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Fisheries biologist Ron Hirschi reads from our new book, "Shark Patrol," that follows the S.S. Scoutabout on its voyage in the Pacific to learn about sharks! Perfect read-aloud for kids curious about the ocean.
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Behind the Scenes: The Making of "River Rescue"
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| NOAA Infographic: 10 Years After Delaware River Oil Spill |
So how does a Hawaii-based illustrator work on a book about rescuing oiled birds? With lots of help from the author, editors, and expert Lisa Smith at Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research.
Before working on River Rescue, I knew little about the havoc that oil spills can wreak on our nation's waterways. Then I learned about the 2004 oil spill on the Delaware River (see inset). While transporting oil to a Philadelphia refinery, the tanker Athos I struck a submerged anchor and leaked more than 250,000 gallons of heavy oil into one of the busiest shipping complexes in North America. Thousands of birds were killed, and the incident had lasting effects on the environment.
But the study of the effect that oil spills have on wildlife began long before the Athos I accident.
On the day after Christmas in 1976, a tanker ran aground on the Delaware River. 134,000 gallons of oil spilled out of the ruptured hull, creating a 25-mile-long slick that threatened 60,000 ducks and geese. "As a result, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research was founded in 1977 to study the effects of oil on birds and to find a way to successfully treat wildlife."
My first task in illustrating River Rescue was to learn more about river habitats and the birds, insects, reptiles, and fish that inhabit them, and to make sketches. I asked myself, what birds lived along the riverbanks? Were they migratory? What did they eat? How did they co-exist with other river inhabitants? Lisa Smith from Tri-State helped me along the way, making suggestions and corrections.
Next, I researched how experts rescued oil-contaminated birds. How did they hold the frightened animals? Did they wear protective clothing? What did the rescue facilities look like? Every detail, down to the gloves and goggles, was scrutinized.
The cover took several drafts.
Once the rough sketches were approved, the illustrations were completed in Procreate on an iPad Pro. I imported textured backgrounds and used brushes to make the digital illustrations look more traditional. Procreate also allowed me to take videos of the works in progress:
I hope you enjoy River Rescue as much as I enjoyed illustrating it! For more information, please visit Arbordale Publishing.
Lala enjoys receiving books as much as I do.
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In Spanish, too!
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Sunday, March 17, 2013
TED Talk: Allan Savory, on how to green the desert and reverse climate change
If you care about climate change, open your mind and RETHINK what you believe you know about overgrazing and livestock methane production being the cause of desertification.
Presented by Allan Savory of the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe. In 2010, the Centre won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge for its work in reversing desertification. In that same year he and his wife, with others, founded the Savory Institute in Boulder, Colorado, to promote large-scale restoration of the world's grasslands.
Presented by Allan Savory of the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe. In 2010, the Centre won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge for its work in reversing desertification. In that same year he and his wife, with others, founded the Savory Institute in Boulder, Colorado, to promote large-scale restoration of the world's grasslands.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Plan
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes moving weaned female monk seal pups to mainland Hawaiian Islands, where there are less predators, to improve the survival rate of sexually mature females:
"According to NMFS, 60 to 90 percent of NWHI (North West Hawaiian Islands) seals die by the age of three. However, research has shown that MHI (Main Hawaiian Islands) seals do well, with 60 percent surviving to adulthood. Jeff Walters, of the NMFS, said a reason for this could be that there are less predators and competitors on MHI."
Read the full article here, detailing concerns the local community has on the impact relocating seal pups may have on fishing:The Molokai Dispatch~Save Our Seals
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| Locals swim alongside KP2, an abandoned monk seal pup raised by humans |
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| KP2's friendliness was of concern. Officials worried his playfulness might injure people as he matured. |
Saturday, April 18, 2009
crazy for cats
Cats, cats, cats.
With 88.3 million cats in U.S. households, they've replaced dogs (74.8 million) as America's most popular pet. That's a lot of kitty litter.
What is it about these sharp-clawed predators that fascinates us? Ask the ancient Egyptians, who kept them as pets 4000 years ago.
What began as working relationship (mouse eats grain, cat eats mouse–when pharaoh is happy, everyone is happy) later became an obsession as cats became associated with Bastet, the goddess of fertility and motherhood. Pampered at temples devoted to Bastet, they were mummified and buried in huge communal graves.
What most don't know is that this devotion wasn't always pretty. Cat mummies became so popular that by 300 B.C., young kittens were sacrificed in large numbers as temple offerings. So many, that in the late 1800s an English company bought 38,000 pounds to sell as fertilizer. That's 180,000 cat mummies in a single shipment!
However, Egyptians weren't the first cat-lovers.
Kitties have been coughing up hairballs and dead birds on earthen doorsteps far earlier. In 2004, a human and a cat were found together in a 9,500 year-old Cyprus grave. And in 2007, a study in the journal Science found that the granddaddy of all house cats was a desert wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, which roamed the Middle East 10,000 years ago and continues to do so today.
Now that cats are here to stay, here are some funky facts about our fickle feline friends:
- Wild species of cats are native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica...Sadly, most of the thirty-six cat species are in danger of becoming extinct within the next twenty-five years.
(Natural History Museum) - Cats have remained relatively unchanged since they first appeared 30 million years ago.
- A house cat can jump nine to ten times its height, the equivalent of a professional basketball player jumping more than 60 feet.
- A group of cats is referred to as a "clowder", a male cat is called a "tom" (or a "gib", if neutered), and a female is called a "queen".
- A domestic cat's sense of smell is about fourteen times as strong as a human's.
- Cats have a third eyelid, the nictitating membrane. And unlike humans, they do not need to blink to lubricate their eyes with tears.
- Cats lack a gene required to taste sweetness...which would be unnecessary, since such a gene is only advantageous in animals that consume plants.
- Most cats sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, to conserve energy between hunts.
Cat records:
- Smallest cat: the Rusty-spotted cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus, found in India and Sri Lanka. Less than half the size of a domestic cat, it stands seven inches high and weighs less than three pounds.
- Largest cat: the Tiger, Panthera tigris. Males can weigh as much as 700 pounds, are ten to eleven feet long (not including tail), and can eat 80 pounds of meat in a single sitting.
- Rarest cat: Iberian lynx. Only 100 to 150 are believed to survive in the wild, a result of dwindling habitats and decline in prey.
Be sure to make some Big Cat origami I've designed:
©2009 Tammy Yee. All rights reserved.
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