Monday, February 25, 2013

More on Snakes...

Copied from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/22/172695707/dead-mice-are-going-to-be-dropped-on-guam-from-helicopters-really

Dead Mice Are Going To Be Dropped On Guam From Helicopters (Really)

Incoming! (A 1955 file photo; we assume this little guy was not harmed in the making of the image.) 
Orlando/Getty Images
Here's the latest plan scientists have come up with to kill some of the estimated 2 million brown tree snakes that have wiped out many other animals on Guam:
In April or May they're going to lace dead mice with painkillers, attach them to little parachutes, drop them from helicopters and hope that they get snagged in the jungle foliage. Then, if all goes well, the snakes — which as their name implies hang out in trees — will eat the mice and die from ingesting the painkillers' active ingredients.
We aren't kidding. That's what The Associated Press is reporting from Guam's Andersen Air Force Base, near where this experimental airdrop will happen.
To work, the snakes are going to have to discover their snacks from the sky fairly quickly. According to the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service:
"Dead mice are attractive to snakes only for 2-3 days. After this time, and owing to the tropical climate, the lure is no longer available."
Scientists don't think the mice bombs will be a threat to other animals, so long as they get caught in the jungle canopy. There aren't many birds left on the island — because of the snakes.
As NPR's Christopher Joyce reported last September, "the brown tree snake invaded Guam over 60 years ago — they sneaked in aboard boats or in the wheel wells of airplanes." It's feared that they might show up elsewhere, such as Hawaii, if they hop rides on planes and ships leaving Guam. The Agriculture Department has estimated that if the snakes reached the Aloha State, the economic damage "from medical incidents [bites], power outages [they get caught in power lines and transmitters], and decreases in tourism ... would range from approximately $593 million to $2.14 billion annually."
The snakes' presence in Guam has been good for at least some creatures. Chris reported that because the snakes have eaten most of the island's birds, the spider population has exploded.
Update at 3:30 p.m. ET. Birds' Decline Has Taken A Toll.
From a 2011 report posted on Andersen Air Base's website:
" 'As you may or may not know, the brown tree snake is responsible for the extinction of nine of 12 forest birds on Guam,' explained [Marc Hall, the supervisory wildlife biologist of USDA on Andersen]. 'Research is showing that the loss of the birds may be impacting the ability of the natural ecosystem to sustain itself.'

"Before the snakes arrived, Guam's ecosystem was very different. Numerous birds could be seen and heard when walking through the northern limestone forests. Without the birds to disperse seeds and the fact that nonnative pigs and deer tear up the ground and eat sapling plants, the native limestone forest has been severely degraded and will require extensive help in order to recover."
Update at 3:15 p.m. ET. Live Vs. Dead Bait:
Some readers in the comments thread have expressed surprise that snakes would eat dead — not live — mice. This research paper posted online by the Agriculture Department indicates that in earlier tests, the snakes did devour "dead neonatal mice adulterated with 80-mg acetaminophen" and that the "baiting" with laced mice was effective in killing the snakes.
The researchers also concluded that "other tactics to increase area of coverage and decrease labor costs, such as aerial application of baits, would improve the cost efficiency of the baiting method over trapping even further."
Our thanks to reader Daniel Levitis for leading to that study.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Miss M's Birthday...

Our little Miss M FINALLY turned four!  I say finally, because she is a very big girl, with a quite advanced vocabulary, and I was tired of people freaking out when they asked me how old she was and I told them "Three".
 Here she is!  Building puzzles and coloring.
Here is the cake.  I sort of sweet-talked her into a cowgirl party this year.  I don't know why, but I'm trying to make it as long as possible without throwing a princess party.  With three girls, I know it can't be forever...  It was my kind of cake- heavy on the frosting.  Of course, my pinterest plans involved carving a way cool cake in the shape of a boot, but as my surrogate grandfather Dr. E always said, "Deadlines exist to save us from perfection."  Wise words...

 We had the kids play horseshoes.  A bold move, and one fraught with danger, (nine small children throwing heavy chunks of iron) but it ended up ok. 
Keeping Miss R out of the way was the big challenge...

 And then the pinata.  I, as usual, had big pinterest plans involving making my own pinata, which then downgraded into spraying this kmart one silver and turning it into a sheriff's badge, which then downgraded into just leaving it the way it was.  I know the kids don't care a bit.  All the silly theme stuff is just for me.  When I was a kid my birthday parties involved cake, ice cream, and musical chairs, and they were fun!  No themes.  No fuss.
And yes, we did re-use the light saber from Miss A's party to hit the pinata with.

 The kids all took a whack at it, then we brought our friend and helper K in as closer.  B was a lot more tricky with her...
 Blow out the candles, open presents, and then for some photos before everyone left.




 It was a fun party!
And to close out the day, we went to a fun free concert on base.  Vertical Horizon!

A Good Hike...

 The Spouses' Club of our squadron went for a lovely little hike the other morning, along the beach and through the jungle at Tarague Beach.
We found a cave, lots of very cute hermit crabs, and lots, and lots, and loooottttts of sea shells.  Finally I had to cut Miss M off from picking up anymore because my pockets were over capacity.  We're going to end up like B's Aunt A, who moved home from Guam with like half a ton of shells...
A beautiful "winter" day!