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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/family-of-black-bears-found-dead-common-shrub-played-role/77446/<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>"The English yew is a conifer native to Europe, Africa, and southwest Asia," explained the Pennsylvania Game Commission in a Facebook post. "The plant has lance-shaped leaves and produces a red berry-like cupped structure called an 'aril' that contains a single brown seed. It is widely cultivated in eastern North America as an ornamental shrub and often found in urban environments." <br><br><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>From: Mike Vandeman [mailto:mjvande@pacbell.net] <br>Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2016 3:33 PM<br>To: Recipient list suppressed:<br>Subject: Yet another reason to remove exotics</p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><a href="https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/family-of-black-bears-found-dead-common-shrub-played-role/77446/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/family-of-black-bears-found-dead-common-shrub-played-role/77446/</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>"The plants contain a alkaloid compound called "taxine," which is highly toxic to most animal and humans if ingested, according to the game commission.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>"Taxine is found in all parts of the yew except the fleshy part of the aril, with seeds containing the highest concentrations of the toxin," the Facebook post reads. "While yew are toxic year-round, toxin levels increasing during the winter months. Yew is cardiotoxic and impacts the heart's ability to beat properly."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>English Yews are known to live for a very long time. For example, the Fortingall Yew is the oldest living tree in Great Britain. Located in the churchyard of the village of Fortingall in Perthshire, Scotland, experts estimate the tree is between 2,000 and 3,000 years old."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>-- <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to humans ("pure habitat").<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Want to help? (I spent the previous 8 years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Wildlife must be given top priority, because they can't protect themselves from us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><a href="http://mjvande.info"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>http://mjvande.info</span></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><br />
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