Lee Barwood

Okay, I really don't know what's going on all of a sudden with New York and New Jersey. It's war on wildlife, and I'm ashamed of it.

New York has already allowed the USDA so-called Wildlife Services to haul off and gas a bunch of geese in the name of keeping the airways safe ( (more…)

What's the latest trend in China? Dog dying. Er, um, it's not spelled that way in the media attention it's getting -- they spell it d-y-e-i-n-g, as in dyeing the dogs' hair so that they look like tigers, or zebras, or pandas, or Bozo the Clown. Really. Apparently they don't think their dogs are (more…)

The horrors of the Gulf oil spill daily grow worse. People losing jobs; a boat captain reportedly committing suicide in despair; sea creatures and birds coated with oil; cleanup workers getting sick. The pictures are graphic and tragic.

There's another toll that's rising every day. In addition to the coastal and sea creatures dying from oil as rescue workers struggle to save as many as possible, animal shelters are filling up with domestic pets as people can no longer afford to keep them. (more…)

New Jersey's got budget problems. Everybody knows that. Governor Christie has been slashing money from schools, aid to senior citizens, environmental projects, municipalities, and all sorts of other places that really can't afford to lose funding in this economic climate.
But there's one thing the governor seems to have overlooked: the state is spending (more…)

Welcome to my Christmas Tea Party for All the Toys! Come in and see what they have all been up to.

You know I love koalas. You can see it by my website. What you may not know is that I’ve been adopting koalas (and other creatures) in plush and other forms, all my life long. So there’s a big crowd at my house by now.

The oldest of my koalas, whom my (more…)

If you've ever taken part in one of those parties where everyone gathers at one home for the appetizer, then goes on somewhere else for the main course, then someplace else for dessert, you know that the variety can be amazing and you can meet some really nice people.

Maybe you've taken part in one of those on the Web, too, such as the one that Karen Waschinski hosted at Halloween (http://www.halloweenstudiotour.com). Those are a lot of fun, too, and once again, you can meet some really nice people.

Well, I'd like to invite everyone to the Christmas teddy bear version of this. (more…)

This morning I've been working on a long-overdue overhaul of my website, both design and content. I hope you'll find it easier to read and to navigate -- if not, please do let me know!

You may have been seeing the headlines in recent weeks about the precarious position of the koala -- that in thirty years it may be extinct in the wild. (more…)