One in a million?... :)

Well...the chicken raider is dead.  Here in bush Alaska, you often get the chance to see wildlife in your 'backyard', that much is certain.  Sometimes, however, the wildlife you do see is not the kind you'd like to.  Case in point:  some neighbors (well, maybe 200+ yards away neighbors) mentioned that they were having some trouble with foxes and weasels harassing their chickens.  I was very happy to say that my boys and I would be glad to rectify that problem, and so we set out to do it...

Upon arriving and talking with the neighbors about the situation, we learned that this would be a pretty favorable setup.  The chicken coop bordered the brush and tundra at the edge of their yard, and the offending weasel had been seen pacing around and around the coop looking for entry on multiple occasions.  Just what we like to hear. :)  Warren, Abram, and I found a great, level spot to place the box, and I set the trap and allowed them to place it in the front of the box.  We added the bait - raw chicken of course (giblets) - to the back of the box and secured the lid.  We chose not to use any lure in this case because I felt that the use of any type of long distance call I might normally use (Lenon's weasel lure, or, say, some gusto) could potentially call in more predators than were already causing problems.  That, and we already had (or the chickens had) a captive audience.  I figured, let the chickens stay under the radar for as long as is possible, if you ask me.  The neghbors also thought this was a good approach, as they had already shot one fox and mentioned possibly taking care of some others, though it seemed they didn't want to if it wasn't necessary.

At any rate, me and the boys left the trap there, and we went back to check the next day, only to find nothing.  They were a little bummed, but of course I had the chance to once again explain why this is trapping, not catching, and that if there was some fur in the trap every time we went to check it, things just wouldn't be the same.  The next check, however, was a different story.  After finally getting the boys' attention away from the chickens, they came over to the box, and opened it - and the celebration began...and while they were jumping and hollering it occurred to me - this weasel looked 'different'.  Quite different.  My first reaction, caught in the video we took, was to say He's....like....BLUE!.."  And so he was...


I've never seen anything like him. My first thought was that he was coated in something. But what is laying around a house or garage or whatever, and is that color?...Also, how did he do such an even job of "coating" himself, if in fact that was the case?...
The tale remains to be told, as when we take him out of the freezer to skin him I plan to wash a bit of him in dishsoap and get the skinny for sure. At any rate, though, the boys were CRAZED, as usual, and it was better to just enjoy the moment than wonder why. :)

The Weasel Project Marches On!!!!!....

The lessons, experiences, and qualities that trapping can teach us all come out every time someone leaves their house with some steel to set.  That is perhaps most evident when you apply it in the classroom (and then, of course, outside the classroom, to speak literally...).  I am convinced that getting kids out trapping not only teaches them to appreciate the ecological soundness of this activity, but also is a fun way to engage them in learning responsibility, ethics, respect, patience, integrity, humility, and thankfulness..and that's just getting started.  All this, despite the nonsense the naysayers like to toss around...

This conviction is borne out yet again in the Port Alsworth Weasel Trapping Project, carried on in all of my math and science classrooms this year.  The torch that Sarah and I started in Pilot Station is still being carried, and trapping as an educational and life tool is still succeeding.  No teaching endeavor brings me greater joy than these types of projects.  Academic success - yep.  Achievement in life - got it.  Strength of Character - Check!  The philosophy of Tanalian School is enabled through the weasel project!  Teachable moments abound, and the rewards are many!  Have a peek.... :)

First, a shot of my bulletin board in the classroom... (The 'bear-rugged' vole and shrew pelts are there because those two specimens are the leaders in their species category).. The quote says it all, uttered by one of my students early in the year.  Indeed....


Now, as for the details...   So, we started off the weasel project this year, as always, with a research project:



... to learn the physiological, ecological, and life history aspects of the mustelid family, most specifically the short-tailed weasel, (mustela erminea), also known as 'ermine' or 'stoat', depending where you are from.  Though we didn't expect to catch another specific species of weasel during the project, the least weasel, (mustela nivalis) we did! - second from left in the above pic. As we will be trapping all the way to March, there's still a lot of time to catch more, too!

But, after all the students demonstrated their learning about the weasels we would be targeting, and how they - and the species they are connected to - fit into the environment ecologically, it was time to bring the project into math class...

We held a contest to see who could come up with the best design for a weasel box, as everyone now had some helpful knowledge of the weasel, their dimensions, abilities, and their habits.



Once the designs were explained, debated, and approved, we went ahead with construction. (Bring on the 'industrial arts' :) ) Materials were scrounged up from all corners of town, and the graciousness of the donors was acknowledged. ..And the first applications of the students getting to use manners and gratitude make their appearance.





Once the boxes were ready, we learned how to set the traps we would be using, and all that was left then was to wait for the season opener. We spent this time examining tracks, and piecing together what the students had learned about ermine with what the animals were showing us.



Finally, November 11th came around, and off we went...





It didn't take long, and catches started trickling in...






They can't just catch 'em...they have to skin and stretch them, too...


He looks angry!... :)  After all, there is only ONE BEST WAY to learn anatomy...medical schools everywhere can't be wrong...






When catches are made, we take weight and length measurements, examine the weasels for parasites, physical condition, and freeze the skinned carcasses...and later on, as we get to the appropriate Units, we will be dissecting them, examining stomach contents, etc.  There is pretty much no realm of life science or physical science that this project does NOT cover...



And then there is the exercise that we all get, tromping around in the great outside...




Weasel furs do some awesome stuff when you shine a blacklight on them...notice the legs, edges, tails do not show purple... (I know, a lousy pic, but it has to be dark... ) :)  It is thought (speaking of some of the scientific community) that this light-reflective property may be useful to the ermine in escaping predators hunting them at night.  Perhaps something to do with the mechanics of the eyes of birds of prey, etc., that enables them to see at night, I presume.


Least weasel adult (That's Da 'yittle one) next to a short-tailed weasel(the large one).


Prime winter ermine fur, baby!!!!!


The wall of fame, so far....  LOTS of trapping season yet to come...

The mighty Ermine at last!....

Well, I don't know what sort of voodoo there is about them, but the Ermine has given me some of the biggest challenges of any species I've trapped.  I have been trying for four years and could never get that first one in.  Whether it be set refusals, set-off traps that I had to wonder about, or even this year's stolen victory - it has been a long road.  But finally, we made it: (a blurry pic, I know, but this is the original - and there's more)  THAT is a happy boy - and his dad's pretty stoked too!!!

A couple weeks ago over the Christmas break, Warren and I took two of the weasel boxes we had out and relocated them to where I had been fox trapping - and seeing a TON of weasel sign.  I only left one weasel box in place, in fact - down by the river at one of the village fish camps.  I never added more bait as it was not gettting robbed by voles, but I did change up the lure - went with some Dobbin's Klondike Call instead of the weasel lure I had been using.  After that, for about two weeks, me and Warren only checked the sets in the new locations and never got back to the fish camp box.  Last night the whole family was taking a walk down to the river and I thought it would be fun to check the "forgotten" weasel box.  Even though I pulled him most of the way, Warren had to walk with Mommy and Abram, who was safely tucked in to mom's hugely oversized parka, riding in the baby bjorn :D  Here's a glance back the snowmachine trail:

When we approached the set I had to walk over with Warren because the drifts were too deep for reasonably easy walking with Abram.  But when I got there I noticed right away that there were weasel tracks going in AND out of a hole under the fish camp cabin.  And we're talking a hole that is like 6-8 feet from our weasel box...  Yep, ...there go the tracks in the right direction...Hmm, this is good....and then I stuck my head behind the plywood and BINGO!  There's Mr. Weas.  Woohoo!  Here's another pic from when we got back home: 

..and a skinning shot.  He insisted on gloves even though he drowned in them :) And we could tell he's used to seeing us butcher on the kitchen table - as we skinned the weasel together (oh yes - he did his part to pull on the hide several times) he kept saying "cut it up" and "eat it"... ha ha!  Don't think we'll be trying that, but he sure is funny...
(pic coming soon - ...work filter nonsense again :D)

and a short video of the 'reveal' :)