GRAYLING, Mich. -- Have you noticed that squirrels are unusually active lately, chasing each other around yards and up and down trees in what looks like a manic game of tag? That frantic activity is anything but play.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Beyond all the happy hours, games, friendly competitions and other events, there was an actual outdoor product show in the city last month, bringing with it some indication that the industry is pulling itself out of an economic slump.

'Awesome! Awesome!' exclaimed a 10-year old as he spied a bald eagle through a spotting scope for the first time at Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area. Between bouts of 'Awesome!', the boy pulled away from the eyepiece and scanned for the eagle with his unaided eye, not believing that the dark speck sitting on the dike road was the same bird he could see super-sized with the scope.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Brett Isackson was searching for a piece of the Amazon in the most unlikely of settings -- behind a Bloomingdale's store in a mall in a Miami suburb.