Articles

Requiem for a peregrine

One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds
A peregrine falcon soars over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. Peregrines can often thrive in urban environments (photo: MTA).

One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.

—Aldo Leopold

Chemophobia in America: Part II — Brodifacoum

Why would wildlife advocates defend one of the most dangerous pesticides on earth?
Norway rat eradication using brodifacoum on South Georgia Island (photo: Oli Prince).

Few pesticides are more dangerous than brodifacoum, an anticoagulant used on rodents. And few pesticides have been more grossly abused by homeowners and farmers.

Because brodifacoum accumulates in the liver it can kill any bird or mammal that eats the dead or dying rodents. When applied carelessly on the mainland, nontarget victims have included everything from raptors to fishers, cougars, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, wolves, pet cats and pet dogs.

Review: Van Staal VF Series fly reel

Cult favorite spinning reel maker Van Staal makes a second foray into the fly world
The Van Staal VF Series fly reel (photo: Craig Cantelmo).

They may not be a household name in fly fishing circles, but Van Staal spinning reels have achieved cult status amongst surf casters that spend all their free time in the rough interface where ocean meets land. The sealed drag system and reel body permits the reels to operate even under water without threat of intrusion—a big deal for those that don wetsuits and go “skishing,” swimming out to distant rocks to fish, or simply taking advantage of neoprene’s buoyant characteristics to float on the tide, tossing weighted bucktails as they go.

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