one of the methods listed" (email or mail). Followed by "We will not consider comments sent by e-mail." Do they accept email or don't they? By listing email first it seems to me the document is inviting email, then later invalidating it. Was this a mistake (repeated twice mind you) by someone who needs to be precise? It would be interesting to find out what happens when you send an email?

I am currently on an editorial treasure hunt to find ear bones. Oh never mind.

AUDIT CHECK!

Yesterday, the public had 60 days to send their comments about proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. Today,we are given only 30 days for public comment Why not keep changing the rules so it's harder for the opposition to make a case? Well, guess what? If I was given only 5 days, I'd find the time and I hope you do too! Here's another really flattering article.

With a little digging, I found the document. Pg 2 and again on pg 23 it says submit comments/materials about proposed rule either be email or mail. But if you look closely at #2 it says we will NOT accept email. Yet email is listed first. Deceptive to the max.
(1) Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov Follow instructions on website for submitting comments.
(2) By U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public Comment Processing, Attention:1018-AT50, Division of Policy and Directives Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.
We will not accept e-mail or faxes.

November can't get here fast enough. Read this and weep.

My 7-year-old niece was over here most of the day. I put her to work testing a snack for the class I'm proposing. Amazing that what seemed so simple resulted in these changes:

1. use large pretzels not small ones
2. don't bother with gumdrops, use m+m's instead
3. break the pretzel a certain way
4. use blond brownies instead of gingerbread
5. tube frosting might be better. Test this out.

It was 20 minutes well spent. She ate one and the other she'll deliver tomorrow to cheer up her grandmother. I'm pretty confident that with a little time and a little bit of thought, I can turn any article I write into a good time for kids.

I've read about climate change causing changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and I must say this summer there has been more violent thunderstorms here in CT then I can ever remember. Driving home Friday night through busy intersections, I encountered four lights in a row that were knocked out from a recent thunderstorm. As I crested a hill, I saw fragments of a rainbow. It was enough.

After a 3AM phone call Monday morning, the midnight ride of Linda Zajac, the 911 call, and the broken hip (no, not mine), I could REALLY stand to have a dull moment or three. Despite the commotion, I managed to scrutinize a few pages worth of exciting story line.

While ice skating tonight, I ran into my neighbor and her daughter. They were both at my presentation at First Congregational Church earlier this year. My neighbor politely said to her 9 year old daughter, "you remember Mrs. Zajac don't you?" The little girl looked puzzled and shook her head. I looked at her and said "grizzly bears?" Her cute little freckled face lit up into a huge somewhat toothless grin "oh yeah," she said with a great deal of enthusiasm. That made me feel good.

I did a little test of this Insight feature on Youtube yesterday. I ran my seal/glacier video 3 times just to see what it records. Sure enough, today looking at 7/21 shows CT as viewing the video. It gives me a little hope that it is somewhat accurate and that my videos were indeed viewed all over the world.

I found a new toy on Youtube that I've been entertaining myself with. It's called Insight. It gives you geographical information about your videos. I checked all of my videos for a one year period. Here's what I found out (not a comprehensive list mind you):

The dall sheep video has been played in Alaska, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Brazil
The sea lion video has been played in India, Spain, Ireland, and Saudi Arabia
The glacier/seal video has been played in Germany, Greece and the U.K.
The grizzly bear video has been played in China, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Germany, Turkey and Argentina

Cool!

Todays excuse why I can't do any work - The cat is sleeping on my research and I don't want to wake her. Do I have to admit that not long ago I was in the same spot, asleep.

It's 3:45 A.M., I made a few blog settings changes to allow viewing more than a handful of old entries. That's when I became alarmed at all my middle of the night blog entries. Don't I ever sleep? After a quick check, I discovered the time was in Pacific time - 3 hours off. OOPS!

I found this baby leatherback turtle video today. Aren't they cute? But they grow to be enormous!

Last night I had a dream I was in the kitchen. From the window I could see a really good band playing outside. It was exciting. I was itching to get out there - my own backyard. But I didn't have a ticket.

As a writer of nonfiction, I know it brings the words to life when you do first hand research. You can see, smell and hear the action. More often then not, this is easier said then done.

Last night at dusk, I was swimming with my head out of the water. Straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, bats were swooping low over the water plucking mosquitoes out of the air - way too close. What if one of those mosquitoes landed on my head, would I have been bitten by a bat? I was not stickin' around to find out!

Recently, I've been digging through newspaper archives of newspapers from the Philadelphia area. I'm working on another animal/technology project (what else is new?). For 6 days of excitement, I found NINETEEN newspaper articles! Then I found a couple more from another newspaper. Apparently, this was big news back then. Hopefully, one of them will give me the details I am seeking.

I found the Connecticut DEP website very exciting. About a month or two ago, I sent the list of bear sightings to my brother who moved to a town with a lot of bears. At that time, there wasn't even one sighting in Vernon (nor had there been any in past years). Recently, I had heard there were several spotted and again found none on the list. Yesterday I was looking through the state parks and found the list updated. Of course now my brother is accusing me of calling in the same imaginary bear 3 times.

Found this interesting statement in the listing for wolves on the IUCN list of endangered species:

"The grey wolf is protected in various national parks and reserves in Canada and the United States. Extensive legal protection in many European countries; however, enforcement is variable and often non-existent. "

In legends and folklore, wolves have a bad reputation. For years they have been shot by park rangers. I received a comment on my June 28, 2008 blog entry from Mike Wagner, founder and director of Heart of the Wolf Organization . In his comment he mentions the existence of other methods to deter wolves from livestock that don't involve killing wolves. I have reprinted some of his comments here.....

"livestock issues can successfully be prevented through the use of livestock protection dogs, fladry, cattle rotation, and well constructed fences. The reality is most government agencies, a la the USFWS and state agencies like the Fish and Games, rarely use them and promote them. This is despite constant proof of their success."

Why aren't government agencies promoting these methods to deter wolves?

I just noticed that Highlights magazine has added an interactive version of my July 2008 article on wolves on their website, www.highlightskids.com. It's a related article about a study of wolves and moose on Isle Royal in Michigan.

Also, after two days of feeling like I wasn't accomplishing much, I actually did accomplish a lot. I came up with 6 fun activities for a class I am proposing about the wolf article. The class isn't until next winter. Although it is for K-2 it will be held at a local college. I am eager to test out these ideas to iron out any kinks. My 7 year old niece will be a big help here.

In my quest to develop another class from a recent Highlights article on wolves and the food chain, I found a BBC website for elementary-age kids. The activities are in science, English and math. There are also lesson plans for teachers. I added it to the LINKS section on this website.

Here's the article by Elizabeth O. Dulemba that I used to create this website. It was in the SCBWI Bulletin. My website is listed after the article. Now I'll have to check out the other websites that Elizabeth referenced. Thanks again Elizabeth!!

I just happened to be poking around on EBSCO through my town library's website and noticed that my July 2008 article in Highlights, "What Good Is The Big Bad Wolf?" has been published. What a great photograph of a wolf!!! They did a nice job.

Here's a website that will tell you how your senators voted on global warming legislation. I found this list of what we can do to make a difference.

Thursday was a joyous day. I hate to put another post here and let the photograph slip out of view. It's too much like reality. Sigh. But I have good news to share. I received a call from my editor at Highlights. He's buying my article about the fossa in Madagascar! The article is about the work of Dr. Luke Dollar.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

It's graduation day for Melanie and Dan!!!!!

Granted this isn't the most professional thing I've ever posted, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want.

Never in my lifetime, all 22 years (yeah right), do I remember school closing early on account of extreme heat, as it is today here in CT.

Today I received some nice mail from the Florida Freelance Writers Association. I opened up the large envelope and was pleased to find a certificate for 2nd honorable mention in the Children's Literature category. That category encompasses everything from poetry to short stories, novel chapters and nonfiction. A really nice touch was the sticky note that had the words "interesting info, well-researched and well-told. Congrats!" Thanks!

I'm researching a new subject now - another endangered animal. The descriptions in some of the papers I've found are really graphic. A few pictures I've come across are just ghastly. It's really sad to see the suffering. There is certainly no shortage of material on the topic, so that's a good thing.

I look forward to my daily emails from the Bermuda Biological Station. There is excitement in those emails (I think it's all the "!"). The website contains photographs and journal entries for each day of the adventure. I have read about the discovery of brittle stars, sea squirts, and a Portugese man-of-war. Great trip and a great way to instill a love of science.

Right now, my daughter Julia is on a plane headed to the Bermuda Biological Station. It's a fantastic opportunity for her and her classmates to stay at a real research station that is off limits to the public. The 8th graders and a handful of high school seniors spend a week studying marine animals and the geography of Bermuda. One of the nice things this group does is that each kid brings down a book to donate to the library there. They are also planting cedar. From what I've heard, cedar products used to be common in the stores, but now it sounds like they've over done it.
Anyhow, to those on the plane.......best wishes for a great time!

Happy Endangered Species Day!

On Wed., the polar bear was finally put on the endangered species list due to its shrinking habitat. "Global climate change posses a substantial threat to the habitat of polar bears." Posses should be poses, but someone was probably in a hurry to get it down in case the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed it's mind about listing the polar bear. After all, it took three years to get it on the endangered species list. I have browsed the endangered species list many times, but I've never seen so much written about any one animal.

The rainforest in Indonesia is being hacked up for palm oil. Another casualty of this destruction is the orangutans. In this National Geographic video you'll see them in diapers (how cute). If the destruction continues, The Center for Orangutan Protection estimates they could be extinct in THREE years. It seems to me some worldwide organization needs to be in charge of patrolling rainforests instead of the governments of countries. The Indonesian government is opening up land for palm oil plantations. 1.1 million acres of protected land is at stake.

Here's an email I received from Unilever on May 8th. On April 21st I posted a link to a video of suppliers chopping down the Indonesian rainforest to obtain palm oil. I emailed Unilever, a major company that uses palm oil in their products. They responded with this letter. In it they wrote that on May 1st 2008, we "announced our support for an immediate moratorium on any further deforestation in Indonesia for palm oil cultivation." Unilever posted a video on their website. In the video they claim the Indonesian Government must help monitor the rainforests. I totally agree. It seems to me if google maps viewed via satellite or google earth can zoom in on houses then why can't we monitor rain forests this way? Is there such a thing as a satellite that stays put and does not orbit? Why not put a motor on a satellite so it goes in the opposite direction and at the same speed as its orbit? Just a thought.

On Wed. May 7, Connecticut became the fifth state in the nation to enact tough new global warming legislation. Bill 5600 was passed by Governor Rell. I'm so glad I live in a state that values the voices of educated scientists that devote their lives to their studies. Now if all states enacted similar legislation.....think of the power.

Slowly, I'm adding new links to this website. Today I added a link to I.N.K., a site for nonfiction writers.

I added my blog to the verveearth website after checking it out. It's a geographical map of the world that allows you to zoom in on a location and find blogs in that area. And believe me, there are no shortage of blogs. You can also look for blogs by category (travel, art, photography, politics, music, writing....). Unfortunately, I didn't see a category for science. Enough time spent on that, now it's back to some exciting research!

Here are some nice comments that were made about my grizzly bear presentation.

"Thank you so much for the great grizzly bear program you provided for our mother/child banquet. The children were all interested and involved, you had so many activities that they could get their "hands on". I was impressed that you could accommodate such a wide age range. Thanks again, I've had lots of positive feedback."

Thanks for having me!

The third annual National Endangered Species Day is May 16th, 2008. Here's another website about the event. Zoos and aquariums have special programs. I'd like to see google spruce up their logo for the day.

A new species of sponge was discovered in a deep canyon off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea. The name of the new sponge means "heart" in Unungan (Alaska natives).

Here is a video depicting the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia. The rainforest is being destroyed to obtain palm oil used by big business. Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing pictures of a smoking forest, trees falling, chainssaws roaring, and people fishing makes it very real. In some ways the Indonesian people remind me of the endangered animals I like to write about. They both need some outside help before it's too late.

Today I met a woman who grew up in Puerto Rico. Since I've been working on an article about bioluminescent jellyfish, I knew about the dinoflagellites in a bay in Vieques Puerto Rico. When these tiny organisms are disturbed they glow in the dark. She lit up when she talked of this Bay and traveling through it by charter boat. She told me they're so small you can't see them in your hand. Then she described scooping up a pail of water and pouring it out. In darkness, the water sparkles with tiny stars of light. How cool! I thought it would be so much fun to swim at night having every movement create glowing light. Then she mentioned the barracuda's in the water!

I found a website where you can actually buy dinoflagellites. I've never bought them so I have no clue how difficult it is to keep them or if the site is reputable, although it looks that way.

The same chemical reaction that causes a firefly to make light happens in a dinoflagellite. Scientists found out that crystal jellyfish make light differently then fireflies. It took years and years of studying these jellyfish, but now research labs all around the world are using what was discovered. It is an amazing story that will be published in December of 2008 in ChemMatters.

Hello to everyone from First Congregational Church! Welcome to my website. Thanks to all those who helped hand out supplies. I really appreciated it. Sometimes kids get impatient having to wait.

You folks were a captive audience with lots of good answers to my questions. Someone suggested counting people in a park by using a helicopter. I forgot to mention that scientists actually do that. In fact, I wrote a story about wolves and elk (Highlights 7/08) where scientists counted elk by climbing aboard helicopters and taking aerial counts.

Someone asked about ingredients in the clay - whether it has latex. I called the 1-800 number on the package. The clay comes from Mexico and contains paraffin and less than 1% sulphur. That's it. No gluten. No wheat. And no latex!

If you don't have time for anything else, check out the grizzly bear video that I made after visiting Alaska last June (under wildlife/science videos). There are bear cubs in that video and it talks about the grizzly bear study in Montana.

On Sunday, I saw a coyote hobbling on three legs through the woods in the backyard. So, yesterday when the cat zipped across the deck I thought she was running from a predator. I watched her run low to the ground across the grass. It hardly looked like the place to go to escape. She crouched down and within seconds lunged into the pine needles under two hemlock trees. She turned toward the house with something gray in her mouth. Then she raced back to the deck and dropped her trophy by the door - a little mole. Thankfully, she knew better then to try and bring it inside. NO THANK YOU!

Growing up with cats, I always saw the catch, but never watched the hunt. This time, it was swift and precise.

I was absolutely delighted to find a little surprise in my mailbox today. Out of over 100 entries, I received a letter of merit in the 2007 SCBWI magazine merit competition! The article was a true story about beavers and appeared in the December 2007 issue of Spider. SCBWI has not yet posted winners, but I'm interested to find out if the article I read while staying at the AMC hut at the base of Mt. Washington is one of the winners. It was a captivating article in Cricket about research on Komodo dragons.

Also, although its been quite a struggle, things are now moving along quickly on my article about research on crystal jellyfish. This article is for high school students and will appear in ChemMatters in December.

Information has now been posted about my upcoming program at a mother/child banquet at First Congregational Church in Vernon on March 26th. It's under church events.

I wish I thought of this earlier......

Welcome Kymoni (sorry if I spelled it wrong), Niko, Sarah, Drew, Loren, and Nicholas. You guys were great! Loren, thanks for the big help opening those doors. To help you quickly find some of the things I talked about, I am including this list.

sugar cookie recipe - activities
grizzly bear video with the cubs fighting - wildlife/science videos
The DNA song - video links
Actually, there are some other really good videos under video links that I didn't mention if you have the time.

Have fun!

I posted the recipe for the sugar cookies that I have kids decorate using grizzly bear track stencils. You can find it listed under Activities.

A friend sent me this link to a black bear article in Yankee magazine. The picture with the three little bear cubs is adorable.

I will be hosting "Busy Grizzly Night" at First Congregational Church in Vernon CT on Wed. March 26th at 6:45PM. The night will be jam-packed with all kinds of exciting grizzly bear activities.

Here's something I haven't shared with very many people. In 2003, after writing for only a year, I earned a letter of merit for a manuscript about the food pyramid. Since I was familiar with the issue, when the USDA was looking for input from the general public, I sent a letter which I drafted in about 10 minutes. Here are select pieces of that letter - click on it for a larger view. My efforts to find out which letters influenced the final design and slogan were to no avail.

Now, take a look at the finished pyramid and slogan.

I just returned from the butcher. Apparently, this is the week for weird requests. The woman behind the counter mentioned this past week a man came in asking for a pancreas. She asked what he needed it for. He told her his vet said if his dog didn't eat one, it would die. She was laughing and didn't believe that story and thought he might have been a teacher. Anyhow, upon finding clean machines in the back, the butcher was nice enough to slice open a prime rib and collect the blood for me. Thankfully, there was only one elderly gentleman in the store who now thinks I am a very weird.

If life is a word document, then I'd like to backspace and delete the last 1.5 weeks. If cooking is any indicator, yesterday I made macaroni and cheese and forgot the cheese. What a dork. I added tuna so I could squeeze out the fish oil (ok it was tuna in water) so a bunch of preschoolers can enjoy the fresh aroma of a scent used by scientists to attract grizzly bears. Tomorrow I am going to the butcher and asking for a 1/2 pound of blood. I suppose I'll have to buy something so it doesn't look like that's the only reason I'm in there (even though it is).

An editor once asked me why I write about animals. I found this photograph in a National Geographic photo contest that says it all.

CLIMATE CHANGE

1. 97.1% of ALL climate research papers that take a position on the cause of climate change point to anthropogenic causes.  Only a wee fraction of those that take a position on the cause of climate change believe it is NOT anthropogenic.  As expected many climate papers discuss the results of some study and don't say one way or the other because that is not the subject of the paper.   Only 32.6% of all the research papers reviewed take a position.   Graph of climate and Earth scientist's opinions   NASA consensus 

2.  The counter climate movement was started by the same folks that had us believing that tobacco was not bad for our health
 
PBS Frontline
"Tactics developed and tested in the tobacco industry first, are now being applied to climate change."
http://tinyurl.com/apvgr7p

 "Many of the anti-science operatives who defended cigarettes are currently deploying their tobacco-inspired playbook internationally to evade accountability for the fossil fuel industry's role in driving climate disruption."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle/study-confirms-tea-party-_b_2663125.html
 
Climate skeptic organizations - learn more

3. Avoid getting your information from any of the sources listed in this database.  Many are NOT climate experts. 

  4. We CAN reduce CO2 emissions!  

Join the growing stop global warming movementTop 50 things you can do to prevent climate change.

Calculate your carbon footprint (how much CO2 your vehicle uses/year)

Climate change youtube video - spectacular photography. 1.5 hours long

Blackle - Energy saving google search

ACTIVITIES

GRIZZLY TRACK COOKIE RECIPE (soft sugar cookies)
author unknown. Makes a lot.
Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups plus 4 heaping teaspoons of flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream sugar, butter and oil
3. Add eggs and vanilla
4. Add dry ingredients and mix
5. Refrigerate until firm
6. Roll into balls. Flatten with fork on ungreased cookie sheets
7. Sprinkle with granulated sugar (skip this step if frosting then decorating)
8. Bake for 10 minutes
9. Frost and decorate if desired
ENJOY!

NOTE: I sprinkle colored sugar through stencils cut from plastic milk cartons

COLORED SUGAR
In a closed ziploc bag, shake 1 cup granulated sugar with 6 drops food coloring

DNA STRAND
an individual activity
Materials:
2 black pipe cleaners
pony beads in 4 colors - (A, C, T, or G)
Instructions:
1 Assign each color to a letter (G=green, C=Red...)
2. Bend the bottom of one pipe cleaner into a hook so the beads don't fall off. String beads on one pipe cleaner in any order
3. Carefully twist one end of pipe cleaners together
4. String second pipe cleaner so that A is paired with T on the opposite strand and C is paired with G.
5. Twist other ends of pipe cleaners together
6. Twist DNA into a double helix

DNA Pairing and Cell Division (DNA Replication)
A group activity suitable for a classroom
Before a cell divides, it must copy its DNA.
Materials:
Index cards - with one letter on each (A, C, T, or G)
Rope - 2 long pieces
Instructions:
1. Put the two strands of rope in a straight line on the floor parallel with each other about 2 feet apart.
2. Arrange kids in a circle. Hand the kids an index card with a letter.
3. Kids form A-T and C-G pairs and line up in pairs between the ropes. Those on the left take the left rope in left hand. Those on the right pick up the right rope in right hand.
4. Now DNA has formed and it's time to divide. The group on the left marches leftward. The group on the right veers to the right separating the strand like a zipper.

WISH LIST for KIDS & SCIENCE

Youtube for kids education
One place where kids can view endless quantities of short educational Youtube type videos. Both teachers and students could use it. Preferably the site would categorize the videos - by grade and subject. The site would be free of profanity, violence, and inappropriate content. A person or persons would be responsible for assuring the accuracy and educational content of the videos.

DNA beads
A large bag of beads in 4 colors with the first letter of a DNA base written on each (ACTG). This is merely a packaging issue. These colored beads currently exist, but are packaged as alphabet beads.

WRITING RESOURCES

Organizations
Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators
New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Children's Book Council

Writing
Queries, proposals and cover letters - Gulf Coast Writers Association
The Writing for Children Resource Site - Queries, synopsis, and outlines
Queries
How to write a short author's biography
The Purple Crayon - Harold Underdown
Ellen Jackson - links for writers fiction/nonfiction are on right side (tips, characters, setting....)
Smart Writers - Roxyanne Young
Verla Kay's Website for Children's Writers and Illustrators
Writing contests
Book Promotion
The Emotion Thesaurus - On the right sidebar emotions are equated to body language.
Publishing Information - Guide to getting published
Kidlit.con - Andrea Brown Agent Mary Cole - resources and advice on writing, publishing...
How to design a picture book -  Tara Lazar

Nonfiction
Interesting Nonfiction for Kids (I.N.K.) - a helpful website for writers of nonfiction. Many authors contribute to the ongoing blog.
Reviews of nonfiction books for children - the Looking Glass
Nonfiction Matters - School Library Journal blog by Marc Aronson
Fiona Bayrock - lots of articles about writing nonfiction for children
Library of Congress - for research
Print and photographs reading room - for photo research

Creating a website
How to build an easy website - Elizabeth O. Dulemba. (The directions I used to create this site)
Free blog counter (basic=FREE)
Another free blog counter

Market information
Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf - updates on what's happening in children's publishing
Kid Magazine Writers - Jan Fields website
Educational Markets - by Evelyn Christensen
Editor names and what they're looking for - Ellen Jackson
Resources for Writers - by Rachelle Burk

Windows Movie Maker - Making videos and book trailers. (Save often, like after every change)
School Visits - Alexis O'Neill

VIDEO LINKS - science, animals

Mr. Splashy Pants hydrophones used to study whales.  Greenpeace
Whales in Antarctica (amazing video) and some of the things scientists do to study them.  Greenpeace
BEARS - EXCELLENT clip of all different types of bears.  BEARTREK Motorcycle journey through Mongolia, Canada, Peru, and India for bear conservation
Grizzly bears emerging from their den (1st time caught on film).  Darling little cubs in tow.
DNA song for kids - The song is very cute and very amusing
DNA video for kids - similar video as above, but without the song.  More in depth.
Destruction of the rainforest in Indonesia

Merry Christmas!

For anyone interested in learning more about DNA and genetics, I found a great little 5 chapter book online. The definitions are all in one place. The book has some great pictures (worth a thousand words). Best of all, it's free! Here's the website.

http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/thenewgenetics/index.html

Understanding DNA reminds me so much of programming in Assembler Language (BAL) - the nitty gritty nuts and bolts that other programming languages are broken down into. That's a good thing. Of all the languages I used, BAL was the one I liked best.

The holidays are fast approaching like an out of control train ready to run me down. So last night at 4AM I was thinking about amino acids. What's wrong with this picture? (I'm working on a jellyfish article for a chemistry magazine if that explains anything).

Today I received copies of Spider magazine (Dec07). Inside was an amazing but true story I wrote about some beavers in Louisiana. Also, in the December issue of Highlights there is a game I came up with. Cards can be used instead of the insect dice. This game can be adapted to teach a number of things:

1. Tracking
- Instead of populating the board with insects, use rows of animal tracks. Change the insect dice to the names of the animals. For example: Call out "left hand raccoon."

2. Math
- Instead of insects, use rows of numbers 0-5. Use the other side of the sheet for number 6-10. Make cards with simple math equations with answers from 0-5 or from 6-10. For example: Call out "left hand 9 minus 4" or "right leg 24 divided by 8."

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

If your school, town or state is looking to cut programs for gifted/high-achieving kids, FIGHT BACK! Read the November 2007 issue of U.S. News and World Report. The article is called "Room to Improve" (pp 45-50) and is about No Child Left Behind. "Schools have little incentive to teach gifted students to meet their potential." Keep our standards high!

I received a letter today that a school testing company is interested in one of my articles. It would be very exciting if it was selected for a CT test.

I found a photograph of me standing next to my five foot DNA. Let's put it this way, the DNA looks fantastic. Unfortunately, I excel at making faces. Confirming my worst fears, a friend said "that is the worst picture of you that I have ever seen."

Last week, I received some paperwork from Manchester Community College. Looks like BH101: Bear Hair Basics will be offered on Saturday Feb 23, 2008. It's a 3 hour hands-on class for K-2 kids. We will actually recreate the scent lure that scientists in the field use to attract grizzlies. Last year, Kyle, a high school-aged kid. was really helpful getting cattle blood for me at the local meat market. I told him I needed it for a class for kids. His grin made me wonder whether he believed my story or he thought I was some kind of vampire.

The school visits brochures finally went out to schools in Tolland County CT. Now booking for 2008!

At the lab at the doctors office yesterday, the lady took a routine blood sample. She asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. Do I look like I'm 10 years old? As she pulled the needle out of my arm, I didn't confess that I was planning to hand out candy with grizzly bear claws and I might even be wearing a grizzly bear hat, instead I told her I was going as a pincushion.

Happy Blog Action Day!

As promised, the grizzly bear video is now up and running on this site. Hope you enjoy it! Since the theme is environment, I'll point out the four wildlife/science videos on this site.

The sea lion video is done and up on Youtube! If you don't have much time, you don't need much. It's very short.

Next week the grizzly bear video will get added. That one is a bit longer - about 4 minutes, but I think I like it best. I would have liked to have used Pat Benatar's "Hit me with your best shot," for the wrestling grizzly cubs, but I don't want to step on any toes.

I've been busy in the basement making a furry grizzly bear outfit for K-5th grade kids to wear. I think it will be an effective way to captivate their attention if they watch classmates reenact scientific research on wildlife. I believe it will be a lot of fun and they will be less likely to forget.

It's almost done! The claws on the furry mittens are the same size as actual grizzly bear claws. The fur fabric looks very much like the real grizzlies I saw while in Denali National Park - more blond then brown.

In the early stages, when I was working on how to make it fit kids in a wide size range, I had my niece try it on. She's almost seven. She jumped on the couch, looked in the mirror, then rolled on the floor laughing and laughing. It was rewarding to bring such joy.

I guess I'm turning into a nerd. On a recent trip to Alaska I had high hopes of casting a grizzly bear track. In my suitcase, I packed a 2 pound tub of casting compound and a garden trowel. The garden trowel got my suitcase searched.

Unfortunately, those grizzlies are smarter than you think. They hang out by the muddy river banks and leave perfect prints in May. But in May, the campground by the muddy river banks was closed. At the end of June, when I was there, they'd moved on to the tundra with their cubs. The spongy tundra has lots of grizzly food, but wasn't a great spot for finding the crisp clear tracks I was seeking. Anyhow, when I returned home and unpacked my suitcase, the tub of casting goop had gone on a nice trip, but that was about it. Thankfully, I was able to find an awesome replica of a real Montana grizzly track. It has long claws sticking out of it and is very impressive.

The videos on this website are really meant for kids. It's a place for them to see wildlife and science that they may not have the opportunity to see elsewhere. So, when I get a comment on the video like "that was incredibly stupid," I'm going to delete it. And when I get a comment on my blog pointing readers to a t-shirt website, I'm going to delete that. Very interesting that both comments came from someone named Rodrigo. Hmmmm.

Currently, I am working on 2 more videos. The first is about grizzly bears and has footage of cubs. The second will be a short clip about scientists studying wildlife in Alaska.

Coming soon....more Youtube wildlife videos. The Dall Sheep video is already up and running.

Not long ago, I found out my first article in Spider magazine will be appearing in December 2007!

WILDLIFE/SCIENCE VIDEOS

Welcome to my new website! Hey, while I've got your attention, check out the December 2006 issue of Highlights. If that's not enough excitement, turn to the Sept 2007 issue for more!

REVIEWS and AWARDS

• Ice is Speaking, Tassy Walden Winner, nonfiction, 2016
• Sliders and Gliders, Tassy Walden Finalist, nonfiction, 2016
• Guardians of the Forest, Letter of Merit, SCBWI Magazine Merit Competition, Nonfiction, 2015
• Guardians of the Forest, CNW/FFWA, Published Nonfiction, 2nd place, 2015 
• Searching for Monkeys, CNW/FFWA, Published Nonfiction, 3rd Honorable Mention, 2015 
• When Nature Calls the Three-Toed Sloth, Tassy Walden Finalist, 2015
• Tuxedo Penguins in Peril, CNW/FFWA, Children's Literature, 1st Honorable Mention, 2013 
• Ice King of the Mountain. CNW/FFWA, Children's Literature,6th Honorable Mention, 2013
• Winter in No Man's Land, CNW/FFWA, Children's Literature, 2nd place, 2011 
• Ice birds in a Warming Land, CNW/FFWA, Children's Literature, 1st place, 2010
 • The Vinland Map: The Vikings' Best Kept Secret, CNW/FFWA, published nonfiction, 2nd place, 2010
• Ice birds in a Warming Land, PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children's Discovery Award for Nonfiction, 2010 
• Whale Crossing ,CNW/FFWA, Children's Literature, 1st Honorable Mention, 2009
• Hiking a Massive Sheet of Ice, CNW/FFWA , Children’s Literature, 2nd Honorable Mention, 2008
• The Beavers That Struck It Rich,Letter of Merit,SCBWI Magazine Merit Competition,Nonfict,2007
• The Crooks in the Creek, Byline, Special Honorable Mention, Nonfiction, 2006
• A Night at the Light, CNW/FFWA , Children’s Literature, 3rd place, 2006
• A Honeybee’s Secret, Byline, Honorable Mention, Nonfiction, 2006
• Save Us! Endangered Species Research, Byline, Special Hon. Mention, Nonfiction, 2005
• Creatures of the Mist, Byline, Special Honorable Mention, Nonfiction, 2005
• Monkey Business, Byline, Special Honorable Mention, Nonfiction, 2005
• Giggles, Women in the Arts, Commendation, Fiction, 2005
• A Night at the Light, Byline, Special Honorable Mention, Creative Nonfiction, 2004
• Swallowing the Food Pyramid, Letter of Merit, SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grant, Nonfiction, 2003
• Giggles From the Past, Porter Collins Storytelling Contest, 1st place, 2003
• Never in my Wildest Dreams, May Day Prose Contest, Juv. Fiction, Commendation, 2002
• Cache In on the Fun, Byline, Creative Nonfiction, Honorable Mention, 2002

Reviews 

2015 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competion published nonfiction - "Science and technology come together with good fiction techniques."
"An endangered species and an exotic setting generate interest in this nonfiction article."

2010 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition Children's Literature - "well-written, interesting, well-researched and appropriate to the age group"

2010 PEN New England Children's Book Discovery Award - "Gripping," "wonderfully creative," "whole committee reads and everyone liked it"

2008 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing CompetitionChildren's Literature
2nd honorable mention - Hiking a Massive Sheet of Ice - "Interesting info, well-researched and well-told"

2006 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
3rd PLACE - Linda Rose Zajac, Vernon, CT - "A Night at the Light" (nonfiction article, sidebar, references) – Sensory description, a first person viewpoint, and interesting information about a lighthouse engage readers yet avoid the typical trap of fiction techniques overshadowing the clear presentation of nonfiction information
“The sensory detail and strong visuals are excellent attention-grabbers. Well-done.”

ILLUSTRATIONS

CONTACT ME

lzajac@sbcglobal.net

ABOUT ME

It took me a year to grow hair.  This is a rare, but treasured photo of me and my father. 

I grew up on a sliver of land surrounded by cornfields and cow pastures. With my sister and two brothers, I explored empty barns, skated frozen fields and watched setting suns. Inside, I hollowed out and painted eggs, molded paper-mache puppets and folded cardboard into intricate ornaments. I read Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes and old biographies of famous people like Daniel Boone and Molly Pitcher. It was the pages of my grandfather's yellowing encyclopedias that I was most captivated by.

I was the quiet one,
 always observing, but saying very little

In high school, I developed an interest in technology and pursued it in college. For roughly fifteen years, I worked as a computer programmer, systems designer and consultant, analyzing, coding and testing programs and systems that were often very complex. That experience taught me to ask questions, to be precise and to persevere, but creativity was missing.  After getting married and having three children, I started writing professionally.

The cows knew where to find food.   Sometimes, they'd escape and stand in the road blocking traffic.  Every now and then I'd get to see a newborn calf.

Kindergarten report card notes a "reflective personality" - click to expand

As a freelance science writer, I pursue projects involving state-of-the-art science, technology and biotechnology and their use to advance medicine, study wildlife and protect the environment. As a writer of literary nonfiction, I write science as a story, sprinkled with art.

I got to hold the snake's head.  Boy, did I hate that hairdo.

5th grade report card mentions science - click to expand

My work has been published in numerous national magazines for children. Over the years, I've contacted scientists all over the world to research and write about their work. In 2008, it was an honor and a pleasure to interview two great scientists that went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry! In 2010, I was honored to receive the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children's Discovery Award for Nonfiction.  In 2012, I was a Woods Hole Fellow.

I could have spent more time hiking Root Glacier in Wrangell- St. Elias National Park, Alaska (2008)

I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, National Association of Science Writers and Appalachian Mountain Club.

You can read more about me in these interviews:
Ana Del C. Dye - 2/9/13
Brittney Breakey - 3/7/12

SCHOOL VISITS

Programs:

Takeaways:

• Failure is part of the creative process
• Biomimicry
• Robots that move like animals can help us

Robots Rock The Room

Grades K–2

30–45 minutes

In this lively STEM program, we’ll move like robots, learn about biomimicry, and find out how scientists study animal locomotion.

NGSS: ETS1-1 Engineering design (ask questions, observe, gather info)

CCSS. ELA-LITERACY.L.K-5.D (verbs)

Grades 2–5

45–60 minutes

Ideas, research, the writing process, Q & A

Fees:

$250 - 1 presentation

$850 - full day (3 presentations)

>50 miles, travel fees apply

Author travel fees and expenses

• airfare
• transportation to and from airport (if needed)
• hotel
• meals

Virtual Visits

Fees:

$150 - 30 minutes + 10 minute Q & A

* Programs can be tailored to your needs. 

For further information, contact me at www.lindarosezajac.com

New Haven Free Public Library

"I really enjoyed the program. The engagement with the audience was very good, including the demonstrations with animal/robot toys. There was a lot of great variety, too, with the book reading, overview of your career/publishing process, pulling things out of your bag, etc.; this really kept things exciting."