In the Land of the Moose Warning

No the Random Animal has not encountered a moose, but is in Maine where the yellow highway signs do not bother with mere deer (though a few were visible) but showcase big antlers. On some roads, it's wishful thinking, but in the Western Mountains and mid-state lakes, the big animals appear at dusk. This week, they are probably staying out of the high winds as winter, shrunken to solitary snow banks and ice driven to the lake's shadows, resists its complete surrender to the season of mud.
   It's Earth Day, and while I go off grid to attend to family matters, here are some links concerning animals and the environment. First, the Audubon Society has updates on oil and habitat in the Gulf. There's still a good deal of political, legal, and environmental work to be done. Second, Alexandra Morton, whom I heard over Maine Public Radio, talks at length about the importance of saving wild salmon. She talks about how salmon "farming" in pens increases disease and sea lice infestations and damages ecosystems. She takes a concept that may seem stale--absentee corporations and shareholders are not "invested" in long term local health--and makes it fresh and viable.
To come, lessons from a trip to Seattle: Pig-farming in Hong Kong, along with new and improved pig manure, what dogs do for the homeless, and the political side of some Hindus restrictions on cow slaughter.

And, a spring image from Pike St. Market in Seattle--