Halibut Herald September 12

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ALIBUT HERALD September 12, 2008

Bits and Bites

This "typical" cute baby picture is amazing because of the size of the thing, and it is. Imagine that raspberry in front of you, the size of the tip of your finger! The full BBC story explains that this is one of three Egyptian tortoises born at the Chester zoo.

London - The okapi, an elusive animal that scientists say has not previously been photographed roaming in the wild, has been snapped by a camera in the Congo (DRC). Officials at the Zoological Society of London, which released the photos, said yesterday that the images were important evidence that the rare species still existed in the wild, despite poaching and civil unrest in Congo. The doe-eyed animal is a relative of the giraffe, but has zebra-like stripes on its legs and rear. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=vn20080912061918767C284039

More News Links Beautiful Shots of Life in Costa Rican Rainforest http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/sci_nat_amazing_wildlife_of_ costa_rica/html/1.stm

San Francisco Announces 10 Million Gallon Biodiesel Plant! http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/09/09/san-francisco-announces-10-milliongallon-biodiesel-plant/#more-14156

Library News New Books: • Guide to Aquatic Insects & Crustaceans – Izaak Walton League of America (2006) • Neptune’s Ark: from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas – David Rains Wallace (2007) • Dragonflies and Damselflies of Northeast Ohio (2nd ed) – Larry Rosche, Judy Emroc and Linda Gilbert (2008)

Modified Library Hours: Mon Sept 22 9am-3:30pm

Tues Sept 23 closed

Wed Sept 24 9am-12pm

Thurs Sept 25 9am-11:30am

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Tues Sept 30 closed

Wed Oct 1 9am-12pm

Thurs Oct 2 9am-11:30am

Fri Oct 3 9am-2:30pm

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Tues Oct 7 closed

Wed Oct 8 9am-12pm

Thurs Oct 9 9am-11:30am

Fri Oct 10 9am-2:30pm

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Mon Sept 29 9am-3:30pm (Jenny)

Mon Oct 6 9am-3:30pm (Jenny)

Fri Sept 26 9am-2:30pm

Please renew or return your overdue library items to the Library or the black plastic bin in the staff/volunteer lounge at your earliest convenience.

Archival Photo

Taking a peek! Gecko, taken by Margaret Butschler (Dec. 2002).

Volunteer Services Meet Daisy, Our New Resident Porpoise

Living at the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, she seems to have adjusted nicely into her new pool and is gaining strength daily. She came to MMR on August 26 and weighed 12.75kgs and now weighs a whopping 16.3kgs! She is by no means out of the wood yet, but with help from our volunteers and staff and the Marine Mammal Department on her 24 hour watch, we can monitor her and give her the care and attention needed to increase her chances of survival. She is in the process of receiving physiotherapy daily with the staff, and enjoying her free swimming with the volunteers in between feeds. Her nights are spent resting in her hand crafted sling that she cruises around in with ease! She is still being tube fed a blend of herring, salmon oil, vitamins and electrolytes, every 2 hours and has being encouraged to eat small fish daily, Even though she is treating the fish more as environmental enrichment, instead of nutritional enrichment, there is still much hope that we can start incorporating the fish into her diet. As for now, we are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best, and with support from our volunteers and staff, we hope to meet our goals! The Marine Mammal Rescue Team

Green Team Fall’s Freshest Foods! That chill in the air might mean that berry season is over, but don’t despair: autumn yields great fruits and vegetables! In fall, mushroom season is at its best. Artichokes, quinces, potatoes, etc. will take you right through winter, and it’s all locally available throughout Metro Vancouver. Curious about what delicious produce is in season here in Vancouver? Be sure to visit farmers markets in your neighbourhood (locations more info and at www.eatlocal.org). A sneak peak at Fall’s best picks:

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Decoding Plastic Recycling Symbols There are 100s of modern plastics, but only a handful are labeled with a triangular symbol surrounding the number. The numbers designate plastics with varying degrees of recyclability and potential health concerns. At the Vancouver Aquarium, we recycle all plastics #1-7. Check with your local municipality or apartment building to see what you can recycle! In City of Vancouver, only plastics marked with the numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are accepted in the municipal recycling program. Here’s a quick overview of what these symbols mean:

Events Help Clean up at Kitsilano Beach Park on Saturday September 20th!

Registration starts at 10:00 AM Wrap up around 2:00 PM Where: The intersection of Arbutus St. and McNicoll Avenue (right next to the basketball courts).

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Cleanup supplies (garbage bags, gloves, recycling bags) will be provided Panago Pizza will be served for free Various Vancouver Aquarium WWF and Surfriders booths present at the event Please bring your own reusable food containers and cups We encourage you to use a sustainable form of transportation (carpool, bus, bike, walk to the event) as a way to reduce our impact on the environment.

For registration, please go to our website at www.vanaqua.org/cleanup, and register for either Kitsilano Beach Park North or Kitsilano Beach Park South (both sites are part of the same event). If you have any questions or if any of the Vancouver Aquarium departments or programs would like to have a booth or a presence at the event, please contact Maryam at ext. 3765. and at [email protected]

****************************** The Dominant Animal and the Fate of Biodiversity Beatty Biodiversity Museum at UBC Fall Biodiversity Lecture Speaker: Professor Paul Ehrlich When: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Time: 7:00pm Where: UBC Woodward Building - Room 2 (2198 Health Sciences Mall). As human population reaches unprecedented levels, we lose unknown numbers of populations and species every year. Please join us to hear Paul Ehrlich speak about the evolutionary and cultural forces that made us the planet’s dominant animal. Learn how those forces are affecting the way we are shaping our world, and how the choices we make in the next decades will impact the planet our children will inherit. Free. E-tickets required, available at www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca (e-tickets will be available 2 weeks before the lecture) PAUL R. EHRLICH is Bing Professor of Population Studies and Professor of Biological Sciences at Stanford University. An expert in the fields of evolution, ecology, taxonomy, and population biology, Ehrlich has conducted fieldwork from the Arctic and the Antarctic to the tropics, and from high mountains to the ocean floor. Professor Ehrlich has written more than 800 scientific papers and popular articles as well as many books, including The Population Bomb. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Volvo Environmental Prize for Environmental Sciences, and the Blue Planet Prize, and was awarded the first AAAS/Scientific American Prize for Science in the Service of Humanity.

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Staff Appreciation THANK YOU to Stephen Hinds, our new VP of Human Resources for the brilliant idea of recognizing our staff in the staff newsletter! * Since I get the fun job of putting the Halibut Herald together, I would like to personally thank whoever nominated me for “Be A Great Place To Work”. You really made my week and I appreciate it very much! THANK YOU! ~ Emerald

The Rock has rolled again... Cory Black has passed the Solid as a Rock Award on to Billy Lasby from Stellar Sea Lion Research. You have likely seen Billy working outside in his bright yellow rain gear waving and smiling from the bottom of a drained pool. Cory choose Billy because he is always working hard doing everything from cleaning to delivering an awesome visitor experience. Solid as a Rock recipients are "absolutely dependable, patient, and hard working." Congratulations Billy! Billy now has one month to choose the next Rock recipient, Stay tuned to see where the Rock rolls next..

For Sale

Make sure you come by the stockroom and pick up your free bag! This fantastic non-woven bag comes in 3 sizes, a great way to show your love for the aquarium as a lunch bag, grocery bag, or tote. You pick the size and the print. The Gift Shop is always looking to further their contribution to the organizations green efforts. This bag is not only an eye-catcher, it is a sustainable choice that promotes reducing, reusing, AND recycling. What could be better?! Large $1.99 Medium $1.49 Small $.99 With such an awesome price, they are a great gift idea for anyone! Drop by the Gift Shop today and check out all of our exciting new products.

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