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Swarm Tree Of Honeybees, Honeymoons and the Tree of Life By Doug Elliott		Naturalist and storyteller uncovers wonder, humor, and spiritual truths in the Appalachians and the universe beyond while tracking skunks, climbing trees, messing with bees, negotiating with cops, and pondering dung beetles. I was fifty feet up a tree. It was in the spring of my fiftieth year, when fifty thousand bees fell on my head. Fifty thousand bees weigh more than you might think -- maybe four or five pounds. The mass landed heavily, with a buzzing thud, and pushed my hat down to my ears. Within a few seconds I was virtually covered with bees. They oozed down over my shoulders, arms, and trunk like a mass of living, breathing, buzzing pudding. The bees that missed me began flying back, frantically hovering, trying to rejoin their hive-mates who were crawling all over me. I was so glad I had worn my bee veil. I had my long-sleeved beekeeper’s gloves, too --but the gloves dangled uselessly from my back pocket. I wanted to have a good grip on the branches while climbing the tree so I hadn’t worn them. My long-sleeved shirt offered some protection but those bees tickled as they crawled all over my unprotected wrists, exploring my open sleeves and the white knuckles of my bare hands as I grasped those treetop branches for dear life. For some reason I got to thinking about a honeybee’s stinger. It is such an amazing organ. A bee’s stinger is much more than a simple hypodermic needle…

No more nasty butts using NEW burn resistant liner!

Turf Professionals Share Expertise at Educational Forums
“This is the third year we have offered such forums, and they have been very well received,” said Dale Getz, CSFM, CSE, and sports fields and grounds sales manager at Toro.

Urgent Action Needed to Designate July as Park and Recreation Month!

PBS TO RELEASE KEN BURNS’ THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA SOUNDTRACK SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
“Over the course of our project, we were blessed to have the ‘job’ of visiting the multitude of sacred landscapes that are the national parks, the ‘treasure house of superlatives’ that is every American’s birthright – and obligation to safeguard for posterity,” said Burns.

Jessica Ricketson of the state Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation shows a pair of shears to

National Trails Day draws volunteers
“It’s good for people to contribute to trails they use,” said volunteer Paul Hansen