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Archive for the ‘Conservation Pictures’ Category

1.  “Finding Nemo” is a fabulous show that features humungous puppets, lots of special effects and a powerful musical score.  No visit to Disney World’s Animal Kingdom is complete without seeing it.  There are several shows daily (check your Times Guide for details). The line-ups are long but the theatre accommodates 1700 people so don’t get discouraged.

While you’re waiting for the show to start, check out the bubbles on either side of the stage. Periodically you’ll spot Nemo himself swimming through them!

2.   The “Tree of Life” is an incredible feat of Disney Imagineering. It stands 14 stories high and can be seen for miles. (You can see it clearly from the summit of Mount Gushmore at Disney’s Blizzard Beach.)  The base of the tree is a 3-D theatre that shows “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” – which is wonderful.

The man-made bark of the tree is carved with more than 320 animals and it’s fun to try to find and name them.  One of the animals is very special. It is marked by a bronzed plaque and is located just outside the entrance to the 3-D theater. 

The image is of a chimp and the plaque reads :  “To honor Jane Goodall the likeness of the chimpanzee she called David Greybeard was created in the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”

3.  “The Conservation Station” is part of Rafiki’s Planet Watch. You take a train to get there. At the end of the line, you’ll take a short walk to a petting area that features unusual breeds of goats, sheep, llamas and other small animals.

Inside the Conservation Station, you’ll find an enormous mural of animals from around the world. It is chock full of Hidden Mickeys.

Hidden Mickeys are Mickey Mouse images (the 3 circle icon or profiles) that are imbedded into images and structures.  There are hundreds in these murals. See how many you can find.

TIP: Pay close attention to the eyes. You’ll find pictures of Hidden Mickeys at:  http://dw-deals.com//hiddenmickeys

4.  You’ll also find Disney stars like Jiminy Cricket and Pocahontas at the Conservation Station.  Beside them, along the wall, there are screens linked to cameras that are located around the park.

You can turn and zoom these cameras to spy on unwitting animals and people. (Very cool for junior secret agents.)

5.  “Kali River Rapids” is a great water ride that promises to soak its riders. Non-riders can wait for their friends on the bridge over the Kali River.  You’ll find buttons there that you can use to spray your friend as they near the end of the ride!

6.  Walk slowly and listen carefully as you walk through AK’s Africa. You’ll hear people singing behind closed doors and talking in the apartments above the street.

Anne Marie Hayes is the author of “Disney World Deals.” You’ll find lots more secrets from Disney World parks and tips for saving thousands of dollars on your Disney World vacation at www.dw-deals.com.

Once you’ve taken photos with your digital camera, you need to store them somewhere. You could always leave them on the memory card, but that would get rather expensive, so let’s explore a few other options.

1. Transfer your images onto your computer. Most cameras come with a wire to connect your camera to your computer, a CD with a downloading program and an instruction booklet. Transferring the images is fast and simple. Once they are on the computer, you can delete the images from your memory card and start taking more photos.

2. Burn your images onto a CD. If you have a CD burner on your computer, you can make photo discs to store or share with others. When it comes to pictures, it is often best to use a CD that can’t be written over. This will save the heartache of losing precious photos. Label the CD and store it where it can be gotten easily when you need to see your pictures.

3. Store your images on a public web site. There are many photo-hosting sites on the internet. Some charge for the service, but many are completely free. You have the choice to password-protect your images or share them with the world. This option helps if your computer should crash. Your pictures are safe.

4. Print your images and place them in a photo album. Many people still like turning the pages of a photo album and reviewing the memories. This also makes it possible for those without a computer to view your pictures.

5. Create a photo gift. There are places out there that will take your digital image and place in on shirts, mouse pads, cups, calendars and numerous other items. These make wonderful gifts and provide a way to keep a cherished picture near at all times.

These are just a few suggestions. Using your creativity, you will come up with many more ideas.

Smithsonian Book Of National Wildlife Refuges / written by Eric Jay Dolin, photography by John and Karen Hollingsworth (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003). Hardcover, 258 p. ISBN 9781588341174

Smithsonian Book Of National Wildlife Refuges celebrates the centennial of the National Wildlife Refuges. President Theodore Roosevelt established the first one, Pelican Island in Florida, in 1903. Beginning when colonists first settled what later became the United States, the continent’s abundant and diverse wildlife seemed a resource to exploit. By the end of the nineteenth century, several species had become extinct and others were in danger of meeting the same fate.

Beginning with a description of centuries of wanton destruction of wildlife, Eric Jay Dolin goes on to relate the beginnings of the conservation movement in the last decades of the nineteenth century, as both individuals and groups struggled to preserve what remained of an irreplaceable heritage. Despite some successes, it became apparent that protecting wildlife depended upon action by the Federal government. Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge therefore serves both as the beginning of a new Federal initiative and the culmination of years of effort to establish the importance of wildlife preservation.

By the time Smithsonian Book Of National Wildlife Refuges appeared, the system had grown to 538 National Wildlife Refuges, distributed among all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. To this day, the protection of wildlife is not universally regarded as a top priority. Many of the wildlife refuges are good for various commercial purposes, which are not necessarily conducive to wildlife preservation. It was not until 1997 that legislation officially made wildlife preservation the refuges’ dominant purpose. Even then, the law made an exception for part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The debate over whether to drill for oil there continues to this day. Although certainly an advocate for the wildlife rather than the oil, Dolin manages to be fair to both sides in his description of the controversy.

Smithsonian Book Of National Wildlife Refuges is not only well written, but beautifully illustrated. Dolin’s text and the Hollingsworths’ photographs work together as a well-integrated whole. Some readers appreciate books like this for the text and others for the pictures. Both will be delighted by this book, just the kind of thing that the All-Purpose Guru Alert features every day.