A costumed skier races down a slope, hits a pond and hydroplanes halfway across. He pirouettes and then plunges into the icy water before jumping up and waving to the cheering crowd. It's the wacky ...

Jim Metivier stands on extensions of his dock over Long Pond in Denmark, Maine, in Nov. 2022. Water levels on his property have gradually receded over a period of several years. "I haven't been able ...

Apr. 25—Each spring, usually during April, my walking takes me on a route where I visit about 10 vernal ponds. Often called "vernal pools," they tend to be small and shallow and show up in spring.