SEA OTTER AND KELP FORESTS

Tom Mangelsen and I have worked together for more than 20 years now.

He is without doubt, the best wildlife photographer on the planet.

I say this mainly because of how his images portray animals

naturally

beautifully

and with all the respect needed. Pau.

I get to share his photos with kids.

I do this in books with Tom's photos and when I talk story with kids.

So, I get to see the response from kids.

They love Tom's photos so much

and no matter where they live,

they can embrace images of their favorite animal,

get to know them better,

and

more importantly,

grow to love and gain responsibility for that favorite animal.

I hear their passionate concerns for whales, dolphins, bears, sea otters......

And here you see a wonderful rendition by Hannah, of an otter

based on seeing Tom's photos.

Hannah may have never seen a wild otter,

but she saw Tom's photo of an otter in the wild.

And, she got it!

I have this original and would not part with it for two million dollars.

Offer three million and we will see,

donating all to helping make sure otters

have the kelp forests they need for the future.

Check out a new and wonderful kelp forest project

at the new otter habitat link!

Thank you Hannah! 

KLOOMACHIN

You may call them Orca or Killer Whale

To the S'Klallam who have known them for centuries,

They are Kloomachin.

No matter what you call them, they are an

Endangered Species in Puget Sound

where they carry heavy loads of pollutants such as PCB and PBDE,

chemicals that can cause interference with reproduction and immune response.

A serious problem for the whales

has to do with actions on land that harm salmon runs.

Salmon are a major prey of Orcas

and have declined, some also being listed as endangered or threatened.

Habitat loss, poorly managed hatcheries, and overfishing

all contrubute to salmon losses.

Watch for an exciting project, 80 Orcas

which is aimed at educating about how you can help

the whales.

Artwork by Sue Coccia

Edmonds, Washington

CLEANER WRASSE AND PARROT FISH

John Hoover devotes his life to photographing

Underwater Worlds.

He generously gifts his images like this to help us understand and appreciate

FISH.

The larger fish is a parrot.

Chomps algae and coral to create sandy beaches.

This is a well known and often stated connection in coral reef ecology.

Parrot fish are critical to coral survival. Coral is critical to parrot fish survival.

So too, the tiny Cleaner Wrasse.

That is the little bugger of purple and gold.

It is curled near the bigger fish, but often is seen darting into mouths of

bigger fish like Ulua and Surgeons.

The Cleaner Wrasse stations itself at a location on the reef.

Bigger fish come over and get cleaned of parasites

and stuff caught between their teeth.

Like my dental hygenist, Jeannie, they serve a most important role.

A couple weeks ago I was snorkeling on Kauai at a favorite spot.

It had been maybe three years since I had seen a cleaner wrasse here....

My friend Tom was along and I had told him about how the wrasse had

been there....always. For years and years.

Much to my delight, there were TWO cleaners working the little shelf

where I first saw them twenty years ago.

So, maybe they can come back if we take care of the reefs?

Most important to remember ---

ALL parts, ALL species must be there

to make it all work right. To be Pono.

Thanks to John Hoover for his tireless work

educating us with his books and more.

Be sure to see his

The Ultimate Guide to

Hawaiian

Reef Fishes

22,000 POLAR BEARS

22,000

Today, this is the number of Polar Bears thought to live on earth.

That's about the population of Glendale, Arizona or Niagara, New York.

Not many.

Some with good knowledge of changes in Arctic habitat say

ALL Polar Bears on earth will vanish,

become extinct

in 100 years.

If you would like a 22,000 Polar Bear Poster to begin the count down

and to begin changes to turn this all around,

comment.

Fred The Monkey noted.

There are no Polar Bears in Copenhagen this week.

There are oil companies and others with interest in

seeing polar bears disappear.

We want you to learn more about the bears.

Listen to their story.

22,000 Bears count on you to reduce emissions

far more than President Obama thinks politically possible.

Keep in touch for more on 22,000 Bears Can Not Be Wrong. 

And what does this have to do with Hawaii?

Polar Bears and Coral Reefs vanish for the same reason......us.

ALIENS KEEP US FROM LANDING

What do you see when you look at this photo?

Black-footed Albatrosses.

Marine Debris, definite threat to much ocean life.

Look closer.

The birds rest within native beach morning glories

here on Pihemanu (aka Midway).

Behind them are other natives, naupaka lining the backshore for one.

And, those yellow flowers????

The yellow flowers belong to one of the greatest threats to Albatrosses.

Verbesina.

This introduced plant covers wide swaths of the small islands

where Albatrosses nest, or try to nest.

Some of you have wondered why upland plants and animals

are part of the museum...........it's about all the needs of the ocean

and ocean life.

Verbesina was likely brought to Midway, accidentally

on the tracks of construction equipment during WWII.

It grows rapidly and forms dense "forests" up to ten feet tall.

It only needs a day of rain to keep it climbing higher for an entire month.

It has adapted well to the sandy soil on these islands and it covers once

ideal albatross nesting habitat. The birds are simply unable to penetrate the

thickets and where they do nest in Verbesina areas, nesting success is

reduced, partly because adults returning with food have a more

difficult time finding their young.

Greg Schubert lives and works tirelessly

to rid Pihemanu of Verbesina. He and occasional volunteers

pull up Verbesina, outplanting natives that are outcompeting the alien invader.

Stay tuned for progress he is making and for the many attempts to

restore native plants in the main Hawaiian Islands where

more endangered plants occur per unit area

than any other place on earth.

You can help by joining Friends of Midway

http://www.friendsofmidway.org/

You can also help by planting and encouraging protection of

NATIVE PLANTS

in your own watershed no matter where you live.      

YANGTZE FINLESS PORPOISE

One of the smallest of all whales,

the Yangtze Finless Porpoise

may follow the Baiji into extinction

unless China adopts protective measures for this rare mammal.

Learn more from the Baiji Foundation.

CHINOOK SALMON

What can I add to the chinook litany?

I was a boy catching them and releasing the juveniles

for reasons hard to explain in 1960.

Somehow, I had learned the difference between coho,

chinook, and cutthroat trout. Steelhead too.

The chinooks I loved so much for their black etching on fins

and sleek, steel sides.

It wasn't until my friend Mike Reed and I worked for the

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

and when friend, Jim Lichatowich and I

discovered their mysterious movements

that I truly fell in love with these fish.

Of course, there were earlier days when my wife, Brenda

landed a 42 pounder

and my father in law taught me much about catching big fish, commercially.

but those were days of plenty.

We. Mike. Jim. And I.

We tried to teach salmon as Mike would say.

Try to get people to realize these fish were disappearing.

And now, I go to the store and see them for sale.

Endangered Chinook. Smoked.

And just tonight, I walk the beach to see their home so destroyed

by cruise ships, overfishing, plastic, indifference.

When will we ever learn.

When will we ever learn.

Chinook Salmon.

Artwork by the most generous, Jocelyn Slack.

Thanks Jocelyn.

If you are the lucky person to own an original Jocelyn piece of art,

You will also be treated to a special chinook salmon field trip

to the Dungeness River

Strait of Juan de Fuca

and More!

Enter the Museum and Enter the world of salmon, orcas, and wider oceans!