In Alaska, the US, the grizzly bears are not alone because of Timothy Treadwell. Everyone knows that grizzly bears can be very dangerous to people. However, people can be perilous to grizzly bears, too, because their fur and food are beneficial for some people. In fact, half of the grizzly bears die before they are five years old, even though they can live for about 30 years.

    Grizzly bears hibernate every winter. They sleep for several months. During this period, they don't wake up or eat anything. When they wake up in the spring, the grizzlies are in danger. But Timothy can protect them. He sleeps in a tent near the bears and bathes in a river with them. People do not hurt the bears when Timothy is with them.

    Timothy went to Alaska for the first time about 17 years ago. He was attracted by the beauty of the land and the prettiness of the animals. When he learned that people kill many grizzly bears every year, Timothy determined to protect the grizzly bears and to keep the bears safe from danger, so he lives with the bears for four to five months every year. At the beginning, Timothy's parents didn't agree, but later, they firmly supported him to do so, because they also wanted to protect bears as him.

    Timothy has lived with the grizzlies every spring for about 17 years. Some bears are now his friends. He gave them names. His friend Booble sometimes gives him fish which he likes. His friend Lazy sleeps near his tent every night. Every winter, when the bears hibernate, Timothy returns to his home in California. Then he teaches children and adults about his friends in Alaska.

    A family is a collection of people who share the same genes but cannot agree on a place to pull over for lunch. Ed and I, plus his parents and sister Doris and eight-year-old niece Alisha, are on a road trip to Yosemite. Ed wants Subway, I want. In-N-Out Burger, Doris wants Sonic. In the end, we compromise on McDonald's, where Alisha will get an action figure.

    It's a three-hour drive to Yosemite, but we're taking a little longer, as we're working in a tour of Highway 80's public restrooms. As the saying goes, "Not one bladder（膀胱）empties but another fills." Many of these restrooms belong to gas stations. I prefer them to the high-tech ones on planes.

    We get back on the road. Ed is driving now. When all the tabloids（小报）have been read, the travel has grown tedious and anyone under age 12 asks "Are we there yet?" at ever-shortening internals. Just outside Manteca, California, we stop for coffee. At a Starbucks checkout, Ed buys a CD of Joni Mitchell's favorite musical picks. The hope is that it will have a calming effect.

    As we pull back onto the highway, it starts to pour. Then something amazing happens. As we climb the mountain, the rain turns to snow. The pines are spotted with white. We're struck dumb（说不出话）by the scene outside. For a solid 15 minutes, everyone forgets about their bladder, their blood sugar and the temperature. Alisha has never seen snow, so we pull over to make snowmen and catch snowflakes on our tongues. Then Ed realizes we need tire chains, and we have to turn back and drive 30miles to Oakhurst. "Good," says Doris. "There was a very nice restroom there."

    Please Choose Cloud Services

    May be unsure, or you do not know where to begin. Trying every Cloud service would take a lot of time and work. But, the website Reviews.com might help.

    One valuable feature is the protection of digital files, including photos, videos, documents, music and more. If the worst happens and your computer crashes, or gets lost or damaged, your files can still found in the Cloud.

    Cloud services let you access your files from almost anywhere. No need to worry about a file stored on your computer when you are away from your desk. If you have an Internet connection, you can open your files from any computer, or from a phone, when they are stored using a Cloud service.

    Using a Cloud service makes sharing files easier. If you send documents to a group using emails, you may then wonder which version everyone is working with. When sharing files using a Cloud service, everyone will see the same document and the latest version.

    The first thing to consider is the amount of storage space you need. Check how much space you are currently using on your computer and mobile devices. If your computer or phone is filled with photos and you have little free space, you may want to move your photos to the Cloud. Some Cloud services are free. But, if you need a lot of space, you will probably need one that costs money.

    Even if everyone you have ever met is a Windows user, you still probably want a Cloud service that works with many platforms. You might become friends with an Android user or start a job with a company that computers on Apple!

Help Hermit Crabs

    Hermit crabs are nature's recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators(天敌).Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky(狡猾); it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems. There are not enough shells to go around!

    One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes.  Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs(纪念品).This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.

    Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong--at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.

    These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build a seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance(物质)that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.

    The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.

    Everyone knows that if a dog's ears are up and its tail is wagging vigorously, it is definitely pleased to see you, but now scientists using a robot have found that the way dogs use their tails is more complicated than we thought, and that dogs which wag them to the left may he more friendly. The animal psychologists discovered that when real dogs approached a life-sized robot dog, they were less cautious about it when it was wagging its tail to the left, while if it was wagging its tail to the right, far fewer dogs approached it in a confident manner.

    In the first experiments, 56 percent of the animals approached the model without hesitation when the tail was wagged to the left, while only 21 percent did so in the other situation. When the researchers excluded (排除) owners from being present, the result were: 31 percent of the dogs approached continuously when the tail was wagging to the left, while only 18 percent did so when it was on the right.

    Animal psychologist Roger Mugford said it added to the growing evidence that does were even more complicated communicators than the animals more closely related to man such as monkeys. He said, "We know that dogs, in a sense, have languages, but it is more complicated because it is not just them wagging their tails, but also giving out chemical displays."

    He adds, "The research confirms earlier studies suggesting that dogs, like humans, had a left-side preference. If you are going to present a signal to a dog, it is sensible to put it on your left-hand side because that is where dogs, unlike most other animals, tend to look. It is another example of the similarity between dogs and humans. They are a lot more human than we give them credit for."

    Discover Nature Schools programs

    Becoming Bears (Kindergarten-2 grade)

    By becoming baby bears children learn from their "parent" to survive the seasons. Kids will find safety in the spring and learn kinds of food bears eat during the summer, and then create a cave for winter hibernation(冬眠). After learning the skills needed to survive, students will go out of the cave as an independent black bear able to care for themselves. (1.5-2 hours)

    Whose Clues? (3-5 grade)

    Kids will discover how plants and animals use their special structures to survive. Through outdoor study of plants and animals, kids will recognize their special structures and learn how they enable species to eat, avoid their enemies and survive. Using what they have learned, kids will choose one species and tell how they survive in their living places. (3-4 hours)

    Winged Wonders (3-5 grade)

Birds add color and sound to our world and play an important ecological (生态的) role. Students will learn the basics of birds, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Students will do hands-on activities. Students will use tools to build bird feeders, allowing them to attract birds at home.(3-4 hours)

Exploring Your Watershed (6-8 grade)

    We all depend on clean water. Examining how our actions shape the waterways around us. Go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality problems in a city. Students will test the water quality to determine the health of an ecosystem.

    Each program is taught for a class with at least 10 students.

    All programs include plenty of time outdoors. So please prepare proper clothing, sunscreen and insect killers for children.

    To take part in a program, please email dcprograms@mdc.mo.gov.