Watching the pulse of different creeks and the Yaak river itself - skinny in autumn, icy but poisoned in winter - wild, joyful, and enormous in spring, then steady and clear on into summer, with caddis flies and mayflies rising from it every evening, and the giant spruce and fir trees shadowing it, keeping it cool and alive . . ." - "The Book Of Yaak" by Rick Bass. ... He speaks of Wild Places and how if we lose the Yaak valley to corporate logging and the timber industry, a piece of ourselves and our history will be lost as well. When Bass and his wife first moved to the Yaak valley, ...

• Word Count: 1835
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The things that live out in the wild are paying the price for it. ... The answer to most of these questions is not known by everyone. ... That threat is a disease called white-nosed syndrome, a disease that currently is affecting a potentially serious number of bats in the northeastern United States and possibly in Canada and even Europe. any thousands of bats have already died and others are sure to suffer a similar fate. ...

• Word Count: 1999
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate