National Science Teachers' Association Conference 2013

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsored an exhibit booth at the 2013 National Science Teachers’ Association Portland Area Conference on October 24, 25, and 26. Over 2,300 educators attended the conference, which offered a variety of professional development opportunities including workshops and an exhibit hall. The conference encouraged teachers to explore new and innovative approaches to teaching science, offering insight into the 45-state Common Core standards and the “Next Generation Science Standards”.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service exhibit booth was a truly collaborate effort centered on invasive species education and the ‘Don’t Let it Loose’ campaign. Educators engaged in conversation about the role of introduced species in native ecosystems, along with the responsibilities of lab teachers and pet owners. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service booth was incredibly popular among teachers, and offerings included interactive displays, live support, and educational giveaways. Teachers could choose from a variety of giveaways, including three posters with information on local invaders, Refuge and Service brochures, invasive species stickers, and informational packets on introduced species.  This was also the perfect venue to introduce the Aquatic Nuisance Species Education Trunk recently developed by the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office.  The exhibitors estimate that more than 700 educators visited the booth over the course of three days. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service booth invited educators to provide feedback through a simple survey. Results indicate that all of the participants learned some interesting facts as a result of the exhibit, and over 50% of them ‘significantly increased their knowledge of natural resources’.

 

Trevor Sheffels, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Biotech, put the final touches on the exhibit booth as educators wait to enter the exhibit hall on Thursday morning.

 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service exhibit booth was supported by the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, the Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Pacific Region Visitors Services, the Pacific Region Aquatic Invasive Species Program, the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office, and made possible with a grant through the Regional Invasives with Volunteers program.  All of the planners, coordinators, and exhibitors were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and engaging. Trevor Sheffels, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Biotech, was a vital exhibitor since he recently completed his PhD on invasive species. Sheffels helped teachers brainstorm about ways to incorporate invasive species into ecology teaching units, and he offered expertise on local issues, including Nutria. Glenda Franich, Pacific Region Visual Information Specialist, participated in powerful conversations sparked by the exhibit. Franich shared “many teachers didn't realize that Hydrilla is an invasive species and so threatening to native plants and aquatic ecosystems. This was all very interesting to me and I thank you for bringing the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to the conference and letting teachers know we are working to make the nation/world a better place for people and wildlife.”

 

Submitted by Kim Strassburg, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

Notes from our PATHWAYS student.

If you keep up with the CRFPO blog, you might recall seeing my name a few entries back. My name is Christina Uh; I am one of just two PATHWAYS students working at the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office. I currently am a member of the administrative team in the office, working as a student office assistant. Or if you prefer fancy titles, I am an “Office Automation Clerk”.

To give you a quick snapshot of who I am, you would need to know four important things:

1)      I am (very proudly!) the first in my entire family to go to a 4 year university.

2)      I am a member of the Navajo Nation (not tribally enrolled) from my mother and Hispanic from my father. Specifically, my father is from a little place called Oxcutzcab, Yucatan and we have the indigenous Mayans’ blood running in our veins! Pretty cool huh?

3)      I love being outdoors, fishing, hiking, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

4)      I LOVE my family and my dog Maddie (check out her cute face below).

My job here at the office is pretty great. Some of the things I get to work on are; making sure timesheets are correct and ready to be certified, any and all things relating to our staff traveling for work, and other miscellaneous office duties. I consider myself to be two times luckier than the average student office assistant because I also get to spend some time away from the desk.

Once a week I pay a visit to Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery to feed larval lamprey, or “my little dudes” (as I like to call them). There are 20 tanks, each containing 8 lamprey that all get fed different treatments as part of a captive rearing project. I also try to take advantage of any volunteer activities that I can. For example, over the summer I spent a day working with a crew at the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge catching White-tailed deer for relocation.

 

I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work at the CRFPO. Not only do I learn something new every day I go to work, I also get to expand my skills in multiple different areas. I get to learn the “behind the scenes” portion of fisheries work, as well as gain some hands-on, in the field experience. Something I could not have done at just any ol’ office position.

Hiking at King's Mountain

Submitted by Christina Uh. 

Fish Marking Team Wins Prestigious Columbia River Fisheries Program Office Team of the Year

Each year the fish marking crew is responsible for the marking of over 30 million fish in the Columbia River Basin.  This may mean simply removing the adipose fin, inserting a coded-wire tag into the fish snout, or a combination of the two.  In addition, over a quarter million fish are PIT tagged.      

Mass marking refers to the removal of the adipose fin from young hatchery fish before they are released into the wild.  Removal of this fin identifies hatchery fish from their wild counterparts.  In selective fisheries, hatchery fish may be harvested while wild fish must be released unharmed.  Federal law now requires mass marking of most salmon and steelhead reared at federally funded hatcheries.



Pictured left to right:  Jesse, Geoff, Dan, Darren, Pat, Steve, and James  (Chuck is not present)

The team begins each year with a few PIT tagging jobs in the Columbia River Gorge.  By mid–February, the crew starts their biggest single marking job at Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery.  They run three automated fish marking trailers (2 shifts a day) for almost two months.   Just to give you an idea about the enormity of the job, about 12 million fish are mass marked at this hatchery alone.  In addition, a small portion of those are also being inserted with a PIT tag or coded-wire tag. 



PIT-tagging at Dworshak NFH

This team has been voted the CRFPO Team of the Year because of their hard work and dedication.  The following saying was adapted from James Farley:  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the marking crew from the swift completion of their appointed duties.  With that, Congratulations Fish Marking Team!

Read more about the marking program at these past blogs.      Staggering Numbers http://www.fish-notes.blogspot.com/2012/02/staggering-numbers.html

Marking and coded-wire tagging at Winthrop NFH  http://www.fish-notes.blogspot.com/2011/09/marking-and-coded-wire-tagging-at.html

 

Lower Columbia Fish Recovery

One of the yearly activities I engage in is site visits for projects proposed for funding by the Lower Columbia River Fish Recovery Board.   The projects that we are looking at are intended to help recover salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act.  Fish recovery boards were established by the State of Washington in the late 1990’s to coordinate recover actions and administer State and Federal funds for fisheries restoration.  Generally, the process works like this:

·        the recovery board announces the availability and timeline for applications for a new funding round;

·        meets with project proponents to explain the application process;

·        receives draft applications from applicants;

·        schedules site visits for proposed projects;

·        schedules a draft review with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC);

·        provides comments back to applicants to incorporate into final applications;

·        schedules a final project review and ranking with the TAC;

·        presents the TAC recommended project list to the board for approval.

There are a few other steps at the State level, but basically this is the process that starts again the following year.  Below are photos taken during this years’first-day site visits for proposed projects in May.

Rock Creek looking upstream from the bridge.  This is a preservation project to maintain good conditions in a productive stream.

Rock Creek in the Lewis River Basin.  Sometimes conditions can be hazardous.  Proposed project is land acquisition to protect existing habitat values.



This is a side-channel site on the East Fork Lewis River that is being proposed as a design project to improve habitat conditions.  The East Fork Lewis River can be seen in the background.

Upper Daybreak Park site on the East Fork Lewis River, site of proposed project to add cover and habitat complexity for fish.  Note the lack of features in the existing channel, as well as bank erosion on the meander bend.

This is a site on the East Fork Lewis River near the town of La Center Washington.  The project is a design project to augment fish habitat in the existing wetland.



Submitted by Ron Rhew

Smoked Salmon and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits Recipe

Salty and cheesy with an orange tint from the carrot juice; these biscuits are splendid as well as nutritious and a worthy replacement for cookies as an after school snack during this festive Halloween season. It’s fun to watch the kids decorate the biscuits and gobble them up fresh out of the oven!

Yield: 12 large biscuits

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 stick (2 ounces) cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced smoked salmon
• 1/2 cup carrot juice2 eggs, beaten

Decorate:

• 12 black or green olives

Brush on Top:

•  2 tablespoons butter, melted
•  ½ teaspoon paprika powder

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour with the sugar, baking powder, salt and paprika.
3. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives, until it's the size of large peas.
4. Stir in the cheese and salmon and make a well in the center.
5. In a small bowl, combine the carrot juice and eggs. Pour the liquid into the well and quickly stir until the dough is well combined and holds together.
6. Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet.
7. Flatten with fork and decorate with olive pieces.
8. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
9. When biscuits come out of the oven, use a brush to spread butter/paprika over the tops of all the biscuits. Serve hot.

Submitted by Valerie Sinesky 

Christina Uh - Pathways Hire

I would like to introduce you to Christina Uh.  She began working for the Columbia River Fisheries Program Office in July of 2012.  She was hired through the Pathways program.   Pathways is a hiring program designed by the Office of Personnel Management for current students and recent graduates seeking careers with the federal government.    Christina is of Mayan and Navajo descent and is the first member of her family to attend college.   She is a student at Portland State University seeking a degree in Environmental Sciences.  Christina‘s anatomy and physiology teacher at Forest Gove High School, Dr. Romanick,  saw tremendous potential in Christina and encouraged her to further her education.  Although she was hired as an office assistant, Christina has had a variety of experiences working for the Fish and Wildlife Service.    Over the summer, she took the lead in a lamprey feeding study at Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery.   Some of her other experiences include volunteering to herd deer on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge,  helping with electrofishing surveys, and even cleaning fish hatchery raceways.    In addition to working for the CRFPO, Christina also works at the Native America Student and Community Center while attending Portland State.    Christina has been a tremendous addition to the CRFPO and we support her in her pursuit of a career in natural resources.

 

 

Submitted by Larry Fishler

Stickleback Trivia

For those of us who have ever sampled fish, the three-spined stickleback is no stranger.  There have been times I have counted hundreds, sometimes thousands of stickleback in a day.  In honor of this little, sometimes often overlooked fish, I'd like to share some stickleback trivia with you. 

Trivia #1
 The common name of this fish is derived from the three sharp spines on the back in front of the dorsal fin.  The sides of the stickleback are usually covered with large bony plates.

Trivia #2
During mating season, the male develops bright colors and becomes quite aggressive.  They perform a courtship ritual to entice females to lay their eggs inside a hollow nest. After the female lays her eggs and leaves the nest, the male takes over parental duties, guarding the fertilized eggs, and if necessary, fanning them with his tail to provide them with oxygen.

Trivia #3
The colorful, aggressive male sticklebacks, became excellent examples of  fixed-action patterns of behavior when jealous stickleback males held in aquaria would try to attack red British mail trucks when they could see them through the glass of their tanks.  Read more.

Trivia #3
Sticklebacks can be found in fresh, brackish, or salt water and is native to much of northern Europe, northern Asia, and North America. 

Trivia #4
Catches of stickleback were once so numerous that the fish were used as fertilizer for farmlands in Europe.

Trivia #5
In Britain, the stickleback is sometimes referred to as a "tiddler", the first small fish caught by school children.  Charles Dickens wrote of the stickleback in the Pickwick Papers and called them "tiddle-bats".

Trivia #6
These fish have recently become a major research organism for evolutionary biologists trying to understand the genetic changes involved in adapting to new environments.
Nature:  Stickleback genomes reveal path of evolution
YouTube:  Stickleback Evolution