Over the years I have found three dead North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) washed up on local beaches. One of them had worn teeth, so may have lived a full life, which is supposedly between about eight and 12 years in the wild. The second otter was small but badly decomposed, and I didn’t […]
Otters
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North Coast Otter Public Arts Initiative Giving Virtual Sneak Peek
On World Otter Day, May 27, the North Coast Otters Public Arts Initiative will preview the more than 100 otter sculptures that were set to make an appearance this summer in a massive scavenger hunt throughout Humboldt County and beyond. The public art initiative is inviting people to a “virtual sneak peek” of the otters […]
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The Otters are Coming! The Otters are Coming!
A shipment of 100 otter sculptures is heading toward the North Coast, according to Jeff Black, who created the North Coast Otter Public Arts Initiative. All the way from Jolly Roger Sculptures in the Philippines, the arrival of the 3-foot-tall sculptures standing ready for an artist’s touch will kick off a public art initiative scheduled […]
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‘An Otter Idea’
After a long hike in England’s Dartmoor National Park, Jeff Black and his wife stopped at Wayside Cafe. As they were sitting, drinking tea, they noticed scores of people coming in and out to take selfies with an otter sculpture. Out of curiosity, they approached the sculpture and learned there were 99 others scattered throughout […]
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You Otter be a Citizen Scientist
One doesn’t have to go far to see local river otters in the wild. Just take a walk out on the Trinidad pier and you’re likely to see one swimming in the harbor. But the best time is when local sport fishermen return to the floating dock below the pier to clean their catches. On […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Otter Spotter
While hiking the King Range, I saw a flash of brown just up Cooksie Creek. Then a splash. The small, slicked head of a Lontra canadensis created a gentle wake as it spiraled upstream away from me. The river otter kept a wary eye but never stopped its aquabatics until I entered the creek to […]