Elk. Manatees. Golden Retriever Study. Dog’s Last Resort. Lead-free Ammo. Cole’s Walk. Parenthood. First Meteor. Ellis Island.

 

For “Mammal Monday”:

Fall Elk Viewing on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge

Elk in a field on the Charles Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Flickr photo by by Nathan Jongewaard.

“In the late afternoon hours on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR), golden light hits the fall colors of the cottonwoods, redosier dogwood, willow and chokecherry, illuminating a unique palette of color that lasts only a few precious weeks.  In addition, hundreds of elk congregate along the fertile river-bottom in the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing Area—a cacophony of bugles and grunts fill the canyon walls into the twilight hours.  With the nearest major city hundreds of miles away, it’s no problem getting front row seats.”  More at: http://blog.nwf.org/2012/10/fall-elk-viewing-on-the-charles-m-russell-national-wildlife-refuge/

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Manatees Reflect Quality of Health in Marine Ecosystems, Longterm Study Finds

Manatees can indicate a severe environmental change before other species or humans are affected. (Credit: © seabreezecairns / Fotolia)

“Over ten years of research in Belize was conducted studying the behavioral ecology, life history and health of manatees in an area relatively undisturbed by humankind.

Aguirre calls them a "sentinel species," which means they are early warning indicators of environmental change. Because they may be highly susceptible or highly resistant to different environmental stressors, manatees can indicate a severe environmental change before other species or humans are affected.

"Studying them may help us predict a change that has the potential to be devastating to an ecosystem or a habitat if left unaddressed," Aguirre says.”  More at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121002145450.htm

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Golden Retriever Lifetime Study Now Open for Enrollment

“Sixty percent of Golden Retrievers die of cancer, and the age at which dogs are developing cancer is getting progressively younger.

• The Morris Animal Foundation is sponsoring the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, an observational study that will enroll up to 3,000 dogs and last 10 to 14 years.
• Enrollment is now open for healthy Golden Retrievers under the age of 2 who have a three-generation pedigree.

Owners of eligible dogs must be willing to make a long-term commitment to participate in the study, complete online health and lifestyle questionnaires pertaining to their pet, and arrange for annual veterinary exams and sample collection.”    More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/11/05/golden-retriever-lifetime-study.aspx

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Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma: How a Simple Diagnostic Test May Save Lives

“According to the Golden Retriever Health Survey, conducted in 1998 and published in 2000, one in five Goldens will develop hemangiosarcoma of the spleen, a malignant form of cancer.

In addition, one in eight Golden Retrievers will be diagnosed with another malignant cancer called lymphosarcoma.

According to Amy Haase, DVM, writing for Suite101.com:  "Current theories about Golden Retrievers are increasing suspicion that this breed may lack a genetic ability to repair damaged DNA over a lifetime, thus explaining the increased tendency for lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma."

Splenic cancer is silent – evidence that a dog has the disease does not appear on routine blood tests taken to screen for other illnesses like liver or kidney disease. However, an ultrasound can help vets visualize problems with the spleen.”  More at:  http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/04/19/splenic-hemangiosarcoma-in-pet-dog.aspx

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Last resort

Dog shelters stuck with problem long ignored by lawmakers

“Hands down, the worst job in any dog shelter doesn’t involve a scoop and a bag; it requires a needle, or a gas chamber.  “We hate putting dogs to sleep down here. We hate it, we hate it, we hate it,” Bill Click, the dog warden of Lawrence County, told The Dispatch.

His southeastern Ohio shelter led the state in kill rates. For those stuck with the job, euthanasia is heartbreaking. It’s also a matter of luck for strays and surrendered dogs: A Dispatch analysis found rates varied widely among county-run shelters: Lawrence County euthanized 81 percent of its shelter dogs last year, while northeastern Carroll County put down just 1 percent. Statewide, the average is 30 percent.

In Franklin County, the urban shelter draws a higher number of aggressive dogs trained to fight or guard property, helping to explain why it put down a higher-than-average 47 percent. The other 53 percent either were reunited with their owners or found new ones.

These kill numbers are tragic. But they could be far worse if a trend were not taking hold: Owning a rescued dog, said Rachel Finney, executive director of the Capital Area Humane Society, is “cooler than it used to be.”

It also is thrifty. While breeders may charge more than $1,000, the Franklin County shelter charges a standard fee of $67 to $117, depending on age. This includes vaccinations and spaying or neutering.”  More at: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2012/10/29/last-resort.html

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Organizations Help Physically-Challenged Sportsmen and Women Enjoy An Environmentally-Friendly Deer Hunt

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), American Bird Conservancy (ABC), and Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR) worked together to  provide 40 physically-challenged hunters and their assistants a special deer-hunting opportunity November 10/11 at the Lost Mound Unit of the USFWS’s Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge. The refuge is located near Savanna, Illinois with tracts of public land extending into Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Bald Eagle by Steve Hildebrand, USFWS

USFWS is collaborating with ABC and SOAR to provide participants in the managed hunt with vouchers for lead-free ammunition. The purpose of this voluntary program is to encourage hunters to experience the enhanced ballistic performance of lead-free ammunition first-hand, while reducing lead exposure to eagles and other wildlife originating from lead shotgun slugs.

“Reducing environmental lead exposure to eagles is a high priority at this national wildlife refuge. We have a large nesting population of eagles here, and there are hundreds more that also are wintering in the area. We want to minimize the potential impacts of lead exposure to wildlife,” said Ed Britton, Refuge Manager.”  More at: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/121107.html

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No Treats from Strangers!

Someone's been paying attention to what his mommy taught him!

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Cole wanted to walk again on his own.

“Despite his paralysis, Cole seemed so happy to be with people and determined to get back on his feet. So WRS decided to support Cole and give him all the care he needed to recover. WRS gave him a cart, and right away he was zoom-zooming around!

But Cole wanted so badly to walk again on his own. WRS took Cole for physical therapy and acupuncture, and after four treatments, Cole regained use of his back legs...”

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On This Day:

 First meteor shower on record, Nov 12, 1799:

“Andrew Ellicott Douglass, an early American astronomer born in Vermont, witnesses the Leonids meteor shower from a ship off the Florida Keys. Douglass, who later became an assistant to the famous astronomer Percival Lowell, wrote in his journal that the "whole heaven appeared as if illuminated with sky rockets, flying in an infinity of directions, and I was in constant expectation of some of them falling on the vessel. They continued until put out by the light of the sun after day break." Douglass' journal entry is the first known record of a meteor shower in North America.

The Leonids meteor shower is an annual event that is greatly enhanced every 33 years or so by the appearance of the comet Tempel-Tuttle. When the comet returns, the Leonids can produce rates of up to several thousand meteors per hour that can light up the sky on a clear night. Douglass witnessed one such manifestation of the Leonids shower, and the subsequent return of the comet Tempel-Tuttle in 1833 is credited as inspiring the first organized study of meteor astronomy.”

 

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Ellis Island closes, Nov 12, 1954:

“On this day in 1954, Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts it doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since opening in 1892. Today, an estimated 40 percent of all Americans can trace their roots through Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor off the New Jersey coast and named for merchant Samuel Ellis, who owned the land in the 1770s.

On January 2, 1892, 15-year-old Annie Moore, from Ireland, became the first person to pass through the newly opened Ellis Island, which President Benjamin Harrison designated as America's first federal immigration center in 1890. Before that time, the processing of immigrants had been handled by individual states.

Not all immigrants who sailed into New York had to go through Ellis Island. First- and second-class passengers submitted to a brief shipboard inspection and then disembarked at the piers in New York or New Jersey, where they passed through customs. People in third class, though, were transported to Ellis Island, where they underwent medical and legal inspections to ensure they didn't have a contagious disease or some condition that would make them a burden to the government. Only two percent of all immigrants were denied entrance into the U.S.

Immigration to Ellis Island peaked between 1892 and 1924, during which time the 3.3-acre island was enlarged with landfill (by the 1930s it reached its current 27.5-acre size) and additional buildings were constructed to handle the massive influx of immigrants. During the busiest year of operation, 1907, over 1 million people were processed at Ellis Island.

With America's entrance into World War I, immigration declined and Ellis Island was used as a detention center for suspected enemies. Following the war, Congress passed quota laws and the Immigration Act of 1924, which sharply reduced the number of newcomers allowed into the country and also enabled immigrants to be processed at U.S. consulates abroad. After 1924, Ellis Island switched from a processing center to serving other purposes, such as a detention and deportation center for illegal immigrants, a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War II and a Coast Guard training center. In November 1954, the last detainee, a Norwegian merchant seaman, was released and Ellis Island officially closed.”

Beginning in 1984, Ellis Island underwent a $160 million renovation, the largest historic restoration project in U.S. history. In September 1990, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened to the public and today is visited by almost 2 million people each year.

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Yesterday:

The day before it was T-shirts and jeans, but yesterday it was shorts, tanks tops and AC again.

After printing one of the pictures of Claudia’s damage so we could mark on it which water lines went to what, Ray and I went down there. 

We traced the different lines to the dishwasher, icemaker, washing machine, sink, and marked the hot water lines with a red marker.  Then we wrote on the lines what they went to, and we were getting along just fine.  Just as we were looking to see what would be involved in taking out the Formica top and sink cabinet, Jay came over.  

Jay said that there was no need in taking out the cabinet, as he would just put plywood over the damaged parts.  This is one of his ‘repairs’ from another time, with big gaps in the wood, and holes in the floor.

Claudia, his mother, was fit to be tied, as she agreed with us that the only way to do it right was to take the cabinet out to replace the floor and walls. 

Jay was adamant that it didn’t matter as his mother wouldn’t live long anyway, so in disgust, Ray and I picked up our tools and left.  That was a big relief and load off us, as we knew it would be a time-consuming job to do it right, and we have other things to do.  Let Jay get on with it!

Back here, Ray helped me with all the ‘ladder jobs’, as I don’t get on ladders when I am here by myself.  He changed the clocks that I can’t reach, vacuumed the ceiling fans, and we both cleaned the air cleaners and AC filters.  Little Prissy was watching us so intently, this was the most action she had seen in her sweet little life. 

We even took this computer outside, opened it up and blew the dust out of it, so it wasn't a wasted day.