[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
























































































                                       .-4PP'




                                                                                                                               N M


                                                                                                                                    NNW

                                                                                                                     . . ........





             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








                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ..................






                     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 miï¿½ration 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



































                                                                                                                                                      NM






                                                                          fI    r "F 11








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            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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