The AuCoin Report is an editorial service of AuCoin & Associates, Inc., St. Petersburg, Florida. Comments welcome. Contact Bill AuCoin, wmaucoin@verizon.net

The AuCoin Report

News Briefs from the Great Outdoors

June 2010

Oil leak may wreck Gulf ecosystem for decades

Marine biologists say the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico could create low oxygen zones below the surface that upset the ecology of the Gulf for many years. Rick Steiner said even if the leak were stopped long-term damage to the Gulf ecosystem would occur. Frank Muller-Karger, professor of biological oceanography at the University of South Florida, said oil-consuming microbes would thrive and deplete the oxygen that other species need. ( Business Week )

Attacking grizzly shot in Denali National Park

A backpacker shot and killed a grizzly bear in Denali National Park and Preserve when it charged a fellow backpacker. It is believed the first such incident involving a gun since federal law changed to allow visitors with the proper licenses to carry loaded guns in national parks. Park officials are investigating. ( Fairbanks Daily-News Miner , OutdoorPressroom.com)

Girl, 17, youngest to sail the globe solo

Jessica Watson, 17, became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She docked at Sydney Harbor May 15 after a 215-day expedition during which, she said, she became a "master chef" preparing freeze-dried foods. ( Sydney Morning Herald )

Boy, 13, youngest to climb Mount Everest

Jordan Romero of Big Bear, California, 13, became the youngest person to climb Nepal's Mount Everest, 29,035 feet. Romero phoned his mother in California on a satellite phone and said, “Mom, I'm calling you from the top of the world.” Mount Everest is just one of seven tall peaks Romero has or will climb, a goal inspired by a painting of the Seven Summits in his school's hallway. He has already climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Next? The Vinson Massif in Antarctica. ( Telegraph )

Oh say can you squint?

Few things look as awkward as a person wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time. But this is not an uncommon sight in the great outdoors as people with poor close up vision wear, simultaneously, sunglasses and “drug store readers.” To eliminate such awkward outdoor scenes, Ono's Trading Company has pioneered polarized sunglasses, with or without a prescription, with built-in bifocals for close-up vision. They are sold online, over the counter and in catalogs. Visit www.onostradingcompany.com or phone 866-865-4695. ( Ono's Trading Company , Media contact: Bill AuCoin, wmaucoin@verizon.net . 727-522-2371)

Haiti relief: Birdcall app for iPhones

Here's another app for your iPhone. This one lets you look at and listen to 48 of the 300 birds found in The Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. All proceeds are donated to Habitat for Humanity and Partners in Health to support disaster relieve in Haiti. ( Princeton University Press )

Georgia Bulldogs win college bass title

University of Georgia bass fishing team won the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship on Texas' Lake Lewisville. Other teams, in order of finish, were University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Western Kentucky, University of Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, Tarleton State University, Texas A & M, Georgia College and State University, Oklahoma University and Louisiana State University. ( Collegiate Bass Championship )

Injured puppy has 3,300 Facebook friends

Riley, a yellow lab puppy, was run over by a car in Eastern Tennessee. As vets worked to repair his head wound, a broken leg and a fractured spine, they discovered that he had also been shot. In spite of his multiple wounds Riley is recovering and more than 3,000 friends on Facebook are cheering. Riley's medical care is being taken care of by Labs4Rescue. WBIR , OutdoorPressroom.com )

Rhesus roams loose in Clearwater-St. Pete

A stressed-out rhesus monkey has been roaming loose and lonely in the backyards of the Clearwater-St. Petersburg area for 18 months. Nobody knows where the adult male monkey came from. A speculation is that he was one of the monkeys that live on the Silver River near Ocala and that he left on his own or, perhaps, was rebuffed from the troop by a more dominant male. St. Petersburg Times