For those of us who want – need – to be outdoors right now (likely most of us here in Paradise), this additional month of “stay home, stay healthy” is a bit disheartening, if not disorienting. Washington State fishing was finally poised to open, along with shed antler hunting, turkey pursuing, birding (in this season of mating displays), and trips around the Kittitas Valley for the first wildflowers. All of that is again on hold – at least on the state-managed ground that largely surrounds us.

Truth be told, since that additional month (now into May) was added to our shelter-in-place (SIP) sentences, I have spent considerable time looking for alternatives. Last week, in this Inside the Outdoors discussion, we caught up with a number of homeys, and reminded ourselves of all those off-season chores we could manage to ready ourselves for the gardening, fishing and hunting seasons ahead. After learning that the spring versions of those fishing and hunting seasons (and a planned pig hunt in Texas) were on a longer hold, I spent a while contemplating my navel.

Given that it has seen easily twice as many challenging outdoor years as I have, I spent an extended moment or two communing with my 150+ year-old sourdough starter. Hoping for wisdom and insight from that old friend, I was rewarded with a certain level of re-found peace and joy (a tale for another time). In that quiet time with the sourdough, however, I was reminded of all the times it had accompanied me afield (in one or another raw or cooked form) for fishing, hunting, camping or whatever – and then something else.

I was reminded that our outdoor activities are essentially solitary, whether or not we are “with” other folks. Yes, we gather to share our moments and experiences, laughing or whining over the outcomes. But when we are tied into a fish or focused on some wildlife moment or about to pull the trigger after a careful stalk and prayer, the world is only us and the object of our attention.

That very individual one-on-one focus stirred me to develop a 1980s hunting and fishing radio/TV show; “The Rockies Outdoors.” The shows were good, but too far ahead of their time; syndication never met expenses. With the growth of the internet and rising availability of relatively inexpensive and high quality video gear, however, times have changed. No doubt because of that one-on-one relationship with wildlife, the popularity of intimate fishing, hunting and wildlife videos has skyrocketed over the last decade. Thousands of five- to ninety-minute online videos will carry you vicariously into any outdoor dream you have. With your tablet, smart phone, or at your computer, you – and you alone – can be inside any YouTube hunt, fishing trip, outdoor skill training, or wildlife observation you choose.

Thus, I prescribe the following for temporary relief of the pain from postponed (or missed, if SIP timing does not align with Mother Nature’s spring cycles) hunting, fishing and wildlife watch. Here in Paradise, and across the US, we cannot, at this time, be sure that any of our sacred outdoor pursuits will happen this year. As we wait, there are abundant armchair options.

Hunting?

Go, or not, bear and turkey hunting seasons are scheduled or already open, but unlikely to happen on state ground anytime soon. But, punch into your search engine any combination of “spring bear hunting,” “spring bear hunt preparation,” “turkey tactics,” or “turkey hunting,” for any season or any state, and you will find dozens of coaches and hunts. Wild pig hunting – as sons James and Chris and I had planned for Texas this spring – is as close as a keyboard, and available for night or day hunts, from the ground, a blind, or a helicopter.

A deer hunt with any shotgun/rifle/bow/crossbow, for muleys/whitetails/blacktails/Coues/Sitka or any exotic deer, for meat or for trophy, in any habitat, in any state or in any country, is three or four words and a couple clicks away. The same holds for elk, moose, bighorn sheep (any subspecies), caribou, and any other critter you want to hunt.

Fishing?

Will it or will it not happen this year? Be hyped and ready. Punch in “fishing (wherever) for (whatever),” click a link or YouTube video, sit back, and go fishing. Enjoy and learn. You will literally find all you want to know about fishing the Yakima or Columbia Rivers, Lake Roosevelt or Chelan, or the potholes. Go to the Amazon River, or the Zambezi. You will find that each little movie story will open to another. It’s all at your fingertips.

Wildlife watch?

So blessed we are. In many of these videos and live wildlife cameras, you will literally feel that you could reach in and touch some bird, animal or fish. Feel free to start with the camera sites here, or punch “(fish/wildlife/bird species/type) camera” into your search engine and enjoy. For North American critters try www.wildlifeforever.org/home/conservation/critter-cams/, or www.nps.gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/webcams.htm, or www.doi.gov/blog/4-wildlife-cams-you%E2%80%99re-guaranteed-love, or Audubon’s potpourri at www.audubon.org/news/top-10-wildlife-web-cams.

Something exotic? Try these Africa sites: explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-watering-hole-animal-camera, or blog.rhinoafrica.com/2017/08/22/5-best-live-cams-africa-wild/, or check out www.africam.com/wildlife/.

I deeply understand the itch – the need – we have for genuine, tactile outdoor experiences. And I get that armchair adventuring doesn’t fully scratch that itch. Still, it’s a good option while we are all mostly sheltering in place.

I continue to be amazed at the number and quality of outdoor videos available today. In so many ways, even with today’s quarantines, our outdoor lives are well celebrated.

Our president has extended social distancing guidelines for another month. And most of our spring outdoor activities are already curtailed because of closures now in place to protect us all from each other. While we may still do family walks around town or on county roads, we are going to be on a general outdoor hold for some time yet. It occurred to me that it might be fun to hear what our fellow homeys are doing to stave off cabin fever. I made a few calls.

After a conversation about our desperate need for fishing and other activities afield in this temporary (please, God) time of careful coronavirus behavior, Mike Livingston (Regional Director for DFW out of Yakima), sent me a note. “Hey Jim, I asked a few folks about what we should be telling our anglers and hunters during this period. For what it’s worth, District Fish Bio Marc Divens developed this list of things to do while being ordered to stay home…”

Following is Marc’s list, along with those of several others to whom I reached out. (Well, I just had to talk to someone about these things…) Interestingly, once they got past the irritation of “stuck at home” and embraced the “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” concept, homeys found some useful and appropriate ways of dealing.

Fishing Pro Marc sent along his hunkering-down suggestions and activities – for both fishers and hunters.

For fishing: clean out tackle boxes; put new line on reels; tie flies; practice casting in the back yard; get online and order new gear; while you are online, research lakes; and, install the “Fish Washington Ap on your phone (then spend time learning to use it). Outside tasks can include prepping your boat so it’s ready to go when we get the okay to hit the water, checking all its equipment and supplies (life preservers, etc.), and maintaining outboard motors. Install that new depth finder, and make sure your trailer bearings are checked and packed.

On the hunting prep side: use Google Earth to research hunting areas; pattern your shotgun in a place safe and open to shooting; clean all of your guns; practice with your bow in the back yard; and go through and prep hunting gear now. Finally, work out now to be in shape for the hunting and hiking season, which is sure to come

Whit Fosburgh writes the Outdoor Economy blog of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Last week, he wrote a piece (“Seven Ways to Do Social Distancing Like a Sportsman”) about making the most of our “unexpected off-season.” Included among them were: writing to your member of Congress about outdoor issues (find topics and help at www.trcp.org/action-alert/); get out where and when you can to scout hunting ground; practice, practice, practice with bows, fishing rods and firearms where possible; feed a family – take some of your harvest to a local food bank; try a new game recipe (check out www.themeateater.com/cook/recipes); read those great classic outdoor writings you’ve missed for a time; and ready your gear by reloading ammo, repairing anything that needs it, and tying new fishing flies.

Among the several homeys with whom I compared notes, there was a general pattern of using our forced vacation time for things that have been patiently awaiting attention.

Bill Boyum said he‘s been “pruning trees, raking pine needles, cleaning my ditch and arranging the garden,” because gardening will happen whatever else is going on in the world. He also has a part-time gig driving for an agricultural service company doing business considered critical in this time. Some small amount of his time is occupied with helping me and his son Dr. Jon plan and arrange our late July trip to Alaska to get face to face with sockeye salmon.

Hal Mason, in the absence of his rangemaster duties with the Kittitas Valley Rifle and Pistol Club, has been rebuilding his gardens, readying his house, and focusing on things that he knows are going to happen, no matter what, in the coming weeks.

Wes Clogston has been deeply focused on developing different loads for Karen’s little 7mm-08 rifle and testing them at the Cascade Field and Stream shooting range on Hayward Hill. That now expertly managed, he has readied his sprinkler system and refocused on preparing the online lesson plans for his upcoming spring quarter class in wildlife law enforcement for Central’s Law and Justice Department. He’s been reading “More Guns, Less Crime” by John R. Lott, Jr.

Kevin Clements’s Seattle-area construction contracts have been largely shut down, but he spends some hours a week with one still underway “critical” job. He is now reading his “second tier” of books – those he deemed unworthy a month or so ago. He’s mastering fine dessert baking, painting an overdue room, watching TV for the first time in decades, and “patiently” waiting to head to water and field.

Deborah and Bill Essman have been doing those “spring” gardening and house things we’re all up to, and finding time for scrapbooking of hunting and birding pictures and planning of trips “for when possible again.” Of course, they are out a bit on county roads watching ospreys and other birds (including snipes, killdeers, and turkey vultures) returning to Paradise. Many are now into their mating displays. As the Bird Whisperer of Paradise, Deborah is practicing words like “zugunruhe” – German for a “migratory restlessness” (especially pertaining to birds).

We are managing, it seems.

It was another off-Reecer Creek meetings of the Reecer Creek Rod, Gun, Working Dog & Outdoor Think Tank Benevolent Association. After the three of us performed our new traditional elbow bump greetings all around, we moved to our primary agenda topic. We are officially into spring and heading for blooming time for everything from flower beds to fruit trees, thus, the topic was bees – and how much trouble these major pollinators are really having.

Bees are important. It turns out that a third of what we eat actually depends on bee pollination, and that includes most fruits and vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, oil crops – and coffee. Then, too, crops grown to feed animals, plant-based medicines (like aspirin or morphine), and cotton and other fibers are also bee-pollinated. A good many of our trees also depend on bees.

Before we continue to the question of bees and trouble, here’s a brief primer. Bees occupy the Kingdom‎ ‎Animalia, the Phylum ‎Arthropoda, the Order ‎Hymenoptera, and the Class ‎Insecta. They begin life as eggs, hatching into larvae to feed and pupate, eventually emerging in their adult form. As members of the insect class, bees have three parts to their bodies: a head (with two antennae), a thorax (with six legs), and an abdomen. Bees have two pairs of wings and all have “branched” hairs somewhere on their bodies. Only the females of a few species have stingers (modified ovipositors, which were originally used to lay eggs). We associate most bees with colors of black and yellow, but a large number of bee species employ other color schemes, with greens, blues, reds, and blacks. Some have stripes and a shiny metallic appearance. They range from an inch in length (carpenter bees and bumble bees), to less than a tenth of an inch (the Perdita minima).

There are some 4,000 North American native bee species. Our honey bee, originally a Eurasian bee and domesticated across the globe, is only one of more than 20,000 worldwide bee species. They occupy virtually every ecosystem and forage exclusively on nectar (sugar) and the protein in pollen from flowering plants. In that foraging, bees carry out pollination. As it enters a flower to feed on nectar and gather pollen, some of the pollen sticks to the bee’s body, to be deposited on the next flower visited. This fertilization allows the plant to reproduce and generate the fruits and seeds relied on by so many other animals and humans as a food source. Bees actually pollinate about 80 percent of all flowering plants (some three-quarters of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States).

The “Save the Honey Bees!” chant we’ve been hearing off and on over the past decade and more is a bit misdirected. Honey bees are a domesticated and globally distributed creature. While various diseases or pesticides have wiped out large communities locally, and overall numbers are declining somewhat, for a variety of reasons, this bee is in no danger of extinction. Other, equally (or more) important pollinators are in need of more help, however.

Honey bees probably get more credit than they earn – in the pollination world over all, they are sort of slackers. In several studies and observations over the past few decades – for dozens of crop systems across the world, it seems that the vast majority of pollination was carried out by native bees and other insects which evolved along with the crops themselves. Even common fruits like tomatoes require bigger bees than honey bees, relying on large bumble bees. Given that most of those bees are not communal – and thus not creating hives of honey for our culinary delight – they get too little attention.

Modern farming and landscaping methods have made much of North America’s landscape inhabitable for native wild bees, so the domesticated honeybees have been asked to pick up the slack. This is not an easy challenge. In one example, the near-doubling of acreage for almond trees (that vast increase in sales of almond milk) in California has stretched bees to the limit, even though bee hives arrive from across the US to help out with the pollination. To help maintain bee health and populations – of both honey bees and native wild bees – large areas in and around the almond orchards are now being planted to appropriate wildflowers.

Year to year, as agricultural demand grows bees may or may not be in sufficient numbers for needed pollination. Many initiatives across the country are aimed at restoring domestic and wild bee populations through habitat and native plant restoration.

Then, too, as bees become more and more in demand, organized crime steps in. With growing sophistication, thieves are targeting been hive operation across the country. Indeed, “stealing and reorganizing” operations in California have been described as “chop shops for bees!” Several law enforcement organizations through Central California and other agricultural regions now have officers trained to specialize in “hive crime.”

We appear to have enough pollinators here – or coming – in Central Washington for the season ahead. Still, bees of nearly all species, along with other pollinators, are critical to our food supply and our very existence. The issues are many and complex. Not enough is being done across America, but initiatives are getting bigger and more effective each year. Google any aspect of bee health, threats or future to know more.

Don “Doc” Childress left this planet on January 19. If you knew Doc, you may or may not learn something new about him in the time it takes you to read this. If you didn’t know him, you missed one of the best men who ever shared life with those of us in Paradise. If it is true that a person is only as big as the number of things to which he or she attends with interest, Doc was a very big man.

He was part of so many lives and activities, over so many years, that when I decades ago asked a friend if he knew this chiropractor – this Doc Childress guy – he just looked at me. “Really?” He said, “Everybody knows Doc!” It wasn’t long before I began to see his point. Doc was in plays and musicals from Yakima to Leavenworth, he was active in his church, he focused a lot of his life around Labor Day Weekend with the Fair Board and the Rodeo Posse. If the Noon Kiwanis was doing any activity he’d be leading or helping up to his elbows. He seemed to have a warm greeting for most anyone, and when he laughed you pretty much had to join in – even if you had no idea what was so funny.

My earlier-departed friend Jim Groseclose once observed that you could take the measure of a man by listening to how he talked about his wife and family. Over the years, we spoke often of our families. He showed me that no matter the joy, quiet, or sheer weirdness of my own family life, there was always love and respect to be spoken and celebrated.

More than anything, I suppose, I came to know the man who loved the outdoors and hunting. He loved anything and everything outdoors – and was up for pretty much anything he could do to make sure everyone else had outdoor opportunities of their own. He and wife Geraldine worked diligently to ensure that their family had outdoor roots. Listen to his laughter-filled tales, and you would quickly realize that his hunting with son Dana and huckleberry chasing with daughter Anneliese were the stuff of high family legend. He once noted that a life not largely lived outdoors was not a life. This is probably why he was so determined that the Kittitas County Field and Stream Club (and its mission to make certain that future generations would always have an outdoors to share) would stay alive and relevant.

On any number of occasions during the fifth to eighth decades of the Club’s existence, after its 1919 founding, Doc stepped up to serve as club president or fill any other role which might help keep it growing and moving. He seemed to know most everybody in the Kittitas Valley, and was never afraid to light a fire under anyone on behalf of our outdoor future. He was a driving force behind the first Chukar Run Banquet, the primary source of funding for club work with kids and public lands. With his joy, laughter and ability to talk to anyone, he was Master of Ceremonies for those banquets into the start of this 21^st Century.

Wilma Dlouhy became the first woman officer – and the first female member – of the Club in 1989. A couple years before that, she will tell you, she accompanied husband Bob to a club meeting. (Indeed, she may have been the first woman to ever attend such a meeting.) Only one man in that room of 40 or more club members even acknowledged her presence; Don Childress walked over and warmly welcomed her. It was Doc who soon fought for her membership and her election to office. From that time forward, women have been critical to the continuing success of the oldest “sportsman’s” club in the state of Washington. Maybe that’s all we need to know about Doc’s vision and courage.

Certainly, he had a more personal and private side, too. Doc grew up hunting deer up in the hills of his youth in the northeast corner of our state. After he settled in Ellensburg, he and fellow chiropractor Maynard Linder became best friends and formed the “chiropractic royalty” of this part of Washington. They were also diehard hunting partners, enjoying many years afield. When Myron Linder (the next generation of that chiropractic royal family) was a youngster, he would get to go with the two docs, and maybe even hunt along. He will tell you that Doc’s enthusiasm for life and the hunt was ever present as they alertly poked through woods and thickets after those whitetails. Over time, Doc’s son Dana grew into that sacred family experience.

In recent years, with our youngsters grown, busy taking care of their own, and less available to come play, Doc and I talked about partnering up for a journey to chase deer in his beloved hills. Our schedules, and then his faltering health, never let that happen – one of only a handful of regrets I carry. Still, we wasted several fine moments sharing our hunting stories. I asked him once where deer hunting fit in his life. He laughed through recollections of friends and activities, soberly praised God for his amazing family, then smiled and said, “Hunting was in all of that, wasn’t it? …I sure would like to get out there again!”

In January, Doc passed on to his reward surrounded by family – those he often said gave him the strength to carry on in this life. Shortly after his passing, Dana picked up his phone and called his life-long friend Myron Linder.

He started the conversation with “Dad’s gone hunting.”

You probably recall how much I appreciate the Washington Outdoor School (formerly the Roslyn Outdoor School), and the work KEEN (Kittitas Environmental Education Network) has done to bring real outdoor education to kids in the Lower Valley at Helen McCabe Park.

This idea of outdoor early education has been catching on nationwide. Washington stepped up, launching a pilot program in 2017 to work on the official requirements for licensing of outdoor preschools. Even up to last year, no outdoor preschools in the United States were licensed, which meant they couldn’t offer full-day programs, something quite important for working families. In addition, unlicensed outdoor preschools could not offer state financial assistance to families. Over the past two years, however, the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families has worked on creating new guidelines specifically for outdoor learning. The regulations are slightly different than those for indoor schools. For example, one of the new standards requires each classroom to have a teacher for every six kids, so most classes will have two or three staff present. There are also guidelines for implementing naptimes, or when it rains, and so forth.

With the new regulations in hand, Washington finally started to officially license a few programs, becoming the first in the country to do so. Last September, two programs on the west side made it through the process: Squaxin Island Child Development Center in Shelton, Mason County, and Kaleidoscope Preschool and Child Care Center in Eastsound, San Juan County. The folks guiding the program for the state have been very supportive of the benefits of being outdoors and are recognizing that, for some families, outdoor schools are nearly perfect options.

With outdoor schools, cost of education is also an important factor. Since outdoor schools spend far less than traditional schools on facilities and maintenance, more funding can go toward high quality teachers and financial support for families needing it. One example often cited is the experience of Seattle’s Tiny Trees Outdoor School. Tiny Trees built six outdoor classrooms/sites at a cost of $320,000, compared to the cost of one typical indoor preschool classroom of about $350,000. In these ongoing times of teachers and schools scratching for funding, such savings are significant.

Then, too, you don’t have to look far or hard to find research about the highly positive health, life and general well-being impacts of outdoor time and activities for kids (adults, too, for that matter). In Europe, the Danes and Swedes started outdoor kindergartens in the 1950, with Germany not far behind. There are many hundreds of “forest kindergartens” across the Continent – all devoted to building the future health of their citizens, societies, and countries.

The education and health side of this is particularly interesting to me – especially when it comes to vision. Some decades ago, an ophthalmologist buddy suggested that growing nearsightedness among kids was the result of them being pushed to read too soon. “If you want kids to have healthy and strong eyes,” he said, “get them out in natural light looking at distant things – then really limit the time they are focusing up close until they are eight or nine… Get your kids outside…” Outdoor schools seem like an obvious answer.

And what about today’s outdoor preschools across Washington? To have a sense of just how many such schools (with many also offering certain days of K-5 outdoor classes) there are, just Google “Outdoor and Nature-based Preschools in Washington.” For a broader look at the growing community of Washington outdoor educators, check out the Washington Nature Preschool Association at www.wanpa.org.

Our local Washington Outdoor School is helping many youngsters get a good start on their educations. The school now offers outdoor education in Roslyn, Ellensburg, and Yakima, with a great selection of summer camp offerings. It continues to grow with community support and outdoor-savvy teachers, offering both preschool and K-5 classes. Every day, Director Sibyl Maer-Fillo and her staff live their mission to “cultivate a child’s sense of wonder and foster a sense of stewardship through immersion in the natural world. We believe that interacting with nature encourages a sense of place, awakens curiosity and creates healthy minds and bodies.”

Take a look at some happy youngsters and find out more – or register your kids for the program that is perfect for them – at www.waoutdoorschool.org/. Take a look, too, at the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WAOutdoorSchool/). To contribute to the important work of the school or to find answers to any questions, email [email protected] or call 206-898-2041.

Given that outdoor schools are so good for youngsters and our future – and save a significant amount of money over traditional classrooms – I keep wondering when, and at what level, our local school districts will become more actively involved.

This is critically important business. To paraphrase Jodi Larsen, Upper County Rotary: Children are the emissaries we send into a time we will never see – what do we want them to take along?