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  • Olympic Winter Games – Vol. 2 No. 2
Natural Inquirer cover for the Olympic Winter Games issue.
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Olympic Winter Games – Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Journal
  • Middle School
  • Climate
  • Engineering and Forest Products
  • Insects
  • Recreation
  • Social Science
  • Water
  • Wilderness
  • Wildlife
  • Alpine Meadow
  • Avalanche
  • Education Programs
  • Flammulated Owl
  • Habitat
  • Invasive
  • Mountain Pine Beetle
  • Native
  • Nonnative
  • Restoration
  • Road Engineering
  • Songbirds
  • Trout
Natural Inquirer cover for the Olympic Winter Games issue.
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This edition is full of information on the natural environment that we call the Rocky Mountains. In this Natural Inquirer, you will learn how father owls feed their young, the dangers that songbirds sometimes face, and how beetles stay warm during the winter. Find out how avalanches are formed, whether trout always pick the same place to swim in a stream, and how a computer can be used to predict soil erosion!

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Highlights

  • 8 Articles
  • 17 Activities
  • Glossary
  • Available in English or Spanish
  • Mountain pine beetles are important to the Western United States. They have a very special life cycle that includes staying “supercool,” or dormant, for most of their lives. The scientists...

    Beetles Are Supercool! Understanding the Life Cycle of Mountain Pine Beetles

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Insects
    • Climate Change
    • Insect Damage
    • Life cycle
    • Mountain Pine Beetle
    • Phenology
    Mountain pine beetles are important to the Western United States. They have a very special life cycle that includes staying “supercool,” or dormant, for most of their lives. The scientists...
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    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Until the early 1950s, people mined copper, gold, and silver in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana. During mining operations, the soil near the surface was removed before the minerals were...

    Let Nature Take Its Course: Helping the Environment Take Care of Itself

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wilderness
    • Alpine Meadow
    • Erosion
    • Land Management
    • Mining
    • Native plants
    • Restoration
    Until the early 1950s, people mined copper, gold, and silver in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana. During mining operations, the soil near the surface was removed before the minerals were...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • One job of wilderness managers is to teach people how to behave when they visit a wilderness area. One of the ways students learn about how to behave when they...

    What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster? Evaluating Environmental Education Programs

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Recreation
    • Social Science
    • Education Programs
    • Evaluation
    • Leave No Trace
    • Littering
    • Survey
    • Wilderness
    One job of wilderness managers is to teach people how to behave when they visit a wilderness area. One of the ways students learn about how to behave when they...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Soil erosion and sedimentation reduce the diversity of the natural environment. When soil is eroded and sedimentation occurs, important nutrients are carried away from the soil. The scientists in this...

    Should Ditches be Graded? Testing Unpaved Roads with a Computer Program

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Engineering and Forest Products
    • Water
    • Computer Modeling
    • Erosion
    • Road Engineering
    • Sedimentation
    • Soil
    Soil erosion and sedimentation reduce the diversity of the natural environment. When soil is eroded and sedimentation occurs, important nutrients are carried away from the soil. The scientists in this...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Some scientists think that wildlife is mostly dependent on the immediate natural area in which it lives. The scientist in this study was interested in exploring this idea because she...

    Goldifinch and the Three Scales: Investigating Songbird Habitats Near Rivers

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wildlife
    • Cottonwood Trees
    • Land Use
    • Native
    • Nonnative
    • Scale
    • Songbirds
    Some scientists think that wildlife is mostly dependent on the immediate natural area in which it lives. The scientist in this study was interested in exploring this idea because she...
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    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Cutthroat trout are a type of salmon. The scientists in this study wanted to find out if cutthroat trout behave like other salmonids. Other salmonids had been found to swim...

    Big Fish in a Small Pool: Habitat Preferences of Cutthroat Trout

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Dominant Species
    • Habitat
    • Radio Transmitter
    • Rivers and Streams
    • Salmon
    • Trout
    Cutthroat trout are a type of salmon. The scientists in this study wanted to find out if cutthroat trout behave like other salmonids. Other salmonids had been found to swim...
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    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • When pairs of flammulated owls get ready to reproduce, they must find a place to build their nest. They need a location convenient to a food supply suitable for baby...

    Turn that Radio Down! Tracking the Busy Life of Flammulated Owl Dads

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wildlife
    • Douglas-fir
    • Fire
    • Flammulated Owl
    • Habitat
    • Nesting Sites
    • Ponderosa Pine
    • Radio Transmitter
    When pairs of flammulated owls get ready to reproduce, they must find a place to build their nest. They need a location convenient to a food supply suitable for baby...
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    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • Slab avalanches are the most dangerous kind of avalanche. A slab is a layer of new snow sitting on top of a layer of snow, called a weak layer. Scientists...

    Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen?

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Climate
    • Avalanche
    • Human Safety
    • Prediction
    • Snow
    • Weather
    Slab avalanches are the most dangerous kind of avalanche. A slab is a layer of new snow sitting on top of a layer of snow, called a weak layer. Scientists...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

  • In this FACtivity, we are going to get to know beetles close up! You will catch and release beetles from your schoolyard, home yard, or elsewhere and make observations about...

    FACTivity – Beetles Are Supercool

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Insects
    • Beetles
    • Catch and Release
    • Insect Parts
    • Observation
    • Outdoor Activity
    In this FACtivity, we are going to get to know beetles close up! You will catch and release beetles from your schoolyard, home yard, or elsewhere and make observations about...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Beetles Are Supercool! Understanding the Life Cycle of Mountain Pine Beetles

  • After reading “Beetles Are Supercool!,” see if you can complete this word search with the article’s glossary terms.

    Word Search – Beetles Are Supercool!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Insects
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Beetles Are Supercool!,” see if you can complete this word search with the article’s glossary terms.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Beetles Are Supercool! Understanding the Life Cycle of Mountain Pine Beetles

  • In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one...

    FACTivity – Let Nature Take Its Course

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Hands-on
    • Observation
    • Organic Matter
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Sampling
    • Soil Sample
    In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Let Nature Take Its Course: Helping the Environment Take Care of Itself

  • After reading “Let Nature Take Its Course,” try to complete this word search using glossary terms from the article.

    Word Search – Let Nature Take Its Course

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Let Nature Take Its Course,” try to complete this word search using glossary terms from the article.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Let Nature Take Its Course: Helping the Environment Take Care of Itself

  • In this FACTivity, you will conduct your own evaluation of an educational resource – a Natural Inquirer (or Investi-gator) article! You will tabulate the results of your survey and create...

    FACTivity – What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster?

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Social Science
    • Calculating Percentage
    • Environmental Education
    • Evaluation
    • Pie Chart
    • Survey
    In this FACTivity, you will conduct your own evaluation of an educational resource – a Natural Inquirer (or Investi-gator) article! You will tabulate the results of your survey and create...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster? Evaluating Environmental Education Programs

  • After reading “What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster?,” test what you learned with a word search.

    Word Search – What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster?

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster?,” test what you learned with a word search.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    What Is the Impact of the Impact Monster? Evaluating Environmental Education Programs

  • To better understand songbird habitat, Dr. Saab wanted to look at the big picture. In this FACTivity, we are going to make observations at different scales, just like Dr. Saab....

    FACTivity – Goldifinch and the Three Scales

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Citizen Science
    • Observation
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Sampling
    • Scale
    To better understand songbird habitat, Dr. Saab wanted to look at the big picture. In this FACTivity, we are going to make observations at different scales, just like Dr. Saab....
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Goldifinch and the Three Scales: Investigating Songbird Habitats Near Rivers

  • After reading “Goldifinch and the Three Scales,” test your knowledge with a word search.

    Word Search – Goldifinch and the Three Scales

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Wildlife
    • Birds
    • Habitat
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Goldifinch and the Three Scales,” test your knowledge with a word search.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Goldifinch and the Three Scales: Investigating Songbird Habitats Near Rivers

  • In this FACTivity, you will learn how to improve your observation skills and think about how scientists use observation. In order to learn about trout habitat, the scientists in this...

    FACTivity – Big Fish in a Small Pool

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Compare and Contrast
    • Observation
    • Recording Data
    In this FACTivity, you will learn how to improve your observation skills and think about how scientists use observation. In order to learn about trout habitat, the scientists in this...
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Big Fish in a Small Pool: Habitat Preferences of Cutthroat Trout

  • After reading “Big Fish in a Small Pool,” test your understanding with a word search.

    Word Search – Big Fish in a Small Pool

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Water
    • Wildlife
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Big Fish in a Small Pool,” test your understanding with a word search.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Big Fish in a Small Pool: Habitat Preferences of Cutthroat Trout

  • In this FACTivity, you will create a concept map to show what you’ve learned about flammulated owls and their habitat needs. Materials: Paper Writing utensil

    FACTivity – Turn That Radio Down!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Upper Elementary
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Wildlife
    • Brainstorm
    • Concept Map
    • Flammulated Owl
    • Habitat
    In this FACTivity, you will create a concept map to show what you’ve learned about flammulated owls and their habitat needs. Materials: Paper Writing utensil
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Turn that Radio Down! Tracking the Busy Life of Flammulated Owl Dads

  • After reading “Turn That Radio Down!,” test your understanding with this word search.

    Word Search – Turn That Radio Down!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife
    • Owls
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Turn That Radio Down!,” test your understanding with this word search.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Turn that Radio Down! Tracking the Busy Life of Flammulated Owl Dads

  • After reading “Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows,” try this word search to test what you’ve learned.

    Word Search – Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Vocabulary
    • Word Game
    After reading “Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows,” try this word search to test what you’ve learned.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF) Download Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Excuse Me While I Flow My Snows: What Makes An Avalanche Happen?

  • Olympic Game Edition - Who or What Am I?.

    Olympic Game Edition - Who or What Am I?

    After reading the Olympic Winter Games edition of Natural Inquirer, see if you can answer these riddles!
    Download Game Activity (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)
  • Use this modified game of tag to illustrate the spread of an invasive species that has no natural predators in its new ecosystem. No equipment required.

    Activity – “Kid-zu” Spreading

    • Activity
    • PreK - 2nd
    • Upper Elementary
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Game
    • Invasive Species
    • Outdoor Activity
    • Physical Activity
    Use this modified game of tag to illustrate the spread of an invasive species that has no natural predators in its new ecosystem. No equipment required.
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Olympic Winter Games - Vol. 2 No. 2

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • annual

    (an yə(-wə)l): (1) Covering the period of a year; (2) occurring or happening every year or once a year.

  • associated

    (ǝ sō sē ā tǝd): Related, connected, or combined together.

  • biodiversity

    (bī ō dǝ vǝr sǝ tē ): Biological variety in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.

  • biologist

    (bī ä lə jist): A scientist who studies living organisms and life processes.

  • carbohydrate

    (kär bō hī drāt): Any of various compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as sugars, starches, or celluloses) most of which are formed by plants and are a major animal food.

  • climate

    (klī mǝt): The average weather conditions of a particular place or region over a period of years.

  • complexity

    (kǝm plek sǝ tē): Something that is complex, or hard to separate, analyze, or solve.

  • conserve

    (kǝn sǝrv): To avoid wasteful or destructive use of something.

  • cottonwood

    (kä tǝn wu̇d): Any of several poplars having seeds with cottony hairs.

  • crystallize

    (kri stə līz): To cause to form crystals or assume crystalline form.

  • dependent

    (di pen dǝnt): Relying on another for support.

  • disastrous

    (di za strəs): Attended by or causing suffering or disaster.

  • diversity

    (dǝ vǝr si tē): The condition of having or being composed of differing elements; variety.

  • dominant

    (dä mə nənt): Commanding, controlling, or having great influence over all others.

  • ecology

    (i kä lǝ gē): A branch of science concerned with the relationships between living things and their environment.

  • extinction

    (ik stiŋk shən): The state of no longer existing.

  • habitat

    (ha bә tat): The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.

  • hectare

    (hek tär): A unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters.

  • indicator species

    (in də kā tər spē sēz): A species that is so closely associated with particular environmental conditions that their presence in an environment is a sign of these conditions.

  • landscape

    (lan(d) skāp)
    verb: To make changes to improve the appearance of an area of land.
    noun: The visual land, such as trees, water, and sky

  • larva

    (lär ve): (plural “larvae”) The immature, wingless, and often wormlike feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects.

  • manager

    (ma ni jür): A skilled person who directs or manages something.

  • metabolize

    (mə ta bə līz): To build up or break down the complex substances in the cells of living things (in order to provide essential energy for vital processes and activities and to absorb new material).

  • native

    (nā tiv): Living or growing naturally in a particular region.

  • nonnative

    (nän nā tiv): Not naturally occurring in an area.

  • phenology

    (fi nä lə jē): A branch of science dealing with the relationship between climate and periodic biological phenomena (such as bird migration or plant flowering).

  • phloem

    (flō em): A tissue in plants that contains sieve tubes that carry dissolved food material and that lies mostly outside the cambium.

  • pool

    (pül): A small and rather deep body of usually fresh water; a quiet place in a stream.

  • population

    (pä pyǝ lā shǝn): The total of individuals occupying an area.

  • pupa

    (pyü pə): (plural “pupae”) A stage of an insect (as a bee, moth, or beetle) having complete metamorphosis that occurs between the larva and the adult, is usually enclosed in a cocoon or case, and goes through changes inside by which structures of the larva are replaced by those of the adult.

  • relationship

    (ri lā shǝn ship): The state of being connected through a relation that is known or can be discovered.

  • resin

    (re zǝn): Any of various yellowish or brownish substances that are obtained from the gum or sap of some trees (like pines) and are used in varnishes and plastics and in medicine.

  • riffle

    (ri fəl): A shallow extending across a stream bed and causing broken water.

  • salmonid

    (sa mə nid): Any of a family (Salmonidae) of elongate bony fishes (such as a salmon or trout) that have the last three vertebrae upturned.

  • scale

    (skāl): (1) Something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: such as a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances or a range of responses to a statement that vary from strongly agree to strongly disagree; (2) A distinctive relative size, extent, or degree.

  • simulate

    (sim yǝ lāt): To make an imitation (or copy or model) by one system or process of the way in which another system or process works.

  • species

    (spē sēz or spē shēz): A category of living things that ranks below a genus, is made up of related individuals able to produce fertile offspring, and is identified by a two-part scientific name.

  • stand

    (stand): A group of plants growing in a continuous area.

  • vacant

    (vā kənt): Not occupied or lived in.

  • water vapor pressure

    (wȯ tər vā pər pre shər): The amount of pressure put forth by the water that is in air at different temperatures.

  • wetlands

    (wet landz): Land or areas (such as marshes or swamps) that are covered, often intermittently, with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.

Classroom Review Board

Mr. Thomas Williamson’s 5th Grade Class

  • Thomas W. Baachus Elementary School
  • Kearns, UT
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  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Barbara Bentz.

    Barbara Bentz

    Entomologist

    I like being a scientist because I enjoy the art of discovery. I became interested in natural resources when I was a young child, traveling and camping with my family.
    View Profile
  • Photo of Dr. Karl Birkeland in a snowbank collecting samples.

    Karl Birkeland

    I like being a scientist because I get to play detective. I search for answers to avalanche problems faced by people who work and play in the mountains. I became...
    View Profile
  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Ray Brown.

    Ray Brown

    Plant Physiologist

    I like being a scientist because it allows me to follow my passion of learning how nature works and how we interact with nature. I became interested in natural resources...
    View Profile
  • Natural Inquirer bee with a magnifying glass

    Bill Hendricks

    Professor

    I like being a scientist because I can uncover answers to complex questions. I became interested in natural resources as a child when my family spent time in a park...
    View Profile
  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Brian Linkhart. He is wearing a harness while climbing a tree.

    Brian Linkhart

    Wildlife Biologist

    I like being a scientist because it’s exciting discovering new things about unusual animals and trying to understand the needs of animals so that we may help ensure their survival...
    View Profile
  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Jesse Logan. In the photo he is looking down and writing in a notepad.

    Jesse Logan

    Ecologist

    I like being a scientist because of the excitement of learning new things and the rewards of being creative. I became interested in natural resources as a young boy enjoying...
    View Profile
  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Vicki Saab holding a bird.

    Victoria Saab

    Wildlife Biologist

    I like being a scientist because it is exciting to discover new information about our natural world and to solve problems that will help save animals and plants from extinction....
    View Profile
  • Black and white photograph of Dr. Laurie Tysdal in a forest.

    Laurie Tysdal

    Civil Engineer

    I like being a scientist because I learned the building blocks of how things work in the natural world around us. Now I can figure out new things on my...
    View Profile
  • Dr. Alan Watson wearing sunglasses, on a beach

    Alan Watson

    Social Scientist

    “I like being a scientist because I’m helping to keep something special for future Americans. I became interested in natural resources when I was a kid and my family used...
    View Profile
  • A black and white photo of Dr. Michael Young wearing a scuba suit.

    Michael Young

    Fish Biologist

    I like being a scientist because I am fascinated by the natural world. I enjoy the process of discovery, and I want to make sure we conserve wild creatures and...
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Additional Resources

  • USDA Forest Service: Conservation Education

    Through Conservation Education, the Forest Service provides a variety of educational resources and programs for individuals of all ages to learn about the environment and our nation’s forests and grasslands. Through these hands-on, interactive learning opportunities, students, educators, and parents can explore how to become a responsible steward of our natural resources. There are also a variety of resources for teachers and parents to engage youth in environmental education and for exploring careers in conservation.
    Visit Website
  • FIND Outdoors

    Our story is rooted in education about the forest. Our passion is to help people become inspired. Our goal is to help people connect with nature. Our drive is to help people learn through discovery. Through forest-inspired nature discovery, we help people FIND Outdoors.
    Visit Website
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  • Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • Find Outdoors
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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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