By Thembi Borras
It is a test of your mettle as a forester to get up in the middle of the night to call owls, to weather winter storms checking road drainage and stream crossings, to wipe blue paint off your face when you mistakenly stand downwind, to be dirty, to run property line down 100% slopes, to crawl or throw yourself at old growth huckleberry and to run cruise lines through poison oak. These experiences are badges of merit. However, having chewed the field challenges of the "dirt" forester, I could do without the poison oak. Oh I suppose I could also do without the 100% slopes, but everything else I embrace and is balanced by the perfect spring days spent on gentle terrain in the woods.
When people find out I am the poster child for poison oak sensitivity, their first question is how can you be a forester here in poison oak country. A rigid multi step routine, supported by a type A personality and obsessive compulsive disorder generally keeps me poison oak free unless it is above shoulder height.
The culprit is a chemical called urushiol found in the sap of poison oak. Ironically, human bodies, which defend against urushiol, contract the aggravating symptoms, whereas the bodies of the 3% of humans that are "immune" do not defend against the chemical. According to Terry Kratwurst in her article on this subject in the June/July issue of Mother Earth News: "Within 15 minutes after you get the substance on you, it's carried into the dermis (the inner skin layer) and bonds with skin protein to form an antigen. The first time this occurs, nothing obvious happens- no one is "born sensitive" to urushiol….But sooner or later most people's immune system develops some degree of distinct biological distaste for the urushiol spawned antigen. At that point, whenever the antigen's presence is detected…T-cells rush to the hated invader and attack, releasing chemicals that literally destroy the surrounding skin…better known as poison oak dermatitis."
The most frustrating aspect of contracting symptoms is questioning the source. Since there is a lag of as long as 4 days from the time you encounter the chemical to the time symptoms manifest you can imagine the speculation. Was it the dog I petted three days ago? A perfect ending to this story would be a cure, but after having tried pharmaceuticals and homeopathic remedies there is no magic cure and unless I want to move to Nevada the only State entirely free of species containing urushiol I will live with it, buck up and stop complaining.
May 14, 2006
May 7, 2006
Wildlife Rescue
By Thembi Borras
Have you ever been frantic, not sure what to do, having encountered an animal you thought injured, abandoned or in need of attention? I have, last year I was introduced to a bird in a downed nest. This circumstance effected me to seek assistance from the wildlife rescue community. Before you engage this limited resource community there is information that will better inform your decision to walk away, care for the species yourself or bring it to a rescue facility.
Locally, all wildlife is born in the spring, in particular the month of May. May is the month for babies. You may think a fawn needs attention, because you conceive it has been abandoned, not seeing its mother nearby. In fact the mother, on purpose, remains distant from the fawn to protect it as she is scented and the fawn is not. If you encounter a fawn, don't pick it up and keep your dogs on a leash, during this time of year, to prevent an unnecessary dog/ fawn encounter.
If you find a baby bird, owl or hawk out of the nest it is important to know the parents will likely continue to care for it, especially owls. If you are able to reach the nest safely, put the bird back in its nest. It is a myth that the parents will abandon their young if they detect human scent, in fact birds have a poor sense of smell. If a nest is down, you can put it in an open cardboard box and nail the box to the tree then put the young in the nest. Stunned birds found near windows may need nothing more than a cardboard box in a safe location in which to recover.
If the animal is obviously injured, evidenced by a drooping wing or blood, local veterinarians may treat wildlife at no charge. At a minimum, veterinarians will have referral numbers for wildlife rescue facilities. If possible, call your veterinarian or one of the rescue facilities prior to removal as they may be able to guide your decision and advise in proper transport procedures. Sonoma Wildlife, a mammal rescue facility can be reached at 707-544-6713. Bird Rescue of Santa Rosa, a bird rescue facility, can be reached at 707-523-2473. Willits Wildlife Rehabilitation Team, a local non profit wildlife rescue facility, can be reached at 707-459-9539 and donations for the care of injured wildlife can be sent to POB 44, Willits, CA 95490.
The bulk of this production was gleaned from a phone conversation with Ronnie James of Woodlands Wildlife a small local rescue facility that receives all referrals through local veterinarians. Woodlands Wildlife, a non profit, will receive donations for the care of injured wildlife at POB 1336, Mendocino, CA 95460.
Have you ever been frantic, not sure what to do, having encountered an animal you thought injured, abandoned or in need of attention? I have, last year I was introduced to a bird in a downed nest. This circumstance effected me to seek assistance from the wildlife rescue community. Before you engage this limited resource community there is information that will better inform your decision to walk away, care for the species yourself or bring it to a rescue facility.
Locally, all wildlife is born in the spring, in particular the month of May. May is the month for babies. You may think a fawn needs attention, because you conceive it has been abandoned, not seeing its mother nearby. In fact the mother, on purpose, remains distant from the fawn to protect it as she is scented and the fawn is not. If you encounter a fawn, don't pick it up and keep your dogs on a leash, during this time of year, to prevent an unnecessary dog/ fawn encounter.
If you find a baby bird, owl or hawk out of the nest it is important to know the parents will likely continue to care for it, especially owls. If you are able to reach the nest safely, put the bird back in its nest. It is a myth that the parents will abandon their young if they detect human scent, in fact birds have a poor sense of smell. If a nest is down, you can put it in an open cardboard box and nail the box to the tree then put the young in the nest. Stunned birds found near windows may need nothing more than a cardboard box in a safe location in which to recover.
If the animal is obviously injured, evidenced by a drooping wing or blood, local veterinarians may treat wildlife at no charge. At a minimum, veterinarians will have referral numbers for wildlife rescue facilities. If possible, call your veterinarian or one of the rescue facilities prior to removal as they may be able to guide your decision and advise in proper transport procedures. Sonoma Wildlife, a mammal rescue facility can be reached at 707-544-6713. Bird Rescue of Santa Rosa, a bird rescue facility, can be reached at 707-523-2473. Willits Wildlife Rehabilitation Team, a local non profit wildlife rescue facility, can be reached at 707-459-9539 and donations for the care of injured wildlife can be sent to POB 44, Willits, CA 95490.
The bulk of this production was gleaned from a phone conversation with Ronnie James of Woodlands Wildlife a small local rescue facility that receives all referrals through local veterinarians. Woodlands Wildlife, a non profit, will receive donations for the care of injured wildlife at POB 1336, Mendocino, CA 95460.
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