Posts by Bates Whitaker
Tracks, Feathers, and Fun: Exploring Winter Wildlife with ecoEXPLORE
During the winter months, shorter days and cooler temperatures can cause many species of wildlife to slow down. Our reptiles and amphibians enter a dormancy period known as brumation, many…
Read MoreNCWF In The Field – December, 2025
North Carolina Wildlife Federation staff and Community Wildlife Chapter volunteers embraced the cold weather during the month of December. They connected people to the outdoors through a variety of wildlife…
Read MoreTracks, Trails & Telltales: How to Read Wildlife Stories
From the backcountry, to suburban backyards, to the small flower beds of busy city streets – wildlife is everywhere. While some habitats are healthier or more hospitable than others, you’d…
Read MoreFollowing the Signs: How Lynda Mastronardo Helps Young People Learn to Read the Wild
For Lynda Mastronardo, conservation begins with curiosity. “It’s not about sitting behind a screen,” she says. “There is so much you can do outside. Kids want to learn – you…
Read MoreNCWF In The Field – November, 2025
North Carolina Wildlife Federation staff and Community Wildlife Chapter volunteers opened their doors and went outside during the month of November. They connected people to the outdoors through a variety…
Read MoreWild Connections – NCWF’s 2025 Year in Review
When you step outside – and if you look closely – you’ll notice something that exists everywhere: connections. Walk into the woods and, beneath your feet, a vast network of…
Read MoreWhere Conservation Takes Root: The Journey of NCWF Volunteer Donna Bolls
For Donna Bolls, conservation didn’t arrive as a single awakening. It grew – quietly and steadily – like a root system extending beneath the surface, connecting one part of her…
Read MoreEyes to the Sky – Building Chimney Swift Towers in Coastal North Carolina
With your eyes to the sky around sunset, you may see small, bat-like birds swooping and swiveling. With their torpedo shaped body, they glide through the sky like part of…
Read MoreFor the Love of Birds: Six Birds from North Carolina’s list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Donate To The Birds This Giving Tuesday Birds have always fascinated us. Two of the oldest expressions of this fascination are a 40,000-year-old cave painting of giant birds in…
Read MoreWild Bird Essentials: How to Provide Birds with Shelter, Food, and Water
A significant aspect of conserving wildlife involves the ongoing task of advocating for wildlife and raising voices for those that do not have a voice. This can be achieved by…
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