Help the sharks

I love the ocean and sharks. But people are taking their fins and killing them to make soup. Please send an email to the lawmakers to ask them to help protect the sharks.

From Owen's dad:
Around the world shark populations are in decline. One of the main reasons is the practice of shark fining- sharks are caught, their fins cut off, and their bodies dumped back in the ocean. The fins are used primarily for shark fin soup, but consumption of this dish must end in order to help protect the ocean ecosystem that keeps our environment in balance.

Today there is a bill pending in the Oregon State Legislature that would ban the sale, possession, and distribution of shark fins. But it needs a short email from concerned people to move forward. Please send an email to the co-chairs of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to ask them to schedule HB 2838 for a hearing before the end of March. They are:

Brian Clem  rep.brianclem@state.or.us
Bob Jenson  rep.bobjenson@state.or.us

The text of the bill can be found at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/11reg/measures/hb2800.dir/hb2838.intro.html

The most effective emails are just a few sentences asking them to schedule the bill for a public hearing and why this is an important issue.

Volcano Island!

We went to Elk Rock Island this morning. It used to be a volcano, but now it's an island in the Willamette River. We dressed in layers to stay warm and wore boots because it was muddy.

The first time we went here, the river rose and the path we came in on was under water. We had to throw our backpacks across and daddy had to pick me up and walk in the river to get back. We never know when the river is going to come up, so be careful. If you see the river and no rocks, that is not good because then you can't get to the actual island.This time the river was very low, so we made it across.

Here is the channel we had to cross. The reason grass and moss doesn't grow in the channel is the water goes there when it rains. You can see the big tree that got washed here before the water went down.

 

Here I am on a cliff.














 
There's lots of big pools on the island and I heard lots of croaking, but didn't see any frogs. We saw two bald eagles and their nest. The eagle nest was very big and we heard them making eagle sounds. There was also a downy woodpecker on a log in the trail that was looking for bugs.

I had a good time. If you want to see rocks, cliffs, animals, and volcanos you should go.










For more information check out:
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=113&action=ViewPark