NATURE & THEENVIRONMENT
Backto 1997 EDUCATIONAL LINKS... by Nanis
http://envirolink.org
The EnviroWeb claims to be the largest online environmentalinformation service on the planet. This includes environmentallinks, forums, libraries, databases and a green-friendlycybermall.
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http://www.ten.org/
Peculiarly pantheist approach to environmentalism which aimsto encourage a close personal relationshipƒ between you andthe wild places on Earth. Treasured Earth is in the early stagesof establishing a network of wild sites and wild news. At themoment it includes links to places like the Wilderness LeadershipSchool with scary boy adventure stories from rangers in the SouthAfrican bush. There's also some superb photography from wildlifecameraman Rod Borland (a great shot of an elephant in Botswana)and, very appropriately, some Windows wallpaper of stormy clouds,a fisheagle or a scaly creature (could be a croc?).
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http://www.sover.net/~graham/pbp.html
A porky page with a sense of humour from its chubby littlesnout to its stumpy little tail. Sections include Q: What's thenewest 'fad' for pot-bellied pig owners? A: Eating their pets andQ: How do I spot a potbellied pig from a mile away? A: See thethe saggy tummed diagram. Also some porky snorts and stray snapsof the page compiler's dog, Frisbee, and pig, Dweezil. That'sDweezil on waterbed, Dweezil cuddling the dog and Dweezil withinhours of being born. Sweet.
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http://www.post-mystery.com/
Here's a well-cool illustrated hypertexted adventure whichhas kids answering realtime wildlife questions to save endangeredspecies from poachers and following clues leading to a treasurechest. And there's the chance to win some CDs or a year's freeInternet account with free home page. The game's intro'd bycartoon bear Safari Sam, and provides lotsa online help,including a clickable dictionary for words you don't understandand an info centre to swot up for the questions. Great for UKtots who don't even have to buy the cereal to have fun andlearn.
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http://www.igc.apc.org/greendisk/
It makes sense for environmentalists to get online. Ratherthan eschewing an ideology of minimal wastage, an economical useof resources and a paperless office, they can surf the vanguardof an energy and paper saving medium. But inherent problems liein readers inability to digest large chunks of text online,especially when written in run-of-the-mill courier font and theirony is that they resort to a quick print out. Judging by theamount of information on this site, a small South American forestand a host of woodland creatures may well have been saved fromthe bulldozer of magazine publishing only to be snared into pulpat the hands of Peter Print-out.
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http://www.bvis.uic.edu/museum/
Imaginatively arranged material from Chicago's Field Museumof Natural History. Lots of dinosaur exhibits andoddly-illustrated 50s school book tours. The Life Over Timeexhibit has a bit Before Dinosaurs; there are strange-lookingearly mammals in Teeth, Tusks and Tarpits; and there are alsosome other bizarre oddities on display, like an excellentexhibition of Javanese masks. A teachers' section supplieseasy-to-organise classroom activities and the Gopher servercarries information on all the museum's collections. Cool, verykid-friendly and hardly prehistoric at all.
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http://www.primenet.com/~brendel/
This is as close as you're likely to get to the definitiveinformation on the wonders of the animal kingdom. The site offersa comprehensive guide to wild cats and dogs, bears, lizards andsnakes, to name but a few. The detail means it's literallyraining felidae and canidae (cats and dogs), as the site isadorned with the animals' latin names and colourful pictures. Theinformation roars through the individual animal characteristics,life cycles and in-depth vital statistics, diet and weightincluded. Superb pictures and encyclopaedic details make thissuitable for the casual browser or the diligent researcher.Although slow in places, the only thing not on this site is aDon't feed the animals sign!
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http://www.foe.co.uk/CAT/
The Centre for Alternative Technology is a well establishededucational charity based in Wales which works for a sustainablefuture. It tests and displays strategies and tools for doing thisand these pages form a useful introduction to its work. You canfind out how good or bad your lifestyle is for the planet, take arather basic virtual tour of the organisation's physical site,and 'buy green by email' using its online catalogue of books andproducts. Worthy and worthwhile.
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http://www.demon.co.uk/mace/cacmall.html
It's an absolute marvel that people all over the world getthis worked up about prickly plants. There's a page ofillustrations for the unitiated and one plant in particular thatthey're looking to identify. A list of out-of-print books on thesubject is supplemented by links and information to interestedgroups world-wide and forthcoming events in the cactus andsucculent world! A peculiarly specialist resource that is puttogether with real expertise and care.
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http://www.dircon.co.uk/jasey/sas/
Instead of playing with your sex wax, surf the Net and stopthe shit. Surfers Against Sewage is a non-profit making,apolitical pressure group and instead of just ranting aboutmisjustices and saying 'dude' a lot , they offer a practicalthree-step process for treating the evil effluent polluting ourseashores. Whether you surf or not, this is an importantenvironmental issue, so don't wait 'til you swallow a yucky usedcondom Ü surf's up.
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http://www.cityscape.co.uk/users/ja49
Yeah, never mind the pussy jokes, if you're into showcats,jump through this cyber-cat flap to learn all about the SupremeCat Show at Birmingham's NEC in November. Sprinkled with lotsakitty pics including furry Kissable Kate and the inscrutableApril Rose. Email links are hard to find, but informed sidebaressays on various oriental breeds, how to enter the show, info onthe venue and trade matters. Links to other UK shows, Angorapage, the Webmaster's own Cathouse, and (under Oriental Neuter) aHavana called Leon who's had a very successful kitten career. Aswhat exactly?
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http://www.uel.ac.uk:80/pers/l6405/
The promising start Steve made on compiling all kinds ofalternative housing resources is now in need of an injection ofenergy. There's some good material here featuring ratherunorthodox solutions for finding a place to live as well as linksto sites on squatters' rights, community groups and constructingyour own straw bale abode. Generally, however, the archive needsupdating.
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http://www.georgetown.edu/cball/animals/animals.html
This is a great page for kids. First pick an animal, checkout the sound file of it making its characteristic noise, thencompare how it's written in several different languages. Take,for instance, the donkey. In English it says hee haw. In Frenchit goes hihan (a bit like Charles Asnavour) and in Ukranian itsays ii-aa, ii-aa! The duck says quack quack but in Korean it'skkoyk-kkoyk and in Thai gaab gaab. Get the hang of it? Hours ofridiculous fun.
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http://www.u-net.com/~galley
This site follows a by now familiar structure of describesubject of site (in this instance the 'breed standard' section),write up its history, show some pictures, add a few quirkystatistics and fun facts, a bit of news perhaps, and then listother Internet links and resources on said subject. It's a goodformat and no less interesting for all that, especially if you'reinterested in the handbag-sized, peek-faced, Spitz typePomeranian (originally a British dog apparently, but now morepopular in the US). If you're still in the dark as to the exactsize and shape of the aforementioned breed's fluffy littlefeatures, then you can spot the dog as a pet of wilfullyambitious weather girl Nicole Kidman in To Die For or orderinghotdogs in Dumb and Dumber. That came from the quirky statisticsand fun facts bit!
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http://www.plaguescape.com/
Offshoot site from Planet Science that should be shot off theWeb. Maybe I just hit it on a bad day, but waiting 20 minutes fora 30K mosquito to load is not my idea of a good time. And whattickles the eyes while waiting? A fascinating new interpretationof each of the ten (Biblical) plagues of Egypt, based upon modernepidemiological principles. Er, what? A boring and totallyinformation-free zone. Avoid it like the proverbial.
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http://www.cygnet.co.uk/~pit_rok/
Primitive looking marketing campaign for an unlikely soundingunderarm deodorant called PitRok. Apparently it's made out of anatural crystal and therefore exhibits all sorts of pit-friendlyproperties and is singularly new age! Details of how to get yourhands on it and customer's glowing (as opposed to sweating)reports. Lucia van der Post from the Financial Times said, Afterabandoning hope of finding a deodorant that didn't cause someirritation, I can report that it seems to work. It's nature'sway.
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http://petstation.com/
Apparently the purity of a person's heart can be quicklymeasured by how they regard animals and you get no marks onPetStation if you're into picking the wings off flies or spendthe odd afternoon chasing hedgehogs or kicking cats. This is avery intense experience, almost surreal in its over the topanthropomorphism. It acknowledges the support psychology offeredby a favourite animal or pet and even provides a forum forPetStation Teentalk! Soppy sentimentality aside, it is also agreat source of information on the dos and don'ts of pet keeping.Specialist material on different species can be accessed via thebird barn, cat cabana, the dog domain, fish fair, horse heaven ora small mammal medley! Ace Ventura types ahoy!
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http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/peta/index.html
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is theorganisation that got Paul McCartney to leave rude messages on apharmaceutical company's ansaphone, Melissa Ethridge to get herkit off and Woody Harrelson to lend his voiceover to last year'sbiggest anti-Gilette campaign. It's a media-mad animal rightsgroup that has successfully harnessed the power of celebrity andconsequently has a lot of lessons for equivalent organisationsover here. Read about offending companies, research on cruelanimal experiments and PETA's campaigns. There is advice on howto live life and make things better for animals as well as anonline shopping centre for caring consumers. Other excerptsinclude vegan recipes from the Compassionate Cook. Squeamishtypes: be prepared.
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http://www.ns.net/orangutan/index1.html
Our close anatomical relatives the Orangutans get their ownsite featuring terrific pictures of this photogenic red ape. Thehome page is simple but offers a choice of browser formats and isa great jumping-off place for surfing around related sites,including the World Wildlife Fund, Great Ape Project, ZooNetImage Archives, Primate Picture Gallery, several zoos, and, bestof all, the Orangutan Foundation International. Here isconservation at work, including suggestions for how you can helpthis highly endangered species and a description of its favesnack, the durian fruit, which apparently tastes like sweet,cheesy garlic custard. Yum!
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http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/squid.html
Magnificent marine life tutorial from the Smithsonian, again!An excellent way to learn about the world's largest invertebratecreature (oooh, you've got no backbone) and explore the inkydepths. At up to 18 metres in length and weighing nearly a ton,the site tells the giant squid's wonderful story and has a superbunder sea specimen on display. You wouldn't want to meet onescuba diving, that's for sure and, y'know, it's one helluva lotof calamari.
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http://www.foe.co.uk/car
The information superhighway has a lot in common with drivinga car, such as the frustration which quickly sets in when there'sa jam. While you might give your PC a playful kick, road rage -which affects three quarters of motorists - can be much moreserious. That's one of the uncomfortable facts on Friends of theEarth's Java car, which incorporates a montage of text, imagesand sounds. Listen to the traffic forecast on the car radio, beepthe horn and read the grim fact that 3,500 people die in caraccidents every year. A truly inventive use of the Web to bringhome the real cost of driving to all of us, wheels and all.
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http://www.enn.com/
This is a superior news service for environmental issues,kind of like a green equivalent to CNN. Stories are collated fromgovernment sources, research reports, pressure groups and whatcomes over the wires, and they are filed and updated every weekday. Major stories are covered in depth in the form of featuresand there is an indexed archive of all material that has beencovered. Superb.
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http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2710/
In essence an extensive set of links, Crunchy UK bills itselfas a starting point for environmentally concerned citizens ofthis green and pleasant land and it certainly fulfils this briefÜ crisp and very digestible.
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http://www.greenchannel.com/cpre/
A proposed supermarket at the end of the garden or a themepark down the road seems an increasingly common fact of life forrural dwellers. The Council for the Protection of Rural Englandhas been fighting these battles for 70 years so it's rather oddthat its new Web site has no pictures to show what we should beprotecting and that the order form for books needs to be printedout. After all, paper doesn't, errƒgrow on trees. However,leaflets can be downloaded from the site on topics like saving UKorchards and using the planning system to defend your(metaphorical) backyard.
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http://www.nj.com/yucky/roaches/index.html
Y'know when you're a kid and sensible adults try and explainthe wonders of nature without conveying the revulsion that theyobviously feel? You being a child are curious, excited andcompletely without fear because up til now nobody has told youthat some of this stuff is supposed to make you recoil. Well,this site is both the sensible adult and the wide-eyed child andnot enough good things can possibly be said about the gloriouslygory wonders of Cockroach World. A labelled diagram of a roachand a close-up of its guts, tips on catching and keeping one allof your own, an interactive game to make you mug up on differenttypes, clips and loony sound files of roach expert Bettyexplaining all about bugs Ü it's all here. There are roachstories to tell and questions to ask and mad schemes on how todrive them from your home. This is the perfect companion to helpwith a school science project but it's also great for those whosemajor worry is what's scuttling out from underneath the toaster.
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http://www.lib.uconn.edu/ArcticCircle/
Whereas once upon a time you'd have sat with a big picturebook in the school library, entranced by the very notion of theArctic Circle, it can now all be accessed online. The text hereis quite dense and deals to a large extent with issues ofsustainability and environmental protection. Although it reads alot like a dullish reference book, there are some lovely picturesand, predictably given the overall tone, a 'classroom' area forsecondary age children who want to get down to some seriousstudy.
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http://www.webdirectory.com/
Quite categorically one of the most useful places to startwhen researching anything to do with the environment, be itbusiness, natural disasters, energy, pressure groups, generalconservation, recycling, water resources or the weather.Surprisingly simple to use Ü bookmark it now!
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http://www.acmepet.com/
Wonderfully informative Web zoo, stacked high with stuff forall animal-loving types. Advice and links on every domesticcompanion from chocolate labradors and vegetarian iguanas tofeline pedigrees and pot-bellied pigs. Articles on breeds, basiccare and ads for obscure pet products (coon cat-nip, hats fordogs) are supplemented with bulletin boards, chat rooms and amonthly edition of Pet Times. Pretty comprehensive but still cosyand personal, Acme Pet is no ordinary animalsite.
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http://www.xvt.com/users/kevink/silo/
Usually anything that promises a virtual reality tour isinterminably dull. This site uses the same format ofpoint-of-view stills that everyone else does but it's goodbecause it's spooky. A bunch of people illegally entered a crumbyold broken down American missile base, one that was functional upuntil the late 60s. It was very dangerous, bricked up, full ofasbestos and other chemicals (possibly radon) with very poor aircirculation. They took photos, which are displayed here. A maphelps you to get your bearings. Pictures are slowish to load butthere's something eery and compelling about them and it'sdefinitely worth a look.
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http://www.comet.net/dinosaur/
Funky Dinosaur Land has little original content. Instead itpulls together a plethora of paleontology resources with heaps ofillustrated encyclopedia-type pictures. Links are divided up intoarticles, museums, reference, art, tours and other, and a specialmention is given to sites most suitable for children. Some of thematerial is actually quite academic in nature but overall it'sthe breadth and diversity of subject matter that really appealsÜ from how they made the Jurassic Park monsters thunder acrossthe movie screen to how computers helped establish the truthabout a real dinosaur egg.
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http://pages.prodigy.com/FL/Tampa/lemon/hercoi.htm
World of Herbs is quite simply a bundle of links locatingsome of the most useful resources for those who are 'into' herbs.Sage advice and thymely tips on growing herbs, their medicinalproperties, how to cook with them and where to get differenttypes of seeds. It's wholly text-based, hardly comprehensive, butnevertheless a handy addition for anyone spending time in theherb garden.
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http://wtbradley.com
An evening outdoors, under the stars...ruined by moths,midges and daddy long legs divebombing your natty Nuts InMay-type domestic scene? You need THE BUG LIQUIDATOR, a modernattachment for your camping lantern. This is a simple devicewhich eliminates the insects that are attracted to the light,leaving you to enjoy the rest of the evening completely creepycrawly-free. Portable, totally silent, using no chemicals orpoisons, the bug liquidator lures the little critters into abrightly lit chamber and then burns them alive. It's hardlyrevolutionary but this is a very simple and effective ad offeringa handy little item for under $20.
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http://www.wrfound.org.uk
The above acronym stands for Preserving Resources throughIntegrated Sustainable Management of Waste. Shouldn't that bePRISMW? Anyway, if you want to know all about municipal wastemanagement, recycling, composting and landfill disposal, thenlook no further. Information has been collated from all over theworld and it's a load of old rubbish! Not really, it's arevelation.
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http://www.sherwoodinitiative.co.uk
Robin Hood, if he ever existed, would be turning in hispauper's grave. Intensive agriculture, coal-mining, tourism andencroaching housing estates have made inroads into the ecology ofSherwood Forest. The Forestry Commission has launched a projectto try and bring it back from the brink. Read up on it here.
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http://www.tcel.com:80/~rashidz/hawkhead.htm
If you have a broody female Hawkhead parrot she may beinterested in meeting a randy male Hawkhead mate.
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http://www.cf.ac.uk/uwcc/cplan/smitha/plan.html
Although this site is still being built, it would probablywelcome your comments. It is an attempt at providing a workingexample of how the Internet might influence town planning in thefuture, a kind of experiment in operating a BT-like vision ofconsultative communications, if you like. Democracy down yourway!
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http://www.ex.ac.uk/~gjlramel/six.html
Like an insect version of Record Breakers, the best thingabout Wonderful World are its fascinating facts. The biggest? Thesmallest? The fastest? The tallest? (well it rhymes!). Has someexcellent links to bug sites elsewhere.
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http://destin.gulfnet.com/advertisers/ALMERICA/
This is an environmentally-friendly invention for dealingwith fly infestation. It uses no pesticides, no electricity, istotally recyclable and the dead flies can even be used as fishfood. Remarkable.
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http://www.usc.edu/dept/garden/
The Tele-Garden is a tele-robotic installation that allowsWWW users to remotely view and tend a living garden. As withgrowing your own plants, it takes a bit of patience but isprobably quite rewarding when the work comes to fruition.
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http://www.io.org/~bunrab/
Sea turtles are in terrible peril from a million things thatmenace marine life, most notably man. Find out, in Survivalstyle, about the various conservation groups that are trying tosave their lives.
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http://www.scotnet.co.uk/highland/index.html
Lurking around in the murky Internet depths is the OfficialLoch Ness Exhibition Centre. This is more of an advert to comeand visit it, stay in the accommodation there and take a dive inthe specially-converted-for-seeing-monsters-submarine, but it's alaugh all the same.
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http://www.digimark.net/poopets/
Rather sadly, this steam-powered Amish site does not featurein the category Religion. This is mainly because it's justselling products made from Amish cow manure. Poopets arehandmade, self-fertilizing, 100% cow pooh sculptures. Choose fromstool pigeons, turdles or bowel owls...purrrlease.
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When you're President of the United States, your cat isallowed its own publicly-funded home page. Apparently it's in theConstitution!
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http://www.foe.co.uk/action/newbury/index.html
Brian Mawhinney's parting shot as he left the Department ofTransport was to give the go-ahead to the Newbury Bypass. Friendsof The Earch has already started mobilising anti-roads supportand a map of the proposed route, reasons why they're against theroad, and who and how to lobby are all included in these specialcampaigning pages.
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http://www.aescon.com/poochnet/
Dog breeders seem to dominate some areas of the Net. Honest.Check out the latest puppy prices but remember: a dog is forlife.
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http://www.u-net.com/ph/cfds/
Apparently a lot of astronomers are getting really miffedabout the irresponsible way we light our cities and skies. Goodlights are not too bright and don't blot out the sky; they saveenergy and give back something like the dark skies that peopleenjoyed long ago. Information and a petition on this very subjectare highlighted right here.
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http://www.mindspring.com/~bclark/
Still to get off the ground really, this is a roosting placefor birds of all feathers. Breeder information and how to keepbirds caged up, feed them, play with them and a few FAQs.
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http://www.neosoft.com/~hav/tobic.html
Cutsie little icon things of baby mutant trees. Anycontributions to the collection should be submitted in BMP, GIFor JPEG please.
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http://www.ran.org/ran/
There's a wealth of campaigning knowledge here on what'shappening to the rainforests.There's an excellent section forkids explaining how their actions can change the world and a clipof rainforest sounds to download. It's also possible toparticipate in the current most cool form of direct action bymailing a protest straight to the nasty companies which are doingthe destroying in question.
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http://newciv.org/worldtrans/naturaldeath.html
Down to earth information on inexpensive, green, DIY funeralsall over the UK.
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http://unixg.ubc.ca:780/~cityfarm/urbagnotes1.html
Find out how to turn your city block into an agriculturalpowerhouse, and keep your compost bins rat-free.
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http://cswww2.essex.ac.uk/Web/am/foxbox.html
Chain the dogs, there are foxes galore in this flash page.Photos, stories, songs and poems, all about our lovable foxyfriends.
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http://www.stpt.usf.edu/~greek/westies.html
It's worth dropping in just for the eccentric backdrop, butdon't miss TV-loving Aspen and his puppy's photos.
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http://www.life.uiuc.edu/physiology/kathy/links.html
Link to sites devoted to individual dog breeds, pet products,canine organisations, scientific experiments and all thingspoochish.
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You'd think the woolly Jack Russell Terrier would be cuteenough to warrant a photo at this site dedicated to its charm.
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http://155.187.10.12/anbg/anbg.html
Australia's Botanical Gardens, located in Canberra, has putan enormous wealth of information online on its projects,gardens, flora and fauna . There's tourist guides, floweringcalendars, biodiversity studies, mission statements, bird andfrog call sound files, fire procedures and much more. It's likestumbling into a government office and finding reams of magazinesand papers strewn across the floor in unrelated piles. In thiscase, substance certainly beats style.
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http://www.houssennet.nb.ca/DogWorld.htm
Buy the training video or download the free textbook. Eitherway, Rover will soon know who's boss.
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http://www.foe.co.uk/
You can find out about Friends of the Earth's latestcampaign, your nearest group, results of environment studies orhow to join forces. There's also plenty of links to otherenvironmental resources and groups.
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http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/
This server forms part of the RBG Kew's mission to ensurebetter environmental management by increasing botanicalunderstanding. There's not a lot here yet, other than informationon poisonous plants, links to similar servers and details ofmailing lists.
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http://www.u-net.com/trees/home.htm
A guide to native British trees referenced by common or Latinnames. There is plenty of information but no pictures.
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Guidelines for correct tree pruning.
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http://www.greenpeace.org/
The home page of the head office of Greenpeace International,located in Amsterdam. This site has links to its environmentallibrary in Canada, its Ozone Campaign, information onenvironmental treaties, a photobook, green Gophers and otherenvironmentally aware resources.
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http://netvet.wustl.edu/ezoodesc.htm
This Gopher list of fauna resources may lead you all overcyberspace before you find what you're looking for. Despite itsname it's not a virtual zoo with animations and recordings ofanimal sounds. However, when one arrives, you'll probably be ableto find it here.
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http://netvet.wustl.edu/
Links to veterinary resources such as the Electronic Zoo,NetVet Gopher server, NetVet WWW server and the VeterinaryMedicine page of the WWW Virtual Library.
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http://netvet.wustl.edu/cows.htm
A rich collection of pointers to bovine resources all overthe Web, including futures spreads, dairy software, animalevaluation, body condition algorithms and health papers.
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http://www.brandonu.ca/~ennsnr/Cows/Welcome.html
A curious attempt to find humour in the holiest of allbeasts.
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http://www.timeinc.com/vg/Welcome/welcome.html
These splendid horticultural resources are being constructedby Time Life, which intends the site to be the most comprehensiveguide to gardening online. It's already that and it's still underconstruction. There are links to plant society magazines, specialinterest newsletters and gardening monthlies, all withinteractive capabilities for editorial feedback and shopping.Parts of the new series 'The Complete Gardener' are on show,including a searchable database which will recommend plantssuited to your soil, zone, climate and preferred specifications.
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http://www.msstate.edu/Entomology/ENTPLP.html
This server at Mississippi State University features news,course outlines and publications on entomology and plantpathology. It provides links to newsgroups, newsletters, similarservers and the Mississippi Entomological Museum.
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