Sea Otters

Sea Otters

Juvenile nonfiction
On a very fortunate June day I found not one, but two new books
about sea otters. Both have scads of adorable photographs of these oh
so cute marine mammals. Both also are fonts of intriguing
information. Either or both would make a hit with future scientists
and vetenarians and animal loving kids.
In the wild sea otters have a fairly long period of dependence
on their mothers. If one becomes separated as a helpless baby, he/she
is in trouble deep unless a human rescuer comes along. It takes a
team with a lot of special skills to save a young sea otter's life.
In her Sea Otter Rescue, Suzi Eszterhas takes readers behind the
scenes at the wildlife hospital at the Alaska SeaLife Center for a
look at all that must done to prepare orphaned sea otter pups for
eventual return to the wild (for those who can) or a forever home like
Seattle Aquarium.
Patricia Newman's Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved An
Ecosystem portrays a real life science mystery. Elkhorn Slough, a
California coastal inlet has strong healthy seagrass. This phenomenon
raised the curiosity of Brent Hughes, a marine biologist. Normally
farm fertilizer run off supports the proliferation of algae that kills
off seagrass.
So what was going right?
Seagrass helps local ecosystems and the planet by calming
erosive currents and waves, serving as a nursery for young marine
creatures, keeps toxic contaminants out of the oceans, and removes
carbon from the atmosphere. Perhaps learning the key element that was
protecting Elkhorn Slough seagrass would lead improving other estuaries.
Perhaps some of the youngsters picking up these books will go on
to become wildlife rescuers or marine biologists. You never know.
On a personal note, yesterday I donated blood and hung out at the
canteen talking to other donors to see if any got dizzy and needed
help. Then I did what I could at community garden which was mostly
making people happy to see me. Harvesting made me too dizzy. Being
most social gardener has its perks. Today I am resting and writing at
home because my Thursday will be huge even by my standards.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow donors and gardeners.
jules hathaway


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