So… why do the salamanders cross the roads?
To get laid, of course.
I’d heard it was so, and decided I should see for myself. I’d only ever seen a yellow spotted salamander once before last night, and that was in a friend’s basement. They’re common enough, but they live underground. They come out once a year to [...]

The trail smiths of NEMBA plan to spend some time spiffing up the paths of Horse Hill Nature Preserve in Merrimack this coming Sunday (May 4).

 
Organizer Tom Vaillancourt writes, "Here’s your chance to try the new stuff and help build on the existing network of trails at Merrimack’s Horse Hill Nature Preserve (HHNP).  The plan [...]

Many local trails are good and firm and ready for riding, after this unusual spring dry spell, and the Southern New Hampshire chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association is hosting a skillz clinic on Saturday, May 3, at Stellos Stadium.
 
The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon, and you will need a [...]

Author’s note: Gentle reader, if you are easily offended, often indignant or just plain squeamish, please do us both the favor of skipping past this post.

I’ve recently noticed an unpleasant biological curiosity. How to put it delicately?
Some dogs have two anal orifices.
 
I kid you not.
 
There’s one, the sort we all possess, which expels excrement. Then there’s [...]

The club that organizes the Grand Tree series doesn’t call itself Western Massachusetts Athletic Club for nothing. Now, some folks have rounded up a bunch of races around the eastern end of central New England: the Eastern New England Trail Races Series.
 
They’ve put together a calendar of 20 races, a few of which are shared with [...]

Speaking of trails and readiness, this year’s Muddy Moose race has been postponed due to snow.
RD Fergus Cullen writes:
Dear Friends of the Muddy Moose Trail Races:After surveying the trails this morning, I’m afraid I have no choice but topostpone the Muddy Moose Trail Race (sponsored by Xterra Xduro) due to snowconditions.  The new date will [...]

The Nature Conservancy has organized a guided bird tour out along the seacoast on Saturday May 3. Info here.

Sometimes you need to repeat a mistake every so often, just to remind yourself that it is in fact a bad idea.
This past weekend, I learned, again, that mountain biking this early in the season after a hard winter just isn’t all that much fun. I suppose I’m just a big wuss, but I like when I [...]

Researchers have found “White Nose Syndrome” in some 20 caves around the Northeast this winter, up from four caves during the winter of 2006-2007, the AP reports.Scott Reynolds, of Northeast Ecological Services, wrote recently that he plans to resume his research on bat populations in June, “if they come back.”
Here’s a recent Associated Press story [...]