Watching Moose in the Evening

I live in a condominium in mid-town in Anchorage, in a 12 block space between the biggest highway in Alaska and one of Anchorage’s main thoroughfares.  But I also back up to a greenbelt/floodplain with a creek that provides habitat for ducks, geese, salmon, and moose.  And last night a mother moose and calf came wandering by around 10:00 pm.

The condos have small decks off the second floor separated by a wall so that I can’t see my neighbor and he can’t see me.  But I could smell his cigarette smoke as we both stood silently and watched the moose munch their way along the greenbelt for 20 minutes.  I sipped a beer and felt like I was connected to the whole world.  It was in many ways the best 20 minutes of my week.  Wildlife does that for me.  It is one of the big reasons I work for National Wildlife Federation, and one of the reasons I believe so strongly in our efforts to make sure wildlife are protected in spectacular wild places like Bristol Bay, Alaska and in people’s backyards.