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______________________ Wednesday, May 21, 2008
ulture 3
Naturalist recounts stories
about invasive species
Ceiridwen Terrill informs the audience using her recently
published book “Unnatural Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species”'
Emily Walters
Arts & Culture Editor
Kayla Berge Clackamas Print
i Terrill demonstrates ripping
g ivy. Doing so prevents it
ring out plants in yards.
Invasive species of plants and animals
are encroaching every day, destroying
native inhabitants - and scientists aren’t the
only ones who can stop the destruction.
On Thursday, May 15, from 3 to 4 p.m.,
Dr. Ceiridwen Terrill regaled an audience of
about 25 in Roger Rook Hall 220 with tales
of her experiences involving invasive spe
cies and advice on how to stop them.
Terrill is a writer and naturalist, and cur
rently is an assistant professor of English at
Concordia University in Portland. Last year,
she published a book called “Unnatural
Landscapes: Tracking Invasive Species.”
In the book she focuses on islands for a
couple of reasons.
“If it works on an island, it will likely
on the mainland,” she said, explaining that
because islands are more isolated, they
make for easy testing grounds of what
works to deplete habitats of invasive spe
cies.
The other motive she had for choosing
islands was more for personal pleasure.
“I love to kayak, so I kayaked to many of
these places,” she said.
Selecting one of her favorite passages
from the book about the Owens pupfish in
Nevada, Terrill launched into a reading.
She relayed meeting one of her idols,
Phil Pister, in person. A few decades before,
Pister had been among a few men who
saved the Owens pupfish from dying out.
The technical writing was enjoyable and
peppered with witticisms.
Clearly, Terrill takes her own piece of
advice — which she offered to the audience
- in her writing:
“Stay jolly and be informative at the
same time.”
At the end of the talk, she handed out
a sheet outlining “Actions The Citizen
Scientist Can Take!”:
1) In landscaping, prefer native plants
over exotic ones. Support nurseries that
specialize in native plants and get behind
bans of nursery sales of invasive plants.
Native plants attract birds and butterflies,
and will lower the risk of birds ingesting
exotic seeds and spreading them.
2) Buy birdseed for feeders that has been
cracked or cooked so that it doesn’t germi
nate and spread.
3) Remove the ivy from die-yard - rip,
roll it up like carpet and bag.
4) Shake out camping gear so that any
seed hitchhikers are not carried around,
hose car tires and hiking boots and pick
seeds out of the shoelaces.
5) Learn which plants are exotic species
in the area and report any newfound inva
sions.
6) Leash dogs in wild areas, because
they can carry around seeds in their fur and
between their toes. Also, they break down
soil around stream banks, which invasive
plants will thrive in.
7) Horse people who trail-ride should
buy weed-free feed, being persistent with
asking the local feed stores to keep some
in stock.
8) Don’t own exotic pets, or at the very
least don’t let them go to become invasive.
Big problems come especially from released
snakes, fish and aquatic plants.
9) Boaters should empty bilge water,
hose the boat down with hot water and
allow it to dry completely before entering a
new waterway, preventing taking any snails,
mussels or plant species into a new habitat.
10) Try being really gung-ho and using
invasive plants in cooking and to make
medicines. Find the useable parts and
destroy the plant itself.
11) Volunteer at a local organization on
a day when they are encouraging citizens
to help to control invasive plants: look for
the Nature Conservancy’s Weed Watchers
Program.
Terrill as a speaker was both informa
tive and helpful in presenting just what the
average Joe or Jane can do to stop invasive
species from taking over unnatural environ
ments.
For further information on Terrill and
invasive species, visit her Web site at http://
faculty.cu-portland.edu/cterrill/index.html.
“Unnatural
Landscapes:
Tracking
Invasive Species” can also be found at
Powell’s Books.
rince Caspian’ keeps the string
j excellent fantasy movies alive
1 newest film from “The Chronicles of Narnia ” series
high level of action that makes for great entertainment
ri Walters
ilture Editor
avid reader and personal
original “Namia” series by
asist C.SL Lewis, it is not
I applaud tire second film
Ct“The Chronicles ofNarnia:
aian” as being better than
shocking is the fact that I
> been firm in my belief that
■jd into movies never quite
1 written counterparts - yet
contradicting myself.
Growing up reading about Narnia
and watching the terribly bad 1970s
British Broadcast Company (BBC)
film renditions of the stories, the plot of
“Prince Caspian” was my least favorite.
It lacked the vivid sparks of action that
kept me completely captivated with the
stoiylines in die other novels.
Therefore, I support the genius who
had enough insight to know that chang
ing up tire original book would be the
best course of action. The outcome is
wonderful entertainment and — when
coupled with spectacular computer
animation
and acting
- may
L just
’ give
its money.
The
war
scenes are among
the major alterations, In
hi the
/
book, there is only really
battle that Lewis describes in
depth.
The others are merely men
tioned as losses that deplete the morale
and numbers of the face led by rightfill
ruler Prince Caspian, along with the
Pevensie quartet he calls back from
England.
An emotion the film captures
extremely well is that very despair
and dwindling hope. This can espe
cially be said of the added battle at the
Telmarine-built castle, in which the
usurper and Caspian’s uncle, Miraz,
J one
Photo
illustra
tion by
f Megan Koler
Clackamas
Print
draws close to taking over the throne.
The other variations from book to
film are mainly minor tweaks in order
of occurrence and do not mutate the
central theme of patriotism
The one bone I have to pick is
that the characters of Prince Caspian
and Susan Pevensie are somewhat
violated by the ever-present, obvi
ous sexual tension between them,
which finally climaxes in a very
public kiss.
1 didn’t actually have a problem with
them making Prince Caspian older than
Lewis had intended, because it made
his character possess more depth and
relateability than he would have had he
been barely chin-hair-growing age.
However, it opened the door for
an out-of-place teenage romance. That
is not what tire story is supposed to
be about, and it took up moments in
which more plot-building could have
transpired.
I must admit, though, Susan was
somewhat saved, for me, by the display
of truly badass archery skills - while
clad in flattering armor, no less - and
the fact that she and other female char
acters were part of the fighting scenes.
Also, Iamutterlythankfi.il for com
puters, which made effects such as the
walking trees possible, not to mention
my favorite character from the book,
Reepicheep the mouse, who is brought
to life on screen when high-tech visu
als blend with the fantastic voicing of
Eddie IzzarcL
Sorry, BBC, but your dwarf in a
mouse costume is a miserable attempt
in comparison.
All in all, “Prince Caspian” is anoth
er force to be reckoned with in a grow
ing vault of usually great fantasy films.
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