Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2017)
Wednesday, July 19, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Sculpin in Whychus Creek? Just about the time you think you know who the key players are in Whychus Creek, along comes an inquisitive, 9-year-old soon- to-be-fourth-grader from Sisters Elementary School who drags home a weird tro- phy from his exploration of the creek that drops jaws. If he had his way, Daniel would get home from school and immediately head for Whychus Creek for any num- ber of activities. He’s already a fly fisherman who knows how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it. But if the visit to the creek isn’t to his liking for fly fish- ing, he’s just as happy explor- ing for anything that moves in, under, over and any- where near the creek. Once he watched a garter snake eat a fish, and for him, that was almost as good as if he’d caught it himself. Daniel’s also very happy just to be rafting in Whychus — or any other body of water — for that time-consuming activity takes him to new and different stretches of creeks, river, and lakes where he can explore for new and different critters in the flashing water around him. So, it wasn’t a big surprise for any of the Miller family when Daniel came home car- rying two unknown animals that resembled fish, and one apparently eating one like it. No one in the Miller family knew what he had, and when his mom, Randi, sent the photo to me and asked what they were, I didn’t know either… But, several images from my youth did pop into my memory when I looked at the photos again and again. It came slowly, but it made no sense, my memory of them was in the wrong place… I couldn’t recall the name, but I did remember seeing something like them while clamming with my grandfather in the saltwater and sandy beaches of Long Island Sound in West Haven, Connecticut. That made no sense in Sisters, Oregon. So, what were sculpin — a salt-water fish — doing in Whychus Creek? To try and get a better handle on what Daniel had dragged home, I sent an email to Forest Service Fish Biologist Nate Dachtler, but forgot to send him the photo I received from Randi Miller. When I did send Nate the image his response was, “That is a cool picture. Looks like a sculpin in the sculpin’s mouth.” OK, that indicated to me it was no surprise to him that a sculpin was found eat- ing a sculpin in Whychus Creek, but for people who don’t know they were even there here’s what I got off Wikipedia: “A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfam- ily Cottoidea in the order, Scorpaeniformes. As of 2006, this superfamily contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species. “Sculpins occur in many types of habitat, including, ocean and freshwater (sur- prise to me!) They live in rivers, submarine canyons, kelp forests and shallow litto- ral habitat types, such as tide pools. (And, as of today at least, swift-flowing streams H’ H A’ H 192 E. Tall Fir Ct., Sisters | 541-549-1726 P’ P 182 E. Tall Fir Ct., Sisters | 541-549-1336 D T | O O Business Cell (541) 848-3194 “Enriching the lives of those we serve, one day at time” SISTERS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Thrift Store ReStore 50% OFF Antique/Art Show is around the corner, and we still Everything in the have a wonderful whole darn store! selection of linens You might g and collectibles. wan a t t t r o u b ck ri ! n 541-549-1740 541-549-1621 541 549 1 141 W. Main Ave., Sisters 254 W. Adams Ave., Sisters Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, 12-4 p.m. Donations accepted Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sundays Donations accepted Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON Daniel admiring his catch of the day, frozen for posterity. lined with volcanic rocks in Sisters.) “Sculpins are bottoms- dwellers; their pectoral fins are smooth on the upper edge and webbed with sharp rays along the lower edge, a modification that makes them specialized for gripping the substrate. This adaptation helps the fish anchor in fast- flowing water.” That’s exactly where Daniel found those two he hauled home. Now, why don’t you scramble on down to Whychus Creek and see how many sculpins you can find, and when you do, ask them how they got from the Pacific Ocean, up the Columbia, up the Deschutes and into Whychus Creek. Custom Design & Repairs 549-9388 A lab of lov or e s Siste e r d! n Ow “Peter made my day: no exaggeration! The carpets looked new when he left. He was thoughtful, focused and did an excellent job.” — Kelly Sheets 1.5 Carat Diamond, 18k White 115 NW Greenwood, Redmond | 541-588-6119 9 541-549-6471| 35 Years Experience | Peter Herman, Owner