NIUHuskies.com, the official online home for Northern Illinois Athletics, is pleased to announce the launch of a new blog, "Huskie Happenings." The section includes links to a daily newsstand, online chats, feature stories and interviews, game-day and multimedia information, promotions, calendars and much more. We hope this will become your first and last stop everyday for all the information you crave about Huskie Athletics.

A funny thing happened today at the Convo...

It's Spring... and with that, comes the renewal of life....which brings me to the fact that a pair of Canadian geese have decided that they want to be the official welcome geese for Huskie Athletics.  The female has chosen, at this point anyway, the planters by Entrance A.  Grounds has kindly put up a barricade to protect the east planter but when they did that, Mother-to-Be Goose moved over to the west planter. 
 
At any rate, please be mindful if you come to the Convocation Center that they are out there and that when in a nesting mode, they will be pretty mean and protective of the birthing suite. 
 
Facts about Canadian geese (because I know you're all wondering the same things.....):

Goose Life Facts:
Life Span of up to 24 years.
Mating is for life. If a mate is lost, a new mate is often found.
Average nest size 3 to 6 eggs with as many as 12 possible.
Molting of adult birds occurs every summer, for up to a 6 week period, rendering all birds flightless
Nests can be very large, up to 4 feet across, built on land and usually close to water.
Geese are grazing animals, eating grasses and other succulent plant material.
An adult goose eats up to 4 lbs of grass daily.
An adult goose drops 2 lbs of "matter" daily
goose "matter" has been linked to the spread of diseases and bacterial infections(CDC).
Population growth ranges from 10 to 17% annually.
Geese typically return to the same nesting and birth sites every year.

Good to know: 
Canada Geese are regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the guidelines set forth by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 making it unlawful to kill, sell, hunt, disturb nests and eggs, or purchase and possess migratory birds unless permitted by the Secretary of the Interior.
And, no, I'm not the Secretary of the Interior.
Anyway, please be aware of our "guests" and their offspring....

With all that said, we think we'll name them. Any suggestions? Send them to houghtaling@niu.edu. And, of course, be sure to keep checking Huskie Happenings for all the latest news on the situation.

The Northern Illinois Football Spring Preview is set for tomorrow. Festivities start at 11 a.m. with the tailgate showdown, and the official Spring Preview, where you can get your first look at the 2009 Huskies, starts at 1 p.m. in Huskie Stadium. As has been reported by NIUHuskies.com and multiple other outlets, fans who have seen different spring games on ESPN the last few weeks shouldn't expect the same thing Saturday afternoon at Huskie Stadium. The event will be much more practice-oriented, and give fans a glimpse into what the NIU football team has been a part of thrice per week over the last five weeks. Read the Northern Star's preview, complete with some comments by Chandler Harnish.

In an attempt to jump back into the football spirit, NIUHuskies.com will be blogging live from the festivities surrounding the annual Spring Preview Saturday. We'll start out at the Tailgate Showdown, and provide fans a "virtual taste" of what dishes make the cut (jealous?!?). We'll also blog from the press box during the practice session, and paint the picture of how the Huskies look at the end of the spring season. So if you can't make it to the big event tomorrow, be sure to come back here to NIUHuskies.com to see what your missing.

Fans who do make it out can pick up their very own "Experience It Live!" yard sign, and show their support for Huskie Athletics on your lawn all year long!

Home softball at 1 p.m. today; sounds like a perfect business man's special to me!!! After a solid effort against No. 10 Northwestern Wednesday, the Huskies will jump back into Mid-American Conference play today, hosting West Division rival Central Michigan in a doubleheader. Eastern Michigan then visits Mary M. Bell Field for single-game contests on Saturday and Sunday -- NIU will honor its five-member senior class prior to Sunday's home finale. If you can't make it out to the field, you can follow the game through Gametracker or listen to Bill Baker's call on NIUHuskies.com.

Both the men's and women's tennis teams survived and advanced Thursday, and will continue their quests in the respective Mid-American Conference Championships Friday. The women's golf team is already underway in the first-round of the MAC Championship at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio. All three teams can be followed ALL DAY by utilizing the following links:
Women's Tennis
Men's Tennis
Women's Golf