metamorphosis

He popped the question!

2006-04-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

February 14, 2006
Bistro Gardens for dinner.
Matt proposed!

I am beyond excited to let everyone know that Matt and I are getting married. After dating for more than 3 years he asked me to marry him. We plan to tie the knot on August 5th at Patrick Creek Lodge in the beautiful redwood forest along the Smith River. I never knew I could be this in love, we are truly best friends, I am the luckiest woman in the world.

Nature Center update - we have strobilation in the jellyfish tank, but I am so far unsuccessful in rearing the ephyrae into medusa (to interpret this you can visit www.jellieszone.com)
We also have a strong Blue Dart Frog youngster and one tadpole left to morphose out. I will psot more pics when I find the camera again...ooops...

Naturally Morgan

2006-02-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

My daughter has started to blog and I am letting her do it under my blog so I can monitor it. Check out her first post here.

baby frog update

2006-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

This is a long time in coming, but here is a recent pic of one of the six Dendrobates froglets. Kinda blurry, I know. What can I say, my sister is not here to take the photo for me.

Right now, I am out of algae and fruit flies so they have been dining on flake fish food. To reduce risk of calcium absorption problems I have been increasing their broad spectrum lighting. Here is a picture of the set up where they are being raised.

As they begin to absorb their tails I am going to move them to a shallow tank where they can begin to feed on fruit flies. It looks like we are going to end up with 6 frogs. They are really cute at this stage and you can start to see the black spots on their backs.
The oldest tadpole is about 3 months old and the youngest is just over a month.

More later.....

Take another look at your ceiling.

2006-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Ceiling lights, we've all got 'em.

Have you ever really looked at one?

My theory is a man came up with the idea for these lights in every room.

Why you may ask? Here, take a look.

Don't see it yet?

How 'bout now?

Yes, ceiling lights look like breasts. I mentioned this one day to the love of my life, an electrical contractor. He agreed and told me he had never noticed this before. I thought everyone knew this. Let me know what you think. Is it all in my mind? I better be careful, if this gets out electricians will start installing ceiling lights in pairs in every room.

A Gnawing Problem

2006-01-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

My life.....crazy

Where have I been?

Battling rodents.

http://www.triplicate.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=1952

Then there were 12

2005-11-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

Here are our totals thus far:

3 tadpoles hatched
3 tadpoles still in the egg
8 developing eggs

She is still laying....we check every day or so for new eggs. Not all of the eggs make it, but we are doing well so far.....

Here is an image of the oldest tadpole.

He is getting so big! I think I see back legs starting to bud.

I was in a photo snapping mood, so here is another picture.

Our Rubber Boa, Charina bottae, brought to us by a local herpetologist

Little Dragon - this is the coolest optical illusion

2005-11-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

My friends on the museum list serv sent this to me. Click on the link and then download the video. You won't believe this little dragon and how he follows you around the room. This is much cooler than your average "following eye" gimmicks! You can even print out your own copy of the dragon to amaze your friends. You have got to see this to believe it.
http://www.grand-illusions.com/dragon.htm

Thats right....fo shizzle!

2005-11-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

I always new that teaching high school would pay off.
Look how cool I am.

You ARE as cool as Miles Thirst.
How well do you know your Hip Hop lingo?
brought to you by http://quizilla.com/

Possible results. (I am posting these so you can see just how cool I am.)

You ARE as cool as Miles Thirst - hang out with Miles at Sprite.com.13557 times, 78%

You are as cool as Miles Thirsts little brother pretty cool but you still have some learning to do1121 times, 6%

You are as cool as Miles Thirst's nerdy cousin Henry - you really aren't cool but you have Thirst genes so you can be cool if you work at it1507 times, 9%

You can't even be put in the Miles Thirst Family - you are NOT COOL - please visit the Hip-Hop Translator in the Zillapedia to get up to speed.1270 times, 7%

How cool are you?

Got Flu?

2005-11-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Wanna check out the flu situation in your area? Watch this nasty virus slowly creep across the United States on Fluwatch.

Every year in my science classes I take time to show my students flu trends in the United States. When I am teaching a disease unit I try to plan it around the fall/winter so I can let them watch rising cases of flu across the ocuntry. Fluwatch is a website that monitors flu outbreaks across the country. You can see everything from states that have reported cases of the flu through all out epidemics. Click on a state and you can see which the status of flu cases by county. Check out the Fluwatch website.

Where's my lucky hat???

2005-11-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

I heard an interesting comment on the radio this morning. A local fishing guide service was giving their weekly fishing report. They were talking about the fact that fishermen make up superstitions to help them fish. Wearing a hat a certain way, a lucky jacket, etc. The fishing guide then made an interesting statement. She said, "Well, when you have no control over anything then you make up something to help." She was referring to the fact that you can't control the river or whether the fish bite. I instantly made a connection between this statement and religion. When you have no control over anything you make up something to help. Hmmm...interesting.

Having never been raised in a religious home, I don't have a strong connection to the church and its teachings. I know that in my mind it could go either way. God could be real or it could be how we explain the fact that we have no control over the world. I picture the masses without religion running wild and crazed in the streets. I believe many people need something to center them and give meaning to their life. Just like that innocent comment about fishing, maybe we have made up something to help? Just a thought from a person along for the ride. Your comments are welcome.

Show off

2005-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

I took pictures of all of my high school science classes recently. This is a picture of 1st period.
I am sitting with them, second from the right in the front row. These kids are awesome. Everyday is different when you are a teacher. Teenage lives have so much drama and torment. I think my job description should be teacher and counselor. It also amazes me how much constant disruption some of them live in. The school day is the only stability they get. Too many times I have heard this story, "My mom is back with her boyfriend and he is WAY too violent. So now I am in foster care that family got evicted again. " Can you believe it? CRAZY! I want to take them in and give them a decent start to life, but I have to settle for trying to be a consistent force in the classroom and try to teach them some science. Many are so preoccupied with living and their home conditions it is near impossible to get them to focus on schoolwork. Still, they have good hearts and I am proud to be their teacher.

M & M and I went to the video store last weekend to get pictures with DARTH VADER!!!! Here is M in her picture. It was cool. We already own the DVD so we didn't need to rent it at the video store. Now I just need to get all six episodes on DVD. Hmmmm....maybe I will put that on my amazon wishlist this year.

Berenty

2005-11-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

I have been sitting on this manuscript for a children's book for like, gosh, I guess 15 years or more. I see there are a lot of writers out there blogging and I must say you have inspired me to take a new look at the book, dust it off and see what is still there. It is a story about a lemur at a zoo who gets tired with his exhibit and escapes to spend a day with the kids at zoo camp. It is named Berenty after a lemur I had raised during my years at the zoo. Enough for now, but at least I have said the words out loud and perhaps fate will take them and create the opportunity for me to fine tune the story and get up the gumption to send it off to a publisher.
--------
A frog update. One of the last five eggs survived, it seems like a pattern. We had four new eggs today but again only one out for the bunch looks viable. We will wait and see.

Movie Review

2005-11-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well it is a bit late, but here is a review for The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. We saw it this weekend on pay-per-view. I give it a grade of C. It was funny in parts but overall a bit stupid. I was ready for some sci-fi humor and abstract thinking, but what I found was out of date special effects and uninteresting characters. The best part was in the beginning when I learned that all these years dolphins (the #2 most intelligent animal on earth) have been trying to tell us (the #3 most intelligent animal on earth) that our planet was scheduled for destruction. Stupid humans just interpreted this as cute tricks and acrobatics and didn't get this message so the dolphins all left the planet singing, "so long and thanks for all the fish". Now, I saw this on Saturday, today is Tuesday and I can't even remember the plot. This means the plot was lacking or so boring it didn't warrant commitment to memory. I do remember that toward the last half of the movie M. shouted out that he had figured which animal was the #1 most intelligent on the planet. I will leave that mystery for you to discover when you watch this movie. The other good point was Marvin, the manic depressive robot. I wish they had spent more time on Marvin, I would have liked to learn more about him. And why does Zaphod have black nail polish on his right hand but not on his left? Anyway, there is my 2.6 cents worth. Let me know what you thought if you saw this flick.

Dart Frog Baby Update

2005-10-31T16:52:00.000-08:00

Our lone tadpole is growing daily. He/she is now on a diet of powdered algae and seems to be doing well. We also have 5 new eggs. One of the eggs looks a little fungus-sy but it is too soon to tell, so we wait. Here are pictures of the tadpole and the five new eggs. Way to go D. azureus!

Our five new dart frogs eggs are contained in separate petri dishes with a methylene blue solution to help curb fungal growth. We have also tried a tannic acid solution which is said to reduce fungus and mold as well. If you look reaaal close you can see the black spot in each dish that is the egg.

Conversation with a student

2005-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Who: Student "D"
What: Conversation the last 2 minutes of class about him always taking my stuff. Pencils (which he uses), magnets (that he steals), stickers (which he sticks to the desk). Jeez, you wouldn't think he is a junior in high school!
When: Wednesday, October 12
Where: Science 2 class at the high school

ME: Did you take my magnets?
D: yes
ME: Why?
D: I just moved them.
ME: Why?
D: I just thought they would be cool right there. (stuck to the light switch)
ME: Could you not touch my stuff?
D: What?
ME: You always mess with my stuff each day. You take staples to chew on, pencils, you stick stickers all over the desk after I ask you not to....
D: Whats the big deal?
ME: Do I come to your house and mess with all your stuff?
D: You don't know where I live.
ME: Its in your records.
D: Oh
ME: Would you want me to come and mess with all your stuff?
D: (blank stare)
C: (My other student) ooooo, she got you there!
ME: Alright then.

This is just one of hundreds of mind numbing conversations I have with teenagers every day.

A Tail Is Born

2005-10-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here is the tadpole today. You can just see the tail that has formed over the round egg shaped body. When I get close enough I can see little external gills on him. When the minute, slender body formed it looked like a piece of debris or a stick had fallen onto the top of the egg. I almost talked myself into picking it off with some forceps because I didn't want it to "infect" the egg and cause it to mold or something. I didn't pick it off and decided to wait until the next day. Imagine how glad I was when I looked at it the next day and the darn thing wriggled and swam around in there. At that point I was pretty sure it wasn't a twig or something. So, this led me to name it. What do you think of "Twiggy"? I am open to other suggestions. Perhaps something South American? These frogs are found in Suriname, does anyone know a good Suriname name??

It's a ........tadpole!

2005-10-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yippee!!! Our Blue Poison Dart Frogs laid eggs. Out of four eggs, one didn't grow a fungus. The other three developed a fuzzy, grey substance around them and didn't develop. The one that made it has just grown into a tadpole! Doug brought by some algae to feed the tadpole when it hatches. In another week it should be free swimming and on its way to becoming a froglet.

Here is a picture of the egg in the culture dish before it started to look like a tadpole. I will try to get a picture of it tomorrow so you can see the little tadpole body that has formed. Ahhh, so cute. Don't you think?

And here are the proud parents. The female is on the left and one of the two possible male parents is on the right. We have two males and I am not sure who followed her into the "coco-hut" to fertilize the eggs.

Here is a coco-hut like the one we have. Except ours doesn't say "Coco-hut" in neon green across the top. We put a petri dish of water under the hut and the female goes in to lay the eggs in the water. Then a male will follow her in and fertilize the eggs. Then badda bing badda bang *!* you have baby frogs! I love frogs. They are the best. If you want to know why I like frogs you can read my post on it.

Killer Findings

2005-10-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

A scientist at the armed forces research lab recently was able to map the genome of the 1918 flu. He went through the MILES of stored tissue samples from deceased soldiers and found two that had died from the flu. From the samples encased in a wax block he was able to locate and map the genome of the virus. He used new techniques that were then used by another scientist who had found frozen bodies in Alaska that had died of the same flu. Previously this Alaska scientist was unable to map the genome and when he heard of the armed forces method he went back and took another tissue sample, only now the bodies had decomposed a lot more. Still, he was able to get the sample and analyze the virus. It is similarities between the 1918 flu and today's bird flu that may allow us to find ways to treat people for this deadly flu. Way to go science geeks. I just love science. You can read the full article about this here.

Under Pressure

2005-10-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today I have a grant application due. At the Nature Center we are trying to build a Nature Exchange and I am hoping to receive some of the funding for this project through this grant. It really is a full time job grant writing and I already have two full time jobs, so grant writing is always pressure time for me.

What Animal Should You Date - Quizzy thing

2005-10-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

I took this QUIZ to find out what type of animal I should date. I was a Whooping Crane. That is perfect because M (My sweet Matthew) I bet is a crane too! I like this quiz MUCH BETTER than the cute animal quiz, I still say I am NOT a pony!

ME- Whooping Cranes are total romantics. When they come of age they find a mate, take him/her bird dancing, fall in bird love, have a bird baby, and stay together for the rest of their entire lives. As they grow old together, they share responsibility for the wee baby crane, learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and get to know each other better and better. And yet they still stay coupled up, year in and year out. In good times and in bad. In sickness and in health. For richer or for poorer. Awww.

Snake Story - Part II , Tabitha goes home

2005-10-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

The next morning I called the radio station to see if they would put the boa constrictor I found on the Lost Pet News. Within an hour I heard from J.C., a former student of mine. He said he knew whose snake I found. Some guy lost his snake two doors down from where I found it. I tell J.C. to have the guy come by. This all happened on a Friday so on Monday morning the guy showed up all worried about his snake. Apparently, he lost it a couple of weeks ago. It got out of the cage in his house and got out of the house. This is rare because most snakes go to the nearest warm place in the house when they get out of their cages. For a snake to get out of the house is a little strange, especially a snake that is 4 feet long and 6 inches around. The snake had been on the loose ever since. It appears the snake left this guy's house and went out into the woods behind the neighborhood. He must have got hungry or cold and came up into the houses where he found a nice warm spot on an old lady's back porch. You can read a Snake Story to find out how I got the snake. While I had him over the weekend he did defecate in the enclosure. So, he must have been eating something during those two weeks. Anybody missing a cat?? hee hee That is just my sick herp humor. Actually, from the looks of it, he had not eaten much more than a mouse or frog. I asked the guy a few questions and it seemed clear it was really his snake. I gave it back to him and he promised to make sure the cage was escape proof this time. And that is how Tabitha found her way home.

A Snake Story

2005-10-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

I got a call last week. A frantic, elderly woman says, "There is a snake on my back porch on the lawn furniture. Can you come get it?"

Me, irritated that people think I sit here all day waiting to play Crocodile Hunter. Sheesh. "Um, no ma'am. I can't close the Nature Center right now and come out there. What kind of snake is it?"

She goes on to beg me to come, saying she doesn't know what kind of snake it is. She just knows it is BIG. Something about the tone in her voice when she sys the word BIG lets me know this may not be your average garter snake.

So, my curiosity gets the best of me. (That and me deep, hidden desire to be the Crocodile Hunter.) I drive out to the house with my transport tub and snake hook. Better prepared that not I always say. I get out of the car and see an elderly gentleman walking from the back yard to the front yard with a shovel in his hand. Hmmm, I wonder what the shovel is for?? I say hello as I see his wife coming up behind him. She looks so relieved to see me. I say something corny about having a snake for company this weekend. No one else laughs but me. They take me to the back yard. She points at her lawn furniture and says, "There IT is!"

And, there it was.

A 4 foot long South American Boa Constrictor. I take the snake hook and nudge the snake. No sudden movement in the snake so it appears it is safe to handle. I unwrap the snake from around the chair and table and load it into the tub. I haul it back to the car. The couple say thanks and I tell them it was no problem. I was happy to help. The sound in that lady's voice told me she needed me to come out there and so I am glad I did.

Except....

Now I have another Boa Constrictor! What the heck am I going to do with this one.

To be continued...

Sweetypuss

2005-10-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today we take a departure from the usual focus on the animals in my life. No snake story or tale of a wild high school science student. Sorry, but don't worry, every day is a new adventure and there is never a dull moment in my life.

My newest find. Which will probably be old to the rest of the country, but come on, I live in Del Norte County! We still get mail delivered by horseback. What? You think I'm joking?

I have recently taken a liking to Happy Bunny paraphenalia. They are so to the point and silly, I love it. With statements like these, how can you NOT laugh.

"It's cute how you think I'm listening to you."

And my personal favorite

"Is ass your real name?"

I found these Happy Bunny shirts on this website. They sell Happy Bunny shirts, stickers, key chains, back packs etc. My daughter is begging me for this stuff, but at 9 I think she is too young. I have to admit though, the stuff is pretty funny. I don't think I can wear Happy Bunny shirts because I worry I might see one of my students while I am wearing it and I always feel like I am in "teacher" mode. The website has lots of shirts I wish I could wear including these new Sweetypuss shirts. My boyfriend wouldn't appreciate them, but they are so funny! So here is one for you to check out, let me know what you think about it.

"Boys are strong. Bury them deep."

I also found ecards on the website. I am going to send one to my sister right now. I know she'll get a big laugh out of it. O.k, I have to go and see if I can find a sweetypuss keychain now.......

Photo of the day

2005-09-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

If you don't like snakes, please DON'T scroll down.

If you are sqeamish at all you won't want to see this either.

If you are slightly demented like me you will appreciate the difficulty in getting this shot.

Please proceed...

I don't know about you, but I think the rat looks pretty content.

Animal Personality Quiz

2005-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

Click on the Cute Animals Quiz Link below to take the quiz.
I was a pony, tell me what you are.

You Are A: Pony!

Who doesn't love a pony? You are one of these miniature horses, renown for your beauty and desired by many. Full of grace, you are a beautiful and very special animal, full of strength and majesty.

You were almost a: Lamb or a Mouse
You are least like a: Bear Cub or a Groundhog Take The Cute Animals Quiz Here

No, thats not OUR snake in your dress shop lady

2005-09-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Most of the time if you provide adequate housing for an animal it stays put. But there are some animals that try to get out no matter how much you try to meet their physical and behavioral needs. We have a Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) whose favorite pass time is getting out of his enclosure.

We use a velcro lid to seal the top of the cage. The only system better than the velcro is a slide top tank, but I can't find one in that size right now so we have been using velcro from Tera Tops. I knew that the velcro was wearing out in some parts and wouldn't you know it that snake found the one inch wide area where it wasn't sealing properly and got out one night. Then it was time for a snake hunt.

The Nature Center is located in a building with a few other businesses like a dress shop, kitchen store and art gallery. The dress shop is directly behind us. Some of my volunteer staff were FRANTIC to find the snake. I knew that snakes usually go to a warm quiet spot and then camp out. My landlord (who happens to be the love of my life) informed me that I was to find the snake.....now. Before the ladies in the dress shop got a surprise and freaked out about a loose snake. Keeping my eyes open I went about my day. If all else failed I figured I could come back at night and the snake would most likely be out in the open as that is when they are typically on the move. I once caught a 5 foot long garter snake that way. It had gotten out of the cage in my house at 2 a.m. I got up and there is it was sprawled out on the kitchen floor. I put it back in the cage and threw a rock on top to make sure it didn't get out again. Now here I am at the Nature Center hoping to find the Rosy Boa. No sign of it all day. At 5 p.m. we are getting ready to go and I sit down at the computer and do some work. Something catches my attention and so I follow the mouse cord with my eyes until I come to it. There he is resting peacefully, all snuggled up next to my CPU. One Rosy Boa. Case solved.

Can't see it? Lets move in closer.

I must have sat down at the computer five other times that day and never noticed it. You are probably thinking, "How could you have missed it?". I dunno, maybe I have been in this business too long.

Rae

Love those slimy critters

2005-09-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love frogs. I do. Not for the reasons you might think. I love frogs by default. Over the years I have worked with many animals and I have formed some generalized opinions about them. I love frogs because I don't love reptiles, birds or mammals.

Snakes can be scary, I don't care who you are. You can't tell me that this face isn't scary.

And nobody wants to discover this at 2 a.m., in the dark.

Birds can be annoying, loud, messy and destructive. Only insane people get cockatoos as pets. Birds can also live a really long time and they are too smart for their own good. I once saw a Moluccan cockatoo drive a Green Winged Macaw crazy enough to slice off his tongue. They were in two cages side by a side with a metal visual barrier between the two. Keepers knew the two didn't get along but there was no place to move them at the moment so a piece of metal was put up between the cages so they couldn't see each other. The macaw was always sticking his head through the gap in the cages to try and get the cockatoo. Hmmm.....the cockatoo never stuck his head through....then one day we heard screeching sound that would make your eyes bulge out of their sockets and pop. We all ran out and there was the macaw screaming with blood pouring out of his mouth and a small piece of grey tongue on the floor. And the cokcatoo? Well he was calmly sitting on his perch preening himself. Nice birdie.

Mammals are the smelliest of all. Not to mention FLEAS. For a good flea story scroll down to "My Ferret has Fleas " on this blog from SHATTER. Mammals shed, stink, eat too much and usually aren't that bright. Plus some can be down right needy and pathetic. The mammals that are smart tend to be smarter than me. I remember a gibbon at the zoo where I worked. He would wait until I was looking down and cleaning up his feces, then he would swoop down, stretch a long slender arm through the bars and slam my head into the chain link. Ahhh, what a cute little furry guy.......right.

Which brings me to Amphibians. So small and cute and harmless. Not to rough, not too slick, just perfect. All different colors and sizes. And they can't rip your ear off like a cockatoo, kill you like a rattler or infest your home like a ferret. They just sit there with that slightly demented smile on their face. A pleasant looking little friend who is content with a cricket or mealworm. They are around for a few years and then it is time for a NEW frog. Yippee! They like a little water and land, very versatile. Adorable little handfuls of happiness, that's what they are.

Here is one now.

and another

So, that is why I love frogs. No frog ever slammed my head into a chain link fence.

Images from the Nature Center

2005-09-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Bearded Dragon (Pagona vitticeps)

Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor)

Morgan with Giant African Black Millipede (Archispirostreptis gigas)

Iguana (Iguana iguana)

It all started with a chipmunk

2005-09-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

When I started working with animals at age 16 I thought is was a fluke. Where did my need to be with the animals come from? I had always thought of myself as an "inside" kinda girl. Plagued by allergies while growing up I never had much desire to go outdoors and do stuff. I remember lawn mowing was the kiss of death for me and was usually followed up with several hours of swollen eyes, sneezing, itching and general misery. That is why my sister had to do all the mowing.....sorry sissy, just getting you back for beaning with the baseball.

*****

Which brings me to a correction from my last post. My sister pointed out that she didn't pitch the ball straight at my head. I pitched it to her and she hit it with the bat and picked me off like a can on a fence post.

*****

So, back to the chipmunk story. I never knew how it came to be that I was destined to be an animal keeper. One day while going through some old photos I found a picture of me, age 9 or so, sitting on a stone ledge at Crater Lake in Oregon. Wearing stylish 70's green shorts (thanks mom) I am feeding a piece of what appears to be bread to this little chipmunk.
Here is the proof.

So my fascination wth feeding critters started at a young age. Only now I know that bread and other foods for humans when fed to animals cause them to store the wrong kind of fat and does not enable them to last through the winter. Resulting in a slow death from starvation over the long cold months. Poor chipmunk...he does look happy in this shot, don't you think?

One of the most challenging animals I have worked with is a Giant Indian Fruit Bat. (Pteropus giganteus) When I was working at what was formerly known as Marine World Africa U.S.A. I had to take care of Burma. Probably the meanest bat around. Not that she is mean, rather she is smart. As all bats are, they are more closely related to primates than rodents like many people think. And, bats are SMART. Burma used to bite the shit out of me every time I took her out for animal encounters. Here is a picture of her looking cute and well behaved.

The trouble with Burma was that my senior trainer kept telling me I had to discipline Burma or she would continue to bite the crap out of me. Disciplining her consisted of bending my index finger and using it to smack her on the chin when she would misbehave. Remember she is hanging down from my hand so it was easy just to reach over and bop her on the bottom of the chin. This was hard for me though, because I believe that if I have to hit an animal to get it to do what I want then I must be wanting it to do something it doesn't need to do. So, Burma and I would walk around Marine World having our own private battle. Her wanting to bite me until I would take her back or until I would give her some fruit and me hating to hit her but growing increasingly flustered at being bit over and over and over.....I guess we worked it out eventually. Probably when I left that job for good. I don't make it a secret that I don't agree with the training protocol at that facility. I do think that now I could apply some alternate training techniques to that situation that might have improved the experience for me and for Burma. Still, I have never forgotten that bat. In between bites, she was pretty cool to be around, and I was able to dispell the idea that bats are stupid flying rodents during the many animal talks in the park. Sheesh, that bat sure had me figured out from the start.

My sister is thirty something!

2005-09-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sissy!

Today is my sisters birthday. She is the smartest person I know and the most beautiful. I love her to death. It didn't start out that way however. What I remember of childhood was that we just didn't assoicate together very much. We had completely different lives and that was ok with us. One time, I was maybe eight or so and we were playing baseball in the yard and she pitched the ball to me and hit me in the head so hard I got a concussion. It was supposed to be an accident, but I know she was trying to take out her little sister. As we got older we became better friends. I don't know if there was a specific event or time that brought us together. I just know that all of sudden we became best friends. There is truly nothing I don't tell her. Through differences and life changes we will always be close.

One time, when we were both in our late teens, (were we older? I am terrible with dates) we pooled our money and bought a patio furniture set for our parents for their anniversary. We brought it home and set it up. Then we got M&M's and champagne flutes and some champagne. We surprised mom and dad when we got home and the four of us sat out there on the patio eating M&M's and drinking champagne all night. Mom and dad were so surpirsed and happy. I know that day meant a lot to them. That is one of the best memories I have of my family while we were growing up.

My sister is a great person and has always believed in me and helped me when I needed it. I am very proud of her and glad that she has found happiness in her life. I am teary eyed as I write this because she means so much to me. (Karen-I know your eyes are semi-closed int his shot but it is a beautiful picture of you, I have always said that you never take a bad picture. This is when we had dinner with Uncle Jim after dad passed away.)

Pacific Shores

2005-09-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up and loaded our quads to go riding on the beach at Pacific Shores. We rode a couple of miles up to the mouth of the Smith River and the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful, sunny, no wind, you could ride in a light sweatshirt. This area is under consideration to be closed to recreation because of shorebird nesting, specifically snowy plovers. The beach was spotted with small groups of people walking, riding, and fishing. We stayed on the beach and on the trail in the dunes. I guess people go off the trail and that affects snowy plover habitat. It also may be that human disruption stops the plovers from leaving the beach and entering the dunes to make nests. There is miles of beach and lots of shorebirds, I would like to see a couple of miles closed off to protect habitat but still allow people to use some of the beach. Many people come here to ride horses, quads and off road vehicles. Not to mention all of the fisherpeople, birdwatchers and hikers that frequent Pacific Shores. It is a very beautiful area that needs to be preserved. There is no information anywhere out there about the birds or other wildlife. I am thinking about pursuing the idea of placing some informational signage out there to let people know about the different habitats. Now I must get ready for the first day of school tomorrow! I wonder if all of my high school students will be bright eyed and bushy tailed for school tomorrow. Hmmm...I doubt it.

Our newest exhibit

2005-09-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Moon Jellies (Aurelia aurita) at the Nature Center

Labor Day Rush

2005-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

I start teaching next Tuesday a the high school again. Two Nutrition classes and one Marine Science. This is the first time for both of those classes. Previously I have taught Biology and General Science so I am in the middle of trying to create exciting new curriculum for this coming school year. This combined with trying to complete permits for a hawk we are getting, building the hawk's enclosure, training a new animal care volunteer, while running the Nature Center. I really need more staff, but only those who are willing to volunteer. It seems that in recent years there are less people willing to work for free. I understand everyone wants to be paid, but what about the importance of gaining skills, knowledge and experience as a volunteer in your area of interest. I volunteered over 1000 hours while in high school and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. I will come back to this later. For now, the jellyfish are calling (what, you've never heard a jellyfish call?) and I have to go prepare their brine shrimp for the day. Here is a pictures of our moon jellies.

A sigh of relief

2005-09-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Some scientists in Warsaw did a study with rats that showed they would sigh after they received a signal indicating they would not be recieving an electrical tail shock. First, they trained the rats to expect a shock to the tail after a specific signal. Then they introduced a second signal that was followed with a reprieve from the shock. Through many trials they recorded that the rats sighed after hearing the reprieve signal more often than after the "shock" signal. Some people have voiced concerns over this type of treatment stating it is cruelty to animals. While my life is dedicated to taking care of animals I still think some animal research is important. But it is a catch-22 situation. Obviuosly, if no animals were harmed it would be best but think of where we would be without all of the discoveries that have been made in science with the help of our animal friends.

During my time at the zoo, I spent many times talking to people who came to look at the animals. Some people wanted the animals to do something. Others were saddened by the restricted existence of the animals. While I could go on for hours about zoos I will try to stick to my point here (did I mention I like to go off on tangents :) An animal in a cage has limited stimulation. In the wild there are a variety of stimuli to keep the animals active and alert. I think that providing a stimulating environment is beneficial to the animal. While tail shocking isn't pleasant, is it as bad as our emotions make it out to be? The scientist who completed this study stated that the rats were limited in how many shocks per day and were handled and petted both before and after the experiments and showed no signs of aggression. So, while being shocked wasn't fun just how detrimental was it to the rats involved?

The trend in many zoos today is towards multi-species exhibits. This creates new stimulus for the animals through interaction with cagemates, some of which is not pleasant. Many times while caring for captive animals we saw the worst injuries from animals that shared an exhibit. And if you have ever watched the discovery channel you know that life in the wild can be brutal! So my point...my point...its here somewhere.....my point is that we shouldn't abuse animals to develop a new perfume. However, I'd like to thank the cat who took one for me so I wouldn't get polio.

Leap and the net will appear

2005-08-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

This seems to be the story of my life.
I am 35 years old. For the past 6 years I have been a high school science teacher. Recently I returned to my great passion in life, animals. Since the age of 16 I have been immersed in the animal world and even though I have tried things with a *real* job as a teacher I just couldn't shake my animal addiction. Now I am trying my hand at directing a non profit nature center. It has been quite a ride so far, and wouldn't you know it that net just keeps catching me.