The Common Myna

This little bird was all over Oahu!



They were brought over from India in 1865 to control cutworms and army worms, which were destroying the islands' sugarcane crops. But once on the island they started breeding like crazy, forcing out previously established bird populations and spreading Lantana camara, a really aggressive tropical weed that pushes out native plant communities.

Oops!

Back from Oahu!

Aloha! Sorry I've been MIA, I was hoping to write write write once school was over, but I've been busier than I expected! I've been doing awesome stuff though, so no one's complaining. :)

First thing first: I went to Hawaii last week, and had an absolute blast. I stayed on the North Shore of Oahu, the surfing capital of the world, well removed from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and Waikiki. I was able to enjoy a truly spectacular array of natural wonders. Each island is made up of incredible microclimates, al of which can be explored indefinitely! There is never enough time to enjoy and learn about Hawaii's amazing ecosystems!



One thing is undeniable about Oahu: the elements are always in motion. The ocean churns, and is constantly beating against the shores. The clouds are constantly shifting with the winds. The winds rush against the mountains on the Eastern side of the island, pushing up and cooling, condensing into rain. The rain forms rushing streams and waterfalls, eroding and carving dramatic ridges in the face of the towering mountains. The mountains themselves are rich in silica and mineral-saturated, wet earth, and so become covered in ferns trees and becomes rainforest. On the leeward side, the earth is drier, suited for agriculture. The sun shines bright and hot and supports a wealth of life. The water, warm, harbors reefs of unique and pristine beauty. Oahu is an always moving, breathing island, sheltered by the sky, surrounded by the sea, supported by the earth, bathed in rain, and is fueled by the fiery bellows from underground. It is impossible not to feel this energy while you are there, not to have an emotional response that touches your heart!

Ursa Freedom Project & EcoPaparazzi

OK, a big score: My moon bear fundraising video was featured on Animal Asia's website! Sweet! Check it out HERE. It also is featured on a very cool site dedicated to helping the cause for moon bears, called the Ursa Freedom Project (of which I am now a member). I have yet to explore this site thoroughly, but the woman who runs it also invited me to join EcoPaparazzi, another networking site for those sharing a passion to act to preserve and protect the planet. Again, I have yet to explore, but they look like interesting sites. Check them out:

http://ursafreedomproject.ning.com/

http://ecopaparazzi.ning.com/

Hope everyone is well! Summer is finally here for me. Yesterday was my last day teaching 5th grade. It was emotional and bittersweet saying goodbye to the kids, but I am excited for what's to come. Next stop...Hawaii!

Let's Talk Wolves

OK, so I'm about to come clean with all of you. For those who don't know me, I am a huge Twilight Saga fan, and this weekend the trailer for New Moon, the second book of the series, premiered (FINALLY!) at the MTV Movie Awards. OK, so what does this have to do with wildlife? Well, there's wolves in it, for one thing!! Huge, giant, awesome, wolves! Check out the trailer. It is awesome. The movie is going to be awesome.

(The video below is widescreen, so the right third is a bit cut off. Click on the video to follow the link back to YouTube to view it in all its awesome splendor.)



Even though I am totally stoked for the movie, I feel compelled to take this opportunity to share some actual information about the wolf situation in Alaska. Many of you heard about Governor Sarah Palin's aerial wolf killing campaign, which got her a lot of attention during her time as a potential candidate for vice president. While it is touted as a means to keep up a healthy relationship amongst the wildlife of the region, as well as to protect livestock, the campaign is in truth an active measure to control the population of predators so as to maintain a healthy population of elk for human sport hunters.

Many just started hearing about this for the first time, however this practice started in 2003 under the governorship of Frank Murkowski. Huge amounts of money have been invested by hunting lobbyists since then so as to maintain this wonton slaughter. To date, the Defenders of Wildlife have recorded the number of wolves killed since 2003 at 1074, 241 having been killed this season alone.

Wolves have had a long history of oppression in this country. The only way to ensure that their future is a brighter one is by making your voice heard. Speak out for wolves and their right to exist as a part of Alaska's healthy ecosystems, just as they have for thousands of years, by sending a pre-written message, courtesy of Defenders of Wildlife, HERE.

Or, visit eyeonpalin.org for more information.

I Can Breathe!

Well, I never thought I would see the day, but my grad course work is done for the year! Woo hoo! I'm still student teaching full time in the 5th grade class I've been with all semester, but my graduate courses are finito. I can breathe again. And update my blog!

I wanted to share with you something very cool--the CEO, Jill Robinson, of Animals Asia saw my Moon Bear Fundraising Movie and liked it, and today I was contacted by the US Outreach Coordinator who requested permission to post it on the website! Woo hoo! I'm so excited that it will soon be seen by more than just my immediate circle of friends and family. The whole point of that movie was to inspire others to find ways in which to organize and assist conservation organizations. This might be a way to get the word out and make that happen. So exciting!

Here is the final version:



Last awesome point of interest: If you go to Jill's Blog and scroll down a bit, you will see that the Opening of the Double Bear House and Enclosures was attended by two of my favorite women--Dr. Dame Jane Goodall and Maggie Q! I've met Jane Goodall, drove her around last year when she visited the zoo, love and look up to her, have read her books, and I look forward to seeing her this year at WCN. And...but...oh my gosh, Maggie Q! I've been watching her movies since 2004! She rocks! She kicks butt, is beautiful, and puts out consistently good, responsible, messages and energy to the public. Awesome! That must have been an amazing event.

OK, off to bed. Field trip tomorrow to Aquarium of the Bay with my students!

Protect Wildlife!

My Moon Bear Video

This here is a video that I've been working on for the past 6 months or so (it would have taken me a much shorter time if I hadn't had school in the way). Thanks to everyone that contibuted and helped me shoot the thing (I would just ask whoever was around wherever I was at the time to man the camera), and thanks to Eligh and Slug for the star power! :)

Wolves to be Delisted

Wolves no longer protected in Northern Rockies

By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press Writer – Sun May 3, 2:49 pm ET

BILLINGS, Mont. – Wolves in parts of the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region come off the endangered species list on Monday, opening them to public hunts in some states for the first time in decades.

Federal officials say the population of gray wolves in those areas has recovered and is large enough to survive on its own. The animals were listed as endangered in 1974, after they had been wiped out across the lower 48 states by hunting and government-sponsored poisoning.

"We've exceeded our recovery goals for nine consecutive years, and we fully expect those trends will continue," said Seth Willey, regional recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver.

With the delisting, state wildlife agencies will have full control over the animals. States such as Idaho and Montana plan to resume hunting the animals this fall, but no hunting has been proposed in the Great Lakes region.

Ranchers and livestock groups, particularly in the Rockies, have pushed to strip the endangered status in hopes that hunting will keep the population in check.

About 300 wolves in Wyoming will remain on the list because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the state's plan for a "predator zone" where wolves could be shot on sight. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and a coalition of livestock and hunting groups have announced a lawsuit against the federal government over the decision.

Freudenthal, a Democrat, claimed "political expediency" was behind the rejection of his state's wolf plan.
Wolves were taken off the endangered list in the Northern Rockies — including Wyoming — for about five months last year. After environmentalists sued, a federal judge in Montana restored the protections and cited Wyoming's predator zone as a main reason. In the Great Lakes, the animal was off the list beginning in 2007 until a judge in Washington last September ordered them protected again.

Environmental and animal rights groups have also said they planned to sue over the delisting, claiming that there are still not enough wolves to guarantee their survival. The groups point to Idaho's plan to kill up to 100 wolves believed to have killed elk.
"We understand that hunting is part of wildlife policy in the West," said Anne Carlson with the Western Wolf Coalition. "(But) wolves should be managed like native wildlife and not as pests to be exterminated."

The delisting review began under the administration of President George W. Bush and the proposal was upheld by President Barack Obama's administration after an internal review. In a recent letter to several members of Congress, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar wrote that he was "confident that science justifies the delisting of the gray wolf."

Willey said his agency projected there would be between 973 and 1302 wolves in the Northern Rockies under state management, a number well above the 300 wolves set as the original benchmark for the animal's recovery.
More than 1,300 wolves roam the mountains of Montana and Idaho and an estimated 4,000 live in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.