Coming Home

Blogging always felt like home. So after a very long hiatus, I am coming home. To blogging. Again. I’m guessing that blogging is out of vogue, something we did “back then” but no longer. And then the urge hit when I came across a post from, well, more years than I’d like to admit. But like the lyric, I’m still here. Coming home. Starting over, or perhaps just again. Any way you cast it, I feel I have come home.

The Man Who Saved A Mountain

Not just any mountain. The Lehigh Gap on the Kittatinny Mountain. My mountain. Our mountain. So many things are special about this saving. Let's begin with the man. Dan Kunkle. High school science teacher. He succeeded where others, including government organizations, failed.

Instead of something complicated, Dan believed The Gap could be reseeded by air drop via a helicopter. And that's how it was done. The Gap's deforesting over years occurred because of ecological succession; however, as a "local" I am very tempted to place blame elsewhere. Whatever the causes, the Gap was bare. And Dan Kunkle rescued it.

Today, in spite of a fire last summer, the Gap bounced back. Even in winter, you see signs of it thriving. And in a season specializing in gratitude, we are thankful for Dan Kunkle. Honored, rightly so.

DAN KUNKLE (left) receives the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Mid Atlantic Regional Partnership Committee's 2015 Partner of the Year Award from Anne Griffin. The award recognizes Kunkle's dedication, partnership and stewardship on behalf of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Griffin made the presentation April 11 at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center on behalf of the 12 trail-maintaining clubs of the Mid Atlantic region. (Barb Wiemann photo)

                                                The Greening of The Mountain

To learn more about this effort, read the following articles from Wildlife Activist by LGNC Executive Director Dan Kunkle, which describe what has been done to restore vegetation to the mountain at the Lehigh Gap.

• Summer 2006  – Refuge Grass Planting Nearing Completion – by Dan R. Kunkle (.pdf  file)
• Fall 2004  – Lehigh Gap Restoration Project: Year 2 Progress Report – by Dan R. Kunkle
• Summer 2004  – Ecological Succession and Lehigh Gap – by Dan R. Kunkle
• Fall 2003  – Watching Grass Grow II – by Dan R. Kunkle
• Summer 2003 – Watching Grass Grow–Update on the Restoration Process at Lehigh Gap – by Dan R. Kunkle

Marc Page: Explaining Camelid Behavior to the Uninformed

Marc Page is a renown llama and alpaca trainer. These notes derive from his keynote presentation at the PLAA Annual Meeting, March 21, 2015 at the Ramada Inn at State College PA.

Part 1: Llamas and Alpacas in The Wild

Llamas have a strong defense system to defend themselves; they only defend the territory that needs defending. Herd size is determined from available food; excess animals are driven away by the dominant male. Young animals are driven from the herd, along with the female. Less than 15 months of age in the wild; immature males driven out; solo males without a group; mixed group who agree to join for the winter. Harsh conditions make behavior more acceptable. Females can move among groups but adult males cannot.

Herd defense is to see and react to danger and flee. An anti-predatory defense. Llamas like high places and mountains. They will play a king of the mountain game but it's all about defense. Females can make good guard animals. Males will dispel juveniles by biting, spitting. A young llama will scream as they are chased, with the tale up over the back, and neck stretched is a sign of submission but violence can occur.

Llamas have developed fighting teeth and they need to be removed properly because a bite on the leg can bring a llama down. In the wild, the teeth are used to geld young llamas. Young male's fighting teeth need to be taken seriously.

On your farm, ears us is inquisitive or pointed toward you. But if the llama rushes to the fence line and screams, that's aggressive behavior. Humans need to be careful when a young male llama approaches you cautiously and submissive does not mean alpha adult male behavior but is approaching you as if you are another llama. Spitting and pushing is testing behavior.

Reason for the long gestation period of a llama or alpaca (11--11.5 months). Reason is because the llamas are "fully cooked" when they hit the ground. Mothers are not too fussy nor give them a lot of care. Aunts and uncles come over but that's it. As owners, we go out to make sure nose is clear...but in wild, in 15 minutes is all a cria has to acclimate to a migratory herd. The baby has to be ready to move on with the herd in one-half hour, dried out. Mother won't fuss much because that would compromise two animals.

Once they "get their legs" they are impossible to catch and everyone else is running defense for the baby. Wild behavior is the same on a farm. Llamas and native Americans did not lose their spirit or their identity. They are trying to re-awaken the spirit from before the reservation period. A guanaco presents some real challenges, harder than llamas.

Llamas have their own self-contained groupings on a farm. We create the groupings (somewhat artificial) and make decisions that in reality are not what they would choose for themselves. We disrupt the herd's social order by adding/removing animals, for example, by selling animals. You disrupt the herd and the herd must fill that position and re-arrange their dominance.

When you introduce a rescue llama to a herd, it is not a socialized animal as it is re-homed. Because these animals are not socialized and have no interaction with other animals, these animals do not fit the mix and the farm herd does not know what to do with them. Each llama has an invisible number and the herd knows what that number is. Higher ranks, 1-5, approach the hay first and expect the food to be there. Numbers 6-10 jockey for position, trying to find a place to eat. Body position is the first thing that happens. Turn and face the other animal. There could be a false rush. But in a well-maintained herd, they find their place relatively peacefully. In all seriousness, it is an aberrant behavior for one llama to spit at another llama within the herd.

Walking in a line with a herd with an animal in front and behind -- should be comfortable for the llamas. You stand back and let them figure it out. They will back down, even in deep snow, to get out of the way. Crias can get away with murder until that special day arrives. They are allowed a lot of discretion without a lot of consequences, but on that one day, when they are considered no longer a "baby," the social norms change and llamas will put the cria in its place.

Flefmen or flaymun, phonetically, is a behavior of llamas smelling manure. They do this to determine who is in the herd. They need to make sense of the new smell, so they lift their head, flay their nostrils, and go visit the herd. Originally, Marc used the transfer station/dump and it has become a social meeting place. That's what the manure pile is for llamas, especially males. Llamas become territorial with their manure and mark their territory. In the wild, the piles are like anthills and really well defined.

For females, everything changes. Manure became spread out because the "girls" were talking and marking the places easiest for them to have a conversation.

Stotting, Bill Franklin's word, is also called ponging, spronging and jump athletically. In summer, it's running for the joy of running, but in the wild, it's behavior to get the attention of the male llama.
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Part 2: Training

To get a desired result, you train with respect between people and their animals. Llamas are easier to train than alpacas because the llamas lived in the village and were used as herd animals. Llamas and people developed a more cooperative spirit. Alpacas can be trained but it takes longer, because they were only rounded up once a year for shearing. You use the same approach for alpacas as llamas, but it just takes more time.

You must work with respect with your llamas and you must work without fear. You cannot be afraid of your animals. You need to handle your cria to desensitize it but you should not overdo it. Cria training is reinforcement throughout its early life. They do not absorb early training without reinforcement. John Mellon made an experiment with desensitizing 3 of 4 legs to see if it made a difference. He learned the 4 leg could never be handled.

Whatever a cria needs to learn happens in the first 24 hours. IF you are on vacation when they are born, you have a lot a catch up work to do. Marc has done extensive work with disabled populations. The largest form of bad behavior in llamas and alpacas is hand feeding your animals. Animals need to understand the difference and hand feeding is not the way to train. It teaches bad behavior because they think we can take the food away, and then they try other intrusive behaviors to establish herd position. No rough play with crias, no dog tug of war. When you do this, you encourage chest butting, pushing, shoving. Don't push a llama away because they learn they can push back.

Llamas must always always always move away when you enter their space. No clucking because it is a challenge. You do not walk around. Try going to the barn or pasture when llamas are resting and walk through them. They cannot eat while you are putting grain down and they may not eat hay while you are transporting it. They cannot have food until you present it for them. Llamas must get out of the way. Holding a bowl is the same as hand feeding. Put the bowl down; do not encourage spitting or bad behavior.

When llamas are impatiently waiting for their food, if you have 6 llamas give them 8 bowls because llamas will push around for position. Put less in each bowl.

Young and juvenile llamas need to be desensitized and each training session should have designated areas. They are opportunities for the llamas and you. Incidental touching means nothing to them. An actual lesson is better. It should occur in tall pens. When designing a space, give them a big playground but a smaller area near the barn so they can be closed, like the inside of a paddock with a closed gate. Entice them with food, let them calm down. Do not chase them. Training area can be structurally built or can be done with green panels. Five panels are better; llamas will lock themselves in a corner or cush down or go over or under a fence. You need to reduce flight training; llamas can jump 5 feet in the air from a standstill. So, they CAN jump into a van or trailer.

Regular training should occur at weaning. Halter it after it is standing. Do desensitizing on feet, legs, face, teeth; put a small pack on it. Because we ask a llama to put something on its back, it thinks it's a puma so we have to be careful with training. Do not spend a half hour or an hour till something is downpat. Lessons should be very short: minutes. Think what do I do to encourage what I want and how do I end it. Round pen avoids corners where llamas hide. Teach how to approach the llama. Reward by removing the pressure. Maintain distance and let the animal get the butterflies out of its system. When it slows down and stops, reward the stop by taking the pressure off and move back. Same is true for anything else you do: halter, mini-van loading, walking. Reduce flight zone and reward every single training approach.

There are so many second chances with llamas. Stop reinforcing what the llama does not want and reward him by eliminating the pressure. Back off. Have the proper layout for catching llamas. If you do not, take a 25 foot rope, two people, and make a portable fence. At the Big E, everyone knows the need to keep the llama contained. The call, "loose llama" goes out and exits are closed with a minimum of people. This all leads to one of the hardest ways to catch a llama: a helicopter. Never lasso a llama. The "llama drama" should have been averted if people would have stopped chasing them.

Marc and Carol Reigh both took proper means to respond to llama drama; Mark Hanner did not on MSNBC.

Migratory Patterns of Bats in PA

Migratory tree bats are long-distance latitudinal migrants; remain active as long as prey is available. Migratory tree bats are especially difficult to study. Hibernating cave bats live in colonies but tree bats make long-distance migrations. Tree bats are difficult to study because they are solitary. The challenge to MTB is finding what they do when not migrating. Linear landscape features attract MTB.

Important to study them because wind turbines are a serious conservation threat for MTB--100,000 dies each year from just one tree farm area. Locust Ridge Wind Farm 75 percent fatality. Behaior during migration makes them susceptible.

Used acoustic monitoring to echolocate bats. SonoBat is program to identify the echoes. Activity Late June to late August for red bat. Roost surveys found evidence of southward migration in eastern bats different in Iowa. Peak fatality coincides with southward migration.

Hoary Bat's activity occurred at the river mid-April to late May and again in mid July. Northward migration late April to early May and southward mid-July to mid-September. Delaware River may serve as a migratory opportunity for these bats.

Silver-haired Bat: ridge and river activity mid-April to late-May and at the ridge from mid-August to early October. Northward migration late April to late June and southward late August to late October. This bat may be using both ridge and river as well as different landscape features.

Conclusions:

Seasonal activity patterns documented provide evidence of migration. It coincides with the timing of migration documented in other studies. Evidence that the Hoary and Silver-haired bat migrate along linear landscape features. Evidence of southward migration coincides with the timing of peak fatality at a local wind farm. Migratory tree bats are the most susceptible to fatality in migration.


Questions:
1. How can you encourage bats to populate your location? Bat houses: structure and location are important.

Absolutely Precious!

Makes me smile every time.

Post by PerezHilton.com.

Tracking Rattlesnakes: Predator/Prey Relationships & Conservation Issues

The Lehigh Gap Nature Center Speakers Bureau proudly presents Tracking Rattlesnakes: Predator/Prey Relationships & Conservation Issues.   According to the LGNC description:

Photo courtesy of The Morning Call

Howard Reinert, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at The College of New Jersey. Reinert and his advisor at Lehigh University, Dr. David Cundall, developed innovative tracking techniques to allow ecological studies of timber rattlers. These techniques are now used in tracking many species of snakes around the world.

You can follow the Lehigh Gap Nature Center on Facebook and visit their fine website where you will find so many options for return visits.

Today's presentation is Timber Rattlesnake Research: What's the BUZZ? Some background: Howard is a local person (Reading) who very early developed a knack for seeing things in the field. Learning quantitative statistics, Howard applied some of these techniques to habitat observations and tracking rattlesnakes and copperheads. He developed snake ecology by implanting transmitters in the species so they could be found at will. In the introduction to Howard and his presentation, Dr. Cundell said that no one alive knows more about rattlesnakes than Howard, whose goal is to preserve the ecology and habitats of the species to insure their longevity. Before beginning, Howard noted that he could speak indefinitely on the topic, so he intends to keep an eye to the clock.

Timber rattlesnakes appear predominantly in western PA in the mountainous regions. Some snakes are totally black but range to pale yellow to anywhere in between in variation. Local populations and how they evolve to their conditions determine the color. Sometimes very large snakes, about 72" but the largest in PA was seen by Howard at 54". Residing largely along the PA Appalachian Trail, timber rattlesnakes in PA are not an endangered species as they are in surrounding states. In PA, however, we maintain healthy populations as part of our native fauna.

How do you catch such a unique rattlesnake? Carefully. Their eyes are interesting as they bulge out. By the age of 4, Howard was a catcher of things along a creek, overturn rocks, and notice nature, with much credit going to his mother for inspiring him. By 7, Howard was catching his first snakes and this set him on the path to being a naturalist. In the early 1970s, people began putting transmitters in snakes so you could recapture them in their habitats and learn a lot, but only for a while because they "pass" the transmitters over time. And the whip antennas, while giving a greater range, still were not good internal tracking devices.

In his MS program at Lehigh University, Howard learned how a transmitter could be surgically implanted with whip antennas. Howard cites his LU professor Dr. Cundall for developing the idea. The benefit: an extended range for tracking snakes and learning from them. So what has he learned? Do timber rattlesnakes compete for resources with copperheads? Decades of sight observations suggested that these snakes populate the same habitat. Both pit vipers, copperheads and rattlesnakes would seem ideal competitors. After the study, Howard learned that rattlesnakes like wooded areas as habitats over rocky land masses, which were the copperhead's habitat.

Timber rattlesnakes really want to be in wooded mountainous areas whereas copperheads need open habitats for basking, incubating young inside, and skin shedding. Rattlesnakes eat in wooded areas and are impossible to find. You can hear it, but even within inches a rattlesnake will not move, rattle. They would just let you walk past them, that is until telemetry. In layman's language, a rattlesnake is an ideal predator and loves to catch prey while seemingly sleeping. They catch their prey by sensing heat--infrared rays from an animal--and the little animal is caught because snakes are great waiters. A snake can detect a small animal with its tongue better than a scent dog with his nose. Rattlesnakes select their logs and achieve success by waiting...

Is the forest tranquil? Not at all. Human interference--man and machines--do they have an impact on rattlesnakes?  Is logging harmful to rattlesnakes? Howard and colleagues set up a worse-case scenario and attempted to track and determine impact of high density rattlesnake populations by following 800 timber rattlesnakes. They tracked in 2003-2004 populations in tranquility. In 2005 they tracked and observed interactions between loggers and rattlesnakes to determine the logging response. In 2006, the after-logging impact was studied.

306 rattlesnakes were radiotracked with over 4000 field observations of rattlesnake behavior, the largest study of its kind of timber rattlesnakes. Mortality? From logging was amazingly low. Only 5% as compared to the normal 10% natural mortality. The good news: logging has relatively no impact on timber rattlesnake populations. Movement was not impacted either during logging. Snakes moved around but returned to original mating spots and do so for life. Often they travel 2 miles but the timber rattlesnake can travel over a mile a day during the breeding season.

Whether trucks, skidders, chain saws, loggers, nothing changed the patterns of life for timber rattlesnakes because it is THEIR home and they remain and return to it. No negative impact. And that's really good news for our understanding of the how man and snake can interact in the wild. Howard expected that the snakes would become frightened, leave. But they did not move. They held their ground. The snakes remained undisturbed by logging episodes, whatever they were.

In essence, the snake's response as a population: do what you want; it's my home and I'm not leaving. They did not vacate their habitat during logging, even during breeding and gestation cycles. Good news: timber rattlesnakes can tolerate disturbances, density increases and decreases, new foraging sites, new basking sites, different species composition and still ride out the changes, whatever they may be. So the bottom line is: rattlesnakes can adapt and survive, thrive, and rebound despite man's interference because they--the snakes--are an adaptable species.

LAMAS on Parade: A Composite

Decided to aggregate the photography of Bob Wolfe and Chip Wood. The result is a slightly longer but delightful Animoto video. Enjoy!



If you are interested in joining GALA, click here.

What Do You Do With A Llama?

Since people know I own llamas, I am often asked what I do with them. Bob Wolfe, PLAAs Webmaster, answers that question. Enjoy the video.

Remembering LAMAS ON PARADE: GALA Conference 2013

To say that the 2013 conference was wonderful is serious understatement. It was truly fantastic. Unfortunately, I could not attend the conference since I was recently released from UPENN after a successful stem cell transplant. And yes, I made it, an official cancer survivor.

Because I could not attend, Bob Wolfe graciously sent me photos, then Chip Wood sent photos, and finally Bev Vienckowski sent Bob Wolfe's photos with captions that appeared in our November Lama Letter newsletter edited by Bev. I hope you enjoy these videos.

This video showcases photographs taken by Bob Wolfe. He is a consummate photographer as his carefully edited images are a delight to view.



This second video houses images taken by Chip Wood. They heavily feature Teri Conroy and her llama Tank. Teri was the chairperson of the Fiber Room and organized a fabulous experience for those who attended. Finally, and perhaps a favorite reprises some of Bob Wolfe's photographs captioned by Bev Vienckowski for the November issue of The Lama Letter edited by Bev. Featured are the PLAA members who attended the conference. You might enjoy perusing PLAA's website.

LAMAS ON PARADE: Making Hoists & Carts for Physical Therapy on Animals with Neurological Disease

GALA (Llamas & Alpacas) has a long and robust history and presence on Facebook, but did you know our latest GALA venture is a Facebook group dedicated to the 26th Annual GALA Conference: LAMAS ON PARADE. We have already advertised our Big Four Speakers, so today we would like to highlight our first announced workshop: Making Hoists & Carts for Physical Therapy on Animals with Neurological Disease. This workshop will be presented by Steven Weingold, Denise Richards, and Lisa Hoffmaster. We know you will want to join us for this exciting conference and will definitely want to attend this very special workshop.

The conference dates are November 7-10, 2013 and the conference is being held at The Century House in Latham (Albany area), NY. To make reservations:

Call The Century House directly: 518-785-0931.
Let the agent know you're part of GALA or the Llama/Alpaca Conference.
The special GALA Rate is just $99.99 per night plus tax.
The rate includes a Breakfast Buffet.
And...includes free WiFi.

Bev Vienckowski & The International Year of the Working Llama

Bev Vienckowski is one busy lady. She is the editor of PLAA (Pennsylvania Llama and Alpaca Association) newsletter, The Lama Letter, a graphic artist with her own business, and a lover and promoter of llamas. Bev hikes with her working llamas trained as pack animals, and she is an eco-conscious person. Combining all her talents with her social networking skills, she had this wonderful idea for a fundraiser. See if you agree. From Bev:

I had an idea for a donation to a local Jersey Shore fund-raiser which would be a little unexpected and different. I created a gift basket for the silent auction at a Barnegat Bay Charities fund raiser event on June 23rd. An ”Eclectic Eco-Agri-Tourism Day In New Egypt, NJ.

For my part I donated a two-hour llama hike for four, a pair of socks from the Pacific NW Llama Co-op, a small bag of “Magical Llama Beans” garden soil amendment, a dozen fresh eggs and a little book about the history of our town. Carol Reigh of Buck Hollow Llamas graciously donated a Llama Scramble Squares Puzzle. Two local businesses generously donated gift certificates to round out the day trip and the gift basket: a wine tasting for four at the beautiful Laurita Winery and a delicious pie from Emerys Berry Patch organic blueberry farm. Both places are less than 2 miles from our farm. Well, the idea turned out to be a huge success. At the bell two couples were in a good natured “bidding war” for my basket. The event organizer asked if I would consider doing my llama hike Eco-Tour twice if the bidders would both make contributions to the charity. They agreed, and we raised $250 each for a total of $500! I look forward to the visits ahead and introducing some adventurous new friends to my world with llamas.

I think you will agree this is one wonderful gift basket and we applaud Bev's creativity and generosity in creating such an interesting gift basket.

Related Articles:

• Caution, cuteness.

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• World's First Bionic Llama Saved From Death By Prosthetic Leg

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• Ever wondered why llamas hate dogs so much?

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Southeast Llama Rescue: A Second Chance

Chris Stull, SELR

Formed in September, 2001, SELR was an informal NC group of people who wanted to rescue animals in need and educate people with llamas. Part animal control and public service with "a bunch of volunteers," they applied for non-profit status and became a BOD organization with 27 state-adoption coordinators. From FL to MA, west to Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan as most active states, SELR is a well-orchestrated group. Because the group grew so large so quickly, the group branched into SELR and SWLR. Since their inception, they have taken in 854 animal as of today's date, not including the Montana rescue (Camelid Coalition). Chris Stull is PLAA's Keynote Speaker and we are very pleased to have her with us today.

SELR

39 animals currently available for adoption on SELR website

Regular maintenance is not reimbursed to volunteers, but non-routine maintenance for animals is covered. SELR is an educational organization that seeks to help people learn about their animals, especially if they are the smaller farm without access to benefits of organizational membership. SELR does not wish to compete with breeders but rather help in a complementary way animals who have been abandoned but deserve a second chance. Potential adopters are screened to be certain people have the necessary housing/fencing for the animal they are rescuing. Llamas and alpacas are delivered to the adopters' door, and the new owners and taught the basics of camelid care.

Outreach is a large part of SELR; llamas are shown in parades, taken to hospitals, and put in public places at events to encourage adoption. Their motto is helping animals. This year, 224 animals came into SELR. Of those 224, 173 were adopted. SELR has permanent fosters too; 22 to be exact because of unusual medical needs or age. The need for animal control officers is rising, and SELR is called more frequently to testify, a sad trend. More recently, animals die because rescue intervention did not happen soon enough, not a fault of rescue but rather of the owners. Most llamas die of starvation because of owner neglect. The ravages of starvation take its toll, from fat to muscle to organ damage. Horrible conditions even with feeding simply causes some rescued llamas to die. You never know the damage done to the rescued animal.

A wonderful website, worth visiting again and again!!

Happy stories happen. A young llama caught in a barbed-wire fence, not noticed nor attended to, had her leg grow around the wire, but happily, surgery removed the wire without damaging the leg bone. SELR has no presence in NJ: there are llamas there but it's a dead zone without coordinators or rescuers. When asked how SELR is funded, the answer was two-fold: donations (often generous) plus the rescue fee.

Life changes. As it does, llamas are impacted. But Chris noted that we are not seeing behaviorally-challenged animals coming into rescue, and that is a benefit. Working for her PowerPoint, Chris retold the tale of the Montana Rescue, noting that SELR cannot take full credit for the rescue; they were just helpers. Animeals, a cat rescue, began the rescue. PLAA was blessed with SELR's story, told by Chris Stull, of their incredible rescue work.

Related articles

• Innovative Ways to Give (and Get): Harvesting Social Media (learningllamas.blogspot.com

Innovative Ways to Give (and Get): Harvesting Social Media

If you are active in harvesting social media, chances are you have already stumbled upon a charming B&B, replete with llamas and a unique marketing concept, all connected to the Southeast Llama Rescue organization. A complete package, and it just doesn't get any better, from a client and a marketing perspective. Located in Grantville, OH at 4058 Columbus Road SW, Orchard House, from my views of it on Facebook, looks like a must visit place to stay. With 971 Likes, 47 People Talking About It, and 46 People Were Here stats, I'm guessing this is a place I would like to visit and stay a while.

But what really convinced me (2 things, actually) was their connection to SLR and their mission statement:

We are not only stewards for the llamas at Orchard House, but have a responsibility to help those in need of a safe home, free from hunger and fear. We are happy to offer some help, while also educating the public about SELR and the llamas they protect.

A gotcha moment. They have me. More importantly, they have my future business as a destination trip. For all my friends in our camelid community, there's a rock solid marketing message here. I love that Orchard House commits to a stewardship at several levels:

1. providing a safe haven for man and llamas on site;
2. engaging in llama education (huge and we just do not do this enough--always exceptions to the rule, but let's face it, most of us fall short on outreach);
3. collaborating with a rescue organization close to their facility.

In my way of looking at the farm world in which I share my life with my husband, 3 house cats, a barn cat, and 6 on-site llamas, I would NOT hesitate to visit Orchard House. It's on my bucket list and in my Pinterest account. If you are looking for creative ways to give, Orchard House is an interesting model, fascinating, really, because they implicitly understand that to get (traffic flow) they give. That ancient concept, give to get. Love it. Love Orchard House. Wish people who are looking for new marketing avenues would take a look at this engaging opportunity for creating collaboration in the camelid community at several levels. BRAVO! (and I love the way your images appear on your website--nice use of technology).

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• Are You Pinteresting? (discoveryeducation.com)

The Lama Letter: Supporting OUR Advertisers

At Day of Discovery, Silver Spring MD

I am a firm believer in supporting the people in our industry who put us on the map and continue our sense of community. To that end, I am a committed supporter of the Discovery Educator Network. But in my other life (don't we all have more than a few), as a llama lover, I believe that our organizations need to continue to support our advertisers. To that end, I have perused The Lama Letter (May 2011), the official publication of the Pennsylvania Llama and Alpaca Association to reacquaint myself with our supporters.

Recently, I purchased two 8' x 32" hay feeders. Farmco was a proud supporter of GALA 2010, so I am their supporter. And they make an amazing product--best in the business. The pleasantest purchase I have made in a long time, the people of Farmco trusted me with payment after my first pickup, and then delivered my second feeder two weeks later. I love this product because it keeps hay off the ground, eliminates parasite problems, and is a durable product, requiring two uber-supermen to move the Model 832L.

Tess enjoying hay on demand

Some products are life changing and these feeders qualify as just that. I can load 3.5 bales in each feeder, and for 7 llamas, restocking is well over a week (we reseeded our pastures so llamas are on hay for the summer). As you can see from the image, the feeders are not positioned for optimal access (by choice), so with 2 feeders I can easily accommodate my 7 llamas, but re-positioned in the open, 14 llamas to one feeder would be a more than reasonable ration. I love this product because even in dense downpours, the feeder fits snugly enough under the roof to keep hay dry but still permit ease of stocking. Farmco is working on putting a roof on these popular feeders with an approximate 2 foot clearance.

Another advertiser with an excellent product review by Carol Reigh in the May issue is Ranch Manager. After reading the review and speaking with Carol, I downloaded the free 30-day trial and can tell you that for ease of digital record keeping, this product is perfect for any farm, large or small, business or hobbyist. With 8 different livestock management programs, there's one for everything, including camelids. A joy to use and customer support puts you in contact with the owners and they are delightful, user friendly, and open to suggestions for customizing ease of use.

Call 814-275-2400 or email llamas@llamalove.com

Leisure Acres Llamas is a full-page Lama Letter advertiser and a Pennsylvania business nestled in New Bethlehem, not very far from our farm, making us almost neighbors as we reckon distance in rural areas. Although I have not visited this farm yet, they are on my short list of places to experience since I am looking for a large stud for one of my very large llamas. A perennial full-page ad is also my breeder, Carol Reigh's Buck Hollow Llamas. You can check her updated website to see her newest offerings. I'm actually interested in Mamie, and Carol is not exaggerating when she says she scissor clipped her at her Open Barn. I filmed the process and you can view it on PLAA's Facebook page.

Snyder Quality Llamas is hosting an Open Barn Day on Sunday, July 31, 2011, in Milford, PA, so if the Camelid Community 2011 in Kansas is not on your calendar and you are looking for a wonderful event, either as a person of interest in the llama community or a full-fledged llama lover looking to expand your blood lines (or just enjoy the day), please consider our full-page ad supporter. If you have never been to Milford, you are missing a delightful destination stop in PA. If you follow 7th Street North up to the Hill to Llama Llane, you'll be at Synder's Open Barn. You can call them at 570-296-6249 or email at llamas@sql.ms. Join us for farm tours and demonstrations. Hopefully, I'll be there, filming (if my husband's surgery and post-op therapy goes well).

Hidden Valley Farm, nestled in Cochranville, PA (another must visit) has operated as a full-service llama breeding operation for 15 years; however, they are dramatically reducing their herd size and you can be the winners. Quoting from their full-page ad, "...you can be the winners. We will be offering suggested pricing with no reasonable offer refused." They have excellent champion bloodlines with former Grand and Reserve Champion animals. You can contact Bob and Fran Swartwout at 610-932-8943 or email them at hvf@hughes.net.

PLAA on Facebook: A Great Resource

Continue to check our PLAA Facebook page for additional posts about our advertisers. Please "Like" us if you visit and consider adding us to your profile and farm pages as well.

To all you Southerners

...who passed on this lovely little girl, in the words of Julie Roberts' Pretty Woman character, "mistake...huge." I'm guessing you passed her by and left her for last--for me--because she was the runt of her litter. Admittedly, she's smaller than the usual Black Lab female, only 51 pounds, but she is all heart, all love, all lab, and always willing to do whatever the moment offers. Call it spunk, heart, willingness to please, or just being a lab, she is the delight of our days, every day.

Allie is the companion of my long walks. She swims in the pond, jumps trampoline high, fetches frizzbees leaping lizards, lights up lives of senior citizens in nursing homes, waits patiently on a raft (in the shade, of course), flies off our dock to go fishing, understands the true value of stopping to smell the flowers, and I could go on and on. She has added a special dimension to our lives, has locked herself into our forever hearts, and life has never been the same since her arrival. If there's an easier dog to live with and love on this planet, then Allie has a double.

Point being so simple: you missed out on the dog of your lifetime and now she's mine, and we love everything about her, including her size because we know she has the biggest heart of all. Your loss.

Chickens in the Attic

Chickens--definitely in my farm future

Definitely not urban agriculture

In another life, one of my best friends raised chickens. We lived in a typical small town neighborhood in Historic Bethlehem, PA, and my friend's family owned the concession stands at Willow Park. I loved the park because it had, bar none, the biggest ever swimming pool. Even the country clubs couldn't touch it. Today the park is a memory, plowed over and under for, how ironic, a construction company.

Image from fahrmboy http://fav.me/d2ej2dq

OK, I'm getting to the heart of the story. I used to hear strange noises when I visited at my friend's home. One day I summoned my nerve and asked her what was upstairs (reluctant to ask--figured mice or something awful like that, although that didn't figure, given the neighborhood). Turns out it was chickens. Which brings me to the chicken debate in Albany. I don't know the mayor, but my sense of things is so simple: chickens belong on a farm or outside of a city. Not inside. If I lived in our Parkway home, given we have more land than a more tightly packed neighborhood, lots are larger...I would not raise chickens, nor would I want my neighbors to either.

Definitely in my farm future--but beige.

We live in a culture that has a level playing field mentality. I just don't buy it. City homes and country homes have different purposes, which is why we have both. Truly, I do not want to lose my NY friends on Facebook, but from personal experience, I just do not think people should be permitted to raise chickens in a city environment. For me, urban agriculture is an oxymoron. Not the hill I'm dying on, either, but if a city dweller near me started with chickens, I'd be at city hall complaining, first thing. Sorry, Teri. Love you lots, but not this cause. When I retire, I plan on raising chickens; even found the chicken coop of my dreams (but it must be beige). But the chickens will free-range on the farm, not in our city home.
Amen.

Related articles

• It's obvious Mayor Jennings hasn't hugged a chicken lately. (timesunion.com)
• Hey Albany - Time to share those chicken dreams! (timesunion.com)