2007 Seabird Island OSF Release

Seabird Island's Oregon Spotted frogs were released on 5 & 12 October 2007. In total, 846 frogs were released. 863 tadpoles did not metamorphose and will be over-wintered and released in 2008. 139 frogs were too small to be marked and will be over-wintered with the tadpoles at the husbandry facilities.

07 Aldergrove OSF Release

On 5 October 2007, five adult Oregon Spotted frogs were released back into the wild after being overwintered from 2006 because they had not metamorphosed. They were tested for disease and after proving having no disease, they were brought back to their original habitat in the wild in Aldergrove.

It was exciting to have released these adults, ncie and chubby as they were. We hope to see them again in the future, and hopefully they will breed and make more little Oregon Spotted frogs!

Nitrogen in Manure

How can Nitrogen Affect Water Quality and Human Health?

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and is one of the primary components of manure and commercial fertilizers. However, although nitrogen is very productive when applied to crops, excess nitrogen can have negative impacts in our lakes, rivers, and groundwater.
· Because of its fertilizing properties, nitrogen is a key contributing factor to algae growth in streams and lakes.
· Excess nitrogen in rivers and streams can be toxic to aquatic animals at high levels. This toxicity is due to ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), which is produced at greater rates under conditions that are common where waste spills have occurred (such as low oxygen levels, high pH, and high temperature). Toxic levels of ammonium hydroxide are usually due to pollution from manure and sewage spills, and can result in fish kills and loss of other aquatic organisms.
· Nitrogen pollution also leads to human health concerns about groundwater contamination. Unlike phosphorus, which binds to the soil's surface, nitrogen filters down through the soil easily and can enter drinking wells. Infants less than six months are most susceptible to nitrate poisoning. High nitrate levels in groundwater can reduce the blood's capacity to carry oxygen, causing a fatal condition in infants called "blue baby syndrome." For this same reason, deaths can also occur in livestock that drink from a water supply high in nitrates. Pregnant or nursing women are advised to avoid water with high nitrate levels. Adults with heart or lung disease, certain inherited enzyme defects, or cancer may have increased sensitivity to the toxic effects, and adults with lifetime exposures to high nitrate levels may experience related health issues. The federal safety standard for nitrate is 10 mg/L, and 6.5% of Wisconsin's private wells exceed this safety standard.

How can Nitrogen and Phospherous Levels be Reduced?

For farmers, nutrient management is an integral part of business, and there are important steps that can be taken to reduce their nutrient loss to streams and lakes. The two main ways of reducing the nutrients that enter our waterways from agriculture are 1) decreasing the amount of nutrients applied to the landscape, and 2) preventing spills, runoff, and erosion from transporting those nutrients to our waterways. Decreasing excess nutrients applied to the landscape is the first step necessary for maintaining good water quality.
· Careful nutrient management planning can help farmers determine how much nitrogen and phosphorus is in their manure and how much the crops on each field require to be productive. This planning can help farmers apply only as much nitrogen and phosphorus as their crops will use, preventing excess runoff. In areas that already have phosphorus buildup in the soil or impacted waterways, farmers may need to manage specifically to reduce phosphorus levels.
· One way livestock operators can reduce unnecessary phosphorus in manure is by changing their feed supplements. Phosphorus is typically fed to cattle to ensure reproductive success. However, new research is showing that lower phosphorus levels in feed can be optimal for both maintaining herd health and for cost-effectiveness.

The second important step is to prevent the nutrients that are stored or applied to the land from getting into waterways.
· In many cases, manure should be stored over the winter while the ground is frozen. Because of this, manure storage facilities are a management option often chosen for operations that handle large quantities of manure. Sound construction and maintenance of these storage structures is essential to preventing leaks to groundwater and overflows that can damage nearby streams and lakes.
· Prevention of erosion and runoff is essential for keeping nutrients out of our lakes and streams. Maintaining good plant cover is one of the most effective ways to reduce the amount of soil and phosphorus that runs off into the water. Plant roots stabilize the soil and help reduce erosion. Buffer strips of grasses or trees along stream banks catch runoff and sediments flowing from upland fields and trap them before they enter waterways. Well-vegetated uplands and buffers are critical for water quality.

By following these practices and using good nutrient management planning, farmers can reduce nutrient-rich runoff from their farms and fields. This, combined with steps taken by all of Wisconsin's citizens and businesses, can help protect our beautiful water resources.


Source: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/wm/nps/ag/waterquality.htm

Coliform and Algae

These pictures were taken 19 July 2007 in the Maria slough on Seabird Island. Test results prove that this build up is algae high in coliform. Read on to learn about what this does to waterways.

How can Bacteria and Pathogens from Manure make Water Unsafe?

Manure can contain bacteria and other organisms that can be harmful to humans if they get into our waterways or groundwater. Pathogens can become a problem when manure runs off into lakes where people swim or have other direct bodily contact with the water. If a person or animal swallows water from a contaminated source, illness can result. Contamination can also be a concern in drinking water. Generally, municipal drinking water treatment plants do a good job of sanitizing community water supplies, so municipal drinking water supplies are rarely contaminated from manure. However, private wells can become contaminated by pathogens from manure.

Fecal coliform is generally used as a water quality measure of bacterial contamination. Coliform is a group of bacteria that, while generally harmless, does have strains such as E. coli (Escherichia coli) that can be harmful. E. coli can cause intestinal disorders, as well as other diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever. Another organism found in manure is Cryptosporidium, a single-celled parasite that causes diarrhea and stomach cramps when ingested. Cryptosporidium was responsible for an outbreak in Milwaukee's drinking water system in 1993.

How does Manure in Water Lead to Algae Booms and Kills Fish?

Direct runoff of manure from fields or manure storage facilities that have been inadequately constructed or maintained are important management concerns. If a rain occurs after manure is spread on crop or hay fields, the phosphorus may run off into nearby waterways instead of sinking into the ground. This is especially problematic during the spring, when manure spread over the winter is washed away by the spring snowmelt. Since this manure is delivered directly into waterways, this can be a major contributor of phosphorus to the streams and lakes. Likewise, manure storage facilities need to be structurally sound and have enough capacity to handle the manure generated at the farm, to avoid leaks or overtopping.

As algae blooms grow, the mats that cover the water's surface block out sunlight from the larger plants below. These larger aquatic plants are essential for fish habitat, but can't survive without sunlight and start to die off. Before long, the short-lived algae also start to die, and large masses of dead algae and plant matter begin to decay. As a part of this decomposition process, bacteria are produced that use up oxygen from the water. This has major impacts. Since fish and aquatic insects need the oxygen that is dissolved in water to live, when that oxygen is used up by decaying algae massive fish kills can result, damaging fish populations. All of this decaying material has another unpleasant side effect, too-the odor of rotting algae and fish! All of these effects can turn your favorite stream or swimming hole into a stinking, green mess.

How does Phospherous from Manure Affect Water Quality?

Direct runoff of manure from fields or manure storage facilities that have been inadequately constructed or maintained are important management concerns. If a rain occurs after manure is spread on crop or hay fields, the phosphorus may run off into nearby waterways instead of sinking into the ground. This is especially problematic during the spring, when manure spread over the winter is washed away by the spring snowmelt. Since this manure is delivered directly into waterways, this can be a major contributor of phosphorus to the streams and lakes. Likewise, manure storage facilities need to be structurally sound and have enough capacity to handle the manure generated at the farm, to avoid leaks or overtopping.

Direct access of livestock to streams and ponds can also be a problem if the streambank is not well vegetated. Not only do cattle and hogs "direct deposit" manure into the water, they can also overgraze and trample streambanks, leading to erosion problems. Trampled banks also damage fish habitat, destroying overhangs used for shelter and compacting stream bottoms that are used for spawning and feeding.

An important characteristic of phosphorus that has significant implications for water quality is its tendency to bind to soil particles. Because of this, when phosphorus is applied to fields it stays relatively immobilized and stable on land as long as the soil remains intact. However, when land suffers from erosion, soil is washed into waterways and the phosphorus attached to it is then released into the water. Once phosphorus enters the water, the algae bloom cycle begins. Because of this process, erosion and runoff are key issues that need to be addressed for good phosphorus management.

Western Toads

These are pictures I took of Western toads in Laidlaw, BC. They were taken approximately June 2006.

Scientific name: Bufo boreas.

These frogs can be picked out from a crowd because of their light colored stripe right down their backs. Their 'warts' may be reddish and are surrounded by black marks. Remember, 'wart's are actually glands that hold poison which they release when something tries to eat them.

The call of the Western toad almost sounds like the peeping of little chicks. This species is classed as Special Concern.

Egg masses are laid in bead-like strings, holding approximately 17,000 eggs! They breed from April to June.

For more information on Western toads, visit:

http://www.carcnet.ca/english/tour/glossary/wtoad/wtoad2.htm

http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/search/speciesDetails_e.cfm?SpeciesID=748

Red-legged Frogs

I took these pictures 13 September 2007 at the Greater Vancouver Zoo husbandry. These are both Red-legged froglets. They will be released back into the wild after proven healthy and marking.

The scientific name for Red-legged frog is Rana aurora. Rana being the family of 'True frogs', and cousin to the Oregon Spotted frog. The Red-legged frog looks almost identical to the Oregon Spotted frog and is mistaken for one another often. However, there are some noticable differences between the two.

Red-legged frogs webbing do not extend to the end of the toe like the Oregon Spotted frog. The eyes on the Red-legged frogs look out to the side while the Oregon Spotted frogs look almost directly up. The call is different with both species.

Some of the differences are:

They both have a light stripe on the jaw. They both lay between 500-700 eggs per egg mass at about the same time (Feb-March). Egg masses are very difficult to tell apart unless laid in the traditional manner. Red-legged frogs lay their eggs attached to submerged vegetation, however, after awhile, these masses will rise to the surface of the water. Oregon Spotted frogs will lay their egg masses in tight, communal groups on the surface of the water. Red-legged frogs can be found outside of the water, while Oregon Spotted frogs are rarely seen period.

For more information on Red-legged frogs, visit:

http://www.carcnet.ca/english/tour/glossary/r-lfrog/r-lfrog2.htm

http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/search/speciesDetails_e.cfm?SpeciesID=566

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America. It stands three to four feet tall and has a wing span of seven feet. The bills are a yellowish color and the legs are green. Great blue herons have gray upper bodies, and their necks are streaked with white, black and rust-brown. They have grey feathers on the back of their necks with chestnut colored feathers on their thighs. The males have a puffy plume of feathers behind their heads and also tend to be slightly larger than females. In flight, the head is held close to and aligned with the body by a downward bend in the long neck. The long legs trail behind. This bird flies with strong deliberate wing beats.

Habitat

Great blue herons always live near sources of water, including rivers, lake edges, marshes, saltwater seacoasts, and swamps. They usually nest in trees or bushes that stand near water, breeding at elevations of up to 1,500 m.

Behavior

The great blue heron migrates in the fall, although some stay in the northern part of their range. The great blue heron usually tucks its head into an S shape when its resting and flying.

Diet

The great blue heron fishes for food during the day and at night. It stands in shallow water or at waters edge and waits for prey like frogs and fish to pass by and then it grabs them with its long bill. It also eats salamanders, lizards, snakes, turtles, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers, aquatic insects and occasionally birds and small mammals like mice.

Life Cycle

The female great blue heron lays two to seven pale blue eggs on a bulky nest made of sticks and twigs and lined with a soft material. The nest is usually in a tall tree, but it may be built in the reeds or a cliff edge. They usually breed in colonies close to lakes or wetlands, often with other species of herons. These groups are called ’heronry’ (more accurately than ’rookery’). The eggs hatch in about a month and the chicks will fledge when they are about two months old. Great blue herons nest in colonies. They usually nest in the same spot from year-to-year. They may even use the same nest. Both parents feed the young by regurgitating food.

Burrowing Owl

The Burrowing owl, iccasionally called "Ground owl", is a grayish brown, round-headed owl lacking ear tufts. It has long slim legs and a short tail, and is smallish, about the size of a pigeon. The adults have a white abdomen with brown bars that are lacking on the young, which have a rusty throat instead. The Burrowing owl is active both day and night, and may be seen standing erect on the ground, though its small size and earth-colored plumage makes it difficult to spot. Burrowing owls are able to live for at least 9 years in the wild and over 10 years in captivity. Being one of the smallest owl species, Burrowing owls weigh only five or six ounces and are about 10 inches tall.

Habitat

The Burrowing owl requires treeless plains largely free of visual obstructions, such as grasslands grazed by livestock. It uses burrows abandoned by ground-dwelling mammals (e.g., badgers, gophers and prairie dogs) for nesting, roosting and caching food. Short or sparse vegetation and permanent cover are preferred around the burrows. Grasslands with thicker vegetation support the small mammals that they eat. Thus the owls need a mosaic of grass densities to successfully breed. The species is sometimes found on roadsides and crop lands and in urban areas where mowing keeps expanses of grass short.

Food

Burrowing owls mostly eat small mammals such as moles and mice during late spring and early
summer. Later they switch to insects, especially grasshoppers and beetles. They also prey on birds, amphibians and reptiles.

Behavior

Unlike most owls that only hunt at night, burrowing owls also hunt during the day. In October, they migrate to a warmer climate. Burrowing owls make a tremulous chuckling or chattering call. In summer they are active day and night.

Offspring

These owls inhabit their breeding grounds from April to September. Burrowing owls often nest in loose colonies about 100 yards apart. They lay 3 to 12 eggs in their underground nest from mid-May to early June. The female incubates the clutch for about 28 days while the male provides her with food. The young owls begin appearing at the burrows entrance two weeks after hatching and leave the nest to hunt for insects on their own after about 45 days. The chicks can fly well at 6 weeks old. Eggs and young in the nest are susceptible to predators such as snakes, badgers, skunks, foxes, cats and weasels. In addition many young starve to death
because the male is not able to deliver enough food to the nest. The family breaks up in August, when the young disperse over the prairies.

Threats

They are often killed by vehicles when crossing roads, and have many natural enemies, including badgers, coyotes, and snakes. They are also killed by feral and domestic cats and dogs.

Did You Know... (Recycling)

Did You Know...
It's hard to believe that babies- so small and innocent- are responsible for 2.5% of all residential waste going into the landfills! Yes, in Canada we throw away 1.7 billion dispoable diapers every year. And the manufacture of disposable diapers in Canada consumes approximately 65, 500 tonnes of pulp, 8,800 tonnes of plastic and 9,800 tonnes of packing material. Cloth diapers are a greener alternative. If you don't want to wash diapers, consider a diaper service.

Plastic
Plactics account for 7% of the total weight of a typical landfill. In fact, Canadians take home more than 55 million plastic bags a week! Many plastics are fully recyclable like HDPE and PET. New, interesting products are being made from empty detergent bottles, milk jugs and other plastic refuse. For example, recycled PET is used to make fabric, insulation for sleeping bags and ski jackets; clothing such as T-shirts and uniforms; furniture; luggage; and carpet. And it is used in business equipment and supplies, such as overhead transparencies, covers, briefcases, 3-ring binders, erasable wall planners, chairs, bookmarks, computer bags and business cards. Recycled HDPE is used to make irrigation pipes, garden hoses and plastic trays for greenhouse plants.

Electrical Waste
As newer and more advanced computer, phones and entertainment equipment keep arriving on the market, older models begin to pile up in landfills. More than 140,000 tonnes of computer equipment, phones, televisions, stereos and small home appliances accumulate in Canadian landfills each year. That's equivalent to the weight of about 28,000 adult African elephants!

The amount of electrical waste is becoming a growing problem for municipalities.

All of this electrical waste does more than just take up land and space- it poses a risk to human health and the environment. Lead, cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals found in electronic equipment need to be properly managed to avoid polluting land and waterways.

Land filling electronic waste is also a lost opportunity because these products normally contain recyclable aluminum, ferrous metals and copper. In 1999, it is estimated that discarded personal computers along contained 4,400 tonnes of ferrous metal, 3,050 tonnes of aluminum and 1,500 tonnes of copper. In 2004, Alberta Environment estimated that more than 190,000 televisions and 90,000 desktop computers were discarded from Alberta households.

Other Recycling Tips

Clinical Waste

• Clinical waste such as nappies, sanitary waste and medical supplies have the potential to be infectious so must be disposed of using special methods.
• Be careful when disposing of needles and syringes.
• Look for doctors or manufacturer instructions of how to dispose of medical waste on the packaging containers.
• Medicine containers can be recycled accordingly once it is empty.
• Such companies are currently implementing clinical waste treatment schemes, such as Medical Waste Solutions, LTD.

Paint or Oil

• Waste of paint, paintbrushes, car oil and oil filters have to be carefully disposed of, as they can be very damaging to the environment.
• Don't pour oil or paint down the drain.
• Donate unwanted paints and varnishes, as others can reuse them.
• Look for disposal or recycling instructions on the packaging of the product.
• Civic amenity sites often take engine oil for recycling.
• Buy products in bulk whenever possible to reduce packaging waste.
• Use eco-friendly alternatives whenever possible.

Vehicle Recycling

• Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
• Try and fix your vehicle instead of throwing it away.
• Sell unwanted vehicles.
• Report abandonded vehicles to your local council for removal.
• Engine oil can be recycled at civic amenity sites.

Wood

• Take wood to civic amenity sites for recycling.
• Wood can often be reused to make other items, such as a bird table for your garden.
• Wood can often be added to your compost bin, such as saw dust and wood shavings.
• Buy Recycled wood whenever possible.

Clothes

• Donate old clothes to charity shops or take them to a jumble sale.
• Only donate clothes that are still usable.
• Old clothes can be used to make other textile items, such as cushion covers or cleaning cloths.
• When donating shows, make sure they are tied together so they don't separate.

Electrical Equipment

• Most electrical equipment can be reused or broken down into parts.
• If the electrical equipment is still in full working order, sell it in a car boot sale or donate it to a charity shop.
• Contact your retailer as they may take back old products.
• Always try to repair items rather than throwing them away, others may find a use for the item when you no longer want it.
• Try to buy electrical items that have a long life span.

Furniture

• Donate usable furniture to charity shops, schools, community centers, friends or neighbors.
• Sell furniture at garage sales or in auctions.
• Clean and repair broken furniture before you sell/donate it.

What Can Be Recycled?

• Newsprint.
• Magazines.
• Office and computer paper.
• Juice boxes.
• Aluminum and tin cans.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Boxboard containers (cereal and shoe boxes).
• Flattened corrugated cardboard boxes.
• Milk cartons and jugs.
• Plastic containers.
• Plastic bags.

Steel

• Recycling Steel from construction products, vehicles and mechanical equipment can save a lot of energy pollution.
• One tonne of recycled steel saves 1.4 tonnes of iron ore and 3.6 barrels of oil.
• It takes four times as much energy to make steel from virgin ore as it does to make it from scrap.
• A stell mill using recycled scrap reduces related water pollution, air pollution and mining wastes by 70%.
• Recycled steel cans are used to make new steel cans. Scrap metal can easily be recycled into a wide range of new products.

Battery Recycling

• All waste batteries are classified as hazardous waste and recycling is always the best option.
• Ordinary household batteries do contain some harzardous chemicals so ideally should not be thrown out with the day to day rubbish.
• Rechargeable batteries contain harmful metals, so should never be thrown away with daily rubbish, they should be returned to manufacturer for disposal or recycled elsewhere.
• Contact the battery manufacturer for further recycling advice.
• Ordinary batteries require a lot of energy to make, so in order to savew energy, use rechargeable batteries and electricity mains instead of ordinary batteries.
• Rechargeable batteries are the most environmentally friendly option as can last up to several hundred charging cycles resulting in less waste being produced.

Metal Recycling

Aluminum and Steel

• Metal is usually separated into two groups: aluminum and steel.
• You can test which metal your waste is by using a magnet. Aluminum metal is non-magnetic whereas steel is magnetic.
• There may be a symbol, such as a alu mark, on the product to indicate what metal it is made from.
• Drink cans are usually made from aluminum and food cans are usually made from steel.
• Deposit used cans at your local recycling bank.
• Make sure drink and food cans are clean before recycling.
• Aerosol containers can be recycled, but only when they are completely empty.
• Metallic plastic film, such as chocolate wrappers, cannot be recycled.

Did you know that a littered aluminum can will take 300 years to break down on its own? By recycling aluminum cans, we save landfill space as well as energy. For example, it takes 95% less energy to produce new aluminum from discarded aluminum cans than from raw materials.

Paper Recycling

Paper is separated into the following groups:

• Magazines.
• Newspapers.
• Office paper.
• Cardboard.
• Phone directories.

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• Deposit used paper at your local recycling bank.
• Only recycle gummed paper if specified, such as envelopes and stickers.
• Reduce paper waste by cancelling unwanted deliveries, or read news online as opposed to buying the newspapers.
• Put a "no junk-mail please" sign on your letter box to reduce unwanted mail.
• Reuse paper around the home as scrap paper or packing material.
• Set your printer to print on both sides of the paper.
• Buy recycled paper whenever possible.

Recycling one tonne of newspaper saves: 19 trees, 3 cubic meters of landfill, 4000 kilowatt hours of energy, 29000 liters of water and 30 kg of air pollution effluent. Recycled newsprint can be made into new newspaper, kitty litter, shingles for houses, absorbent for oil spills and insulation. Products made from recycled cardboard use 25% of the energy and create half as much pollution as making them from new materials.

Composting

Composting is an excellent way to recycle kitchen and garden waste. It is very easy to build your own compost bin to help your garden grow. Composting is the decomposition of materials that originated from animals and plants. These organic materials can be things such as plant trimmings, vegetable cuttings, eggshells and teabags. The composting process produces a dark, crumbly matter that can be used as fertilizer in garden soil. The main stages of composting are:

• Adding organic materials to compost bin.
• Micro-organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, break down the soft material.
• This causes the compost pile to heat to around 60°C. This is the ideal temperature for micro-organisms to work at.
• The compost pile then cools to below 30°C.
• Small creatures such as worms and insects then break down the tougher material.
• The whole process usually takes about 3-9 months, and results in a nutrient-rich fertilizer to use in your garden.
• The compost that is ready to use can be taken from the bottom of the pile, leaving the rest to finish the process.

How to Build a Compost Bin

• You can buy a compost bin or build your own. Compost bins are usually sold at gardening stores.
• Build a compost bin by creating a frame out of wood and attach it to the ground using posts.
• Your compost bin should be able to hold about 200-300 liters, try and use a bin with a lid to keep out the rain.
• The compost bin should be placed in a well-lit and well-drained area of the garden.
• Try and keep the compost bin out of the wind.
• Improve drainage by breaking up the soil underneath the compost bin.

What to Add to Your Compost Bin:

• Hair and fur.
• Shredded paper.
• Straw and hay.
• Animal bedding and sawdust.
• Crushed eggshells.
• Grass and plant cuttings.
• Raw fruit and vegetable trimmings.
• Teabags and coffee granules.
• Horse manure.
• Leaves.

What NOT to Add to Your Compost Bin:

• Meat or fish.
• Coal ash.
• Animal waste.
• Nappies and used tissues.
• Dairy products.
• Cooked foods.
• Colored or treated paper.
• Chemically treated wood.
• Diseased plants.
• Persistent weeds.

Glass Recycling Tips

Glass

• Deposit glass at your nearest recycling bank by throwing them into the appropriate container.
• Many supermarkets have glass recycling banks, enabling you to recycling glass on your weekly shop.
• Make sure you wash out the bottle or jar before putting it into recycling bins.
• Reuse glass whenever possible. Jars can be used as small conatiners and bottles can be used as vases.

Glass containers can be recycled again and again. However, each year in Canada, six million tonnes of glass are thrown away. A littered glass bottle will take a whopping one million years to break down! And for every tonne of new glass that needs to be produced, 12.6 kg of air pollution is created; recycling glass reduces that pollution by 14-20%. To put it in perspective, one recycled glass bottle saves enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for four hours!

Mountain Caribou

There are three main types of caribou in Canada. They are called “woodland caribou” if they live in the forest, “barren-ground caribou” if they live in the arctic tundra, and “mountain caribou” if they live in mountainous regions. Caribou have large hooves, which are about as wide as they are long and the dew claws (the back part of the hooves) touch the ground when walking. These large round hooves allow the caribou to distribute their weight more evenly and walk on packed snow. Caribou are the only member of the deer family in which both sexes have antlers, Males shed their antlers following the fall breeding season (young males retain their antlers longer than mature males). Pregnant females shed their antlers soon after the calves are born in the spring. Non-pregnant females shed their antlers during the winter. They are considered one of the most endangered mammals in North America.

Life Cycle
Baby mountain caribou are born in May, and stay with their mom for at least one year. They can run faster than a adult human when they are only one day old. Male caribou live about 7 to 8 years. Females live slightly longer, to 10 or more years. These are very general numbers. Every animal faces its own set of situations that lead to a shorter or longer life. If a caribou lives in a herd that is in decline (getting smaller over the years), it probably will have a shorter life than a caribou in a healthy, or expanding herd. Also, many caribou die within the first year after they are born, and never reach adult age.

Diet
During approximately 6 months of the year, mostly during the winter months, caribou subsist only on a diet of arboreal (i.e. growing on tree branches) lichens. This is unique within the deer family. During the non-winter months, caribou also forage on shrubs, grasses and sedges.

Threats
Logging causes problems not only because it destroys their habitat, but also because moose and deer move into logged areas to eat grass and brush that grows in clear cuts. Wolves and cougars then move in to hunt the moose and deer. The wolves and cougars find the mountain caribou and chase them into the clear cuts. Caribou can’t move around very well in clear cuts so they make an easy catch. Snowmobiles and skiers also present challenges with the noise and
increased activity. It can kill caribou by forcing them to abandon their habitat. It is believed that increased human access into caribou habitat, changes in the balance of predators, poaching, and early logging in sensitive habitat may have contributed to their decline.

Facing Extinction
Scientists believe that at least 10,000 mountain caribou existed historically in BC, but the exact number may have been even larger. Today only 1,670 mountain caribou remain. The number of mountain caribou is decreasing because both their low-elevation (summer) and high-elevation (winter) forest homes are being logged. After decades of logging, the low-elevation old growth forests are almost gone.

Vancouver Island Marmot

The Vancouver Island Marmot is a small, burrow-dwelling mammal. It is herbivorous and hibernates during the winter. The fur is chocolate brown with a white patch on the muzzle, a black patch on the rump, and white spots on the abdomen. They weigh 6.6-14.3 pounds. The highest count in 1998 was 71 individuals, compared to 102 in 1997 and 235 in 1984.

At least five of the larger colonies have suffered extinction in the last few years, and the number of individuals has declined at several other colonies. In 1999, crews counted 57 animals in the wild. The year 2000 population estimated 36 marmots in the wild and 40 in captivity. They only occur on Vancouver Island and they are one of the worlds most endangered mammal.

Life Cycle
The Vancouver Island Marmot is a small, burrow-dwelling mammal. It is herbivorous and hibernates during the winter. The fur is chocolate brown with a white patch on the muzzle, a black patch on the rump, and white spots on the abdomen. They weigh 6.6-14.3 pounds. The highest count in 1998 was 71 individuals, compared to 102 in 1997 and 235 in 1984. At least five of the larger colonies have suffered extinction in the last few years, and the number of
individuals has declined at several other colonies. In 1999, crews counted 57 animals in the wild. The year 2000 population estimated 36 marmots in the wild and 40 in captivity. They only occur on Vancouver Island and they are one of the worlds most endangered mammal.

Habitat
The marmots inhabit alpine and sub-alpine areas characterized by steep slopes,
meadows, and rocky debris at bases of cliffs. The natural habitat provides grasses and forbs to eat, colluvial soil for constructing burrows, and microclimatic conditions suitable for foraging, and successful hibernation. Steep slopes are preferred because avalanches clear them of snow in spring, thereby permitting early foraging. Avalanches also inhibit tree growth, allowing food plants favored by marmots to flourish. Juvenile survival in clear cuts is evidently lower than at natural sites. Lifetime reproductive rates are lower in logged areas.

Diet
The marmots inhabit alpine and sub-alpine areas characterized by steep slopes,
meadows, and rocky debris at bases of cliffs. The natural habitat provides grasses and forbs to eat, colluvial soil for constructing burrows, and microclimatic conditions suitable for foraging, and successful hibernation. Steep slopes are preferred because avalanches clear them of snow in spring, thereby permitting early foraging. Avalanches also inhibit tree growth, allowing food plants favored by marmots to flourish. Juvenile survival in clear cuts is evidently lower than at natural sites. Lifetime reproductive rates are lower in logged areas.

Threats
The overall effect of forestry has been to concentrate the marmot population in a small geographic area. This makes them more vulnerable to predators (golden eagles, cougars, wolves), disease, and changes in vegetation and climate (i.e., snowfall, snow pack, temperature, and rainfall). Reintroduction of captive-bred marmots to former sites could enable the species'
recovery.

Frog Fun Facts

General
*There is evidence that frogs have roamed the Earth for more than 200 million years, at least as long as the dinosaurs.
*The world’s largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa- it can grow 15 inches and weight up to 7 pounds.
*One of the smallest is the Cuban tree toad, which grows to half an inch long.
*While the life spans of frogs in the wild are unknown, frogs in captivity have been known to live more than 20 years.
*There are over 4, 900 species of frogs worldwide. Scientists continue to search for new ones and estimate that more than 1, 000 frog species have yet to be described
*Toads are frogs- the word “toad” is usually used for frogs that have warty and dry skin, and shorter hind legs

Frog Physiology
*Frogs have excellent night vision and are very sensitive to movement. The bulging eyes of most frogs allow them to see in front, to the sides, and partially behind them. When a frog swallows food, it pulls its eyes down into the roof on its mouth, to help push the food down its throat.
*Frogs were the first land animals with vocal cords. Male frogs have vocal sacs- pouches of the skin that fill with air. These balloons resonate sounds like a megaphone, and some frog sounds can be heard from a mile away.

Locomotion
*Launched by their long legs, many frogs can leap more than 20 times their body length.
Surviving Extremes.
*Like all amphibians, frogs are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures change with the temperature of their surroundings. When temperatures drop, some frogs dig burrows until spring, completely still and scarcely breathing.
*The wood frog can live north of the Arctic Circle, surviving for weeks with 65% of its body frozen. This frog uses glucose in its body as a kind of antifreeze that concentrates in its vital organs, protecting them from damage while the rest of the body freezes solid.

Mating and Hatching
*Almost all frogs fertilize the eggs outside of the female’s body. The male holds the female around the waist in a mating hug called the amplexus. He fertilizes the eggs as the female lays them. Amplexus can last for hours or days- one pair of Andean toads stayed in amplexus for four months.
*The marsupial frog keeps her eggs in a pouch like a kangaroo. When the eggs hatch into tadpoles, she opens the pouch with her toes and spills them into the water.
*The gastric brooding frog of Australia swallows her fertilized eggs. The tadpoles remain in her stomach for up to eight weeks, finally hopping out of her mouth as little frogs. During the brooding period, gastric secretions cease- otherwise she would digest her own offspring.

Save Energy

Energy is one of the most fundamental parts of our universe. We use energy to do work. Energy lights our cities. Energy powers our vehicles, trains, planes and rockets. Energy warms our homes, cooks our food, plays our music, and gives us pictures on television. Energy powers machinery in factories and tractors on a farm. Energy from the sun gives us light during the day. It dries our clothes when they're hanging outside on a clothes line. It helps plants grow. Energy stored in plants is eaten by animals, giving them energy. And predator animals eat their prey, which gives the predator animal energy. Everything we do is connected to energy in one form or another. Energy is defined as: “the ability to do work.”When we eat, our bodies transform the energy stored in the food into energy to do work. When we run or walk, we "burn" food energy in our bodies. When we think or read or write, we are also doing work. Many times it's really hard work! Cars, planes, light bulbs, boats and machinery also transform energy into work.

We really can Change the World by changing just on light bulb. If each household changed one standard bulb for one compact fluorescent bulb, we could:
· Reduce energy use by up to 616 million kilowatt hours of electricity in one year.
· Save $74.7 million a year on household electricity bills.
· Reduce garbage by keeping up to a billion (yes, a billion) bulbs out of the trash. Each fluorescent bulb can last up to 10 times longer than an ordinary bulb, so think of all those bulbs that won't be thrown away.
· Keep 974 million pounds of carbon dioxide or CO2 out of the environment. CO2 is the most common gas that contributes to global warming. That's 450 pounds of CO2 saved from the atmosphere with each fluorescent bulb. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are produced by the power plants that light your home.
· If every household changed just one bulb, it would be about the same as:
* Removing 85,000 cars from the roads for one year.
* Filling 32.5 billion basketballs with CO2. Placed side by side, the basketballs would stretch for 4.6 million miles.

Quick Energy Saving Tips
· Set your thermostat comfortably
low in the winter and comfortably
high in the summer. Install a
programmable thermostat that is
compatible with your heating and
cooling system.
· Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
· Air dry dishes instead of using your
dishwasher’s drying cycle.
· Turn off your computer and monitor
when not in use.
· Plug home electronics, such as TVs
and DVD players, into power strips;
turn the power strips off when the
equipment is not in use (TVs and
DVDs in standby mode still use
several watts of power).
· Lower the thermostat on your
hot water heater to 120°F.
· Take short showers instead of baths.
· Wash only full loads of dishes and
clothes.
· Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving
(speeding, rapid acceleration and
braking) wastes gasoline.
· Look for the ENERGY STAR® label
on home appliances and products.
ENERGY STAR products meet strict
efficiency guidelines set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and
the U.S. Department of Energy.

Frog Bread

I found this recipe on the internet one day and I've made the bread quite a few times. It is very good.

The Dough
6 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/4-1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/4-1/2 cup water

Mix together all of the dry ingredients. Mix in the milk and enough water to make everything form a doughy ball. Turn the ball out onto a flat surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Return it into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 90 minute until the dough has doubled in size.

Shaping the Frog
First, take a large chunk of the dough and form it into a ball. Squish one end of it to make it a bit oblong. This forms the body of the frog.
Next add the legs. Make a smaller ball of dough, cut it in half, and set each half behind the frog to form the rear legs. Make a small disc of dough and cut it in half, then cut some toe wedges to form the rear feet. The front feet are just tubes of dough that were slit to create toes.
The Eyes are just two small balls of dough. Push a couple raisins in them to make ‘googly eyes’.
A slit across the front makes a mouth.

All set. Cover the frog loosely with a towel and let it rise for an hour.

Baking
After an hour of rising, preheat the oven to 350º Celsius. Right before putting the frog in the oven, coat it with an egg wash. This is just a raw egg scrambled up and then brushed over the dough. This gives the finished bread a beautiful, shiny coating.
Bake on 350º for 45 minutes.

Note: Add green food coloring to the
water/milk before you mix it in with the dry ingredients and you’ll end up with a green frog!

The first picture is before the frog bread is put in the oven. The second is the finished product. Isn't it awesome?

Oregon Spotted Frog Details

Did you know that Seabird Island’s own Maria Slough is home to the rarest frog in Canada?
The name Rana pretiosa comes from the Latin language. Rana meaning true frog and pretiosa meaning precious. Therefore, precious true frog!

Description:
The Oregon Spotted Frog is a medium size frog, no longer than 4 inches. The adult frogs can vary in color from reddish-brown, brown to tan on top. The inside of the back legs can be reddish or golden. The juvenile’s are olive green or light brown. Tadpoles are a brownish-green. Adults have a narrow, pointed snout, upturned eyes, and a light colored stripe on the upper lip. They also have black spots with light centers. The female frog is bigger then the male frog. The male has larger thumbs, which are used to grab on and hold the female.

The Oregon Spotted frog looks a lot like the more common Red-legged frog which you will often see in Maria Slough and surrounding ponds. They both have red or golden color on the inside of the back legs and their coloration on top is similar. They are quite difficult to tell apart. The differences in their appearances are subtle. For example, when holding the Oregon Spotted frog in your hand and looking directly down at it, the eyes seem to look right up at you; whereas, the eyes of the Red-legged frog tend to look to the side. The webbing extends to the end of the longest toe of the Oregon Spotted frog while it stops about half way down the toe of a Red-legged frog.

Reproduction:
Breeding time is late February to March. The male will be 2 years old before he is ready to breed, a female will be 3 years old. The male will congregate in one area and call to the female. When a female is ready to breed, she will move towards the calling male. These frogs will go to the same spot every year to breed. The male will grab the female around the waist in a mating hug called the amplexus. He will release sperm into the water to fertilize the eggs as the female lays them directly into the water. The egg masses are laid communally in tight groups. Egg masses contain approximately 500-700 eggs. A female will lay one egg mass per year. Hatching takes 14-28 days depending on water temperatures. In three-four months, the tadpoles will metamorphose into little froglets.

Food:
Adults will eat small insects, beetles, ants, spiders, flies, and water striders. Tadpoles eat algae and decaying vegetation.
Did you know that frogs eyes help push food down their throats?

Population declines:
The Oregon Spotted Frog populations have declined all over the world. There are only three places left in Canada where these frogs occur. These three sites are Aldergrove, Agassiz and Seabird Island.
Causes of declines:
· Habitat destruction
· Introduced species that compete or eat them (e.g. Bullfrog)
· Chemical pollution
· Climate changes
· Epidemic diseases
· Invasive vegetation

What do frogs do for us?
Frogs eat untold millions of insects each year making them economically valuable to agriculture. They also provide a critical food source for birds, fish, snakes, and other wildlife. But the most important contribution frogs make may be their role as environmental indicators. When pollution or other environmental changes affect a habitat, frogs are often the first casualties. These delicate creatures provide an early warning for endangered ecosystems.

Habitat:
This species requires large warm-water marshes, with lots of vegetation. Shallow pools and small floodplain wetlands associated with permanent water bodies are important habitat features. It is unknown as to where these frogs over winter.

Keena in the Field

This is a picture of me in the field processing an amphibian that we caught using collapsable minnow traps. This was in Aldergrove in May 2007. The traps were set in hopes of catching and removing Bullfrogs from the wetland as well as to see if we can catch an Oregon Spotted frog, just to let us know they are still there. Unfortunately, we did not get lucky and catch an OSF, but we did remove alot of Bullfrogs and get to see a bunch of salamanders and newts.

2007 Outreach programs

We play games with students to teach them about species at risk in a fun way. Giving them dip nets let them explore the water and the creatures that live within. The students really enjoy this stuff, and they learn at the same time!

Outreach Program 2006

We do outreach programs often with the local school and community. We take students to the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society in Greendale or one of our Oregon Spotted frog sites. We set up different programs for them to learn wetland importance, different animals, etc.

Bullfrog Tadpoles

In June 2006, while in the Okanagan- we set traps and caught Bullfrog tadpoles and adults. We caught all different stages of tadpoles. I found these very interesting and they look cool. We try to remove as much Bullfrog tadpoles from the wetlands as possible because they are exotic and invasive- they eat all our native frogs.

OSF + Red-legged frog

In March 2006, while in the field, Dennis Knopp (field naturalist) and I found a Oregon Spotted frog and a Red-legged frog in amplexus in the mud. It was a male Oregon Spotted frog and a female Red-legged frog. Carefully, we took pictures and set them into the water.


The next day, we checked the pond where we found them, but they were not seen nor were there any new egg masses.