RIP Dr. Erich Klinghammer

Just got email tonight that Dr. Erich Klinghammer, the founder of Wolf Park, died Oct. 6.

I can't say I knew him personally, though I did hear him speak several times in my visits to the park, and I believe I spoke to him one on one a time or two and shook his hand.  I know the place he built, starting by himself on his own land, and the team he put together, though.  Wolf Park's pioneering research on captive wolves is a major foundation of our understanding of wolves today.  Scientific observation and research continue to this day, though the park mainly focuses on education and outreach today, and people come from all over the world for the opportunities it offers to learn about these magnificent animals.

Dr. Klinghammer's name may not be known to very many, but he made more of a mark on the world than most of us can hope to.

Small progress

A few minutes ago, I just finished making my way around the outside of my fence.  Just before that, I'd made a pass around the inside, mostly cleaning up stuff that had fallen in from my work in the last couple of days from the outside.  It's not quite all done -- still a few things that need the saw.  But it's a lot better than it's been in years.

I'll remark to the world that my opinion of welded wire on T posts for fencing just keeps getting better.  I put this fence in 20 years ago June.  I chose these materials because they were far and away cheaper than the alternatives, with the thought that if I got ten years out of it, I'd be more ready to afford something more permanent.  In 20 years, the fence has only been compromised at all in one place, where a large tree came down on it a couple of years ago.  I haven't gotten a chainsaw to remove that, but I actually think that when I do, I'll be able to bend the fence back into place.  The wire is rusty of course, but not rusted away anywhere, and it hasn't broken for any of the smaller trees and branches that have fallen on it.