With Flipper & Brush: Oregon Coast Aquarium's Sea Lion Artists

Ken Lytwyn, Curator of Marine Mammals at the 
Oregon Coast Aquarium, with Max. Photo provided
by the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

In Episode 18, I launch into a multi-part series on art-making by animals in captivity and art-making by our pets.

In this episode, we hear from Ken Lytwyn, Curator of Marine Mammals at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. The conversation centers on the facility’s resident sea lions – Lea, Max and Quill – who spend some of their enrichment activity time engaged in painting canvases and creating flipper prints. 

Lea with one of her flipper prints. Photo provided by
the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Ken describes their distinctive temperaments and talents and details what made Lea, Max and Quill good candidates for art-making. We hear how the three were trained to paint with flipper and brush and how they are rewarded for their efforts. We explore what we can know or - perhaps at best - surmise about sea lions from their art-making.

Max at work with paint brush and canvas.
Photo provided by the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Questions for Ken: Do sea lions attach any meaning to their artwork? How do sea lions see? Do they appreciate beauty? Do they have fun when they engage in these activities? How do sea lions learn and can we relate their learning processes to the ways in which human beings learn? Are they visual learners? Auditory learners? Tactile learners? Could a sea lion teach another sea lion to paint?

Max and Lea are featured in the full-color coffee table book, Fur in My Paint, that depicts wild animals - from scorpions to beaded lizards, macaws to elephants, and sea lions to gorillas - all creating art. In Part 2 of this series, we'll be chatting with the book's author, Tifane Grayce. Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and host of TV's Into the Wild, has called this art-making "a brilliant activity for any animal in an animal park or conservation center. Painting stimulates the animals and acts as an important 'enrichment' activity. Not only do the animals produce some really nice art, but it's valuable for conservation fund-raising."

The Oregon Coast Aquarium opened in 1992 and is situated on a beautiful 39-acre site on Yaquina Bay adjacent to an estuary and opposite a historic bay front with a working harbor. The aquarium is home to some 15,000 creatures (250 species) and is consistently rated among the nation’s best. It has received praise from USA Today, Coastal Living, Parents Magazine, Forbes Traveler and Trailer Life. The facility welcomes about 460,000 visitors annually and is open every day save for Dec. 25. Summer (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) hours are: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Winter hours are: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15.45 for adults aged 18-64; seniors (65+), $13.45; young adults (13-17), $12.75; children (3-12), $9.95 and age 2 and younger, free.

For more information, visit www.aquarium.org.

Mystery Making in the National Parks

In Episode 17 of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, Nevada Barr, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Anna Pigeon mystery series joins us.

THE ROPE, Nevada's 17th book featuring the crime-solving park ranger, Anna, has just been released. The New York Times has called the Pigeon series, "Thrilling!" USA Today has deemed Nevada's books, "Extraordinary!" And the Boston Globe raves: “Nevada Barr is one of the best!”


Nevada was born in the small western town of Yerington, Nevada and was raised on a mountain airport in the Sierras. Both of her parents were pilots and mechanics and her sister, Molly, continued the tradition by becoming a pilot for US Air. Nevada says that, when she was pushed out of the nest, she landed in the theatre, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Speech and Drama and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting. Following graduation, she made her way to New York City and, for 18 years, worked on stage, in commercials, and in industrial training films. She also did some voice work for radio.

Nevada Barr. Photo by Donald Paxton.

Over this time, however, she became increasingly interested in the environmental movement, and started spending her summers working in the National Parks – Isle Royale in Michigan; the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas; Mesa Verde in Colorado; and then on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. While she was serving as a seasonal park ranger, she was also writing travel pieces and restaurant reviews and she was weaving stories for sharing at the campfire. She eventually began to turn out longer tales and her first novel – Bittersweet – saw publication in 1983.

The Anna Pigeon series, featuring a park ranger as the protagonist, came to life when she fully married her love of writing with her love of the wilderness. Her first book of the 17, The Track of the Cat, was released in 1993 and it was honored with both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. Next, in 1994, came A Superior Death, loosely based on Nevada’s experiences as a boat patrol ranger on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Then in 1995, it was Ill Wind, set in Mesa Verde where Nevada had worked – for two seasons – as a law enforcement ranger.

Her latest, The Rope, is a prequel set in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that surrounds Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona. In this book, we’re provided with the previously untold story of Anna’s first foray into the wild and the case that helped shape her into the ranger she became.

A reviewer for the New York Times opined that Nevada “has a real feeling for creatures who live in the wild, especially women who can’t be tamed.” In our time together, we’ll try to get a sense of how much of Anna is in Nevada and how much of Nevada is in Anna and we’ll hear amusing as well as alarming anecdotes about the wild animals this remarkable woman has encountered. 

We’ll also hear what the folks of the National Park Service think of all the evil doin’s that Nevada has set in their surrounds. Here’s a hint: Nevada was the 2011 recipient of the Robin W. Winks Award, given annually to people and/or organizations recognized for enhancing public understanding of the National Parks. Previous awardees have included Tom Brokaw, Ken Burns and the National Geographic Society. Nevada speaks to us from her home in New Orleans.

Searching for Forever Homes

Catherine Powers. Photo by Donna Hailson.

In Episode 16 of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, we visit with Catherine Powers, Animal Control Officer for Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon. From a heart filled with passion and compassion, Catherine shares how she was drawn into this work. As she offers a rundown of the responsibilities she shoulders, it quickly becomes clear that the job calls for a special breed of caregiver. Any given day will find Catherine responding to emergency calls; rescuing the endangered; attending to dog licensing; providing health-building food, clean shelter and loving care for abandoned animals; seeking safe and permanent homes for the same; overseeing volunteers and much more.

Photo by Donna Hailson.

There's no "typical day" as each hour is filled with a new challenge. Deep heartbreak and great joy come with the territory. On a recent visit, I was met by a charming and smart-as-a-whip young dog that was yielded by a serviceman as he was preparing to deploy. Close by were a half-dozen puppies (a Rottweiler/Labrador Retriever mix) also waiting for adoption. Playful Pit Bull Terrier Gunner danced a game of tug of war with Catherine and a timid Shepherd mix, named Irie, that had come in to the shelter with injuries, warily inched her way toward me.

In this episode, Catherine shares her vision for the ideal animal shelter and details a clever way she has found to help fund her animal rescue efforts: providing daycare and overnight boarding for dogs who already have pet parents.

Photo by Donna Hailson.

Jerry's Jets on the Rugged Rogue River

One of Jerry's Jets speeding down the Rogue River.
Photo by Donna Hailson.

Jerry’s Rogue Jets, now Oregon’s only mail boat outfit, has come a long way since the days of pike poles and sails. The Gold Beach-based company still delivers the mail up stream on the Rogue River but now, carried even more often on the shallow-draft vessels, are vacationers seeking adventure. The fully-loaded 32- to 42-foot boats can carry 38 to 65 passengers and are able to navigate in depths of as little as eight inches of water.

The company dates one part of its history back to three brothers: one who had an ability to entertain, one who was a boat designer and one who was a boat pilot. Working off of a jet propulsion system originated in 1954 by Sir William Hamilton in New Zealand and the Berkeley Pump Company in California, Alden Boice created a performance hull capable of handling the rocky shallows of the Rogue. His brother Jerry launched a company -- Jerry’s Rogue Jet Boats – in 1958 and their brother Court served as their first pilot. A year ago in March, Jerry's purchased its one competitor, the Rogue River Mail Boat Company that had been in existence since 1895.

Coming into the rapids. Photo by Gene Hailson.

Now, with a combined fleet of 15 vessels, Jerry’s nature-based jet boat trips on Oregon’s “Wild & Scenic” Rogue River are a must do for 800 or more passengers per day in high season and more than 30,000 coastal travelers each year. On offer on the river is a blend of interpretive narration, meal stops at riverside lodges, rugged scenery, abundant wildlife, Pacific coastal estuary, and adventurous whitewater jet boating.

In Episode 15 of On the Road with Mac and Molly, I speak with Nic McNair who owns the company along with his brother Scott, mother Cherie, and father Bill (the only original interest holder still attached to Jerry’s). From Nic, we learn how jet boats operate over the recreational, scenic and wilderness sections of the Rogue. We hear about some of the boatmen who have grown up alongside these waters and we marvel at the wildlife that can be seen along the banks and in the river.

Black Bear on the banks of the Rogue.
Photo by Donna Hailson.

In our time together, I also share from my own and Gene’s experience of the 104-mile round trip “Wilderness Whitewater Adventure” that takes folks up to Blossom Bar Rapid, which is as far as is navigable by jet boat. The journey takes in all that is found in Jerry’s shorter trips: the 64-mile “Historic Mail Route,” that meanders along the Pacific Coastal Estuary, with its magnificent snowy egrets, black bears and bald eagles, playful otters and black-tailed deer, and the 80-mile “Whitewater Excursion,” where guests race over 2-Mile Rapid, Shasta Coasta Rapid, Wildcat Rapid, Old Diggins Riffle, Fosters Rapid and Watson Creek Rapid. We end with a note about Cherie’s border collie Rogue who has maneuvered herself into position as Jerry’s mascot, keeping guests entertained while they’re waiting to board the jet boats.

For more on our life as Rubber Hobos, traveling about the country in a rubber-tired vehicle, visit  http://www.rubberhobos.com.

Photo by Donna Hailson.

The Gray Wolves of Wolf Hollow

Z Soffron with one of the wolves of Wolf Hollow

The North American Gray Wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since shortly after the law was passed in 1973. But now, in an unprecedented move, Congress has delisted the Gray Wolf in Idaho, Montana and parts of three other states. The congressional rider, introduced last April as part of a budget bill, is now being challenged in a Missoula, Montana courtroom. Several environmental groups (The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Clearwater, and WildEarth Guardians) have banded together to fight the delisting, claiming that Congress violated the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers doctrine when it ordered the wolf delisted and blocked future court review of that decision. Wolf hunting seasons have been authorized for this fall and the plan, at this moment, according to a televised news report here in Idaho last night, is to reduce the population -- currently estimated at 1,700 -- to 150.

In Episode 14 of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, I speak with Joni Soffron. In 1988, Joni and her husband Paul founded the Ipswich, Massachusetts-based North American Wolf Foundation and Wolf Hollow with the mission of preserving the wolf in the wild through education and exposure. Paul died a few years ago but Joni and son Z have continued this work. 

We’ll hear from Joni about life at Wolf Hollow where, on this multi-acre site abutting marshland, visitors can meet the resident wolves – at close hand -- and observe how a wolf pack functions. Wolves are extraordinarily social creatures and, as we’ll learn in this program, their pack dynamics are fascinating. In many ways, wolf pack organization parallels that of a human family. Wolves are devoted to their young and five new puppies (three males and two females) have recently been added to the Wolf Hollow mix. We’ll hear how the pups are settling in, how wolves are faring in the wild, and how we can help support these magnificent creatures.

Photos provided by Wolf Hollow.

Perfectly Goode: Full-time RVer and Artist Debbie Goode

Debbie Goode with Cosmo and Belle.
Photo provided by Debbie Goode.

On a recent visit to Colorado Springs, Colorado, Gene, Mac, Molly and I had the pleasure of staying at the Mountaindale Cabins and RV Resort. This 45-acre property is situated in the beautiful Pikes Peak region and we heartily recommend it for its beautifully maintained grounds, level campsites, helpful staff and nicely-sized dog play yard.

Almost immediately upon our arrival at Mountaindale, we had the additional pleasure of meeting our next door neighbors, Debbie and Bill Goode, of Lafayette, Indiana. These full-time RVers share quarters with two wire-haired fox terriers, Cosmo and Belle.  Debbie took note of our Mac and Molly and asked if she might photograph them. 

Photo provided by Debbie Goode.

I came to discover, through the chats that followed, that Debbie is a pet and wildlife artist – a marvelous one at that – and she deemed Mac and Molly good subjects for an artistic rendering.

In Episode 13, Debbie discusses her life as an artist and as a full-time RVer. What inspires her? What makes a good subject? As an artist, how does she see and how does she carry what she sees to her canvases? What is her process and why does she focus on pets and wildlife? All that and more in this episode of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY.

Photo provided by Debbie Goode.

You can follow Debbie's process and see more of her work at 

www.perfectlygoode.blogspot.com.

Threats to Pets in the American Southwest

Photo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In Episode 12 of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, I visit with San Antonio, Texas veterinarian Rae Dishinger, of the Alamo Dog and Cat Hospital, who introduces us to some of the “Threats to Pets” specific to the American Southwest.

As Gene and I have been moving about the country with Mac and Molly, we have had to be on guard against potential perils all along the way. Here, in the West, we’ve been on the look out for rattlers and copperheads, coyotes and bobcats, feral hogs and even birds of prey. 

On occasion, we’ve been too late to keep Mac from rolling in burro poop and to keep Molly from eating cow pies. We’ve had to have both of the dogs treated for kennel cough even though they’d been vaccinated against this respiratory illness in the east. We discovered that, just as there are numerous variants of human flu, there are many strains of kennel cough and you can’t vaccinate against them all.

Rae tells us what wild animals and toxic plants may be encountered in the Southwest and offers advice on dealing with climatic changes (particularly the intense heat and humidity in this part of the world). She also shares the story of how her own beloved dog succumbed to the bite of a rattler. One other surprising note: Lyme Disease, which is of such concern in the East, has now reared its ugly head in some parts of the Southwest.

In future episodes of this multi-part “Threats to Pets” series, which will be interspersed through shows on unrelated topics, I’ll be speaking with veterinarians in other regions of the country who will discuss ways to protect our pets from threats specific to each of those regions. As noted in the launch of the series, we’ll learn from these folks about external and internal parasites; infectious diseases; insects, wild animals; plants; toxins and poisons found in and around our homes and in various places we may visit while traveling on the road.

For more on our adventures as "Rubber Hobos," visit http://www.rubberhobos.com.