Wetland tales a collection of stories for wetland education

[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

QH
87.3
Wetland
Td--les

w37
1992

W A9 H IN G T 0 N 8T A T E
EP A R T M N T 0 F

WetlAnd Tales
A Collection of Stories
for Wetland Education

Compiled and Edited by Jana Dean

Illustrated by Nikki McClure

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA
COASTAL SERVICES CENTER
2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413
WASHINGTON STATE
DEPARTMENT OF
ECOLOGY
Produced by
the Washington State
Department of Ecology

Publication #92-17
ProPertY Of. CSC Library
Printed on recycled paper.

Preparation of this document was financially aided through a grant to the Washington State.Department of Ecology
with funds obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and appropriated for Section 306
of the Coastal Zone Management Act.

of the Coastal Zone Management Act.

Wet la n d Ta les pagei

Permissions* Acknowledgements

Stories, essays and illustrations My Cra@fish Ws his Eyes Thanks to the following
in this'publication are on a, Stalk," from Iroquois Stories individuals who reviewed
copyrigbted material copyright @ 1985 by Joseph part or all of this book and
which may not be reprinted Bruchac, published by The provided invaluable feedback:
without written permission Crossing Press, Freedom, Margaret Swanson-Vance,
from the Washington State California. storyteller
Depart-m6nt of Ecology.
.To order additonal copies- "Mr.,Frog's Dream" from Latin Cayt Stephens, childri@n's
of this, publication contact: American Tales., by Genevieve librarian at the Olympia
oj@ Barlow. Copyright @ 1966 by Timberland Library
Publications ce Rand .McNally and Company.
Department of Ecology Reprinted by permission of the Larry Beutler, edit-or, Clearitig
Olympia, WA 98504-8711 author. Magazine
Adrian Boomer, fourth grade
"Raven and-the Goose" from teacher, East Olympia Elemen-
Raven.- Creator of the World tary-School, Olympia
Eskimo Legends 'retold by Tessa Cockburn, second grade
Ronald Melzack, with illustrci- teacher, Gildo Rey Elementary
The Department of Ecology tions by Leslo Gal. Copyright School, Auburn
1970 by Richard Melzack.
gratefully acknowledges the By permissio -n of Little, Brown Theresa Mqy, artistic directer,
permission to reprint the Theatre in the Wild, Seattle
following: and. Company.
Bill Fiorilli, storyteller and
"Hungry Spider and the Turtle,". "Why the Tides Ebb and Flow" friend
from The Cow-tail Switch and from How the People Sang the
Other West African S .tories by 'Mountains Up by Maria Leach Cyd Brower, Teri Granger,
Copyright Q 1967 by Maria Bill Leonard, Brian Lynn, and
Harold Courlander and Leach. Used by per -mission of Andy McMillan, Department
George Herzog. Copyright of Ecology, Wetlands Section
1947, @ 19 .75 by Harold Viking Penguin, a division of
Courlander. Penguin Books USA Inc. Katherine Ronning, educator,
The High Desert Museum,
"Where the Birds Build" and "The Toad is Heaven's Uncle"'. Bend, Oregon
"The Beaver's T@il, from Sage, 'fiorn Vietnamese Legends by Thanks to the teachers and
Smoke: Tales of the Shoshont- Charles F.Schultz. Copyright 0 schools that allowed me tq tell
Bannock Indians by Eleanor by Charles E. Tuttle, Inc. these stories to their students
Heady (Cleveland: Modern Reprinted by permission of
. Charles E.'Tuttle. while this book was in process.
Curriculum Press, 1991) @ 1973
by Eleanor Heady. Reprinted Also, thanks to thedozens of
Gombei and the Wild Ducks" 9torytellers who responded to
by permission of Modem
from' The Sea of Gold, by Yoshiko a survey seeking wetland
Curriculum Press.
Uchida, Creative Arts Books, stories and to the people at the
1965 by Yoshiko Uchida. Used Timberland Regional Library
by permission of the author. who secured countless books
through interlibrary loan.

page ii Wetland Tale's

n
,Table of Conte Is

How to Use this Book .......... ...................... .................... v
Background ............... * ........................................................... v
Tips for using this Book ................. 11 .......................................... ;. v
Introduction .......................................................................... A.
Folklore and Environmental Education ................................................... A
Making the Connections ................................. : ............................... a
To read'aloud or tell a story ....................... ........ ................... ........ vii

Wetland Tales
Turtle and the Di vers (North American, Huron- Wyandot) .................. ...... ......... 1
Wetland Dependence (Wildlife and Humans: wetland functions and values) ......... ; ............. 5
Hungry Spider and the Turtle (Africa, Akan-Ashanti) ................................... 7
Home for Dinner (Ecosystem, habitat, food web, niche) ...................................... 9
Wherethe Birds Build (North American,'Shoshoifi-Bfinnock) ....................... I ....... 11'.
Desert Marshland Homes (Eagle, killdeer,'magpie, swallow, owl, dove and marsh wren) .......... .... 13
Why Crayfish has his Eyes on a Stalk (North American, Oneida) ........................ 15
Trees with Wet Feet (Wetlands and Trees: 0akmaple, alder, willow) .......................... 17
The Beaver's Tail (North American, Shoshoni-Bannock) ................................... 19
Beavers Build Marshes (Beaversand wetlands) *.............................. I ............ 21
Mr. Frog's Dream (Cen&al America, Nicaragua, Nicarao) ............................... 23
Frog Life Cycles ............................... .................................... 27
Raven and the Goose (North America, Eskimo) ....................................... 29
Wetland Resting Places (Geese and Migratory Flyways) ....... ................................ 33
Why the Tides Ebb and Flow (North America, Tahtlan) ............... ......... 35
Tide's Out, Dinner's On (Mudflat and tide land contributions) .......................... I ....... 37
The Toad is Heaven's Uncle (Asia, Vietnani) .... ............. ......................... 39
Wetlands Drying Up (Consequences of intervention in wetland hydrology) ........................ 41
Gomboi and the Wild'Ducks (Japan) ....................... I.................... ... 43
Marsh Protectors (John James Audubon, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson and You) ...................... 46-

Some We tliand -Related Curricula ................................................ 48
Fresh Water Wetlands ................................... ................. "-...48
Clean Water Streams and Fish ............................................................... 48
Marine andEstuarine ............ :..................................... ............... 48
Coastal Zone Studies ................. *.............................. .......... ? .......... 49

Resources from -the Department of Ecology .................................. :.51
Booklets .............................................................................. 51
Videos ............................................................................ 51

Wetland Tales page iii

page iv Wetland Tales

How to Use this, Book'

Background difficult to find. I was pleased Tips for
These stories portray muskrat, to discover, however, that usin - this- Book
wetland inhabitants have 9
beaver and otter, eagle, crane enormous positive cultural I have organized this book to
and wren, frog, toad and turtle importance. In nearly every integrate the wisdom of the
in their habitat..In the tales, we culture, creatures that depend story with an understanding of
witness toad's heroic dive to on wetlands for survival hold the natural history of wetlands.
the bottom of an ocean to bring a prominent place in folklore. The Introduction outlines the
up the earth; we see how turtle Suitable sto* ries came from approach used in developing
outwits spider; we chuckle at the indigenous oral' traditions. this resource and gives .tips for
frog's desire.to fly, and at what of North America, Asia and learning to tell stories. If you '
it brings him; and we learn Africa. Native cultures, un- just want the stories, along with
how raven arranged things so alienated frorn their ancestral- some information about wet-
that the tides ebb and flow. land, tend to develop a deep lands, the Table of Contents
All of the stories, by virtue of relationship with the creatures serves.as a guide to finding the
their origins in the oral tradi- that share their world. Among wetland topic that you are in-
tions of native cultures of three many Native American cul- I
continents, illustrate the lo'ng-7 tures, the world actually rests terested in explorfng. There are -
standing relationship between on turtle's back. The frog or ten stories with accompanying
text. A brief synopsis precedes
human culture and wetland toad as hero and changer is each story, which introduces its
creatures. found in stories from all over place in relation to wetland
I began my search for the world. Heron and crane
stories by looking for tales stand guard over the folkloric ecology. Following each story
that depicted bogs, swamps, marsh, while beaver and a page-or.two elaborates on
the natural history themes that
marshes and estuaries; how- tortoise are wise and patient. arise in the narrative. I have not
ever, folklore that depicted These animals populate both formulated complete lessons or
the ecological functions and wetlands and the human units, but rather drawn on the
values of wetlands was imagination. story to identify connections to
lessons in wetland ecology and
natural history. For a list of
available wetland curricula
to use in conjunction with
some of the stories, turn to
the appendix.
One last note about the
stories: even though they
appear in printed form, they
come from oral -traditions. In
this book, 1 have reprinted
them just as they appeared in
'the acknowledged sources, but
like music, oral traditions are
inherently fluid and changing.
just as a symphony interprets a
musical score, the storyteller
interprets the folktale.
Enjoy!

Wetland Tales page v

I n*troductibn

Folklore and to bring up the earth. Nowhere, the environment. While under-
as I have written or told the standing living systems is
Environmental story, do I describe Toad at important, it does not automat-
Education the moment she grabs the ically translate into a deep
earth; yet, in drawing or paint- concern for them. Affective and
By bringing wetland animals,to ing exercises following the cognitive understanding must
life through the spoken word, telling, the most common come together to bring about
stories engage the children's depiction of the story is that this change in attitude. The
imagination and bring wet- moment at which Toad reaches turtle in the natural history
lands as life-filled habitats into the earth. The pictures that the lesson will occupy a different
the classroom. The stories children draw arise from their place in mind and heart if the
provide a starting point and a own imaginations. Together, children have experienced the
context for teaching wetland the telling of the story and the story's turtle. The story also
ecology by creating common work the teacher does to revisit provides a context in which
ground in the form of an the story create a lasting ex- to envision more abstract
imagined wetland landscape. perience that also allows an concepts such as ecosystem,-
The power of the storyteller avenue for self-expression. hAbitat and niche. That is not
is that he or she elicits the full to say that the wetland of the
participation of the audience. story becomes the only wetland
Using only the human voice, Making the experience, but at least it
the storyteller requires each Connections provides an emotional and
-member of the audience to Stories have the potential to creative link to wetland science.
create for themselves an inner
picture of the story. Although redirect our cultural conception The essays that accompany
the voice of the teller guides of wetlands as waste sites to the stories each outline a
the listeners' vision, each one in which wetlands harbor - possible direction for taking
the tales after sharing them
person fabricates his or her A beautiful and mystifying with your group Of children.
own picture of the events that diversity of life essential to To come up with the essays,
transpire; hence, "story-listen- the quality of life - human, I let my imag -ination work on
ing" is itself an active creative plant and animal alike. The the story until I came up with a
exercise. tales do not take the place of wetland connection. These are
The exercise of actively lis- lessons in conservation and only suggestions and only a
tening to and in turn "seeing" ecology; rather,,they provide a few of the dozens of ways to
a story is internal and requires focus, a context and common interpret the.stories. Several
thechild to establish a relation- ground for the lesson that is wetland or wetland-related
ship with the scene envisioned. about to unfold.
I have often told the story Stories are filled with curricula are also available
"Turtle and the Divers.@' to empathy-evoking images from various organizations.
Turn to page 48 for a list
groups of children. In it, Toad which link understanding of of these resources.
dives to the bottom of the sea the environment to concern for

page vi Wetland Tales

To, r'ead aloud Then sit down and write it The following techniques
long-hand, one word at a time. may also help you to learn
or bell a story It won't take as long as-you a story:-
You can share stories with your might think. The words will- 0 On your written copy, circle
class by reading them out loud. have moved fromabstract words that you find poetic or
or by telling them. If you printed symbols to script very descriptive.
choose to read them aloud, try. produced with your own hand.
to familiarize yourself with the Next, read what you've written M Map the story by drawing
language and plot of the story out loud. Your voice moves the an outline,of the plot; noting
rather than reading it cold. You words from eyes and head to . wheh and where the decisive
may even want to make a tape your tongue.'Continue to work action -takes place.
of yourself telling the stories with your fia.nd-written copy. 0 When you find a story that
that your students can then Keep it in your pocket to read ou would like to learn, try
o-. If you want to learn while waiting in line.at'the y
listen t telling someone about the story.
a story, what follows is an out- bank or post office, during
line for one way to go. about'it. lunch, or on the bus. Try M Draw a'sketch of the story.
The stories in this book, walking thesitory." By_this M Record your own voice
'although they all come froM I mean find an unobstructed reading the story out loud,
oral traditions, come to you. path'. start walkitig, and read and listen to that tape in the car.
as printed Words. In telling, a the tale out loud to,yourself.
story from memory,'you do not Reading and walking at the Beyond that, let your
memorize the printed words same tirrLe will introduce a- imagination fly - you'll be
verbatim, rather, you'recall the rhythm to the word@ that will amazed at what you will
images that the words have make them easier to remember. experience.'Folklorists
if nothing else, read ihe'story to recorded these stories to save
given you. This means that
storytellers mUst both free the yourself each night before you the stories themselves; these
stories from the printed page go to sleep. When you feel as stories now saved, may help
and developthe ability to.vivid- though you can 'recall the plot us to foster an ethic that will
ly see and feel the events of the of the-story, tell someone about allow us to preserve the
stor 'as they speak. it. -Each time you tell it, add wetlands that helped to bring
y
Book in hand, choose a more detail and description the tales to life.
story that interests'you for until your rendition is as' full
any reason at all: because of or nearly as full as the written'
its relevance to a lesson you version. Before long-, you will
wouldlike to te 'ach; or just be telling the story!
because it strikes your fancy,

Wetland Tales page vii, -

op
40
to *00

Turtle and
the Divers

"Turtle and the Divers" is pa@t of the creation myth of the Wyandot people whose ancestral land is in the
Great Lakes Region of North America. The story is one of many Northeast Woodland tales in which Turtle
holds the earth on his backfor Sky Woman who had fallen into the water world. A tree falls with her, and the
inhabitants of the water world -= beaver, otter and muskrat among them - dive futilely to gather the earth
from among the roots of the tree. Finally, much to the astonishment of her larger companions, ugly little Toad
su,cceeds. Little Turtle then spreads the mud on Big Turtle's back until it creates an island large enaugh for
Sky Woman to stand on. The tale, in its depiction of wetland animals, provides a plat form from which to
explore humans' dependence on wetlands and thecreatures thqt make wetlands their home.

T
his is the way it was my friends. The daughter of the chief of the skypeople was
very sick.-Doctor after doctor had come and none knew a cure for her strange
disease.-In their worry, the sky people ceased harvesting corn. They ceased 'gathering
fruit. They grew hungry.
Fi'nally,'they sent a special inessenger to fetch *a wise man who lived far from the
other people. He came, and when he saw,the daughter of the sky chief, he immediately
pronounced a cure for her. He told the sky people that the cure for her disease lay
among the roots of the Great Sky Tree. He told the sky people that they must carry her
to the tree and place her near its trunk and that they must dig. "She must be present,"
he said, "for only she will recognize that thing which will cure her disease."
The sky people did as they were told. They carried the woman to the base of the
tree and they began to dig. They dug without stopping, but, my friends, they did not
all dig at once. They formed parties and as one group of diggers became tired, another
took their place. And so they continued for a long time, until the hole around the roots
of the tree had grown large, and still the daughter of the sky chief had not found the
cure for her strange disease.
Then, as one company of workers withdrew from the hole, and another moved
to take their place, all were astonished by a great thundering and crackling. The hole
they had dug grew larger and larger and the tree began to sink, carrying with it the
daughter of the sky chief, for she had become entangled in its branches. The workers
watched in awe as she fell.

Wetland Tales page one

Below the sky world, all was water. From horizon to horizon-, there was nothing
but water. On that water swam two loons. They heard the thunder of the sky tree
breaking through the world above. That was the first thunder heard in the world
-below. They looked up and they saw the tree and the woman tumbling toward the
water. They saw that she was not a creature of the water, and they knew that she
would perish if they let her fall. One said to the other, 'We must save her.". The other
replied, "'Yes,'we'll swim side by side- and catch her as she falls." And so the loons
swam., one right next io the other, as though they were one creature, and they placed
themselves under the sky woman, and she cam e to rest gently on their backs.
. .. They stretched their long necks to look at their burden. They had never seen
anything like her. She 'Was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. They could not
bear td let her fall into the water, but they would soon grow tired. They could not swim
with her on tl@eir backs forever. One of the loons said, "We must call Turtle, he will
summon all the animals, and together we will decide what to do." With that, the loons
began their calling. Their voices echoed across the water. Before long, the Great Turtle,
surfaced. not far from where they swam. The loons.told him about the thunder and the
falling tree. They showed him the beautiful sky woman who lay across their backs.
Turtle summoned the water snake and sent him to gather together all.the creatures
who inhabited that water world.
When all were present, Turtle related the story of the loons, and asked the
council what they should do, for- she had been sent to them, and they could not dream
of letting the beautiful creature slip off their-backs to drown in the-endless waves. A
ques 'tioning murmur spread through the crowd of animals, then someone suggested
that if the loons could show them exactly where that tree had fallen, then they,could
.send their best divers to the bottom for some. of the earth that surely still clung to its
roots. Big Turtle nodded -and said, "'Yes, that we shall do, even if I must support the
earth on my back, we shall send our divers to gather some of that earth from
underneath the waters."
So the loons indicated precisely the place where they had seen the tree disappear
beneath the waves. Turtle then summoned Otter, the best of the divers. Otter filled his
lungs with air and went down. The animals gathered and watched'until they could no
Jon er see him-beneath the water.'.The only signs of him were the bubbles from his
9
breath that surfaced and popped when they met the air. They waited and watched a
long time in anticipation. Surely Otter had reached the bottom and had some earth
.between his claws. Then the bubbles ceased, and all.looked at one another. Had Otter
failed? Finally Qtter. surfaced, so out of breath, that he gasped once and then died,
sinking into the darkness below. Otter had given his life in his attempt to create a home
for sky woman.

page two Wetland Tales

Then Big Turtle called, Beaver. Beaver, too filled his' lungs with" air, and went
down. The animals 'gathered around the ripples that remained where beaver had- had
his head out of the water'. They watched'Beaver until they could no longer see him as
he sank. into the darkness. Then they watched, the bubbles that surfaced above him.
And then. they too ceased. Beaver had been gone a long time. Those who remained
above murmured that he must have reached the roots of the tree. But when Beaver
came up to the surface, his paws and mouth were empty. Beaver had fa.iled. And
Beaver took one'last breath and the@ san@ forever below the waves.
Big Turtle summoned Muskrat next. Again the animals watched as he sank into
the darkness, and as the bubbles rose to the surface and broke when they touched. the
,air. He remained below for even longer. than Beaver and Otter. "Perhaps Muskrat has
reached the bottom," the anim 'als said to one another. "Yes, surely he has," they
exclaimed. Muskrat broke the surface of the water, and all the animals rushed to look
at his paws and mouth. But they found that he too had failed,And he too died as a
result of his attempt.
Big Turtle summoned many other creatures, among @them, the best of the divers.
But none dove deep enough to obtain the earth from, the roots of the tree.
Finally, Big Turtle tir@d of seeing so many lose their lives, and he refused to call
on anyone else. Instead, he asked if anyone-would volunteer, for the loons were
growing tired. An uneasy silence followed, until a tiny voice rose above the others.
It was Toad, tiny, ugly, old Toad. She said,, "I'll do it," in her *rough voice. "I shall dive
to the bottom. I shall come back with the earth to provide the sky woman with a
P
home.", All the animals laughed.. They mocked Toad. -They scotned her. How would
she, with her strange long hind legs, -and her tiny front logs, not known as a diver, how
would she succeed where the best of the divers had failed? But Toad was determined.
And Big Turtle agreed to let her try. She filled her lungs. until the other animals
thought she would burst, and then she dove, working her long, strange hind legs a's
she swam into the darkness. All the animals wafted, doubting- that Toad would surface
alive, let alone with. th@ earth iii her mouth. They waited alo'ng time. They began to
wonder if perhaps they had judged Toad too quickly, for she had been gone longer
than any of the others. At last, they saw m ovement in the shadows.. Toad was
returning, still working the water with her strange hind legs. When she surfaced, she
opened her mouth. Inside, she held some of the mud that had clung to the roots of the
sky tree. Toad had reached the bottom and returned with the earth, and until this day,
some know her as our grandmother.

Wetland Tales page three

Little Turtle swam.to Toad, and gathered'some of the mud into his hands.
He spread. if on Big Turtle's back.'As Little Turtle rubbed, an is *land grew' and grew
until finally, Sky Woman was able to. step offthe backs of the loons and stand. on
solid ground.
But, my friends, there is one'thing that I did not tell you. All this time, Sky
Woman had held her hand clasped tightly to her chest. You see, my friends, as she had
sIeparated from the tangled roots of the sky tree she had grabbed a handful of seeds.
These seeds she let fall, and where they fell there grew the squash, and the sunflower,
the. be@n and the sacred tobacco and corn. That, MY friends. is how the earth wasmade
ready for our arrival. And, my friends, the way we got here i's another story all together.

This story is based on research carried.out by ethnologist C. M. Barbeau in the early-twentieth century. Barbeau interviewed
Huron-Wyaridot people in Wyandotte, Oklahoma. For sour6e material see Huron and-Wyandot Mythology C. M. Barbeau,
Canadian Department of Mines, Anthropological Series, Memoir 80, no. 11, (1915); C. M. Barbeau, "Supernatural Beings of
the Huron and Wyandot, American Anthropologist, no'. 16, 1914, pp. 288-313; and Arthur Parker, Seneca Myths and Legends,
.(New York: Ams Press, 1970). -

pagefour Wetland Tales

Wetland Dependence'

In "Turtle and the Divers," the Loons depend on the aquatic Water quality: Wetlands can
Sky Woman's peril is that she environment for food'and on improve water quality by filter-
cannot live in a world of noth- the terrestrial environment for ing out sediments, excess
ing but water; however, she nesting sites. nutrients and human-intro-
depends on the animals that duced contaminants.
dwell in the water to save her.
Interestingly, all the primary Toads begin their lives as tad-
animals in the story are wet- poles dependent on algae and Fish and wildlife support:
land creatures. They must cross' become insectivores who Wetlands provide food.and
worlds and live on both land spend most of their time on shelter for many -species of
and water to survive. Working land. birds, fish and animals. that are
together, the animals provide part of the human. diet, as well
what both they and the sky as providing opportunities to
woman need: a world with Turtles feed on a variety of wet- observe wildlife in its native
both land and water. land plants and animals and habitat.
cannot escape predators
without the protection
Beavers depend on the bark provided by banks and ledges. Storm and erosion control:
and wood of willows for food Wetlands *act as a buffer at the
and shelter, and on the water to edge of large bodies of water.
escape from predators. -Humans depend less directly Wetland plants slow down
on wetlands than the am- wind and water currents and
phibious animals of the story; they bind and,stabilize
Muskrats feed on aquatic nevertheless, marshes, riparian shorelines with -their root Sys-
vegetation such as cattails, zones, bogs and estuaries func- tems.
sedges,, rushes and water lilies tion in ecosystems and water-
and build their dens along the sheds in- ways that we may take
banks of ponds. for granted. Water supply: Wetlands act 'as
groundwater recharge stations:
surface water that collects in
Otters Often consume fish Flood control: Wetlands slow wetlands is filtered as it slowly
along the banks of a body of and store flood waters, reduc- seeps into the underlying aqui-
water and construct dens with ing the height and speed of fer, replenishing this valuable
both underwater and dry floods downstream. resource.
entrances.-,They line their nests
with aquatic and terrestrial
vegetation.

Wetland Tales page five

MOP-

dw-

page six Wetland Tales

Hungry Spider
and the Turtle.

"Hungry Spider and the Turtle" comes from the Akan-Ashanti people of Western Affica. In the tale,,greedy
spider manipulates popular customs in order to trick turtle out of a meal that, out of courtesy, he must offer.
Patient turtle, through the same kind of cunning, takes advantage of his adaptation to water to show spider
that "one good meal deserves another". In spite of the story's emphasis on social interaction, it provides a
backdrop for a lesson in the relationship between habitat and niche.

pider was a hungry one, he,alwa wanted to eat. Everybody in Ashanti knew
. ys
Sabout his appetite. He was greedy, too, and alway's wanted more than his share of
things. So'People steered clear of Spider'.
But one day a stranger came to Spider's habitation out in the-back country. His
name was Turtle. Turtle was a long way from his home. He had been walking all day
in the hot sun, and he was tired and hungry. So Spider had to invite Turtle into his
house and offer him something to eat. He hated to do it, but if he didn@t extend
hospitality to a tired traveler it would get around the countryside and p@ople would
soon be talking a-bout Spider behind his back.
So he said to Turtle:
"There is water at the spring for you to wash your feet in. Follow the. trail and
you'll get there. I'll get the dinner rea*dy."
Turtle turned and waddled down -to the springwith a gourd bowl a's fast as he
could. He dipped some water from the spring and carefully washed his feet in it. Then
he waddled back up the trail to the house. But the trail was dusty. By the time Turtle
got back to the 'house his-feet were covered with dirt again.
Spider had the food all'set out. It was steaming, and the smell of it made Turtle's
mouth watdr. He hadn't eaten since sunrise. Spider looked disapprovingly at, Turtle's
feet.
"Your feet are awfully dirty," he said. "'Don't you think you ought to wash them
before@ you start to eat?"
Turtle looked at his feet. He was ashamed, they were so dirty. So he turned
around and waddled as fast as he could down'to the spring again. He dipped some
water out- of the spring with the gourd bowl and carefully washed himself. Then, he
scurried as fast as he could back to thehou 'se.,But it takes a turtle'a while to get
anywherL When he- came into the house Spider was 'already eating.
"Excellent meal, isn't it?@' Spider -said. He looked at Turtle's feet with
disapproval. "Hm, aren@t you going to wash yourself?"
Turtle looked down at his'feet. In his hurry. to get back he had stiri@ed up a lot of
dust, and-his feet were covered with it agairf.:

Wetland Tales pageseven

@'I washed them," he said. "I washed them twice. It's your dusty trail that does

'Oh," Spider!iaid, "so you are abusing my house now!" He took a big mouthful
of food and chewed it up, looking very hurt.
No," Turtle said, sniffing the food, ",I was just explaining."
'Well, run along and wash up so we can get on with the eating," Spider said.
Turtle 'looked. The food was already half gone and'Spider was eating as fast as he
could. Turtle spun around and hurried down-to'the spring. He dippedup some water
in the gourd b -owl and splashed it over his feet. Then he scrambled *back to the house'.
This time he didn't go on the trail,. though, but on the -grass and through the bushes: it
took him a little -longer, but he didn't -get dust allover his feet.When.he'got to the-
house- he found Sp@id:er licking his lips.
"Ah, what a fine meal we had!" Spider said.
'Turtle looked in the dish. Everything- was gone. Even the smell was gone. Turtle
Was very hungry. But he said nothing'. He smiled..
Yesi It was very good," he said., "You'are certainly good. to travelers in your
village. If you are ev er in'my country you maybe assured of a welcome."
"It's-nothing," Spider said.- "Nothing at all,"
Turtle went away.He didn'ttell other people about the affair at Spider's house.
He was very quiet about his experience there.
But one' day many months later Spider was a long distance from home and he
found hir@self in Turtle's country. He found Turtle on. the shore of the lake getting a
8unbath.
"Ah, friend Spider,. you are far from your village," Turtle said; "Will you have
something to pat with me?"
"'Yes,.that is the way it is wherLa person is far from home - generosity merits
generosity,"' Spider said hungrily.
'Wait here on the shore and I'll go below and,preparo the food," Turtle said'He
slipped. into the water arid-went down to the bottom of the lake. When he got there he
set out the food to eat. Then he came to the top of the water and said to Spider', who
was sittina. impatiently on the shore, "All right,evpTything is ready. Let's go down and
eat." He put his he 'ad under-water and swam down.
Spider was famished. He jumped in-to 'the water to follow Turtle; But Spider was.
very-light. He floated. He splashed and splashed, kicked and kicked but he stayed
right there on top of the water. For a long time he tried to get down where Turtle was
eating,, but nothi'ng. happened.
After a while Turtle came up, licking his lips. "'What's the matter, aren't you
lhungry@.?" he said. "The food is very good. Better hurry." And he went down again.

page eight Wetlanid Tales

Spider made one more desperate try, buthe just floated. Then he had an idea.
He went back to the shore,picked up pebbles and put them in the pockets of his jacket.
He put so many pebbles in his pockets that he became very heavy. He was so heavy he
could hardly walk. Then he jumped into the water again, and this time he sank to the
bottom, where Turtle was eating. The food was half gone. Spider was very hungry.
He was just reaching for the food when Turtle said politely:
fExcuse me, my friend. In my country we never eat with our jackets on. Take off
your jacket so that we can get down to business."
Turtle took a great mouthful of food and started chewing. In a few minutes there
wouldWt be anything left, Spider was aching all over with hunger. Turtle took another
mouthful. So Spider wriggled out of his coat and grabbed at the food. But without the
pebbles he was so light again that he popppd right up to the top of the water.
People a1ways say that one good meal-deserves another'..

"Hungry Spider and the Turtle," from The Cow-tail Switch and Other West African Stories by Harold Courlander.
and George Herzog. Copyright 1947, 1975 by Harol.@ Courlander.

Home for-Dinner: Habitat and Niche

A habitat is the place in which eat. That set of relationships is diving into the water. Spiders
an animal or plant liVes. In the called a niche. A creature's spin webs to catch air-born
story,. Hungry Spider's "house" niche determines with whom it insects. In the story as in the
and Turtle's spot on the shore can share its meals. wild, Turtle and Spider can
of the lake are parts of the Turtles and spiders, while not share a meal becausLs they
animals' habitats. A turtle and they may live in the same hold different niches in the
a spider can share- a habitat (a wetland, occupy different wetland. The two species
spider may spin a web on a ' niches. In the story, Turtle and would never settle down to an
plant that grows on a turtle's -Hun - Spider, as occupants identical meal at the same time
gry
bank) but place'alone does not of different villages, follow and place. Each can only find
deternfine diet. Even though different rules and customs nonrishment at their own
spiders and turtles can live in that determine their relation- home, and because of custom,
the same neighborhood, that ship to the beings around or the laws of nature, cannot
does not give them the ability them. Likewise, in nature, find food at a table outside
to sit down to a meal together. turtles and spiders follow their habitual position in the
The set of relationships that an different laws that determine ecosy@tem..
animal has to its habitat deter- their place in their environ-
mines how and when it will ment. Turtles obtain food by.

Wetland Tales page nine

Pon

-7mb

"Rob-

pAge ten Wetland Tales

Where- the
Birds Build

In this Shoshoni-Bannock story from the sagebrush plateau, the. birds gather together to decide where each shall
live. Th' each choose a place to their own liking. The marsh wren, uncomfortable as ft may seem, chooses,the
ey
make her home among the cattails: All the birds mock her" but she insists. f4fter hearing her defend her decision,
Koontex the crane sees her wisdom and-follows suit by also building his nest in the marsh. The text that follows
the story elaborates on the descriptions of the nesting sites that appear in the tale.

L
ong ago when things w ere. not yet settled,, the-birds held a powwow to decide
where ea-ch one should live.
After a big supper around the campfire, the tall blue crane, Koontex, who.
was chief of the birds, said, "Now, we shall divide the land and the rocks and the
trees and the streams, so that each bird family has the very best place for its nest."
"Please, 0 Chief," screamed Kwinaa, the eagle, "let us build at the top of the
highest cliff. We have strong wings to fly to such high places, and our children will be
safe from prowlers there."
"'That is all right with Me," sniffed'Pantii, the killdeer. 'What a bother it would
be to fly so high."
"Very well,". said the crane. "Kwinaa may build on the cliffs, while you, Pa:ntii,
will put your nest on the ground.."
"'No one has the willow thickets. Let me build my nest there," squawked
M@itawyon, the magpie.- "'There are plenty of dry sticks for a nest under the willows."
"'The willows for the magpies, said Chief Koontex.
"Letus build our nests of mud on the sides of banks and cliffs," chirped
Pasokompin, the swallow.
"'A good, safe place that will be," agreed theChief. "'Your sturdy houses will
protect'your children from wind, rain, and hunters."-
The owl', Pittisi, asked for the tall pine and the dove for a, nest on the ground.
Kooi-ttex, the crane, agTeed with all these requests.
But one. little bird with a tiny voice, like a willow whistle asked to have his
home in the marsh among the reeds and cattails.

Wetland Tales page eleven

""You can@t build there. You'll drown, shouted the birds. "Oh, no, I won't,"
chirped Tentsuki,, the marsh wren, -,"Let me tell you how I'll build."
"How? How?"' chirped, squeaked, and squawked 'all the other birds.
//I/11 weaVe thetall slender leaves of -the,cattails together to make a snug wik1up.
Then I'll put,in a floor of grass and make my nest on that., My children- will rock in -the
breeze as the ree'd.s blow high above the water."
""But how will you get into*your nest?" asked the crane.
y
//I'll have a hidden entrance," said the wren. "I shall fly under the nest, close to
the water, and up through the reeds to the entrance. No one will see my nest beizause -it
will look just like thelcatt.ails around it."
"'How clever," said Koontek, "'You may certa:inly build in the marsh."
Now, since that day, all the birds have built in their chosen places. And Chief
Koontex; the crane, followed the wisdom. of the wren and chose to make his nest on a
platform -of reeds in the marsh. He stands on his stilt legs and watches as the other
birds come'and go. Because he guards everyone, the birds call him Ataoi Uncle.
And the fat's tail dropped off.

From Sage Smoke: Tales of the Shoshoni-Bannock Indians by Eleanor Heady (Cleveland: Modern, Curriculurn Press, 1991)
9 1973 by Eleanor, Heady. Reprinted by permission of Modern Curriculum Press.

page, twelve Wetland Tal@s

Desert Marshland Homes: Wetland Habitat

In the desert, wetlands are marsh, the Killdeer depends on Mourning Dove: The Moum-
even more critical for wildlife, wetlands' capacity to nurture- ing Dove -is the most common
habitat than they are in Wetter insec4. Even the terrestrial in- dove in North America. Its
areas, for the presence of water sects that make up part of its habitat rangeg from open
supports many species that diet likely spent their first' woodlands'and agricultural
could not otherwise surv Iive weeks as aquatic larvae feeding fields to suburban neighbor-
on the and sagebrush plateau. in the plant- and detritus-rich hoods. In the desert, however,
Many -desert inhabitants need wetland. the Mourning Q ove is confined
dense wetland vegetation for to areas near water. The doves
cover; others use wetlands as Magpie: Magpies need thickets build flat nests either on the
resting places, or indirectly for nesting. Magpies build ground or in small trees, and
rely on the aquatic or, damp bulky nests in the midst of the. feed on the seeds of marshland
environment to furnish a brush to protect their young and agricultural grasses.
steady sup@ly of prey, which from predators and the hot
may range from fish and in- desert-sun, and even incor- Marsh Wren: The Marsh Wren
sects to rodents and small porate a roof into the structure makes its home in the wetland
birds. While not all of the to provide extra protection. itself. The malewren builds
-birds in "Wh ere the Birds Although thickets are not elaborate nests oftattails
Build" make wetlands their limited to wetland environ- suspended inside the marsh.,
home, they all depend on m ,ents, in the desert, rpost are He will sometimes build
wetlands in some way. found where water is present several nests in one mating
for at least part of the year. season in his attempt to attract
Bald Eagle: The Bald Eagle a mate, Sometimes he succeeds
builds an enormo 'tis nest Bank Swallow: The Bank well enough to attract more
perched high in the branches of Swallow builds its' sturdy nest than one. female and fathers
a tree or on a cliff 6verlooking by burrowing a long cavity in two nests full of chicks.
a waterway. The bird rarely the soil of cliffs and river The marsh homes are nearly
builds its n6t far from water, banks. The nests are so durable invisible and plenty of wetland-
for fish nurtured in the shade that they outlast the swallows raised insects fly and swim
of shoreline vegetation are a themselves, and are used by right by the wren's doorstep.
principle part of its diet. In fact, many generations. Swallows
'the body of water itself, be it a spend almost all of theirtime Sandhill Crane: The Sandhill
pond, lake or river with its diving through the,air catching Crane, like'the Marsh Wren,
shoreline wetlands, becomes. seemingly invisible insects. makes the wetlan 'd its home,
part of the eagle's territory. While the swallows food, The crane builds its nest in a
source is airborne, most of the location surrounded by w@ter
Killdeer: The Killdeer, a insects it eats breed and to ensure the protection of its-
member of the plover family, develop in the water. eggs and young. Standing tall
scarcely builds a nest at all; on long legs, the crane searches
rather, it lays its eggs in a'small Short-eared Owl: The Short- for its prey of aquatic insects,
depression On flat gravelly eared Owl builds its'nest on worm 's and small fish that flit
ground. Near open bodie@ of the ground in open country. between the marsh sedges and
water, the birds run over the Although not confined to grasses.. -
mudflats 'on their long thin marshlands, in desert climates
-legs, snatching insect meals the owl is most often seen
from the mud and the water. hunting for small biids and -
While not actually living in the rodents near water.

Wetland Taks page thirteen

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N M

NNW

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page fourteen Wetland Tales

Why,Crayfish-has - -
his Eyes on a Stalk,..

In this Oneida tale, flood waters carry Crayfish far from the river bed, stranding him on high ground. Not oply
is he stuck, but his eyp dry up so that he -loses his, sight. Luckily for Crayfish, he can still,talk, and as he crawls
blindly banging intotrees, he asks each one to identify itself. Because Crayfish knows his- trees - which ones grow
near water and which ones prefer high ground - he knows whe?i he is close to home. As soon-@s he reaches a
willour, he gets so excited that'he throws himself into the water. He'labors so hard to see that his eyes pop -out of his
head and wave around in the water. Crayfish can see@ better than ever before, and he commends himself for not
having given up. Traveling with-Crayfish, we see which trees prefer high ground, and which can withstand.water
against their roots, andin turn explore why they can take roots in wetlands.

0
nce, long ago, after many days of heavy rain there was a big flood. It swelled the
waters of the' stream where Crayfish lived far beyond the usual banks. Crayfish
was very happy and went from. place to place, findifi g all kinds of good things to eat
where the water had risen.
"'Be carefulj" said Minnow. "'This water may,go away.again."
But Crayfish did not listen. He was too busy going around from here to there
and eating all he could. Finally he had eaten so much that he grew sleepy.
"I shall just rest for a little while," he said. Then he crawled under a rock and fell
fast asleep. While he slept the f1bod waters began to drain away'. The hilltopsappealred
again and then the slopes of the hills like the heads of swimmers popping up'out of -a
pond. More and more of the waters drained away and now the stream had gone back
to its usual bed-..,
But, far away from the water now, Crayfish still Slept on. The sun shone hotter
and hotter and still he slept. Finally, late in the afternoon, Crayfish-wo'ke. He felt very
stiff and dry. It was hard even to move. He. tried to look around, but h e* could see
nothing. His eyes had dried. up.
"Yo hoh!," said Crayfish. "I should have listened. What can I do now. T' Then,
his legs creaking as he moved, he began to crawl. He had not gone far before he
bumped into a tree. Then he sang this song:.
Mat kind of tree
Mat kind of tree'
What kind of tree
Is this before me?
And the tree answered, "I am an oak.'

Wetland Tales page fifteen

"Oh-oh,.said the Crayfish, "I am still very far from water." Then he began to
crawl again. On and on. he went until he bumped into another tree. Once again-he, sang
his song:
Mat kind of tree
Mat kind oft -ree-
What kind of tree
Is this before me'?
And the tree answered, I am a maple."
"Oh-oh," said the Crayfish', feeling very discouraged, "I still have so far to go!.',
But still he kept crawling, even though his legs were stiff as dry twigs. After he had
gone a long- ways further he bumped into, another tree,'Once more he sang:
What kind of tree
What kind of tree
What kind of tree
is this Wore me?
And the tree -answered, "I am an alder."
"Eh-heh!" cried Crayfish, feeling very excited now. "'Then I do not have that far
to go." He began crawl,faster and soon bumped info. another tree. With great
excitement he sang. his song another time.
What kind of tree
Mat kind of tree
Mat kind of tree
Is this before me?
And the tree answered, "I am a willow.".
When, he heard that, Crayfish began to -move as fast as he could. In only a few
more steps he fell into the water. He felt it wash over his head and he strained so hard*
to-see that, As the water moistened his eyes and softened the mud,which had dried over
them, his eyes shot right out of his head, each one on a longstalk, Crayfish waved them
around. He could look in any ditection he wanted. This was even better -than before
and so, though, he had gone throu h much, hardship, Crayfish felt that he had been
rewarded for not giving up.
And so,it came to be that Crayfish has his.eyes on the end of a stalk, and so it-is
with all other crayfish to this very day.

VVhy Crayfish has his eyes on a Stalk," from Iroquois Stories copyright (1985 by Joseph Bruchac, published by The Crossing
Press, 'Freedom, California.- Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

page sixteen Wetland Tales

Trees with Wet Feet

Like Criiyfish, we can get to cause the oxygen content -of roots to avoid too much water
know which trees can tolerate water'is so mu(fh less than the in the rain-soaked soils of
wet feet for long periods of oxygen content of the air that. Westem.WAshington. The next
time and by them learn to would otherwise be present be- time you go walking in the
recognize wetland 's. In river- or tween soil particles. In order to forest examine the upend-ed
stream-associated systems like survive in soils that are soaked roots of wind fallen Douglas
Crayfish's, the oak will grab with water during the growing Fir. Other trees such as the.
the high ground; maple, who season, trees must develop an Western Red Cedar and Alder
can handle the occasional flood alternative means to obtain compensate for shallow root
finds a high spot on the enough oxygen. Some species systems by widening the base
floodplain; alder, who has yet such as the willow have ex- of their trunk. Such a swollen
more tolerance for water picks tremely porous roots which trunk, called a buttress, serves
a spot near the stream; and wil- allow them to actually absorb the tree in much the same way
low, who doesn't mind wet feet oxygen present in the water the wide base on a floor lamp
year round, lives right on the and transpbrt it to the rest of keeps it from falling over.
bank. Positively identifying the plant. Flooding also stimu- Why, you may wonder,
wetlands, however, is not as lates the willow to grow new with these challenges, would a
simple as merely recognizing roots to replace those that the tree even bother to root'in the
the trees that grow in them. flooding has killed. Other 'mud? The answer comes in two
Some trees that can tolerate plants, such as the water lily Iparts-. First, the harsh wetland
wetland ' have special cells on their conditions limit competition.
conditions will also ap-,
pear in drier areas; however, leaves that provide,a' direct. 'Not all plants can grow in wet-
they may be less common oxygen link from leaf to root. lands, and those that can do
upland where there.is more When the option presents it- not face the stiff competition
competition. Instead of compet- self, many trees avoid oxygen- for sunlight, space and
ing for limited space, sunlight poor situations even while nutrients that they might
growing- in hydric soils. In upland. Second, wetland soils
and nutrients, they will take ad order to get the most from the are extremely rich in nutrients
vantage of.special adaptations thin u per layer of dry soil, the because of the life they support
that allow them.to live with P ' laterally to ab- and
their roots surrounded by roots will grow because of sediment-rich
water. sorb oxygen. The dry-season flood waters. So next time you,
One of the challenges for oxygen however doesn't come go walking,and feel your feet
trees that take root in wetlands without cost: shallow roots . getting wet, ask yourself,
is to survive in okygen-poor render large trees unstable. The 'What kind of tree is this
soil. Wetland soils, called Douglas Fir, although not a before me?"
hydric soils, lack oxygen be- wetland tree, sends out lateral

Wetland Mes page seventeen

- - - - - - - - - - - -

page eighteen Wetland Tales.

The
Beaver's,Taff

This Shoshoni-Bannock story portrays two well-known wetland mammals in a most unlikely interaction that
results in beaver's flatteiwd tail. The tale depicts Beaver doing what Beaver does best: working. 6tter, often the
beaver's natural enemy, taunts Beaver, and challenges him to slide d'own a hillside. Beaver begrudgingly accepts
the challenge. Whereas in the wild, otter generally challenges beaver by threatening his babies, this challenge
endows Beaver-with a tail that will identify him as the 'marsh-builder that he is.

0
nce very long ago in the time when animals could talk together, Hanee, the beaver,
and Tindui, the otter,-lived near each other in a big river that flowed at the foot of
a.high rocky hill.
Tiridtii built a mud slide into the river, a short slide, not too far up for him to
climb on his stubby legs. What fun he had struggling up beside it and then slipping
down it into the clear water.
One day Hanee came paddling by with a big stick in his mouth.
"'Hello there, H,anee, my brother," called the otter. 'Why do you work so hard?
Build yourself a slide like mine a'nd have a little fun."
The beaver said nothing, for his mouth was busy carrying the stick. But he
thought about the otter's sugg estion.
The next -morning Hanee swam up the river on his way to a big grove of aspen
where. he did his logging.
Tindui spotted the beavers brown.head as he glided smoothly through the
water.
"'Hey, there," called the otter'. "'Still working?"
I certainly am. You might do better if you@d work a little yourself." Tfien Hanee
continued on up the river. Later, carrying a huge aspen stick in his mouth, he swam
downstream.
The otter watched as -the industrious beaver carried the stick to repair his dam.
Tindui called out again, "'Hello, brother Hanee. Why don't you build a slide and have
fun like I do?"
Hanee ignored the otter. Then Tindui called once more, "I'll bet youi can't build a
good side like mine.

Wet la n d Ta les page nineteen

Hanee dropped his stick.- "'Of course I can," he snapped. "'But beavers only build
slides when'they n e-ed them to pull logs into the water."
'Work, Work, nothing but- work," sniffed the otter. "You never do anything for
fun.
"Of course I do, said Hanee. ".We'beavers have fun in spring and early summer
when we go, to visit our relatives. But now it is nearly winter, and we must repair our
dams - and'build our. houses so we can be snug and safe durifi-g the long cold time."
'You sound. so'serious," teased Tindui. "No time to, play, no time it all."
"'All right, brother iindul. I'll build a slide and show you What I can do. My slide
will be longer arid better than'any other you have ev&. seen."
So the beaver climbed out of the water and Went way up the- @tony mountain.
He slid down once. "Ouch,` he said. "'Those rocks hurt. I know what I'll do."
Up he climbed again. This time he'-sat on his, big tail as he slid. That worked
better, so he d:i.d it over and over again. Then he-jumped back into the river'..
"How's. that for a slid&, brother Tindui?" he called.
"Perfect,,".said the otter. Then hebega'n'to laugh. 'What's the matter? Doh@t you
like. my slide?" - . . j -
""Yes, I said it was perfect, but look what you've done to your tail."
Then Hanee looked over his shoulder. Alas, his beautiful tail had no hair left on
it. Besides that, it was flat like a paddle from so muchs'ittirig and s.lidin- g on it.
To this very -day, the beaver and all his children and grandchildren and
great-grandchildren have smooth, flat tails..
That's all,.Th6 rat's tail dropped off.'

.From Sage Smoke: Tales of the Shoshoni-Bannock Indiansby EleanorHeady (Cleveland: Modern Curriculum Press, 1991)
1973 by Eleanor Heady. Reprinted by permission of Modern Curriculum Press.

page twenty -Mltland Tales

Beavers Build Marshes

The beaver is the onli wetland Nisqually Riter reported to carry building material
k
animalcapable of actually creat- ta ing in as many as 450 skins underwater without choking,
ing habitat. That ability, along in a single day in 1833. it has lips behind the teeth
with efforts on the part of con- The beavers' building skill close that close to block off
servationists have allowed for has contributed to the animals" the entry of water. And an
the return of an animal that survival ih spite of the tragic enormous and efficient diges-
had disappeared from much of losses it had experienced by the tive system enables them to
the United States by the end of twentieth century. The ability extract nutrients from almost
the nineteenth century. to create habitat allows the any plant matter, so building
The beaver was once one beaver to survive with'little and eating are closely in-
of the most prolific creatures more than a waterway and a tegrated activities.
in North America. By some "food supply, and a pond. The adaptations. to life on
estimates, five hundred years If a pond is available, a a waterway Tilong with a
ago the beaver population beaver family will engage in a concerted effort on the part of
exceeded in number that of the little habitat enhancement by conservationists has allowed
buffalo. Before long, however, obstructing the outlet in order the beaver to return to regions
the fur trade had become the to increase its size. If no other where at one time it had ceased
basis of the economy of newly- pond exists hearby, they will to exist. The reintroduction of
colonized North America. start froursicratch in an area beaver into the eastern states
With an enormous population that contains an ample food began! in the early twentieth
to exploit, French, English and supply. century; Animals were. moved
Spanish traders sef up, posts As a result, one pair of east@vard and set free. Even
throughout eastern North., beavers is capable of creating though hundreds of individual
America, but the beaver was acres and acres of associated strains of beavers were lost,
no match for the voracious wetlands. the three races that remain
European market for pelts. -The animal comes outfitted have done remarkably well,
The ,early depletion of the East with all the buildhig imple- and now are maintaining
Coast beaver population drew mpts it needs. The beavers' viable- opulations in suitable
trappers and traders further large front teeth permit them to habitats across the United
and further west until the' cut down. trees. Thoir broad flat, States. Those modern beavers
1judson's Bay Company tails propel stocky bodies , - build wetlands as stubbornly
opened forts on the Puget under the water and keep them as did their ancestors.
Sound in the 1820s and 1830s. stable on land while they are
The fort at the mouth of the working. To enable the beaver

Wetland Tales page twenty-one

-.000

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Page twenty-two WeHand Tales

Mr. Frog, s.
Dream

This Central American story from the Nicarao people of Nicaragua depicts what happens one springtime to talk-
ative Mr. Frog. In a strange winter dream, Mr. Frog he sees himself flying. Obsessed by his dreqm he gets the idea
that the ducks of the pond can help him to realize iLft occurs to him that he can accompany on their migration to
their summer breeding grounds. He calls them and they come to his aid. High in the air, suspend 'ed between the
ducks by his mouth clen@hed to a'reed, Mr. Frog becomes frightened and begs to be let down. Of course, as soon as
he opens his mouth,he tumbles to the ground. When asked what happened, he refuses to talk about it. Likely he's
learned that frog don't fly, nor do they migrate. Even though onlyfrogs in cold climates actually sleqp through the -
win ter, frog life cycles'depend as heavily on the seasons as do the life cycles- of migrating birds.
A
ges ago there livedi in a pond near Lake Managua, a handsome young frog who
had many talents. He could jump farther, swim faster, and sing more sweetly than
any other frogs who inhabited the pond. So highly respected was this gifted creature
that his friends andrelatives addressed him as "Mister"' Fr6g.
This encouraged the frog to add unto himself @nother.accoi@plishment-that of
speaking..
Of course he had always been able to talk, but only in a modest, quiet way.
Now he, spoke loudly and almost unceasingly, and al -ways about his own
achievements, which he.considefed spectacular.
Before long, even the most patient grew weary of Mister Frog'sharangues and
avoided him as much as pc?ssible. Determined to have an audience, Mister Fro g sought
out.birds who paused for refreshment at the pond during their long migratory flights.
Unlike the frogs, fhese birds were entertained and amused by Mister Frog's speeches. -
They encouraged his noisy boastings., Of course they did not have to listen day and
night, for they would stay but a short'While before joining. their companion's in the sky.
Soon the summer end 'ed. All the birds had flown south, Mister Frog welcomed
the winter, but he missed his audience. However, he was quite exhausted from his
efforts and was glad to hibernate in the mud at the bottom of the pond until spring.
OTie morning'Mister Fro was awakened by the chirping of many birds. He rose
@g
from his muddy bed* and swam to 'the top of the pond, stretching his legs as far as. they
would reach. He -saw, that the sky was blue and the sun bright and warm. It 'was spring.
Mister Frog ordinarily would have leaped enthusiastically but instead he
remained strangely quiet. He had no desire to jump or swim or siri@. Neitherdi.d he
wish to -talk. He sought out a- fresh lily pad- and sat on it contemplating*. He only
nodded to the other frogs who surfaced the pond after their long sleep. Occasionally,
out, of'need and habit, his sticky tongue would dart forth to captilre a meal of insects,
but he didn't really relish the food. Mister Frog's mind was on something else. The
frogs and birds wondered why he remained so quiet.

Wetland Tales page twenty-three.

Mister Frog was obsessed by a dream he had while sleeping through the winter.
He had seen himself in grand -escapades. But the most- startling part of the dream wag
that he had seen himself flying to strange p9nds-in faraway lands. So real did this flight
seem that Mister Frog found himself examining. his body for visible means offlying.
Alas, he was disap'po'int,ecf to' find that he still had only four legs which could get him
no more than a short distance from the ground.
He breathed 'a heavy sigh,'which could -be heard throughout the pond, This
brought his perplexed friends- and relatives around- him. They knew something wa:s,
troubling him, and they hoped-to be of help.
"Mister Frog, what is the matter?" asked.one of his cousins.
All Mist&r Frog needed was an inv.itation to speak, for he had not lost his habit or
enthusiasm for chatter. It had-been a long time since he had,such an audience and he
made the most of this o@@ortunity,
He sat up regally'and exclaimed, "I had tfie most wonderful d.ream anyone
ever had! Come hear about it!"
Although the others knew there would be no.stopping him, they chorused
politely, "'Do tell us what you dreamed!"
"You'll hardly believe it," said Mister Frog gazingskyward-p4using to add to
the suspense-'but I dreamed I was flying through the sky like a bird." Suddenly
Mister Frog's face brightened a's though he were inspired. "Yes. yes ... * I was flying
like a bird, and NOW I know how I can really do it!"'
"Wonderful! Stupendous!'."the frogs cried. "Tell us how!
//No, I shall not!""-anspered Mister Frog hau htily; "for-as you know, there is
no frog my equal. Only I can fly."
With these boasting words, Mister, Frog took a flying leap off the lily pad over
the 1%ads of the others and Landed at the edge of the water. There he called to some
birds. resting in tl@e trees.
"'Good morning, Swallow," he cried, !'are there any -ducks farther down the-
pond?"'
"We do not know," answered the mother swallow, who was busily feathering
her nest.. "Ask the"chorlos, who.have come from Argentina. They would have Passed
that way."
The cho'rlos, resting nearby-, heard and replied in unison, "'We are sorry, Mister
Frog, but we did not stop to.look. We are on our way to the North Pole. The journey-
is long, so we must be on our way at once."' And off. they flew, their wings causing a
rustling throug4 the air. -
Poor Mister Frog was disappointed. He was wondering what to do next when.
overhead he heard the harsh cua, cua, cua of two 'wild ducks. They swooped down aiid
jighted on the water-beside him.

page twenty-four Wetl.and Tales

While they were quenching their thirst, Mister Frog swam hurriedly toward
them, calling greetings to his old friends.'
-"We're glad to see you again, Mister Frog," they said., "Did you sleepwell this
winter?",
'Tery well," Mist6r Frog answered.. He was so concerned with his mission that
he neglected to inquire how they had fared during the 'winter. Instead, he blurted out
excitedly, "I dr&am ed that you took me flying through the air! Will you help me make
my dream come'true?"
The ducks laughed good naturedly. "'How can we do this ?"
"I remember exa@,tly how it was done i ream. First, we must find a firm
in my d
reed. Then, each of you will take one end in your mouth I shall hold on to the center
With my strong upper teeth, and awai We shall go., That's-just the way I dreamed it.",
"'Where do youwant to fly?"' asked one of the ducks.,
Mister Frog considered a moment. "Could I go to your summer home?'@. he asked.
"That's too long a trip," the ducks answered. "Butwe will take you over the
pond,several times andmaybe over the adjoining fields."
"But I want to go to other ponds in faraway lands!" he cried.
"It will'be too burdensome for us," said the ducks impatiently.
'Very well," agreed Mister Frog -quickly, for he was afraid they would fly off
and desert him. He had hoped for a longer, trip, but on second thought he'Oecided that
if the flight were viewed by all. the creatures in the pond,.it would provide More for
'him to brag about'
"'One thing yournust remember-," .,cautioned the older and wiser duck, "under no
circumstances mustyou speak during the flighu,
"I.know that!"' advised Mister Frog withan air of importance. "I always know
what tp do!"
While Mister Frog searched for a suitable reed, the news of his flight spread
quickly.
Everyone assembled to see the takeoff.
Each duck took hold of the reed and Mister Frog grasped the.center with his
mouth. They left the ground and circled just above the water. Then up and down they
swooped over the heads of the ogling creatures in the pond.
Never h 'ad Miste.r- Frog been ha:ppier. Never had he felt more brazen. He wished-
he could fly forever!
Mister Frog could not help but notice how pleased the two ducks were with their
performance. He felt a wee bit jealous that they should be stealing some of -his fine act.
He saw they were enjoying the praise from the onlookers,just as much as he was, so he
thought: "'Perhaps -now they will take me with them. We will be the talk of the ponds
and meadows wherever we go!"

Wetland Tales page twenty-five

Each time theducks flew around the pond they became more andmore daning.,
They boldly swooped faster and faster, whirling Mister Fr og untithe became too, dizzy
to think.
"Slow down..-. he pleaded-
Alas! With these words he let go of the reed and fell from'the sky..
A gasp of horror came from the crowd below -him. They.scattered in every
direction.. Some took to the shore. Others dove for safety'to the bottom of the pond.
@4ister Fr 'og tumbled round and round and then went headlong into the pond. -
The large splash sent ripples right to the water's,edge. The lilies bobbed.. The
cattails bent low with the unexpected tide.
When ev'erything stilled, there was Mister Frog, the wind knocked out of him,
floating on the@ water. His ego was really deflated.
The first of his c '6usins who reached his side asked, 'Uhat happFned?"
Mister Frog would nof look at him, but simply answered, "I just don't want
to talk about it."
And he didn@t.

"Mr. Frog's Dream" from Latin Ame?ican Tales, by Genevieve Barlow. Copyright C 1966 by Rand McNally and Company.
Reprinted by pefmission of the author.

page twenty-six Wetl@nd Tales

Frog Life Cycles

Seasonal changes influence the weather actually increase the,- strength and speed to escap e
life cycles of most creatures. body temperature of tadpoles, many predators.
Frogs, however, as cold they grow quickly during the All this while, lively adult
blooded anirnal$, respond summer months. Often they frogs have kept well fed on
directly to air and "water Will even co'ngregatem' insects nurtured,by the shallow
temperatures because the body- herently warmer shallow marsh waters. All sumXner long-
temperature of the frog rough- waters, and raise the tempbra- they slip in and out of the ,
ly equals that of its environ- ture of the water by allowing water to escape predators and
ment. Air' and water tempera- the sun to heat their bodies. to keep their skin moist and
ture play a role in determining Not only 'does. the warmth of supple.
the frog's movement from one' the sun qwck 'en tadpole A@ the days shorten and
phase of life to another.- ' growth,@ its light nouiishes the grow colder, activity wanes..
Frogs living in climates algae which makeup most of' The tadpoles that still have not
with severe winters, such as the their diet. emerged from the water con-
the Cascade Mountains, spend Even though the tadpole tinue their eating, but their
the winter deep in sleep and grows an summer, curiously, growth slows. Frogs living on
clamorously awaken in the it appears to "shrink" in size. land become sluggish as their
springtime. In milder climates, In much the same way as a body temperatures drop with
like the Puget Sound region the baby chick consumes its yolk that of the air. Finally, in mild
frogs' metabolism slow enough sac before it hatches, the tad- climates, the frogs enter a
that they are able to survive the pole absorbs energy stored in slowed.state in which they
winter with its scarce food the tissue of its own body as it scarcely will so much as croak.
supply without going into undergoes transformation. In colder climates, the time
hibernation. In either instance, Tiny hind legs appear first: comes to consider hibernation.
as spring arrives and warms hitle stubs at the top of th& tail. Although some frogs winter.
the air and water, males gather Little forelimbs follow. When buried on land, m. ost burrow
in choruses and sing together. the tail becomes little more into the thick debris that lines
The females. respond.to the than a stump, the tadpole is the bottom of pond or marsh.
frog song by selecting mates. ready to step onto land. Our Where winter temperatures dip
'low f
In most cases the eggs are tadpole ti@rned frog however, be reezing, the layer of
fertilized externally. The doesn't -always take his firist ice along with the underlying
female deposits her eggs in step in solitaire, but rather may earth insulate the muddy bot-
shallow marsh or-pond waters, ventures out of the comfort of tom and almost always ensure
and her mate subsequently water in tandem with that the sleeping_frogs do not-
fertilizes them while clutching hundreds or thousands of freeze. In the same under-ice
her from behind. brothers and sisters and world, many tadpoles survive
As the days lengthen and cousins. until th,ey are able to metamor-%
temperatures begin to rise, the' The great numbers of brand phose the next sunu,ner.'
night clamor of the frogs dies new froglets make up for the As soon as the sleeping or
down and tadpoles emerge thousands that succumb to sluggish frogs feel springs' first
from the fertilized eggs. The dehydration and predation in warmth, they come to life. The
newly hatched tadpoles take their first days or weeks on tadpole resume their eating
advantage of the summer sun land. Young frogs have very and the frogs, in the tradition
as they metamorphose into thin skin newly adapted to air, of Mr. Frog, take tip their song.
young frogs. Because the warm and they haven't yet the

Wetland Tales page twenty7seven

MEW,

page twenty-eight Weiland.Tales

Raven and
the Goose

In this story from northe rn North America, Raven creates a companion for himself. To his surprise, she@ turns out
to be a goose in'stead of a raven. In spite of their differences, Raven and the go6se come to love one another. Then,
one day, Anana, the goose, catches sight of a flock of geese and knows thatshe must join her people. Raven joins
her and is content in his life with the geese, but finally the day comes when the flock must fly south for the winter.
Even though he tfies* to accompany them, Raven can't keep up. Anana hangs back with him for as long as she can,
but finally Raven slips into the water. A great wave in turn casts him ashore, Raven begins to dance, and by
dancing all night, he washes his loneliness and sorrow away. Anana's urge to fly south illustrates the strength of
the yearly pattern of mi�ration that links wetlands from Northern C!anada to Mexico.
R
aven flew above the earth and he liked what he, had made. He saw' themen hunt
and the women gather,b@erries, and he7 rejoiced in' their happiness. He watched the'
boys and girls grow into splendid men and women.The. men and the women married,
and Raven took delight in their children.
. The people and the animals flourished, and they lived together in harmony. The
trees and plants and flowers spread across the earth, and the oceans were full of whales
and seals and fish. All the living creatures that Raven made knew happiness and love.
Each creature found its mate, and both grew old together until they died'. But Raven
was immortal. He lived on and on, and all the things he loved grew old and died.
Raven was lonely, and one day he returned to earth to live among his people
-and to share in their happiness. Raven wanted to marry. He searched everywhere for a
girl who would become his wife. At last, he saw a little sparrow. The sparrow was
crying, and Raven settled down beside her..
"Why arL@- you crying?" he asked her.
"I am crying for my husband, who is lost,"' She answered. I love him because
he catches worms for me."
hIlt./s not right for youJo cry," said Raven.. "Take me' for your husband. I have a
high forehead and a-big beak. You will sleep under my wing, and I willgive.'
-you
dainty centipedes to eat."
"No, thank you,"' saiO the little sparrow to Raven, who'towered Above her.
My husband may.yet return. Besides, centipedes are too pretty to eat."
So Raven flew away.
Raven flew on and soon,he saw a:- small snowbird. The snowbird was crying
andRaven asked her why she wept.
"I am crying for my husband," she said. "'He has been away such a long time.
He flew off to look for food for me, and. he hasn't yet come back."

Wetland Tales page twenty-nine

"'Your husband is probably gone forever," Raven'said. 'Tut don't worry, I will
marry you. You can sl6e under my wing. Take me for a husband! I have a prettybeak,
p
an d a handsome chin. I have good nostrils'and eyes, and my wings are strong and
broad.,"
But.the little snowbird said, ""Thank you for your kindness, but I'm sure my
husband will return."
Raven grew sad and flew off again.
One summer day Raven decided that, if he could hot find himself a wife, he
would make one. And so he took some clay 'and molded it into an egg. He set the egg
down in soft rass and. cared for it. Ile warmed the egg whenthe air was cold, and he
9
turned it over fro Mi time to-time. At last, the egg began to' move. Raven watched it.
jiggle and shake until a little beak pushed through the top of the egg. He watched with
joy, for at last he would have the woman. he wanted. The beak sawed tip and down and'
opened the top of the eggshell. A little h6a'd pushed through and Raven stared in
arfiazement. Instead of a raven, it was agoose!.
Ravenlooked 'after the little goose, brought her f(5od, and watched her. grow up.
He named her Anana. He helped her pluck her gray, downy feathers'and watched
beautiful, white feathers grow in their place.- Her wing feathers grew in slender and
strong, and.soon she was able to fly--. Then Raven and Anana flew off together acro .ss
the cold northland.
One day, they saw a flock of geese, and Anana said, "These are my people. I
must join them. Come With me."' Raven loved Anana, apd together they joined the
flock of geese and lived with them.
When the da s became shorter and colder, the leader of the flock came to Anaina
y
-and Raven, and said, "Tomorrow we must begin our long journey south. Wewill fly-
across the land and the wdters until we reach thewarmer country where we may live."
Raven wanted to fly with Anana, but she said, "You are too heavy to comewith us.
-You 'will not be able to' follow us when we fly.across the sea. There is no place for you
to rest. If you grow tired, you willfall into the water and drown."
But Raven wa's 6bstina'te. "Nothing in -the world can tire me," he said loftily.
And so, in the end, Anana agreed
Before they left, Raven put his wing tenderly around Anana. Buf she drew away,
and said-, "I have grown too fond of you, and my grief will be too heavy when I lose
you, during our flight across the sea.",-
"Dont worry,"' -said Raven proudly. "I once flew for an eternity of time without
tiring!//
a e
"'True," said Anana, "but you h v n't flown much lately. You've been so busy
making the world and looking after it."
.-Raven-smiled knowingly at Anana and put his win around her again.
9

page thirty Wetland Tales

The next day, the geese set out and Raven 'flew with them.* Soon they came to the
end of the land and stopped. They, settled down to rest before their journey across the
great sea.
Andna said fo Raven, "'Now rest here so that you will not be tired while you
cross. the sea."
"I thrive on activity,"' said Raven boastfully. And he flew up high above the
9
geese to admire the sweep of the coast.
After the geese had rested,, they rose and flew Out across"the sea. When they
were half-way across, Raven became very tired. Sometimes- he beat his wings wildly
'and almost fell into the sea. But his wings were still strong enough to raise him again.
They had not far'to go to land, when Raven cried out for- help. He was very tired,
and could go-no further.
Anana and another goose then* swam on the water, and each spread out her
wing. Anana's right wing co@ered -her friend's left wing, and both together made a
bridge on which Raven rested.
Raven was tired, and after a little -while he dropped slowly through the
wing-bridge: not all at once, but little by little. First his feet slipped through. Then the
water came up to his chest, then to his wings, to his neck, to his chin.
"I must go,"' called Anania's friend, "'before our flock is out of sight." And she -
fl-ew off.
Anana pulled Raven, to a piece of ice which floated in the water. Raven rested
his chin on it, while she, weeping, tried to hold'up his head.
But Raven was too hea ' and too tired. The ice gave w .ay and many bubbles rose
VY,
up when Raven sank. Anana wept.. She wanted to stay with Raven, but the honking
calls -of the flock were irresistible.."Good-bye," she called to Raven. And she went on
her way with the other geese.
Raven felt himself. sinking deepef into the water.- With all his strength, he
flapped his wings. a*nd pushed himself towards the surface. He breathed ag a*in and
looked around - Wistfully, he watched Anana and all the geese flying away from him.
He struggled to rise from the water, to join his Anana, but his wings Were soaked, and
he drifted back and forth. After a long time, a great wave cast him on shore..
The watei rah in streams from Raven's soaked feathers, and his wings dragged
on the ground. He fell several times, until at last he reached sorn .e bushes. He held on
to- a'bush for d moment and then, with one wing, pushed up his beak. His wing-cape
fell off his shoulders and he-stood on the beach.'shivering'In thecold. He draped his
wing-cape across a bush. He found some driftwood, and soon he hict a fire burning.
He searched the horizon, but there was no sign of Anana..

Wetland Tales page thirty-one

Raven felt sad and lone'l y- as he stood in front of the fire. He jumped slowly up
and down, trying to warm himself. And, as he jumped, his feet danced out a. little
rhythm on the rocks. Raven danced faster and fasterand, as he warmed up, he felt
happier. He began to, sing to himself, as he danced around the fire, and his aim,swayed
gracefully in time with his feet, He lifted his wing-cape and it swirled axpund and
around is he danced. Soon he swept his cape across shoulders, and his wings rose high
as he danced a wild and happy rhythm-in the loneliness of the beach.
When the fire went out-, Raven low ered his beak, and flew off to return to his
people.

"Raven and the Goose" from Raven: Creator of the World Eskimo Legends retold by Ronald Melzack,'with illustrations
by Leslo Cal. Copyright,@ '1970 by Richard Melzack. By permission of Little, Brown and Company.

page thirty-two Wetlan.d Tales

wetland Resting Places

Early in the twentieth century, some unknown sense tells the plants bffor their own store of
naturalist W. H. Hudson pairs to gather into a flock to gTain, and rich marsh-gTown
watch6d a- flock of Canada make ready for'their journey. greens supplement the diet.
geese begin their southward, Regardless of where the mes-' 'The birds replenish their stores
migration. The birds had sage comes from, year after of fat before moving on.
gathered and taken flight, the year geese begin to gather in Most of the travelers that
strongest of them cleaving'the the autumn. They will have fly through Washington end
air while the others followed accumulated thick layers of fat up in California's Central
in their wake. Two geese - as stored energy for theii long Valley which has lost ninety-'
one male and one female flight. Beating their wings one four percent of wetlands. The
remained behind. The female hundred strokes per minute, broad flat valley once had four
had broken her wing and they fly*in formation for million acres of wetlands. In,
flapped futilely as her partner thousands of miles. The .1985, only 270,000 acres of
flew ahead. He would land a strongest of the geese break the, habitat remained, much of it
hundred feet ahead of her, And wind for the rest allowing their contaminated by the chemical
then fly back while'she walked weaker companions to ride the and mineral by'products of
southward to join him. Endless- draft createdby their powerful 'mod e*rn agriculture. Remark-
ly, he flew 'ahead, beckoning wings. The weather determines ably, the Canada Goose has
and then waiting for her. The the speed of a flock's journey. shown resilience in an atmos-
pAir migrated on foot for Warmer weather compels them phere of extreme aave"rsity,
to take their time while cold and more geese.will fly south
.several days until finally the
female succumbed to a snaps push them south more this fall than did in the 19 '20s
predator. Once he had lost his quickly. when unregulated commercial
mate, the male flewo .ff to catch . As the birds fly south they hunting h@d neatly wiped
up with the rest of the flock. take refuge in wetlands. While them and other migrating birds
Alongside Huds.on's the flock may alight on farm out of the skies.
account, the behavior of Anana ponds, in highly degraded , The goose in part owes its
in "Raven and the Goose" close'- wetlands, and in city parks - survival to the relatively pris-
ly reflects the mating behavior in fact anywhere open water tine conditio 'n of its northern,
of-the wild geese. Geese mate exists alongside-a food supply - breeding grounds, but if the
for life, and once they lose their nothing equals the native geese are t 'o continue to an-
partner, will often not take marsh for pit stops en route. nounce the change of the -
another. -Hudson' .s incident and' Much of the fall migration oc- seasons in Washington'skies,
the story bothalso convey the curs during the hunting season, the netwoik of wetlands"that
overwhelming urge to migrate and the geese are well aware of -sustain them while travelling
in flocks which coexists with it. Marsh grassesprovide the must remain intact. As W. H.
the bond between individuals. birds with critical visual protec- ITudsoh's account and Anana's
'For the Canada Goose the tion. Their mottled gray backs, story both attest@ the geese will
'blond with- the vegetation, and fly south every year, but they
push south begins as days
shorten and begiri to' grow their.black neckslowered to the will not know until they arrive
colder. As yet, no one knows surface of the water are nearly what food and rest they will
if temperature, day length, or invisible.. Also, native marsh find along the way.

Wetland Tales page thirty-three

fI r "F 11

low

page thirty-fo U-r Wetland Tales

Why, the Tides-
Ebb an.d F1 0*W

In this TaAtlan story from Northern British Columbia, Raven perceives the abundance that the coastal waters
could provide for the people, if only they had access to what lived under the water. In the beginning, though, there
were no tides. Raven had to fix things so.that the tides would ebb and flow. It turns out that a man is sitting on a
rock so that the water won't all drain away into a hole into the earth. By making his perch uncomfortable, Raven
convinces the old man that he would be better off sitting only half the time, thus, the tides thereafter have come
and gone twice a day.-The action of the tides still makes estuaries some of the most productive areas on the face of
the earth.
4
T
his happened long ago when the people were learning how to live in the world.
The people had no food. They were starving. I
One day when Raven was out on the ocean in his canoe, following along the
shores and beaches, he s aw fish swimming under the water. He saw crabs crawling,,
mussels lying in their beds, little clams sticking theirnecks out. Starfish rambled
around on. their strange circular advance.
"The people could eat these things if they could get them, if said Raven.
Raven, culture hero of all Northwest Pacific Coast peoples, was fixing up the
world and teaching people how to live. He thought all people should have enough to.
eat. He was the one who fixed the earth so it would, not tip. He put a big piece of ice
across the north of it, and since then it has not tipped. Raven fixed the world'and
taught the people everything. I
I The people could eat these things if they could get them, he kept thinking,
but the water is too deep.
Raven paddled along, paddled along, wondering what to do. Then he saw a
great big man sitting on the shore.
""What are you doing there?" said Raven.
"Sitting, AF said the man.
Why?"
//If I get up the ocean will go dry,",said the man. "So I sit."
The man was sitting on a hole in the earth. If he got up, the ocean poured into
the hole.
"'Get up and let me look," said Raven.
"No,"" said the man. He would not budge'.
So Raven grabbed him by thehair and pulled him up. Sure enough, there was
a bottomless hole in the earth, and when the man stood up, the ocean walefs poured
and roared into it.

Wetland Tales page thirty-five

kaven slid. a sharp stone alongside the hole with his foot. When the man sat
down, the stone jabbed him and he jumped up. Raven slipped another sharp-pointed
stone under him, so that when the man sat, this hurt worse, and the man leaped into
'the air again.
While this was going on, the waters poured into the hole; the ocean receded,
andthe beach was uncovered.
Yes. The people can get food here, Raven decided.
"From now on," said Raven to the man, "'you must stand up twice every day,
long enough to let the waters recede as far as they are now, so that the people may.
find food."
"'All right,"' said the man. "'All right.",
Thus it is that the tides began to ebb and flow arid people gathered seafood on
the shores

'Why the Tides Ebb and Flow" from How the People Sang the Mountains Up-by Maria Leach. Copyright 1967 by Maria Leach.
Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc.

page thirty-six Wet la n d, Ta les

Tide's'Out, Dinner's On

As the tide slips away from the Barnacles prefer the salinity Eel grass is a flowering plant
shores of the Puget Sound, it of full sea water, but they can that actually creates habitat for
uncovers in many places vast tolerate some influx of fresh many other creatures. Snails,
expanses of mud. At first water. More than anything, bar- sea slugs and anemone hang
glance that mud appears'life- nacles need,something to hold cinto the blades of grass as the
less. But if you look closely onto. Pilings, pieces of shell tides flow in and out around
you'll see that not only do birds and rocks will all do the trick. them. Crabs and fish hide in
y
congregate to peck at mud and Tightly affixed, they busily kick clumps@ of eel grass. Many tiny
sand, but innumerable mud nearly invisible plankton and mud-dwelling organisms,tak@
dwelling creatures sende up detritus into their digestive advantage of the stability I ,
bubbles from below. In es- tracks with their tiny feet. Their, provided by the roots. The
tuaries, where rivers and primary. predator is the sea star. grziss not only pro,@ides habitat,
streams meet the salt water, life it also furnishes an extremely
Sea stars, with their agile arms,
-between the range of high and abundant supply of nutrients,
low tides, called in the inter- mov@ throughout the intertidal both while it grows and after it
zone. Some species can actually
tidal zone is even more abun find and dig out clams, while dies. In fact, an eel grass
dant-because of the influx of another turns its stomach , . meadow nurtures so much life
,nutrients'-from up-stream. At inside out to envelope prey. that it produces more organic
the same time, only certain or-' The sea star has few predators matter than a healthy forest
ganisins can tolerate the chang- other than sea gulls and seven ti'mes its size. And
ing salinity of estuarine waters: curious humans. Washington State, with its
as the tid6 ebbs, the water can Padilla Bay National Estuarine
become nearly as salty as the Bent-nosed clams get their Research Reserve, has the
outer marine waters; as the tide name from the graceful curve second largest elel grass
flows, the incoming fresh water of the end of their shell. While meadow on the entire Pacific
takes over. Here are a few of most clams prefer relatively Coast of the Americas.
the plants and creatures that salty water,,the bent-nosed These estuarine inhabitants
can withstand such variable clam can tolerate extreme along with countless others
conditions. They, along -with variations in salinity. This adap- provide vital links in many
others, make estuaries among, tation provides the clam with food chains. Brandt Geese
the most productive ecosys- access to nutrient rich estuarine make two stops a year at
tems in the world mud. The,bivalve pushes its Padilla Bay to fill up on eel
G host shrim' burrow th"rough two siphons up through the grass before continuing-south
P mud. One tube sucks down the to winter or north to breed.
the rich top layer of estuarine mud's film at low tide, and the Young salmon all stop in the
sediments, ingesting mud as other blows out indigestible estuary of their native stream
they go. The miid provides 'the material. to acclimatize to salt water
shrimp with decaying plant befoTe moving on to th Ie open
and animal matter, called Heart cockles, who- require ocean. Juvenile Dungeness
de'tritus. Because of their relatively salty water, often Iay
crabs can grow 280 times larger'
constant digging, ghost shrimp exposed on. the beach at low in-just one season by feeding
can smother small oy@ters by tide, making them easy prey in estuaries. As the tides . ebb
covering them with sediment, for shorebirds and human
and flow in Washington's
but their larvae are an impor- beings. When the water covers es tuar.ies, they cover and
tant source of nourishment for them, they can escape, uncover a bounty even greater
juvenile salmon on their way predators by moving extremely than Raven realized.
to open marine waters. quickly. A large single foot
allows them to flip themselves
out of harm's way.

Wetland Tales pagethirty-seven

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page thirty-eight Wetland Tales

The Toad is Heaven's Uncle

This Vietnamese story tells of a lowly toad that dared to go straight to the top when times got tough for-
inhabitants on the earth. Toad sees that his pond is drying up, and knows he must go to the king of heaven and
have a talk with him. Other animals see his wisdom, and join him en route. Men the King of Heaven sees the
little toad before him, he is outraged, but the animals soon discover that there is strength in numbers. Together
they defeat the King of Heaven and all his forces. The great king learns that he must treat the toad with respect,
and vows that from that moment on, he will respond to the toad's every request for rain. In the story, draught
imperils toad's wetland, but, in reality, human intervention most commonly causes wetlands to dry out.
W
hen heaven was close to Earth long, long ago, and all the animals spoke with
human voices, a terrible drought descended upon the Earth. It lasted many
montk and all the rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and wells went dry.
Among the Earth's diverse inhabitants there was an ugly toad who lived near a
pond. He saw the pond shrinking in size from day to day and finally determined to do
something'about it. He did not relish a slow, lingering death which seemed inevitable.
After thinking it over for some time, the toad decided that the only course was to go
directly to Heaven and interest the gods in what was happening on Earth. Alone,
he set off on the long journey.
The toad li@d traveled only a few miles when he met a group of honey bees and
stopped to chat with them. During the conversation he told them of his resolve to seek
the King of Heaven's help. The bees were enthusiastic about his venture, for they too
were seeing bad times; without the flowers there was no honey at all. They decided to
join the toad and together the party set out.
When the bees and the toad had c 'ontinued for some'distance, they came upon a
cock who was in very low spirits. The harvest had been affected by the drought and
there was no grain -or insects. It was quite- easy for the toad and the bees to convince the
cock that he would have nothing to lose by joining forces.
The enlarged party had hardly resumed the journey, when they encountered an
ill-tempered tiger. He was especially angry because the drought was killing all the
game on which he had been accustomed to prey. He too became a member of the
party. Soon a fox and a bear joined up. The group journeyed on, inspired by the,
worthy purpose that had brought them all together.
After many days of jumping from star to star the party arrived at Tien Dinh,
the very Gates ofHeaven. The toad asked the others to remain outside until he called
them. Then he hopped through the gates and into the palace. He crossed the polished
floors of many empty chambers and finally entered the impressive Hall of Audience.
Laughter was audible from somewhere inside, and the toad made his way toward
the sound
Finally he came to a room where the King of Heaven was seated at a table
playing cards with a number of angels and fairies. The -toad was very indignant to see

Wetland Tales page thirty-nine

them engaged in this idle pastime. Inhaling deeply, his bulging eyes wide open, he
leapt in a great high hop to land plop in the middle of the players. There.was a stunned
silence as the smile gradually'left the King of Heavens face. He frowned angrily and
spoke in a thundering tone.
"Insolent toad," he roared, "howdare you defile our august.company?"
Nowthe toad, who had already faced death on Earth, did not flinch a bit. He had
a quiet courage that comes from extreme desperation.
"Your Majesty," he began, but could say no more.-
"What?" shouted the King of Heaven. "How dare you speak in my presence?"
At that moment the guards rushed in, intending to throw the toad out. But -a
toad is not so easily captured. He hopped away from the guards and called aloud for
the bees, who swarmed in and attacked the guards, who retreated in panic to avoid'
being stung.
The King of Heaven watched these proceedings in utter amazement. Then he
called on the Thunder God to silence the insolent toad, but the cock was- more than a
match for that deity. The King of Heaven then called for the Captain bf the Hounds,
but the tiger took care of him and the bear and the fox ripped the stomachs'of the dogs.
Slowly a look of _great,respect came to the eyes of the King of Heaven' and a
reasonableness entered his mind.
"Sire," said the toad, "my friends and I came here respectfully, to bring to your
cele*stial attention the sad plight of the inhabitants of the Earth. There has been no 'rain
for many months, the river-beds -have dried up and-th 'e fields are parched. Animals are
dying everywhere and 'all the plants have wilted. Sire, we must have rain."
' "Yes," 'nodded the King of Heaven, and added uncle," so overpowered had he
been with the toad's personality. And he promised tct look into the matter immediately.
The celestial sluices opened and rain came at last to the Earth. But by that time
three-fourths of the population were dead. Some animals of each species survived
however, and soon new generations began to populatethe earth again. Life was reborn
in every corner of the earth.
So that a similar expedition of earthly beings would not again appear in his
palace, the King of Heaven told the toad: "From now on, it will not be necessary to
make such a long trip with your, friends. If there is a drought in the future or whenever
you need rain., remain there on Earth and simply call me
Since that time the toad, "Heaven's uncle," and his progeny have watched over
the Earth's supply of water and have never .failed to croak loudly and effectively
whenever rain is needed.
When the toad died, his sons and the other animals built a fitting memorial to his
memory, and they beganto commemorate the day on which he made, his heroic
journey to Heaven. Thus, the toad's great deed is remembered to this day in Vietnam,
and-the expression "th 'e' toad is Heaven's uncle"' has entered Vietnamese parlance.
"The Toad is Heaven's Uncle" from- Vietnamese Legends by Charles F. Schultz. Copyright@ by Charles E. Tuttle, Inc.
Reprinted by pennission of Charles E. Tuttl6.

page forty Wetland Tales

Wetlands Drying Up

Wetlands depend on many a watershed, and depend on distance from the ordinary
different sources for their water higla waters during the rainy water way, With the construc-
supply, among them, rain, season or spring melt to sustain tion of physical barriers the
ground water and spring @now wetland 'wildlife. Their water wetland lose!@ that water
melts. While natural draught level fluctuates with the [email protected].
can threaten the health of a , seasons and they can even The construction of ditches
wetland, far more commonly, dry up in the summer, never- has been perhaps the most
human intervention, either for theless, they.depend on an common way people remove
land use or to use the water upstream supply of water. water from either kind of wet-
itself, can destroy the habitat Often farms, industry and com- land. Ordinarily, water moves
of toad and countless other munities also depend on that through wetlands slowly. The
creatures. In fact, the per- water. Diversion of water for construction of ditches drains
manent loss of water can human use can, as a side effect, that slow moving water into a
destroy the wetland.. change the hydrology of a chahnel by creating a low spot,
Although rain is always an watershed enough to threaten and moves it out of the wet-
essential link in water systems, wetlands that depend on an land altogether. Whether the
many wetlands receive water annual flow of water for sur- ditches render a flo loded wet-
from high aquifers or water, vival. In wetlands associated land soggy,.or a soggy wetland
tables.. In wetlands that rely on with -rivers and streams, often dry, habitat has been lost to cre-
ground water for their water dikes or levees constructed to ate developable or arable land.
supply, surrounding deep or protect structures or agricul- Whatever the reason, the
shallow wells can inadvertent- tural land from flooding can loss of water destroys the deli-'
ly deplete the wetland's water block awetland's access to cate balance of organisms that
supply. mater. It can work like this: make wetlands their home, and
Other wetlands are actually when the river rises to flood may-set animals like toad to
a part of the drainage system of, stage, the water may flow over wondering juk -what has gotten
a bank to flood low land some into the King of @Iea'vpn.

Yetland Tales page forty-one

page forty-two "Wettand Tale@

Gombel and the Wild Ducks

This Japanese story portrays the transformation of a man from a glutton who takes more than he needs from his
marsh to one with a profound respect for the lives of the ducks that the wetland nurtures. It happens like this., one
day, Gombei gets the idea that if he takes one hundred ducks at once, he won't have to work for the next hundred
days. The first ninety-nine ducks are easy to capture, but the hundredth eludes him. Men finally it steps into his
trap, the hundred ducks have the strength to fly away with Gombei. He hangs suspended from the rope traps for a
little while, but when he becomes exhausted, he lets go a nid iumbles to the ground. As he falls, he is transformed
i.nto a duck only to land in the trap of another hunter. So sorry for what he tried to do to the ducks, he begins to
cry,and his tears wash away his feathers and he regains his human form, and vows to i t'hereafter protect the marsh
and its inhabitants. Like many of the today's environmentalists, Gombei is a marsh protector, and Gombei's
transformation mirrors a slowly growing awareness of the importance of wetlands to the quality of life in
Washington State.
0
nce long ago, in a small village in Japan, there lived a man whose name w As
Gornbei. He lived very close to a wooded marsh where wild ducks tame each
win-ter to play in the water for many long hours.. Even when the wind was cold and
the marsh waters were frozen, the ducks came in great clusters, for they liked Gomb6s'
marsh, and they often stayed to sleep on the ice.
just as his father had done before him Gombei. made his living by trapping the
wild ducks with.simple loops of rope. When a duck stepped into a loop, Gombei
simply pulled the rope t ight and the duck was caught. And like his father before him,
Gornbei never trapped more than one duck each day.
After all, the poor creatures come ta the marsh never suspecting that they will
be caught," Gornbei's father had said. "It would be too cruel to trap more than one- at a
time."
And so for all the years that Gombei trapped, he never caught more than one
duck a day.
One cold winter morning, however, Gornbei woke up with a dreary ache in his
bones. "I am growing too old to work so hard, and there is no reason to continue as my
father did for so many years," he said to himself. ""If I caught one hundred ducks all at
once, I could loaf for ninety-nine days without working at all."
Gombei wondered- why he hadn't done this sooner. "It is a brilliant idea," he
thought.
The very next morning, he hurried out to the marsh and discovered that its
waters were frozen. "Very good! A fine day for trapping," he murmured, and quickly
he laid a hundred traps on the icy surface. The sun had not yet come up and the sky
was full of dark clouds. Gombei knelt behind a tree and clutched the ends of the
hundred rope traps as he shivered and waited for the ducks to come.
Slowly the sky grew lighter and Gombei could see some ducks flying toward his
marsh. He held his breath and watched eagerly as they swooped down onto the ice.

Wetland Tales page forty-three

They did not see his traps at all and gabbled noisily as they searched for food.. One by
one as the ducks stepped into. his traps, Gombei tightened his hold on the ropes
"One- two- three-"' he counted, and in no time at all, he had ninety-nine ducks in
his traps. The day had not even dawned, and already his work was done for the next
ninety-nine days. Gombei grinned at his cleverness and thought of the days and weeks
ahead dt ,tring which he could loaf. I I II
I/One more," he said patiently, "'just one more- duck and I will have a hundred."
The last duck, however, was the hardest of all to catch. Gombei waited and
waited, but still there was no duck in his last trap. Soon the sky grew bright for the sun
had appeared at the rim of the wooded hills, and suddenly a shaft of light scattered -a
rainbow of sparkling colors over the ice. The startled ducks uttered a shrill cry and
almost as one they fluttered up into the sky, each -trailing a length of rope from its legs.
Gombei was so startled by their sudden flight, he didn't let go of the ropes he
held in his ha "nds. Before he could even call for help, he found himself swooshed up
into the cold winter sky as the ninety-nine wild ducks soared upward, pulling him
along at the end of their traps.
"'Stop! Let me down!" Gombei shouted, but the ducks soared on and on. Higher
and higher they flew over rivers and fields and hills, and beyond distant'villages that
Gornbei had never seen before.'
"Help! Save me!"' Gombei called frantically, but there was no one to hear him
high up inthe sky.,
Gornbei was so frightened his face turned w** hite and then green, but all he could
do was*hold 1on with all his strength to the ninety-nine pieces of'rope, If he let go now,
all would be over. He'glanced down and then quickly clamped his eyes shut. The land
below was whirling about like a toy top.
"'Somebody! Help!"' he shouted once more, but the only sound that came back to
him was. the'steady flap-flap, flap-flap of the wild ducks' wings. losing
Soon one hand began to slip, a little at first, and then a little,more. He was
.his grip on the ropes! Slowly Goinbei felt the ropes slide from his numb fingers and
finally; he was unable to hold on any longer. He closed his eyes tight and murmured a
quick prayer as he plummeted pell-mell down to earth. The wild ducks, not -knowing
what had happened, flew on trailing their ropes behind like ribbons in the sky.
As Gombei tumbled toward the ground, however, a very strange thing began to
take place. First,. he sprouted d. bill, 'and then feathers and wings, and then a tail and
webbed feet. By the time he was almost down to earth, he looked just like the creatures
he had been trying to trap. Gombei wondered if he were having a bad dream. But no,
he was flying and flapping his wings, and when he tried to call out, the only sound that
came fromhim' was the call of the wild duck. He had indeed become a wild duck
himself. Gornbei fluttered about frantically.- trying to think and feel like a duck instead
of a man. At last, he decided there was only one thing to do.
"If I am to be a wild duck, I must live like one," he thought, and he headed
slowly toward the waters of a marsh he saw glistening in the sun. He was so hungry

page forty-four Wetland Tales

he simply had to find something to eat, for he had not even had breakfast yet. He
swooped down to the marsh and looked about hungrily. But as he waddled about
thinking only of his empty stomach he suddenly felt a tug at his leg. He pulled and he
pulled, but he could not get away. Then he looked down, and there wound around his
leg was the very same kind of rope trap that he set each day for the wild ducks of his
marsh.
"I wasnt harming anything. All I wanted was some food," he cried. But the man
who had set the trap could not understand what Gombei was trying to say. He.had
been trapped like a wild animal and soon he would be-plucked and -eaten.
"Oh-h-h-h me," Gombei wailed, "now I know how terrible it is for even one wild
duck to be trapped,and only this morning I was trying to trap a huridred- poor birds. I
am a wicked and greedy man," he thought, "'and I deserve to be punished for being so
cruel."
As Gombei wept, the tears trickled down his body and touch e*d the rope that
was wound tightly about his leg. The moment they did, a wonderful thing happened.
The rope tha:t was so secure suddenly fell apart and G,ombei was no-longer caught in
the trap.
"'I'm freel Im free!"' Gombei shouted, and this time he wept tears of joy. "'How
good it is to be- free and alive! How grateful I am .to have another chance;" he cried.
As the tears rolled -down his face, and then his body, anotl@er strange and
marvelous thing happened. First, 'his feathers began to disappear, and then his bill,
and then.his tail and his webbed feet. Finally he was no longer a duck, but'liad become
a human being once more..'
"'I'm not a duck! I'm a. man again," Gombei called out- gleefully. He felt his arms
to be sure they were no longer' wings. Yes, there were his fingers and his hands. He felt
his nose to be sure- it was no longer a duck's bill and he looked down in astonishment
at the clothes that had reappeared on his body. Then he'ran down the road as fast as
his two human legs would carry him.A and hurried home to his own village by the
wooded marsh.
"'Never again will I ever trap another living thing," Gbmbei vowed when, he
reached home safely. Then he went to his cupboard and threw out all his rope traps
and burned them into ash.
'From this moment on, I shall become a farme,r,"' he said. "I will till the soil and
grow rice and wheat and food for-all the living creatures of the land." And Gombei did-
exactly that for the rest of his days.
As for the wild ducks, they came in ever-increasing nium bers, -for now they
found grain and feed instead of traps laid'upon the ice,'and they knew that in the
sheltered waters of Gom.bei's marsh they would always be safe.

"Gombei and the Wild Ducks" from The Sea of Gold by Yoshiko Uchida, Creative Arts Books, @ 1965 by Yoshiko, Uchida.
'Used bypetmission of the author.

Wet la n d Ta les pge forty-five

Marsh Protectors

Until recently, few in the their own way to our under- west of the Mississippi, he
United States have recognized standing of wetlands as vital to managed to complete 435
the importance of wetlands. the planetary ecology on which portraits. His work, bound in
People saw them'as waste- we depend. Audubon iumed v"blumes sold in both Europe
lands, as breeders of disease the eyes of North America and and America touched a wide-
and-mosquitoe -s, and not as in- Europe to birds as inhabitants ranging audience. Audubon's
credibly productive and essen- of wetland habitats. Leop@bld paintings would later mispire
tial links iii the food chain and recognized those habitats as ex- George Bird Grinnel to found
water cycle. For more than a 'tensive, complex syst@ms, with the Audubon Society in the
hundred years public and an inherent balance. Carson name of preserving birds and-
private policy facilitated and revealed the extent to whidi the environments that sustain
even mandated the wholesale human beings could upset that them.
filling, dredging and draining delicate -equilibrium. Now the
of marshes, bogs, swamps and time has. come time to turn our
estuaries. In the process, more eyes to re-establishing the Aldo Leopold
than half of the United States'.. balance, ar@d that takes all of us,' Born thirty-five years, after
including you; Audubon's death, Aldo
wetlands had.succumbed-to
agricultureand urban .and in- Leopold was one of the first
dustrial development by 1990, scientists to.combine ecol6&
with some st4tes losin '9 over John James Audubon and ethics. He began his career
ninety percent of their wet- Audubon's journals tell of as a game rrianager for the
lands. Washington has lost many a hunting expedition Forest Service, advocatin&the
more than one-third of its wet- during which he shot birds that removal of predators in order
lands, witli the fraction much he would later meticulously to protect game. Before long,
-higher in urban areas. Luckily@ and lovingly paint as though however, he had come to see
like Gombei, we began to they had sat still in the midst of nature as a complex biotic sys-
activity. Rather than shooting tem that needed all of its parts
awaken to the importance of
film (which was unavailable in in order to function smoothly,
wptlands before they were n
gone-.,Now, government the early-pineteenth century) predators included.
agencies and nonprofit or- he shot bullets in order. to get His observations -of the
his avian subjects to sit for their, effects of reclamatiott polity,
ganizations,have comL5 to focus
portraits. His paintifigs,.unlike which in effect meant draining
a great deal of at'tention and
effort oi@ the pr those of many of his predeces- marshes to plant agricultural
eservatio'n of
wetlands. sors not only depicted birds, crops, combined with his holis-
Our sod -etal shift from but also plked them in the con- tic understanding of complex
destruction to conservation*, 'text of their environm6nt,.thtis ecosystems, led Leopold to
howeveT, has not occurred 'as introducing. marshlands as c-ombine,science and ethics in
completely nor as suddenly as habitat to the popular culture the name of preserving biologi-
-did Gombei's transformation. of America and Europe. cal diversity. Through his writ-
We'are still I.'osing wetlands, Although Audubon was ' @ings, he popularized the notion
and the change in attitude.has' not the first. ornithologist to of a land ethic, by whi@hhe
9
transpired, over several genera- paint the birds of North meant stewardship not just for- -
P
tions. Thelollowing three America, he became one of the the products the earth provides
individuals, John James best known. He strove to paint for human consumption, but.
Audubon, Aldo Leop6ld and all the birds of North America, care-taking and respect for
'Rachel C@rson all contributed in and although he never traveled environments as integral
ift uni6tiched.
systems best 1L

page forty-six Wetland Tales

Rachel Carson ever more specialized science, and land trusts involved in
Rachel Carson remarked near Carson, like Leopold never wetland preservation in the
the end of her life, ';... by ceased to see nature as a whoie state of Washington '.
becoming a biologist I have system in which each part is Wetland preservation
given myself something to intimate 'ly connected with involves more than just joining
write about." While Carson's the whole. And she brought an organization, however. Our
achievements as a scientist Leopold's wisdom one step everyday activities affect water
working for the United States further to the realization that quality and in turn the survival
Bureau of Fisheries inspired each individual has a role to of wetland plants and animals.
women in the sciences and play in the destruction and Many everyday products are
conservationists alike, her protection of environments. poisonous to human beings;
passion for nature and her likewise they are poisonous to
ability to bring it to life in flora and fauna if they enter. the
poetic prose contributed more You food chain. Choose products
than anything to people's Even though we continue to that are safe for the environ-
understandin --of the impor- lose our wetlands at an alarm- ment. Turning the Tide on Toxics
9 in rate, citizen groups and in the Home is an Ecology publi-
tance of wetlands. 9
Beginning with stories and government agencies have cation providing detailed infor-
descriptions of open waters, formed to slow the losses. mation on toxic products,
she eventually came to write With a concerted effort on the disposal methods, and less
about estuaries. In 1955 she part of everyone, we may be toxic alternatives. (See page 51
published The Edge of the Sea. able to transform the values of to order.)
In the booky she described in those who continue to destroy Let your family, ftiends
accessible and bt?autiful lan- wetlands for economic gain. and neighbors know how im-
guage the abundant life of the Many of the citizen groups portant wetlands areto you
shoreline. She said, "If there is are volunteer member organiza- and the animals that live in
poetry in my book about the tions. Many local groups take them. Not all of us can be
sea, it is not because I put it an active role in assisting Rachel Carsons, Aldo Leopolds
there, but because no one could government agencies in or James Audubons, but by
write truthfully about the sea wetlands preservation. Funds working together we can save
and,leave out the poetry." may even be available for local the wetlands for ourselves and
Perhaps Carson's most groups to initiate wetland for the animals.
significant contribution to restoration projects. The
ecological awareness was the educator's guide WOW. The
publication of Silent Spring. Wonders of Wetlands, listed in,
Already a best-selling author, the appendix contains a section
Carson's new work reached an of ideas for individual and
eager audience with its meS7 group involvement inwetland
sage that the proliferation of preservation. The Department
pesticides spelled disaster for of Ecology has published a
humans and wildlife alike. booklet entitled- Wetland
Only a few years later, Carson Preservation: An Information
herself died of cancer. In a and Action Guide (#90-5) which
climate of atom-splitting and provides a list of organizations

Wetland Tales page forty-seven

Some, WetlandRelated Curr icula'

Fresh Water Adopting a Stream (and) Clean Water
Wetlands Adopting a Wetland Streams and Fish
Thorough resources covering.
Discover Wetlands the 5 steps involved in adopt- Elementary
An interdisciplinary curri- ing a stream or wetla-nd. Useful An interdisciplinary
in the classroom and in the
culum guide for upper field. Workshops available for curriculum for upper elem6n-
elementary and middle school tary and middle school grades.
both curricula. Cost is $11.95
students. Focuses on what Focuses on watersheds, water
I for Adopting a Stream and
wetlands are, wh they are quality, salmonids, habitat,
y $6.00 for Adopting a Wetland.
important, and how hiiman and other basic concepts in
actions affect them. Workshops Tom Murdoch ecology. Workshops available..
available. Curriculum'avaitable Adopt-a-Stream Foundation Curriculum is $12.00 plus $2.00
for $10.00 each. Box 5558' - for shipping and handling.
Everett, WA 98206
Washington State Q06) 388-3313 Secondary
Department of Ecology
Wetlands Section An interdisciplinary secondary
Mail Stop PV-1 1 Project WILD - curriculum with units on
Olympia, WA 98504-8711 Aqua 'tic WILD salmonids, watersheds, and
(206) 438-7538 or. 459-6774 Guidebook from a National cur- the many social issues relating
riculum program that includes to these subje'cts., Workshops
Project Home Planet a variety of water-related available. Curriculum is $12.00
activities. Currently overseen plus $2.00 for shipping. and
Whole language curriculum in Washington by the Depart- handling.
based on the book Wonders ment of Wildlife. Workshops
of Swamps and Marshes by available. Guidebooks free to Washington State Office of
Stephen Caitlin. Grades 4 - 6.. workshop participants. Environmental Education
Susan Vanderburg 17011 Meridian Ave N.
Brad Wood, Wildlife Room 16
Project Home Planet Education . Coordinator Seattle, WA 98133
617 Carlyon Ave. SE
Olympia, WA 98501 Department of Wildlife 206)542-76 .71
(206) 357-6561 - Eastern Region Office
8702 N. Division St.reet
WOW: The Wonders Spokane, WA 99218 Marine and.
of Wetlands Stream Walk Art ivity Guide Estuarine
A comprehensive educator's A stream corridor s urvey Project Home Planet
guide containing plenty of method designed for A whole Ian' age curriculuni
information and.activities 9`1
volunteers. Requires limited based on the book Seashores
for all grade levels.
training and produces useful by Joyce Pope. Grades 2 - 3
Environmental Concern, Inc. data. No charge for curriculum, Susan Vanderburg
P.O. Box P workshops available.
Saint Michaels, MD, 21663 Project Home Planet
Gretchen Heyslip 617 Carlyon Ave. SE
Environmental Protection Agency Olympia, WA 98501
1200 6th Avenue ES-097 (206) 35'7-6561
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-1685

page forty-eight Wetland Tales

Coastal Zone Studies Washington State Office of elementa'ry.and middle school).
Environmental Education Includes pre-trip, on-site, and
Junior High 17011 Meridian Ave N. post-trip information, ideas,
Curriculum on coastal, areas, Room 16 and activities. ($7.22 plus $2.90
including estuaries, with sec- Seattle, WA 98133 shipping and handling).
tions on geology and biology. (206)542-7671 Padilla Bay National Estuarine
Curriculum,costs $5.00 plus Research Reserve
$2.00 shipping and handling. Puget Sound Habitats 1043 Bayview'-Edison Road
A handbook on the, variety of Mount Vernon, WA 98273
habitats found in Puget Sound.
Senior High Includes information on mu'd; (206) 428-1558
Provides activities to acquaint sand, rocky, open water, and
students with, the coastal zone: mixed coarse habitats. 1 V' X 17" Water Quality for our
physical and biological proces- charts of each habitat'also'avail- Salmonind ' Shellfish
ses; estuaries;'shoreline issues; able.'Also available'is a coastal Lessons for student under-
and case studies. Each guide is zone ecology simulation pro- standing of the needs of
$5,00 plus $2.00 shipping and salmon and bivalves as well
handling. gram designed to run on any as impacts and threats to the
computer in the Apple H series. Puget Sound Environment.
Washington State Office of Handbook is $5.00, charts are
Environmental Education $2.00 each, and computer Shelton School District.,
17011 Meridian Ave N. simulation program diskettes Mason County Water Quality
Room 16 are available on loan. Shipping Education Team
'Seattle, WA 98133 charges not included. WSU Coop. Extension,
(206)542-7671 WA Sea Grant
Washington State Office of 9 Federal Building
Environmental Education
Project ORCA Shelton WA 98584
Ocean Related Curricu'lum 17011 MeridianA@ve N. (206) 427-9670
Activities (ORCA) are a co,llec- Room 16
tion of curriculum booklets, Seattle, WA 98133
(206)542-7671 Puget Sound Project -
targeting grades 4-12, that . The Changing Sound
cover a va,riety of topics in The E .stuary Guide - Level I Three separate curricula: High
aquatic education. Examples' School level focuses on human
include 'Varshes, Estuaries Designed. for use by teachers of int--- ctions
and Wetlands" (Senior High) primary grades to complement ' era -1yith Puget Sound
and "Beaches" (junior High). a visit to the Padilla Bay through the context of the
Guides are $6.00 each. National Estuarin Ie Reserve. catastrophic decline of the na-
. . t Includes pre-trip, on-site, and t've Olympic oyster. Middle
Pacific Science Center post-trip information, ideas, School. level studies Puget
200 Second Ave. N. and activities.'($5.62 plus $2.90 Sound issues through under-
Seattle, WA 98109 shipping and handling). standing of Pacific Saldion.
(206)443-2870 1 Elementary K-6 studies the
Padilla Bay National Estuarine relationship between humans
Turning the Tide Research Reserve and the natural environment.
Teacher's guide,that targets 1043 Bayview-Edison Road Workshops are available and
middle school level and Mount Vernon, WA 98273 each curriculum costs $35.00.
(206) 428-1558
focuseson point and non-point - Laurie Dumdie
pollution in Puget Sound - The Estuary Program - Poulsbo Marine Science Center
as seen from the perspective of- Level If 1771 Fjord Dr. NE
industry, environmentalists, Designed .for use with the Poulsbo, WA 98370
and others. Coinds with an on-site, all day program at the (206)*779-5549,
accompanying video. Free.
Padilla Bay Reserve (upper

Wet la n d Ta les page forty-nine

For Sea Marine .Science Alas@a Oil Spill Curriculum
Presents the broad science@ of K-12 curriculum addresses
the sea in a sequenced, hands oil spills and, goes on to con-
on curriculum. Grades -1-2:. centrate on the positive steps
Interaction between marine everyone can take to help
plants & animals and their prevent future. oil spills. Hands
pr6tectiort, &ades 3-4: High- on experiences. Pre-school, K-3,
lights responsible commercial & 4m-6 curriculum guides, are
&:recreational use of inarine $5.00. 7-12 guide is $7.50. 2
environment, grades 5-6: videos are $10.00. The whole
Intertidal habitat using Pago.o, set is available for $30.00.
plus physical properties of Belle Mickelson
marine environment, grades Prince William Sound
7-8: various marine topics
Science Center'
viewed Wrough the le'ns of
P.O. Box 705
gray whale migration, 'grades Cordova, AK 99574
9-12: In-depth look at biological (967)-424-5800,
and physical factors influenc-
ing the sea, readings and labs
on current ocean issues.
Workshops available. Each
curriculum costs $35.00.

Laurie Dumdie
Poulsbo Marine Science Center
1771 Fjord Dr. NE
Poulsbo, WA 9 ,8370
(206) 779-5549

5tate of the Sound -
Marine Science Curriculum
Fociises on understanding
Puget Sound environmental
issues and how we can best
,care for the waters 'upon
which we tkll depend. Su@nme,r
Workshops available for grade 's
4-6 and 7-12. Curriculum is
$4.00.-

Janet Criscola
Seattle Aquarium
Pior'59, Waterfront Park
Seattle, WA 98101
(2-06) 386-4353

page fifty Wetland Tales

Resources -from
the* Department. of Ecology

Booklets,., Videos Order booklets from Ecology's
Publications Office. by writing or
Washington Wetlands, Fabulous Wetlands, calling.
#89-24 VHS, 7 minutes 'Publications Office
A booklet briefly describing the A wacky and entertaining W@shington'State
functions and values of wet- vide o featuring Bill Nye "the Department of Ecology
lands. Science Guy" talking about the PO Box 47600
importance of wetlands. Olympia, Washington
Wetland Walks, 1 98504-7600
#89-30 Washington!s Wetlands, (206) 438-7472
A guide to pu.blically accessible VHS, 15 minutes
wetlands in Washington State. A. video of still images that
provides an overview of , - Obtain videos by contacting:
Wetlands Regulations fresh and saltwater wetlands' Department of Ecology
Guidebook, #88-5 in Washington. Wetlands Section
A clear and concise overview PO Box 47600
of the regulations affecting Yellowlegs, Olympia, Washington
wetlands. Eelgrass and Tideflats 98504-7600
VHS, 28 minutes (206) 438-7539
Wetlands Preservation A look.at the f'ragile abundance
An Information and and beauty of Washington's
Landowners Guide, #90-5 wetlands.
Pescribes methods private
citizens and public pgencies
can use to preserve wetlands.

At Home with Wetlands
A Landowners Guide,
#90-31
Describes ways landowners
can protect or enhance wet-
lands.

Turning the Tide
on Toxics in the Home.
A comprehensive guide to
common toxic products, their
disposal and less harmful
alternatives.

Wetland Tales page fifty-one

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