What I originally thought was a beaver turned out to be an North American River Otter. There's some good info on them in Wikipedia as well as the Oregon Zoo and the Nature Conservancy webpages. According to the Seattle zoo, "otter populations continue to decline as a result
of water pollution, overfishing of commercial stock, and habitat destruction." Fur trapping is the greatest threat, however, with over 30,000 otter pelts sold each year in the US and Canada (Wikipedia statistic). The species is not listed as endangered nationally, but it is in many states (though not Oregon).
October 2008 Archives
Find out what's happening in the canyon with Zac Perry, canyon guru, as he brings you info about bees, canyon restoration, and more. View videos in iTunes U, or on the Reed canyon video webpage.
Here's a few night pics of the new pedestrian bridge that connects the sports center with the new grove residence halls.
Welcome to the new Reed canyon blog home! We'll be moving old content from our old blog to this site over time, as well as adding new content, so keep on checking back!
