The Venus flytrap’s precarious survival in the wild along the coast of the Carolinas faces an added threat from poachers looking to cash in by uprooting and selling them.

Three people were arrested this week and charged with uprooting an endangered species without permission, a misdemeanor. North Carolina wildlife enforcement officer Matt Criscoe says they took about 200 of the bug-eating plants, which they expected to sell for about 10 cents apiece.

“One of the females told us, ‘Times are tough; we need some money,’” Criscoe said Wednesday. “That could be the case or it’s just an easy way to make money.”

Those prices are well below the 25 cents per plant poachers have pocketed in recent years for Venus flytraps yanked from the sandy coastal soil, said spokeswoman Debbie Crane of the state chapter of the nonprofit group The Nature Conservancy. The plant’s only wild habitat is in areas within 100 miles of the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina

Once the plants pass through the hands of middlemen and unscrupulous business operators, they can sell for as much as $15 each at roadside stands and on Internet sites, Crane said.

“The people who are poaching them aren’t making a whole lot of money,” Crane said. “There’s a huge market for them. The problem is most people, once they get them, they die because they don’t know how to grow them. … You can’t fertilize them. They grow in really horrible soil; they’re getting their fertilization from dissolving insects.”

The plant’s survival is precarious because its habitat includes highly desired coastal real estate. Wildfires, which actually spur the plant’s growth, have also been tamped down to protect people and property.

Flytraps are especially popular overseas, and they’re increasingly used for medicinal purposes.

Each year, poachers in North Carolina look to cash in by ripping up wild ginseng, galax, Venus flytraps and insect-eating pitcher plants. Yet the perennial problem is only lightly punished. The state legislature last summer increased the penalties from $10 to $25 and required flytrap dealers to get state permits.

“Unfortunately, they’re doing it quite a bit down here,” Criscoe said.

Wildlife officers issue 10 to 20 citations per year against poachers taking Venus flytraps, state Wildlife Resources Commission spokesman Geoff Cantrell said.

Charged this week were Joyce Whaley, 71; her nephew Kasey Whaley, 31; and his wife Elizabeth Whaley, 27, all of Shallotte, Criscoe said. They were cited for uprooting an endangered species without permission, a misdemeanor that carries a $25 penalty. None of the three returned calls seeking comment Wednesday.

Wildlife officers turned over the palm-sized plants to The Nature Conservancy, which operates the swampy preserve from which where they were taken, and they were replanted.

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Reported by EMERY P. DALESIO of the Associated Press from RALEIGH, N.C. Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio

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The popular Small Wonders program, geared for children ages 3 and 4, will be held 1-2:30 p.m. on the five Wednesdays in February at Richard M. Nixon County Park, Springfield Township.

The five-part class provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn about nature with a parent. Classes will be held indoors and outdoors. A different topic will be introduced each week.

The series is $35 and requires registration and a completed health form. Forms can be found at www.yorkcountyparks.org.

For more information, email alcarothers@york-county.org or call 428-1961

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The York County Department of Parks and Recreation will host a Wildlife CSI program, 2:30-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29 at Richard M. Nixon County Park, Springfield Township.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Officer Kyle Jury will explain the skills and science of investigating wildlife crimes. Participants can test their observation skills at a mock crime scene and learn about one of the state’s lesser known animal species, the fisher. The program will be an indoor-outdoor, hands-on experience.

Admission is free and registration is not required. For more information, call 428-1961.

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The York County Astronomical Society will conduct a free public observing starwatch, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the John C. Rudy County Park observatory.

Expand your mind by taking in the expanse of the universe. Come and view the January skies with us through one of our telescopes and let our experienced members guide you on a tour of celestial wonders, including stars, planets, nebulae, and the moon. You are also invited to bring your own telescope and share your experiences with other amateur astronomers. Star Charts are available to help your exploration of the nighttime sky. This event will only be held if it is clear or partly cloudy out.

For all observing activities at the park, if the weather is questionable, please check the voice message at (717) 578-9109 for notice of any late cancellation. If it is clear or mostly clear, the activity will occur as scheduled. If it is completely cloudy, raining or snowing, the activity will be cancelled.

For directions to the observatory, visit http://www.ycas.org/directions.htm.

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West York Area School District kindergarten registration will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Charles B. Wallace and Grace E. Loucks elementary schools.

To be eligible, children must be 5 before Sept. 1, 2012. Bring the child’s birth certificate, record of immunization dates and two proofs of residency. One form of residency must be a current tax bill, original mortgage, agreement of sale, lease, or rental agreement, signed by both parties, proving residency at the district address. The forms must list the correct address in the parent or guardian’s name. For the second proof of residency, photo ID is preferred. Acceptable documents should be one of the following showing the identical name and West York Address: a valid driver’s license, valid vehicle owner’s card, current utility or tax bill, a bank statement or paycheck stub.

Kindergarten and first grade classrooms for the district are located at Loucks and Wallace Elementary Schools. You may register a child for first grade at either Wallace or Loucks Elementary Schools. To be eligible for first grade, the child must be 6 by Sept. 1.

For more information, call Loucks Elementary at 843-6631 or Wallace Elementary at 764-6869.

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This video shows a dormouse after it was pulled from the area it was hibernating in England. The Sun of London said Surrey Wildlife Trust officer Dave Williams found it while doing a survey of nest boxes. The endangered animals spend a third of their life hibernating.

http://youtu.be/DlS3w1GGE8g

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Take a look at the Trombone Cam for the Canadian Ceremonial Guard. http://youtu.be/RwWIWRc6fgo

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Junior Dispatch has a new look! We wanted something with a simpler of a design and one that offers the best news and features in the biggest way that we can. The site will change even more in the coming days as we activate more of the functions of the new design.

We’ll miss our prior design, which debuted last summer, but we hope you find it suitable for your Junior Dispatch needs.

Got any comments or concerns about the new look? Leave us a message in the comments!

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Teachers, librarians, parents and caregivers can use this guide to help them with the “Little White Fox” reading project here at Junior Dispatch.

Please check back on this page for updates as we haven’t processed all the chapters thus far.

START DATE

The “Little White Fox and His Arctic Friends” reading project will begin on Monday, February 27, 2011. It will be presented as part of our 2012 Iditarod coverage. The Iditarod starts Saturday, March 3,2011.

CHAPTERS

We will update this index as the story is posted. There are 17 chapters in the book.

ORIGINAL TEXT

You can read and/or download the entire book in advance at Project Gutenberg.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

On Sunday, March 11, the Junior Dispatch will post a biography of Roy J. Snell. You can

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A storm from the broiling sun turned the chilly northernmost skies of Earth into an ever-changing and awe-provoking art show of northern lights on Tuesday.

Even experienced stargazers were stunned by the intensity of the aurora borealis that swept across the night sky in northern Scandinavia after the biggest solar flare in six years.

“It has been absolutely incredible,” British astronomer John Mason cried from the deck of the MS Midnatsol, a cruise ship plying the fjord-fringed coast of northern Norway.

“I saw my first aurora 40 years ago, and this is one of the best,” Mason told The Associated Press, his voice nearly drowning in the cheers of awe-struck fellow passengers.

Trouble for tech? U.S. space weather experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday evening that so far they had heard of no problems from the storm that triggered the auroras, which made it as far south as Wales, where the weather often doesn’t cooperate with good viewing.

It was part of the strongest solar storm in years, but the sun is likely to get even more active in the next few months and years, said physicist Doug Biesecker at the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

“To me this was a wake up call. The sun is reminding us that solar max is approaching,” Biesecker said. “A lot worse is in store for us. We hope that you guys are paying attention. I would say we passed with flying colors.”

Even before particles from the solar storm reached the Earth on Tuesday, a different aurora Monday night was dancing across the sky as far south as Ireland and England, where people rarely get a chance to catch the stunning light show.

Those northern lights were likely just variations in normal background solar wind, not the

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Vihart explains why the famous “pineapple under the sea” can not be a pineapple at all! http://youtu.be/gBxeju8dMho

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