News For Immediate Release Date: April 5, 2005 Contact: Carl R. Sams II 1-800-552-1867 carlsams@carlsams.com Click on image to enlarge. Use your BACK button to return to this page. © Copyright 1980-2006 Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick All Rights Reserved		Authors remind readers to leave fawns be… They’re not really Lost in the Woods! There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a hike in the woods in spring — wildflowers, vibrant green foliage, and — if you’re lucky enough to spot one — a newborn fawn camouflaged in the leaves. Authors Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick remind hikers, however, that while a fawn found alone in the woods may seem vulnerable, they are rarely lost. Sams and Stoick, Michigan wildlife photographers and co-authors of the best-selling children’s book, “Lost in the Woods,” explain that well-meaning people often think they’re saving a fawn when they find them alone and take them home to try to care for them. In truth, mother doe is likely very nearby and letting nature protect her fawn using his spots to camouflage and the fact that he has no scent to attract predators. “Thousands of fawns are lost each year when people take them from the woods thinking they’re lost or abandoned,” Sams explained. “Actually, since they are born scentless, the camouflaging spots and being alone are what keep them safe.” Does usually give birth in the first weeks of summer to one, two and sometimes even three fawns. She’ll nurse and care for them, then leave them for several hours at a time in natures care. Her scent, if she stayed, could attract predators to her babe. He’ll travel with her when he’s older and strong enough to run from trouble. This message is one Sams and Stoick teach in “Lost in the Woods.” The book weaves beautiful images with a charming story of birds’ and animals’ concern for a newborn fawn they fear is lost in the woods. It was Stoick, a former middle-school teacher, who wrote most of the story but Sams had lots of input as the story evolved to fit the couples’ amazing collection of photographs. In the book, Mother Doe explains the lessons of the woods to her fawn, “You are a newborn, born without a scent… I have to leave so trouble’s nose cannot find you. Stretch your legs, make them strong, but don’t go far. Soon it will be your time, your time to follow me.” The couple is thrilled to have found a medium through which they share their love of nature with others and protect the wild places and creatures they cherish. “If we can do what we love and at the same time save a fawn from harm, well, what more can we ask for?” Lost in the Woods can be viewed at www.lostinthewoods.biz.

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