We live in an area with similar wild animals and it's only the squirrels and a few birds that ever bother with the compost. We have a 4 sided pallet bin. Twice in 12 years it's been thrown apart by a bear. The palllets were not damaged, DH just tied them together again. It was interesting to see the big bear paw print in the finished compost! I've never seen a crow or raven or any other animal near it. I've recently put a pile of fine wood shavings beside the bin to scatter over each layer but that's because I hope to get faster decomposition. It will I expect also change the odor of the bin so you might think about using sawdust, shredded paper or shredded leaves to do the same.

Mike, Invasive isn't on your property. I think you have the words invasive and aggressive mixed up. Something that might be aggressive would re-seed on your own property. When the seeds are blown or deposited by animals elsewhere, and those plants then overtake our native flora, they have escaped from cultivation. It would then be considered an invasive plant, ie burning bush and butterfly bush. I know a woman in IL who has barberry and burning bush in her woods. They came from the neighbors property. They sure weren't planted there. I had a barberry show up on the side of our house. I never planted a barberry. But up the road, yes, up the road, they have 3 plants. If the plant is on your states invasive list, it's the responsible thing to do and not plant it. Just because a nursery can sell the darn things a dime a dozen, doesn't mean the nursery is doing a good thing. In fact, the green industry is always sent a list of things that are considered invasive for your state. If said nursery sells the plant, they are selling some unsuspecting person an invasive plant. They aren't a good nursery if they willing and knowingly sell a plant that is on your states invasive/noxious weed list. You also don't say what kind of ivy. Poison Ivy? Boston Ivy? English Ivy? Here's one of many definitions of invasive. # invasive An introduced (non-native) plant that disrupts the local ecosystem and isn't checked by climate, grazing, or other natural means. Extreme examples include kudzu vine (Pueraria lobata), which can grow 35 feet in one season and which the American Horticultural Society's A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants calls "the vine that ate the South". The following link is to your states list of invasive plants. I would also suggest you copy and paste the link Lori gave and read it. Quoted from the below link also says; This list of invasive species is not meant to be definitive, but rather a guideline to some of the most troublesome species that degrade native plant communities in Pennsylvania. These species were chosen from a more extensive list compiled from adjacent state or regional lists of invasive plant species. Input was sought from experienced individuals familiar with Pennsylvania's flora from a field perspective. For a more extensive list of invasive species, please contact DCNR, Bureau of Forestry, P.O. Box 8552, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8552 Here is a link that might be useful: invasive plants in PA

Hi, I am new to clay working (fimo etc). I was wondering if anyone knows how to make decent looking wild animal print beads using clay. I am interested in zebra, tiger, cheetah, giraffe and leopard. If anyone has a resonable priced ready made bead source I would be interested too. Most of what I could find on the internet were about $1 a bead which is way too much. Thanks to all of you! Jan

I have no problems with Jeff Corwin and especially Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. He lived for conservation. What you see on TV was just the tip of the iceberg and it got millions of people to care about crocodiles and snakes. He spent millions of dollars worldwide on conservation projects and scientific research. Plowed the money made by the TV shows into conservation and upgrading Australia Zoo also a state of the art vet hospital where they treat and release thousands of injured and sick wild animals. The crocodiles captured were being saved or being used for research. Australia routinely shot them before Irwin and his father before him starting moving them or removing them to the zoo to save them. Anyone ever watch Wild Kingdom? They jumped out of helicopters and off jeeps and horses on to the animals to catch them because it is safer than drugs. All those animals that were caught and radio collared, measured and blood tested add to the database of knowledge about the animals. Many were also relocated because of human development. The more scientists know about a species, the better armed they are to save it. Zoos, animal parks, aquariums (that have safe, healthy habitats and healthy, happy animals) help the wild ones because they get people to care. I've never been to any such facility that didn't have education and conservation as their purpose. Zoo raised animals are being released into the wild, endangered species are being saved in zoos. California Condors, Black Footed Ferrets, Arabian Oryxs (an antelope) Prezewalski's Horses, Pere David's Deer have all been saved by captive breeding and are now back in the wild. There are many more projects like these going on world wide. Accredited zoos keep studbooks and have Species Survival Plans and share knowledge and animals for breeding around the world to benefit the various endangered species. It would be fabulous if all animals lived free and wild but it isn't an option with the billions and billions of people on this planet. Millions of whom could not give a rip if all animals were gone, all forests cut down, all ground drilled etc. as long as it doesn't affect them, personally, right now.