SIXTEEN MEDFOHD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday. May 27, 1958
Is That So?
Del Monte Lodge, Pebble
Beach, Calif. Looking down
from the Carmel-San Simeon
highway, a ledge-like road which
clings precariously to the cliffs
above the great Pacific, a glad
sight greeted me a herd of the
rarest and most valuable of all
animals sea otters.
I wish all of you miaht have
seen It and rejoiced with me.
Less than 25 years ago, these
9
sea otters, owners of beautiful
fur, were believed extinct,
thanks to the ungoverned rapa
city of th white man.
For example, in San Francis
co bay, one group of hunters
within a week, working from
small boats, knocked 800 dead
with cars and clubs.
Once these friendly frivolous
creatures lived by the hundreds
of thousands along the cold
shores of the North Pacific, their
range extending lik? a giant 6,-000-mile
horseshoe from south
ern California up to the Aleu
tians and down the Kurile chain
to Japan. Mostly, they congregat
ed in sheltered bays where there
was help in which they could
truss up their young while they
' dived down a hundred feet for
sea urchins abalone, cuttlefish
and clams.
Part of the animal's undoing
was its friendliness. At first man
could easily approach them, and
besides they have a fanatic devo
tion to their young. When a market-hunter
captured the baby in
the kelp the parents would lose
all sense of caution and become
easy prey fir clubs, spears and
rifles. Usually those shot would
sink to the bottom, unrecovered.
Looking down upon them to
day a small remnant, but still
they seemed a part of the water,
as they are: they are born In the
water, they eat in- the water,
grow old In the water, and die in
the water.
Sis of Mastiff
When full grown, these fabu
lous seal-like mammals are abou.t
the size of a mastiff but with a
low slung body, a heavy flat
tened tail, big webbed hind feet,
and paddle-like front feet, small
and adaoted for holding food and
young. When wet their beautiful
dark brown fur glistens at clos
er view the long white hairs give
it a frosty appearance.
They make a friendly family
group the male caresses the fe
male by stroking her; the female
By EUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
splashes and plays with her
young one, between times
grooming it carefully with her
tongue and claws: and theyoung
nurses blissfully from the float
ing mother's breast, while ther
half-grown disport themselves
nearby.
Because the water in which
they live is always cold with lit
tle change in temperature, their
elegant fur is extremely dense.
In fact, you can stretch a sea ot
ter pelt half again its normal
size and still not be able to force
your fingers through the thick
hair to touch the hide. And re
gardless of season, summer or
winter, this most costly of furs
is always in prime condition.
When I say costly, the prices
ranged from a low of $30 a pelt
in the early 1800's which was
big money to better than $2,
000 in modern days. So, in 1884,
a single ship under command of
Alexander Barano sailed back to
Russia with 15,000 pelts by to
day's prices, a cargo worth more
than 530,000,000.
Value Brought Destruction
The sea otter's tremendous
value, of course, brought about
its own destruction: in 1737 the
white man first learned of its
beauty. Within 74 years the spe
cies was nearly extinct. But not
before making history. Bering's
voyage of discovery to Alaska in
1741 was actually in quest of this
beautiful fur to make a cloak for
the Empress Catherine. Later, it
brought the Russians down our
west coast to Fort Bragg, within
a 100 miles of San Francisco. It
helped to bring the Spanish mis
sions north otter skins were
one of the greatest sources of
revenue for early Spanish mis
sions. At Mission Dolores, in San
Francisco, a processing room
seldom contained less than 100
pelts.
Finally, though it was thought
that the sea otter might be ex
tinct, a small band of conserva
tionists got an international law
slapped down to make the sell
ing or even the possession of sea '
National Guardsmen
To Start Camp June 16
Portland -UR) Oregon and
Washington National Guards
men of the 41st Infantry divi
sion open their annual summer
training encampment at Ft.
Lewis, Wash., June 16 under the
command of Gen. George S.
Cook of Seattle.
The division will be at its
greatest strength since World
War II with nearly 10,000 men
enlisted.
otter skins illegal. For a time it
seemed as though action had
come too late but after World
War f, a group of sea otters was
found in the Aleutians. Later,
another group here south of
Monterey the nucleus of the
herd I looked upon today.
. And now, I am told there are
400 in this area; together with
4,000 or so in the Aleutians. Ot
ters, despite their beautiful furs
now are free to feed, sleep, play
in the surf. A gory page of fur
history has been turned; and
now, happily, we look upon a
new leaf that of conservation,
thanks to a small band of deter
mined life savers!
(Copyright, 1956,
by Eugene Burns)
(Released by
MeClure Newspaper Syndieaie)
Free: By special arrangement
with the editors of the Encyclo
pedia Americana, my panel of
judges will award each week to
the reader who sends me the best
true-life nature adventure, the
best nature observation, or tlw
best question on nature and wild
life, a complete 30-volume set of
this world - famous reference
work in a handsome Sealcraft
binding.
Each week new submissions
will be considered. Sorry, I simp
ly can't answer your- many
friendly letters. Please address
your letter to: Is That So! cAj
Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575,
Sausalito, Calif.
Announcing the Appointment of
LEE DAVIS
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55 North Main, Ashland Phone 2-5771
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Knights of Columbus
Elects Officers Here
The 48th annual State Con
vention of the Oregon Knights
of Columbus concluded a three
day session in Medford last
week.
The closing sessions included
election of officers and delegates
to the supreme convention in
Detroit, Mich., this August. The
Dalles was selected as the con
vention city for 1957.
Saturday evening the conven
tion banquet was served to over
400 officers, delegates and guests
at the St. Mary's gymnasium.
Dan Hull was toastmaster.
Elected officers were Fred J.
Schwab, Mt. Angel, state depu
ty; Edward J. Bell, Stayton, state
secretary; Eugene P. Roden.
Pendleton, state treasurer; Ar
thur H. Flynh, Hillsboro, state
advocate; and Joseph Bernards
Jr., Milwaukie, state warden.
Delegates to the supreme con
vention in Detroit are Ross Cole
man, St. Paul; Ed Zielosowski,
St. Helens; William G. Ely,
Klamath Falls; and Carl Kebel
beck, Cottage Grove.
St. Helens Knights of Colum
bus were winners of the mem
bership trophy, and the scrap
book trophy was won by the
Lakeview Knight's of Colum
bus. Charles Duby, Baker, re
ceived the special district depu
ty trophy for outstanding accomplishments.
The greatest vegetable oil
source in the world is believed
to be the Amazon valley in South
America.
4-H Club News
Antelope Club
Several activities are planned
by members of Antelope 4-H For
estry club. The next meeting will
be held June 24, on 4-H Sunday,
at the home of Dianna and Ar
thur Gardener on Yankee creek
when the group will first attend
church at Eagle Point. They will
picnic and swim at the Garden
er home.
On June 29 they will make a
camping trip to the Klamath riv
er and in late August they plan
another camping trip to Blue
canyon near the foot of Mt. Mc
Loughlin. On May 18 and 19 they were
at Azalea where they met jointly
with other members of forestry
clubs from Douglas, Josephine,
Coos and Jackson counties. The
Antelope club won a treasure
hunt and received a gavel as a
prize. They also participated in
a number of other activities Sat
urday at Azalea.
Nyla Murray,
Reporter.
Read and Use Classified Ads
Salem (U.R) Charles D.
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