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Black Footed Ferret

Black Footed Ferret by Zoe, Anna, Dhea, and Kota. Felt and fabric applique with hand lettering. Mr Harada's 2013 class
Black Footed Ferret by Zoe D, Anna F, Dhea A, and Kota O.  Ms Harada’s 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Felt and fabric applique with hand lettering.

Black Footed Ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are the only ferret native to North America. Their primary source of food and shelter is the prairie dog, which accounts for 90% of their diet.

As settlers killed off prairie dogs and destroyed their tunnels, the Black Footed Ferret population also declined. By the mid 1900 they were thought to be extinct. But a small population was found alive in Wyoming in the 1980’s; those18 individuals were placed in a captive breeding program. Today, there are approximately 750 living in the wild.

To learn more about Black Footed Ferrets go to: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/black-footed-ferret/

For a Black Footed Ferret fact sheet go to:

http://www.defenders.org/black-footed-ferret/basic-facts

For information on threats to the Black Footed Ferret go to:  http://www.defenders.org/black-footed-ferret/threats

The Black Footed Ferret Society at:

http://www.blackfootedferret.org/

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West Indian Manatee

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) by Becca F, Bethany S, Cameron R, and Stella K, Ms Rabina's 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King, 2013. Fabric applique and rubber stamps.
West Indian Manatee  by Becca F, Bethany S, Cameron R, and Stella K.  Ms Rabina’s 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013. Fabric applique and rubber stamps.

The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) is the largest surviving member of the order Sirenia. They are thought to have been mistaken for mermaids by sailors who had been at sea for too long. Threats to the West Indian Manatee include habitat loss, and injury and death due to commercial and recreational boating.

For more on West Indian Manatees go to:
http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm

http://www.arkive.org/west-indian-manatee/trichechus-manatus/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/west-indian-manatee/

http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/msrppdfs/westindianmanatee.pdf

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Whooping Crane

Whooping Crane by Jordan, Henry, and Yulong.
Whooping Crane by Jordan W, Henry G, and Yu Long Y.  Ms Harada’s 6th grade class Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Fabric applique, rubber stamps, and embroidery.

Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are the tallest North American bird and one of only two crane species on the continent. Brought to the verge of extinction in the 1940’s due to habitat loss and excessive hunting, there are now over 500, either in captivity or in the wild. As part of the conservation program, young cranes are trained to follow an ultralight aircraft to learn their traditional migratory routes.

For more info go to:

https://www.savingcranes.org/whooping-crane.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/AboutSpring.html

For live chick cam go to:

http://www.savingcranes.org/crane-chick-cam.html

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California Condor

California Condor by Taiyo, Connor F, Anthony U, and Alex H. Ms Harada's 6th grade class, 2013. Felt on fabric with fabric paint.
California Condor by Taiyo D, Connor F, Anthony U, and Alex H.  Ms Harada’s 6th grade class,  Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Felt on fabric with fabric paint.

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)
is the largest land bird in North America. Their wingspan can reach 10 feet. In 1987 all 22 remaining California Condors were taken into captivity as part of a captive breeding program at the San Diego and Los Angeles Zoos. Through this program, their numbers grew and starting in 1991 birds were released into the wild.

In resent years the wild population has been threatened by the use of lead based bullets used by hunters. As scavengers, the birds would feast upon carcasses killed by hunters, sometime ingesting the lead bullets. Thankfully, on October 11, 2013 California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 711 into law, making California the first state to completely ban the use of lead in hunting ammunition. The California Fish and Game Commission has until July of 2019 to fully implement the law.

 

For more on the California Condor go to:
http://www.defenders.org/california-condor/basic-facts

To read about threats to the California Condor go to:
http://www.defenders.org/california-condor/threats

For the San Diego Zoo live cam go to:
http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/condor-cam

For news on the lead bullet ban go to:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131014-lead-ammunition-ban-condor-california-science/

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Spotted Owl

Spotted Owl by Elizabeth W, Madeline A, Kathy G, and Stephanie T, Ms Rabina's 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.
Spotted Owl by Elizabeth W, Madeline A, Kathy G, and Stephanie T.  Ms Rabina’s 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Fabric paint, applique, embroidery, and hand lettering.

The Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis) lives in old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. Long cited in the debate over cutting old growth forests, the Spotted Owl is now at risk due to Barred Owls that have migrated west into their habitat.

For more on the Spotted Owl go to:
http://www.defenders.org/northern-spotted-owl/basic-facts

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Spotted-Owls-New-Nemesis.html

For recent developments on Barred and Spotted Owls go to:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/23/19645594-feds-move-ahead-with-plans-to-kill-barred-owls-to-save-spotted-owls?lite

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Poison Dart Frogs

Poison Dart Frogs by Ari M, Armand P, John R, and Natalie C, Ms Rabina's 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.
Poison Dart Frogs by Ari M, Armand P, John R, and Natalie C. Ms Rabina’s 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.

Poison Dart Frogs are brightly colored members of the family Dendrobatidae from Central and South America. Secretions from their skin are toxic, and have sometimes been used to coat the tips of blowdarts. Many of these species are listed as threatened or endangered due to habitat loss from logging and farming.

To learn more go to:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/poison-frog/

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Utah Prairie Dog

Utah Prairie Dog by Cory S, Danny E, Dejie Z, and Joan Y, Ms Rabina's 6th grade class 2013. Faux fur, fabric, and ribbon applique, with hand lettering.
Utah Prairie Dog by Cory S, Danny E, Dejie Z, and Joan Y.   Ms Rabina’s 6th grade class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Faux fur, fabric, and ribbon applique, with hand lettering.

The Utah Prairie Dog  (Cynomys parvidens) is the smallest of the Prairie Dog species. Between 1925 and 1975 the population was reduced in size by nearly 87% by poisoning, habitat loss, and introduced plague. They were classified as endangered as part of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, and then reclassified as threatened in 1984.

To learn more go to:

http://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/pd-utah-prairie-dog.php

http://www.prairiewildlife.org/upd.html

http://www.arkive.org/utah-prairie-dog/cynomys-parvidens/

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Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle

Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle by Gaby, Yulin, Marina, and Sarah. Fabric applique and collage, with rubber stamping
Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle by Gaby R, Yu Lin L, Marina B, and Sarah S.  Ms Harada’s class, Thomas Starr King Middle School, 2013.  Fabric applique and collage, with rubber stamping.

The Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest known sea turtle, averaging 6 ft in length and weighing over 1,000 lbs. They travel immense distances and can dive as much as 4,922 ft deep.

The Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle was recently named the California State Marine Reptile, and has been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. The Pacific Leatherback population has been dropping  rapidly in recent years. The main threats, according to scientists, are accidental deaths due to commercial fishing (especially longline), sale of sea turtle eggs, loss of nesting grounds due to beachfront development, and ocean pollution; especially the ingestion of plastic bags and other debris.

For more information and to help sea turtles go to Turtle Island Restoration Network at www.seaturtles.org

For more information on the Leatherback Sea Turtle go to:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/leatherback-turtle

http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/leatherback-sea-turtle.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/leatherback-sea-turtle/

For just how dire the threat is, go to:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/us-turtles-leatherback-idUSBRE91Q0VA20130227