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

Coyotes are wild animals

Today we were driving our car on SW Multnomah Blvd and I saw a real coyote. Dad said that people have been feeding coyotes and that's bad. It's the same with all wild animals. You should never touch them or feed them or they will get used to coming to people for food. They could then hurt people or the pets. If one came near me, I would say "Dude, go away!" so he wouldn't get used to me. If they come near people, then wildlife officers might have to kill them. Here is a picture my mom took of a coyote that went through our backyard earlier this year.

For more information about coyotes in the city, check out http://audubonportland.org/backyardwildlife/brochures/coyote/urbancoyotes

Tryon Creek and Searching for Steelhead

On New Year's Day, we went to Tryon Creek to see the creek and try out my new binoculars that my friend Jack gave me for Christmas.

The water was running really fast. My dad told me that salmon and steelhead needed slow water to lay eggs, and I asked what steelhead were. Steelhead are a kind of trout, but they go to the Ocean like a salmon. Rainbow Trout stay in the fresh water. He said after this hike we could go try to see some steelhead where they fish for them. We didn't see many birds in the forest or animals in the creek. It was very cold and the ground was frozen. There were some frozen tracks in mud next to the creek- maybe coyote tracks. We had some hot chocolate.

Then we picked up my grandpa and went to Meldrum Bar to look for steelhead. Meldrum bar is where the Clackamas River goes into the Willamette river.

There were lots of fishermen but no steelhead were biting. You never know when they are going to bite. You think they might, but they are sneaky and will swim past the hook and pretend not to notice it. Animals can be sneaky so they can get away and last longer. Good day for the steelhead; bad day for the fisherman. For more information about steelhead, go to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/steelheadtrout.htm

Audubon Adventure

Looking for Beavers on Balch Creek

We went to the Audubon Society of Portland this morning. We went on a hike. We didn't actually see a real beaver, but there was a stuffed one in the store. We read a sign that said "keep out- erosion". You don't step there so plants can grow and the dirt doesn't go into the water and down to the ocean.







We saw a vulture named Ruby and there were some hawks there and a store. They were in cages because they broke one of their bones or were hit by a car. The workers were helping fix them up so they could get better and be released into the wild. We saw the hospital, and there was a window we could look in and see the veterinarians helping the birds. They put towels over the birds so they wouldn't get used to people and so they can hunt for food after they are released.

 

There was a big map at the store with white buttons you could press and it would show all the different things in the area like streams and trails. To learn more about the Audubon Society, go to /http://audubonportland.org/

Nature Preschool

Nature preschool is really fun.You learn about nature and there are some teachers named Teacher Wren and Teacher Balsam. They are my favorite teachers because they teach you really cool things about nature. One time they put up a big spiderweb that you could climb up and slide down. They gave out spider costumes so you could be a spider and get bugs. We went up to Mt. Tabor a lot and went on hikes to enjoy nature and we stopped for lunch. I like it and hope that the kids in the rest of the world would go to Nature Preschool. They took some pictures of me to put on the class schedule http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?a=227459&c=38295

Don't Poop in the Creek

Today, I helped the creek by putting poop bags by the creek by my school. I put up a sign too that said, "We Scoop". And that helps the creek because the sign reminds people that they should not let their dogs poop in the creek. It's good to scoop up your dog's poop so that it does not get into the creek. If it gets in the creek, it will wash down-stream and go into the ocean and it will be very bad for the ocean and stream animals. When I go to and from school, I will make sure that there are always bags by the sign, so that the poop will not get into the creek. To learn more and download your own poster about pet waste see www.petwaste.surfacewater.info.