Dear Ranger Rick - Brief Article

Ranger Rick, July, 2000

OH, DEER?

My friend Lucie and I went hiking with my dad. We found a trail that we called the Beauty Trail. It was full of flowers. Then Dad saw an animal. He said, "Be quiet, maybe it's a deer." The bushes rustled. Then out jumped a huge moose! The moose turned and slowly went away. And so did we.

Katy Mikell, Utah

LOOKING AT LOONS

When we went canoeing with our dad, we saw three loons! One was bigger than all the rest. We think the bigger one was the mother and the smaller ones were babies. When we saw them, they were diving. We even heard one loon calling.

Alex Landauer, Vermont

RICK EN ESPANOL

Thank you for putting some of your articles in Spanish on your Web site. I'm in charge of a Web site for two elementary schools in Madison, Wisconsin. Lots of Spanish-speaking people live here, so we're happy to be able to link to excellent sites that are written in both English and Spanish.

Eileen Dawson, Wisconsin

You're welcome. To check out these pages, go to www.nwf.org/rrick and click on "Articulos en Espa-ol." --R.R.

PLAYGROUND PATROL

Our third-grade students want to make a difference on the school's playground. They started a club: Students Against Polluted Playgrounds (SAPP). It began with two boys picking up trash. It has blossomed into a school-wide effort to keep all playgrounds clean. Members of SAPP have developed a "mascot," made posters, and created a Web site (www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/3499). They've also gone classroom- to-classroom to recruit new members. Now the kids are talking about starting a recycling program, planting trees, and maybe helping to clean up the city's playgrounds.

Melinda Lee

Shades Mountain Christian School, Alabama

Tell all the SAPP members how proud I am of them! --R.R.

ZOO AT HOME

My house is like a zoo! I have 12 different animals. I want to be an animal conservationist when I grow up. Thank you for making me realize that wildlife is very important.

Jimmy Pardi, Massachusetts

Thanks for caring about animals, Jimmy. --R.R.

TELL US TELL US TELL US

On pages 20E21, you'll find games to play when you're on the road. What game does your family especially like to play when you travel? Tell us how the game works. Write to

Ranger Rick, Dept. RG; 8925 Leesburg Pike;

Vienna, VA 22184; E-mail: rick@nwf.org

We love getting letters from our readers. Too bad there's not room to print them all.