Q-Tip: Explore the outdoors

There is a new computer CD-ROM on the market called, "Explore the Great Outdoors with Pioneer Nature Software." It serves as a guide to outdoor travel, wildlife watching, plants and geography.

The new CD-ROM incorporated the concept of eco-regions or eco-systems of a regional extent, a concept developed by Dr. Robert Bailey of the U.S. Forest Service.

Eco-regions are defined by natural boundaries that are primarily based on vegetation, climate and topography, factors that have a profound impact on wildlife.

The Mountain West Eco-Region includes the following areas: North-Central New Mexico, Western Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Eastern Oregon and Washington.

The eco-region section of the CD teaches the basics of the eco-region concept and defines the nine sub-regions within the eco-regions, like desert, semi-desert and mountain steppe.

The photos reinforce learning of the eco-region concept by providing examples of the vegetation and topography of the sub-regions.

The new CD provides over 2,000 color photos and hundreds of pages of text for hundreds of public lands locations. After selecting a location on the maps for each state, you can view a collection of photos for that location. Each photo caption provides descriptions of the geography and vegetation of the area in addition to wildlife viewing tips. An essential principle of wildlife watching is knowing where to look for wildlife, so the photos point out the wildlife that you can expect to see in different types of habitat. For example, a sample scenic photo contains several habitat types: river, grassland and conifer forest. In and around the river, you can expect to see species like Beaver and Spotted Sandpiper. In the grassland, look for Elk and Western Meadowlark. In the conifer forest, you might find Black Bear and Hairy Woodpecker.

In this part of the country, There is a photo of Fort Churchill State Park, which includes shrubland, a strip of riparian woodland along the Carson River and the bare hillsides. The water of the Carson River and the riparian woodland attract birds from the dry and barren surroundings. In the shrubland, look for California Quail and Mourning Dove. In the riparian woodland, look for Western Bluebird and American Goldfinch.

The CD is available at a cost of $19.95 and works on both Windows and Macintosh computer platforms.

For information, call Joe La Fleur at (888) 414-2837 or write to 616 1/2 W. Olive St., Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 or visit website: www.members.aol.com/birdcdroms.