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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2009)
Page 24 The INDEPENDENT, April 2, 2009 Rare frog is on display at Oregon Zoo Garrett Loders, Maria Pelster and Caleb Hardy are shown during a rehearsal for The Scarlet Pimpernel, being produced by the Vernonia Homeschoolers. See page 11 for schedule and details of play. Photo courtesy of Carol Pelster. KNIFE SHARPENING by Master Bladesmith Murray Carter Only $5 per knife (Reg. $10 per knife) 1/2 PRICE 2 DAYS ONLY! 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday, May 1st & Saturday, May 2nd Y OU CAN DROP OFF K NIVES FOR LATER PICKUP , OR STAY AND WATCH A MASTER AT WORK . 981 Fairway Lane, Vernonia (700 yds. North of Wauna Federal Credit Union at the end of Weed Ave.) 503-429-0447 A Vernonia Headstart Parent fund activity Oregon Zoo visitors can now check out this rare, bright-red tomato frog, native only to Mada- gascar. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo. What’s red and hops? A tomato frog! Local residents can get a peek at this rare species, native only to the is- land of Madagascar, in a new display at the Oregon Zoo’s Bamba du Jon Swamp exhibit. True to its name, the Mada- gascar tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii) looks quite a bit like a ripe, red tomato. Don’t try to eat one though. One reason these amphibians are so bright- ly colored is to warn would-be predators about their toxic ex- cretions. When threatened, a tomato frog puffs itself up to ap- pear larger and, if that doesn’t work, it secretes a white, sticky toxic substance from its skin. But even though tomato frogs have defenses, it’s not easy being red in Madagascar these days. The frogs’ bright reddish-orange skin makes it easy for poachers in the pet- trade industry to spot them on the ground and pick them up. Northern Chinese Cuisine Specializing in Hunan & Szechuan N EW H OURS Tue. - Thu. .. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Fri. - Sat. ... 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Sunday .......11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Monday Closed Food To Go 503-429-5062 669 Mist Drive, Vernonia, OR Yep, just like tomatoes. Tomato frogs are also sus- ceptible to pesticides and de- tergents found in irrigation runoff. The frogs often hang out in ditches near farms to catch the water, but this, along with the poaching, has caused their numbers to drop. These problems have prompted conservation efforts by zoos in the United States and Madagascar to educate the public and save tomato frogs from possible extinction. The Madagascar Fauna Group, an international consortium of zoos and other conservation organizations, has started an exhibit in the tomato frog’s na- tive country at the Parc Zo- ologique d’Ivoloina. The zoo opens at 9 a.m. dai- ly and is located just off High- way 26. The zoo is also acces- sible by MAX light rail line. General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and in- fants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conserva- tion projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.ore- gonzoo.org or by calling 503- 226-1561.