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

Blast from the Past: Rough and Tumble

Umatilla NWR was considering “creative” options for increasing revenue when this ad was posted. What’s really amazing is the estimate to how much they could make off of selling tumbleweeds. Just goes to show you… “one man’s trash….”

 On a side note, do not try and run over tumbleweeds. They may look like a brittle, little bush, but there’s a trunk in the middle of it and it will do a number on your car.

 

Submitted by Nadia Jones

Catch a Special Thrill

The weather could not have been nicer.  The fish were feisty and ready to bite.  Everything was in place for the C.A.S.T. (Catch a Special Thrill) event facilitated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The event was held at Bonneville Hatchery, a great location in the Columbia River gorge.  About 40 people, aged seven to adult signed up for the event. 

Just around 9am, the first waves of families began to arrive to claim their fishing pole, tackle box, t-shirt, and hat.  I met Sarah just as she arrived and decided to help her fish and enjoy the other activities.  We gathered our gear and headed directly to the fishing pond.  No, Sarah did not need any casting lessons at the casting station.  She was ready to catch her first fish.  No more than a minute went by after her worm hit the water when she got a bite.  Her fish was the first of many fish to be caught that day.

Fishing was by far the most popular activity of the day but other activities included a casting station, salmon migration mini golf, a water safety demonstration, and a wheel to spin and win prizes.  And of course, we can’t forget the biggest fish at the event either.  That would be Herman the Sturgeon and his friends.   The day ended with a BBQ lunch and a ceremony in which each individual was called up to receive a plaque with their picture.  A nice souvenir to remember the day. 

This event was made possible by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the C.A.S.T. Foundation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kiwanis, and United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon and SW Washington.  

Tasty Trouble ...

  In a blind taste test, consumers rated this canned fish equal to or better than canned tuna and salmon.  What fish?  For the answer to this question (and many more), visit our aquatic nuisance species webpage.

Blast froom the Past: 1955 - Photographs

The folks at Malheur NWR in 1955 exposed approximately 300 feet of 16mm Kodachrome film. The photos include wildlife and livestock operations. These photos span only 3 months!! Talk about shutterbugs. They also note in the narrative that an additional 130 feet was taken of carp control projects and that they hope another year of photography will provide sufficient material from which a film could be made. The Malheur Movie!

Just exactly how many photographs do you have to go through when it’s easier to report the number in feet instead of images?

Click on the pictures below to enlarge.

Submitted by Nadia Jones, Geographer

Don't Let It Loose! - Alternatives to Release

The pet and aquarium trade represents a little known route by which many plants and animals make their way into natural waterways. In recent posts we discussed a few of the most notorious trouble makers; the mystery snail, American bullfrog, Oriental weatherfish, red swamp crayfish, Eurasian water-milfoil, goldfish, and red-eared slider. Remember their faces! Don’t let them loose!

As this cartoon by Jack Ohman of the Oregonian depicts, released classroom pets like the Louisiana red swamp crayfish can be a menace!

Next time you are trying to figure out what to do with unwanted aquarium pets consider these options listed below. Your actions can make a huge difference in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species!

· Contact your pet store for donation, return, or exchange options.

· Give your unwanted plants and fish to another hobbyist, public aquarium, school, or community center.

· Bag and trash aquatic plants and pour aquarium water in upland areas of your yard instead of storm drains, sink or toilet.

· You can also freeze plants for 24 hours and place them into the garbage.

· Remember to learn about the needs of particular aquarium species before you buy.

· If all else fails, contact your local veterinarian for humane disposal options.

Hang this poster to help you remember all these great alternatives to release. View Oregon Field Guide: Crayfish Invasion to learn about impacts of crayfish released from classrooms in Oregon.

Submitted by Briita Orwick, Pacific Region