You come home after a long day, craving a quiet retreat. But instead of peaceful darkness, your house is bathed in an unwelcome spotlight. Maybe your neighbor’s gone full-on Griswold with their holiday decorations, or a harsh floodlight illuminates your entire yard with every passing car. Suddenly, your sanctuary feels more like a brightly lit […]
In a Salem neighborhood, cozy and neat,Nutria arrived with tiny feet,From far-off lands, they made their way,Now in our Mill Race, they love to play. They burrow and munch in yards so green,But here we care for every scene,With thoughtful plans and gentle hands,We find a way to share our lands. Neighbors gather, young and […]
Forget “moth to a flame” – that saying might be totally wrong! Scientists are buzzing about a new discovery that flips the script on why insects dive-bomb your porch light. It turns out, they might not actually love light at all. Instead, all those flickering bulbs might be messing with their built-in GPS! Like tiny […]
Some of our neighbors were unable to keep up with their yard work due to health issues, which can be challenging in the valley. With the help of the Capital Park Wesleyan Men’s group, the project was completed in just two days. The first three volunteers cleared the larger items from the yard and took […]
Bird baths, yard ponds, sprinklers, spring rain, add up fast to create a sizable amount of standing water in the city. While they might seem harmless, and even cute; standing water can actually cause a bit of a ripple effect throughout the neighborhood. Don’t worry, though! There are easy ways to address it. One of […]
“Once upon a time, there was a quiet neighborhood where people lived in harmony with their pets. Dogs barked, cats roamed, and birds sang. However, something strange started happening one day – domestic rabbits started running wild!” That is how last year’s report on two expanding rabbit colonies in our neighborhood started. It seems time […]
Today brings another World Bee Day! Oregon is home to about 500 species of bees. You can find them in forests, fields and our own gardens. These busy insects are the main pollinators for 90% of plants, so keeping them healthy is important. Honey Bees like to visit our yards. Or more precisely, the busy […]
Walter and Irene are two ducks who have become a familiar sight in the neighborhood. Every year, the pair returns to the same spot to nest and raise their ducklings. Their chosen location is in a quiet corner of the neighborhood, surrounded by trees and bushes that provide ample cover and protection. Locals have come […]
This week SESNA passed a resolution supporting the Quiet Clean Salem movement in reducing the effects of noise and air pollution of yard tools on all our lives. This follows the SCAN neighborhood who joined in February, and hopefully just the first of manny to follow. Gas-powered tools like lawnmowers and leaf blowers have become […]
People love watching birds. If you’re ready to give this hobby a try, a good place to start is learning about the small birds you’re most likely to spot in your own backyard. That’s what I did. Over the span of a couple of weeks, I kept records of the birds visiting my own yard’s […]