Bear Essential News May 2020, Phoenix Edition

Bear 40 YEARS!

April/May 2020 • Phoenix Edition • www.bearessentialnews.com

essential news

®

Arizona’s Amazing Animals!

2020 SUMMER

CAMP GUIDE See pages 8 thru 10

In This Picture: Find a lizard, a hummingbird, a snake, a May flower, the word CAMPS, a beetle, a tortoise, a bat, a frog and a butterfly.

FEATURE

NEWS

Awesome Animals

Bald Eagles' Prickly Nest Endangered Species!

of the Sonoran Desert! pages 6 & 7

Spotlight on Earth Day birthday News Highlights page 3

NEWS & more news kids can use Scoops page 5

FAMILIES

CONTEST

A Letter to Families F lowers for Mom!

from AZ’s Top Educator Page 4

a fun coloring contest Page 11

2

BEAR 40 YEARS •

May 2020

Girl Scouts Show Leadership, Character During Crisis It is at times like these that girls, and the world, need more Girl Scouting and our strength as a Movement is seen more clearly by the public. In our 108 years, we have weathered many challenges and come out stronger as an organization. This is the moment when Girl Scouts show their leadership, and how courage, confidence, and character, make a positive impact on our world.

In this short time, girls and troops in our Council have sewn masks for the community, donated cookies to first responders and workers keeping our communities running, collected items for hospitals and spread much-appreciated positivity.

Girl Scouts learn and demonstrate what it means to be personally prepared and ready to be of service to their communities during challenging times, like the one we’re experiencing now to due to COVID-19.

www.bearessentialnews.com

Sisters from Troop 2320 created care packages and donated them to the physicians at Banner Health to say thank you.

During this time, our local Council has launched a series of activities and programming for girls and their families to experience Girl Scouts at home. Programming that includes our core focus areas—STEM, outdoors, entrepreneurship and life skills. In addition, girls can earn badges and patches along the way! Around the bend, we invite girls to participate in our virtual camp experience and other unique opportunities being developed for girls and families to enjoy over the summer.

Participate in virtual Girl Scouting by following us on social media and at girlscoutsaz.org/virtual-gs. Girls in pre-K entering kindergarten or first grade are invited to sign up for Petal Power—an exclusive program for future Girl Scout Daises where you receive activity boxes. Register at girlscoutsaz.org/ petalpower

Evelyn (Troop 758) took donated cookies she collected from her Girl Scout Cookie business and dropped them off safely to workers at her local Fry’s Marketplace to show appreciation.

Join Girl Scouts today!

Text joinGS to 31996 or call 602-452-7040

@GSACPC

May 2020 •

e-mail: boomer@bearessentialnews.com

B

News Highlights e McCarty/AZGFD

photo courtesy of Kyl

personally been searching for 18 years.

“It is definitely something extremely exciting to observe for the first time,” Jacobson says.

“The first time it’s ever been documented is pretty huge, at least to have it confirmed.”

After nearly 20 years of searching, why have scientists finally been successful in getting confirmation?

One reason may be an increasing population of bald eagles in our state. In 2019, there were 89 breeding areas monitored, and 74 were occupied by a pair of bald eagles. The number of breeding areas they have found has increased each year for the last decade.

“A lot of the best sites have been filled by pairs, so birds that are coming into the population are looking for other options,” Jacobson says. “Part of that is why they found the saguaro and decided to give it a try.”

Life Without School Is Kind of Boring!

If you made a word cloud about recent days, you would see: coronavirus, stay-at-home, online school, baking, walking, video games, pets and family. But most kids would add another word—BORING or BORED! Arizona schools and many businesses closed in March. Governor Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order that began March 31, so kids have been cooped up at home. Some enjoy the increased family time.

They use their yards or spaces around their homes to walk, bike, play with siblings and get fresh air. But many miss their teachers and friends. They hope to get back to a normal routine. They want to see friends.

They want to ask their teachers questions in person.

Parker Lott spends time doing puzzles like Metal Earth kits and says he walks every day. “I’ve been doing lots of projects,” says the sixth-grader. But he doesn’t like this new normal. “It’s been really boring,” he says, adding that online schooling is “more difficult than going to real school.” Parker says asking a teacher questions through email, navigating links and figuring out what to do first makes distance learning challenging. “It’s tricky,” he says.

Twins Gianna and Isabella Mercado Salvidio say QUARANTINE means bonding with immediate family, but not other relatives—they miss their cousins! These

3

Happy 50th Birthday, Earth Day!

Bald Eagles Found Nesting In Saguaro Cactus After decades of searching, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has documented proof that bald eagles sometimes use saguaro cacti as nesting sites!

In April, AZGFD announced the discovery of a pair of bald eagles with nestlings, also known as eaglets, in a saguaro after a routine eagle survey flight.

Kenneth “Tuk” Jacobson, AZGFD’s raptor management coordinator, says the department begins aerial surveys each January and conducts them monthly throughout the breeding season. A pilot takes two biologists up in a helicopter, and they search across the state for eagles and their nests. They try to maintain a CENSUS of the bald eagle breeding population.

Jacobson says they have conducted the eagle survey flights for decades. In the 1970s, biologists found a record from 1937 that mentioned large nests in saguaros that were believed to be the homes of bald eagles. However, the biologists couldn’t confirm anything at the time. Additionally, there have been confirmed sightings in similar types of cacti in Mexico, making it seem more possible that bald eagles in Arizona could use the famous saguaro to nest.

“Biologists were really looking for bald eagles from the 1970s on, and we always had it in our minds that they were likely there,” Jacobson says. He has

BEAR 40 YEARS

sixth-graders have been busy baking, playing volleyball and hopscotch together, reading and writing.

“I used to be in soccer before coronavirus, and my cousin was on the same team,” says Gianna. “We used to go out to eat after…now that we can’t really see them…I really miss them.”

Isabella says she misses going to movies, eating out, recess and just being social. She and her sister enjoy relaxing at home and doing schoolwork at their own pace, but it’s not always easy. The sisters switch off with a lap top for schoolwork, while their mom uses another computer to work from home. Isabella says, “It can be kind of confusing to figure out programs.”

Kamiko Espinoza (fifth) says this time has “been a little weird,” but she likes having more time with her mom. She built a birdhouse and learned to sew. As for school, “It’s easier having a teacher in front of you.”

Sisters Rori (fifth), Madison and Ellie (third-grade twins) Divijak stay busy with online school, gardening, cooking, riding bikes, walking their new dog, and caring for other pets. But they miss friends and teachers.

Rori says competing in Math League online was “more difficult” than in person, and she had been looking forward to training for a 5K with Girls on the Run. Rori admits, “I kind of want to go back to school.”

Earth Day was created in 1970 in hopes of bringing about environmental reform in America. It was started by Sen. Gaylord Nelson, from Wisconsin, after he learned about a terrible oil spill off the coast of California in 1969. He worked with Pete McCloskey, a Congressman, and Denis Hayes, a young activist, to organize the first Earth Day. Just a few short years after the first Earth Day, the United States Environmental Protection Agency was created and Congress passed a number of laws to help protect humans and animals, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Fifty years have passed since the first Earth Day. Coincidentally, one of the positives of billions of people staying at home Fact Box: 1st Earth Day: April 22, 1970 Number of Countries involved in 1970: 1 Number of People Involved in 1970: 20 million Number of Countries Involved in now: 190+ Number of People involved in now: 1 billion

to slow the spread of COVID-19 has been a clear reduction of the environmental impact people are having on the planet—what a nice birthday present for Earth Day’s 50th!

Satellites have observed major decreases in nitrogen dioxide, an air pollutant that comes from the emissions of cars, trucks, buses, and traditional power plants. Air pollution, including nitrogen dioxide, can have serious health consequences on humans and has been linked to climate change.

Animals have also been enjoying how humans have been sticking closer to home.

In Yosemite National Park, photographers have snapped photos of deer, coyotes and other animals roaming the park in areas the fearful animals would normally avoid because of crowds of tourists. Beaches from Thailand to Florida have also reported having more leatherback sea turtle nests than average.

The famed canals of Venice, Italy, have also been brilliantly clear and people have even seen jellyfish swimming in the canals!

Though it’s unclear if there is less pollution in the water, the lack of boats and gondolas in the water has allowed the sediment to settle and allowed for some beautiful pictures.

4

BEAR 40 YEARS •

www.bearessentialnews.com

May 2020

A Message from the Superintendent

The Importance of Early Treatment!

CHECK

-UP!

EXAM, X-RAYS & CLEANING

$35

(for patients without insurance)

BRACES $

99

a month

www.KidzConnextion.com • 480-725-8413 • Text or Call 524 E. Baseline Rd. South Phoenix

2046 N. 24th St. Central Phoenix

2533 N. 75th Ave. West Phoenix

Get Treatment EARLY! Early orthodontic treatment can minimize more extensive treatment later on in life. The first visit to your orthodontist should take place before you’re eight. There are a number of different types of bites that need to be considered for treatment.

The following situations may require an orthodontic exam as soon as possible:

Dear Arizona Students and Families— I hope you are all doing well and staying safe and healthy. This school year is ending much differently than we all expected, and many of us are heading into summer missing the chance to hug our friends and wave goodbye to teachers and staff. Although this transition has been challenging, I take heart seeing all the hard work you and your families have put in to make sure you can continue learning.

I have been speaking to teachers across the state these last few weeks, and the number one thing they share with me is how much they miss seeing all of you—their students. Although they are away from their classrooms, our educators are finding innovative ways to stay connected and continue lessons remotely. Platforms like Google Classroom are being used to post check-in forms, provide updates on assignments, and give students a chance to re-connect virtually. In areas of the state where accessing the internet is more difficult, teachers have told me that they are sending packets through the US Postal Service to stay connected with students.

For many students and families, completing lessons at-home might be challenging. After all, home is usually the place where we get to relax and play. So, I encourage families to get creative, and find fun new ways to learn! Here are some of my favorite activities:

• Find a new recipe to cook • Design your own obstacle course to complete in the backyard, or even inside (just stay safe!)

• Look up a country you would like to travel to, a meal you would like to eat there, and how to say key phrases like “hello” and “thank you!” in the country’s native language • Tune into PBS, or visit pbskids.org to watch new daily videos and play some fun games

• difficulty chewing

• jaws that pop or click • thumb sucking

• open mouth breathing • spacing of teeth

• crowding of teeth

Many of us are feeling a bit lonely these days being away from friends and classmates—and that is perfectly okay. It may be hard now, but if we all do our part to stay home and keep our communities healthy, we’ll be back to school before we know it. More importantly, I know that together we will get through this and be stronger than ever.

Kathy Hoffman

www.KidzConnextion.com

Superintendent of Public Instruction

May 2020 •

e-mail: boomer@bearessentialnews.com

Get the Scoop!

School Closures Mean There’s Lots to Miss

by Reporter Christian Wogan, Sonoran Foothills School I miss so many things about my school during COVID-19. The first thing I really miss (and hate about not being in school) is that I cannot play with my friends. I am not able to play with them, talk, and hang out. Dean, Carter, Brent and I played random games.

Now we can’t play games or play together at school.

I have seen Carter a few times on Zoom, Dean hasn’t been on Zoom and Brent isn’t in my class.

The second reason I miss school is I love hanging out with my friends at lunch. I would sit right in the middle of Carter and Dean. I miss the cafeteria food.

My two favorites are Churros with some kind of jelly cream in them and these little mystery meats. I also loved their chocolate chip cookies! The lunches at school are better than lunches at home (mom and dad think I am crazy for liking school lunches).

I miss my teachers. Right now I cannot learn live from my teachers because no one can be close to anyone. I really miss my homeroom teacher, Ms. Heeb. Although I get to see her on Zoom, I can’t see her in person. I’d be so happy if I could go to school today and be in her class learning about math. She’s really good at teaching math.

Another teacher I miss is my art teacher, Ms. Biggers. I miss drawing new creations with her class.

Although she gives me assignments now, I have to do

This school them by myself at is home. Also, there’s Ms. Jones who is due to my music teacher C O RONAVIRUS and is really, really nice. I earned Classes are online my blackbelt with the recorder instrument. I was the only one who got the blackbelt in my class before break. Last, I miss my special help teacher Ms. Shade. It is easier for me to learn to write and read with Ms. Shade because she teaches us stuff over and over so it pops in my memory and I know it by heart. I have trouble with reading and writing because I have Asperger’s Syndrome. I’ve learned so much more with Ms. Shade. I still see her on Zoom twice a week, but it is not the same as in person.

And last, I miss recess. I can’t play with my friends.

I get breaks at home, but it is not the same. I get to play with my sister, my dad and my mom at home (swim, play catch with my dad and play Super Smash Bros and Mario Brothers).

I miss my friends, teachers, learning, recess, and school lunch. I wish the COVID-19 would disappear and for school closeurs to have never happened!

CLOSED

Save Our Endangered Species!

by Reporter Isabella Mercado Salvidio, Apache Elementary

Photo credit: wwf.org.uk

Did you know that April was animal awareness One of the most likely to be extinct soon is the month? It is important that people help to take care of amur leopard. They are illegally hunted for their fur their community and other people, but we should also and because of the threat they pose. In southeastern be taking care of our animals. You might be surprised Russia and northeastern China, where they are native, by the important roles animals play there were only 19 to 26 wild leopards in our environment. in 2007 and an estimate done in 2019 For example, dogs and rats can said there were about 90 leopards. They be trained to sniff out dangerous are considered one of the rarest cats on explosives in the ground and bees earth. The amur leopards are important pollinate one-third of everything because they are top predators in their we eat. Sadly, bees’ numbers are landscape and they play a crucial role for keeping the right balance of species. dropping and, since 1974, your Many endangered animals are chances of seeing a bee are 50% important and we don’t even realize less likely. it. For instance, gorillas and tigers The worst part is that there The endangered amur leopard are important to the food chain, the are hundreds of thousands of hawksbill sea turtle maintains health of the coral reefs, animals with numbers dropping and being added to and orangutans preserve tropical rainforests. These the endangered list. Some of the endangered are the animals aren’t the only important animals, there are amur leopard, black rhinoceros, Bornean orangutan, many. It is important that we do our best to save cross river gorilla, eastern lowland gorilla, hawksbill endangered species and other important animals and sea turtle, Sumatran rhinoceros, vaquita, Sumatran insects that help us maintain our way of life. elephant, Indochinese tiger, saola, Sumatran orangutan, mountain gorilla, western lowland gorilla, Adviser: Tara Woodward Javan rhinoceros, and Asiatic cheetah.

BEAR 40 YEARS

5

News Stories Written by Kids— for Kids

Crisis Creates Some Positives & Negatives

by Reporter Samantha Goodwin Mesquite Jr. High School There are both positive and negative things about being home during this pandemic. I used to not want to go to school everyday, but now that I’m stuck at home in quarantine, I really miss school and my friends!

I’m so disappointed that all schools and a lot of businesses are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I know we need to keep people safe and healthy. I miss going to places and just having fun too. For example, I got to try out for cheer for the first time in my life and I made it! Because of the school closure, though, I only had one basketball game and that’s what disappoints me the most. Now I have to wait until next year to try out for cheer again.

On the other hand, I’ve been staying home since we’re all on lockdown and I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I am finding creative ways to entertain myself and my family. I have learned that I need to appreciate what I have and that loving your family (not things) is important. So far, I’ve baked cupcakes, dyed my hair, watched Netflix while eating snacks in bed, played volleyball, played board games, helped my parents cook, done facemasks with my sister, and played with my siblings. I haven’t taken a virtual tour yet, but maybe I should someday!

In conclusion, for now, I will continue to try to keep my family and myself busy, but I can’t wait to go back to school next year and see all of my friends there, too.

REPORT FOR BEAR! Call toll free:

1-866-NEWS KID sponsors

BEAR 40 YEARS •

www.bearessentialnews.com

May 2020

Awesome Animals of the

Another desert denizen that has learned to adapt to living in the city is the coyote. “I love the fact that you can see them in the middle of town and they’re super comfortable around humans,” Krop explains. But she quickly adds there’s a downside. “By the same token, I’m always a little leery of them—they will hunt people’s pets.” Coyotes will hunt rabbits, rodents, insects, snakes and even larger prey like a deer.

They’ll also eat fruit, grass and carrion.

She says coyotes can be out and about just about any time. “I like seeing them, and I like walking in the night and hearing them howling in my neighborhood.”

short video and great tips for staying safe as you enjoy some Arizona trails. Kids should always hike with an adult. With triple-digit temperatures already here, be sure to have enough water with you and cool early mornings might work better. But to see bats leaving their roost, you’ll need to be there at around sunset.

Some musts: closed-toed shoes or hiking boots, sunscreen (reapply as needed), a hat with a brim, snacks and someone should carry a basic first aid kit including tweezers and a comb in case of a run-in with a cactus. And if you have them, bring a pair of binoculars or a camera.

We Live in a Very Special Desert Ecosystem Kropp points out that compared with the other deserts in North America, the 120,000-square-mile Sonoran Desert has a much more diverse ecosystem.

“We are the only one considered a tropical or a warmer desert…we don’t tend to have as hard of freezes in the wintertime as the other deserts,” she explains.

“So that leads to more plant diversity and more ani-

mal diversity than the other North American deserts.”

Our Sonoran Desert even has an ocean—the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California. “We also have the longest coastline of any desert in the world,” she points out. Weather patterns and moisture from the gulf drive our summer monsoons that deliver about half of our yearly rainfall.

BEAR 40 YEARS

Page 7

There’s Marine Life, Too! The Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) splits the southern portion of the Sonoran Desert in two. This sea is about the same area as the land portion of our desert, meaning half of our desert is marine!

The area is known for its extreme change in sea level between high and low tides. The seawater is salty, but the diversity of sea life here is amazing.

One of the animals found only in the Sea of Cortez is the vaquita (translates to little cow). Under 5 feet long and weighing up to 95 pounds, not only is it the littlest porpoise in the world but is sadly also the most endangered of any cetacean. With their numbers dropping at an alarming rate, vaquitas are on the verge of extinction. Biologists estimate there may just be 10–18 adult vaquitas remaining.

The main reason for the decline of vaquitas may be the use of gill nets by fishermen in the region, who are trying to catch a fish called the totoaba, which is about the same length. Top prices are paid for totoaba swim bladders by certain Chinese people who wrongly believe they are a health food.

Draw Your Ultimate Desert Critter... and describe what makes it so special!

Kangaroo Rat

Lesser Long-nosed Bat

“In terms of being wowed by an animal’s desert survivor ability, I would say that kangaroo rats win hands down! They have all these cool things that they do,” Kropp shares. While most desert critters need to drink water to survive, kangaroo rats do not!

According to Kropp, “they are so adapted to living with drought that they never have to drink a drop of free-standing water to survive!” They can get all the moisture they need from the seeds that they store and eat. They reduce their water loss by FORAGING at the coolest times in the night only for about an hour per day.

They collect seed for caching on the outside of special cheek pouches, meaning they don’t need to open their mouths to load their cheeks and risk losing more moisture. As they sleep in their burrow, the moisture they breathe out is absorbed by the seeds they’ve cached. “And THEN they eat the seeds! It’s like they’re recycling their breath water,” she adds.

Even their kidneys save water. These kidneys produce a really concentrated pasty pee that wastes little water compared to how human kidneys make urine.

Not all bats munch on insects all night long. The lesser long-nosed bat is a nectar and pollen feeder that’s essential to keeping our saguaro population going and other columnar cacti down in Mexico!

“Bats are definitely one of my favorites—the nectar feeding bats,” Kropp says. “I love bats because they’re really misunderstood animals that have such an impact on our ecosystem here.”

Wintering in Mexico, it’s the pregnant females of these bats that begin heading northward in spring, following the flowering of different columnar cacti, creating what’s called the nectar corridor along the western part of the Sonoran Desert. By May, the bats arrive here with their babies and the saguaros begin to bloom. “These bats can fly like 60 miles in a night looking for food. These plants are giving them a ton of energy,” Kropp explains. The bats flitter to the top and while hovering, stick their heads into the large, tough flowers. The nectar gives them sugar and the pollen provides protein. With pollen stuck to their fur, the bats go to other saguaros, pollinating the flowers so they can turn into seed-filled fruit!

The babies mature, going on their own nectar and fruit-eating runs. In fall, the bats MIGRATE southward along the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert.

USFWS Photo courtesy of

There are hundreds of Sonoran Desert animals to learn about. And if you can’t hit the trails with your family, check out the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum’s online resources like Discover The Desert Online: www.desertmuseum.org/center/edu/dtdo/ Hawks are impressive, part of a group of amazing birds known as RAPTORS. “The word raptor is Latin for the word to seize something, and they use their sharp talons to seize their prey—they’re actively hunting their food,” Kropp explains.

Harris’s hawks (and Cooper’s hawks, too) have adapted to living in cities.

Hawks have amazing eyesight—some can see prey move from a mile away!

“Harris’s hawks are only one of two bird species that hunt with their family members like a wolf pack. They’re a collective hunting group—sometimes 10 to 12 birds, but usually around five birds. By working together, they can have a better advantage,” Kropp states.

T

Photo by Paul Berquist

Photo by Jim Honcoop

Photo by John Ke

nnedy

“My favorite snake is the gopher snake, sometimes called a bullsnake,” Kropp says. “What I love about them is they are super effective predators, so they’re great to have around if you don’t want to have mice and rats in your yard.” These constrictors are not dangerous to humans.

Gopher snakes have beautiful markings that help them blend into the desert landscape. And if startled, they’ll shake their tail and widen out their jaws to mimic rattlers to ward off predators “that have learned to stay away from rattlesnakes. It’s super convincing!” Kropp says.

These snakes have a varied diet and can shimmy up the channels of a saguaro to hunt nesting birds like Gila woodpeckers or their eggs.

Coyote

ired of being cooped up inside? How about learning about these super adaptable desert dwellers and then gearing up and going out with your family to see what you can see?

Bear Essential News asked Robin Kropp, education specialist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for more than two decades, to talk about some of her favorite creatures! Some are small, some slither and some are larger, but they all are amazing. And best yet, you don’t need to travel far to see several of ’em!

To prepare for your family’s outdoor adventure, check out azstateparks.com/hiking-safety. There’s a

•

Gopher Snake

Sonoran Desert!

Harris’s Hawk

May 2020

Photo by Warren Lynn

Page 6

BEAR 40 YEARS •

www.bearessentialnews.com

May 2020

Awesome Animals of the

Another desert denizen that has learned to adapt to living in the city is the coyote. “I love the fact that you can see them in the middle of town and they’re super comfortable around humans,” Krop explains. But she quickly adds there’s a downside. “By the same token, I’m always a little leery of them—they will hunt people’s pets.” Coyotes will hunt rabbits, rodents, insects, snakes and even larger prey like a deer.

They’ll also eat fruit, grass and carrion.

She says coyotes can be out and about just about any time. “I like seeing them, and I like walking in the night and hearing them howling in my neighborhood.”

short video and great tips for staying safe as you enjoy some Arizona trails. Kids should always hike with an adult. With triple-digit temperatures already here, be sure to have enough water with you and cool early mornings might work better. But to see bats leaving their roost, you’ll need to be there at around sunset.

Some musts: closed-toed shoes or hiking boots, sunscreen (reapply as needed), a hat with a brim, snacks and someone should carry a basic first aid kit including tweezers and a comb in case of a run-in with a cactus. And if you have them, bring a pair of binoculars or a camera.

We Live in a Very Special Desert Ecosystem Kropp points out that compared with the other deserts in North America, the 120,000-square-mile Sonoran Desert has a much more diverse ecosystem.

“We are the only one considered a tropical or a warmer desert…we don’t tend to have as hard of freezes in the wintertime as the other deserts,” she explains.

“So that leads to more plant diversity and more ani-

mal diversity than the other North American deserts.”

Our Sonoran Desert even has an ocean—the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California. “We also have the longest coastline of any desert in the world,” she points out. Weather patterns and moisture from the gulf drive our summer monsoons that deliver about half of our yearly rainfall.

BEAR 40 YEARS

Page 7

There’s Marine Life, Too! The Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) splits the southern portion of the Sonoran Desert in two. This sea is about the same area as the land portion of our desert, meaning half of our desert is marine!

The area is known for its extreme change in sea level between high and low tides. The seawater is salty, but the diversity of sea life here is amazing.

One of the animals found only in the Sea of Cortez is the vaquita (translates to little cow). Under 5 feet long and weighing up to 95 pounds, not only is it the littlest porpoise in the world but is sadly also the most endangered of any cetacean. With their numbers dropping at an alarming rate, vaquitas are on the verge of extinction. Biologists estimate there may just be 10–18 adult vaquitas remaining.

The main reason for the decline of vaquitas may be the use of gill nets by fishermen in the region, who are trying to catch a fish called the totoaba, which is about the same length. Top prices are paid for totoaba swim bladders by certain Chinese people who wrongly believe they are a health food.

Draw Your Ultimate Desert Critter... and describe what makes it so special!

Kangaroo Rat

Lesser Long-nosed Bat

“In terms of being wowed by an animal’s desert survivor ability, I would say that kangaroo rats win hands down! They have all these cool things that they do,” Kropp shares. While most desert critters need to drink water to survive, kangaroo rats do not!

According to Kropp, “they are so adapted to living with drought that they never have to drink a drop of free-standing water to survive!” They can get all the moisture they need from the seeds that they store and eat. They reduce their water loss by FORAGING at the coolest times in the night only for about an hour per day.

They collect seed for caching on the outside of special cheek pouches, meaning they don’t need to open their mouths to load their cheeks and risk losing more moisture. As they sleep in their burrow, the moisture they breathe out is absorbed by the seeds they’ve cached. “And THEN they eat the seeds! It’s like they’re recycling their breath water,” she adds.

Even their kidneys save water. These kidneys produce a really concentrated pasty pee that wastes little water compared to how human kidneys make urine.

Not all bats munch on insects all night long. The lesser long-nosed bat is a nectar and pollen feeder that’s essential to keeping our saguaro population going and other columnar cacti down in Mexico!

“Bats are definitely one of my favorites—the nectar feeding bats,” Kropp says. “I love bats because they’re really misunderstood animals that have such an impact on our ecosystem here.”

Wintering in Mexico, it’s the pregnant females of these bats that begin heading northward in spring, following the flowering of different columnar cacti, creating what’s called the nectar corridor along the western part of the Sonoran Desert. By May, the bats arrive here with their babies and the saguaros begin to bloom. “These bats can fly like 60 miles in a night looking for food. These plants are giving them a ton of energy,” Kropp explains. The bats flitter to the top and while hovering, stick their heads into the large, tough flowers. The nectar gives them sugar and the pollen provides protein. With pollen stuck to their fur, the bats go to other saguaros, pollinating the flowers so they can turn into seed-filled fruit!

The babies mature, going on their own nectar and fruit-eating runs. In fall, the bats MIGRATE southward along the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert.

USFWS Photo courtesy of

There are hundreds of Sonoran Desert animals to learn about. And if you can’t hit the trails with your family, check out the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum’s online resources like Discover The Desert Online: www.desertmuseum.org/center/edu/dtdo/ Hawks are impressive, part of a group of amazing birds known as RAPTORS. “The word raptor is Latin for the word to seize something, and they use their sharp talons to seize their prey—they’re actively hunting their food,” Kropp explains.

Harris’s hawks (and Cooper’s hawks, too) have adapted to living in cities.

Hawks have amazing eyesight—some can see prey move from a mile away!

“Harris’s hawks are only one of two bird species that hunt with their family members like a wolf pack. They’re a collective hunting group—sometimes 10 to 12 birds, but usually around five birds. By working together, they can have a better advantage,” Kropp states.

T

Photo by Paul Berquist

Photo by Jim Honcoop

Photo by John Ke

nnedy

“My favorite snake is the gopher snake, sometimes called a bullsnake,” Kropp says. “What I love about them is they are super effective predators, so they’re great to have around if you don’t want to have mice and rats in your yard.” These constrictors are not dangerous to humans.

Gopher snakes have beautiful markings that help them blend into the desert landscape. And if startled, they’ll shake their tail and widen out their jaws to mimic rattlers to ward off predators “that have learned to stay away from rattlesnakes. It’s super convincing!” Kropp says.

These snakes have a varied diet and can shimmy up the channels of a saguaro to hunt nesting birds like Gila woodpeckers or their eggs.

Coyote

ired of being cooped up inside? How about learning about these super adaptable desert dwellers and then gearing up and going out with your family to see what you can see?

Bear Essential News asked Robin Kropp, education specialist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for more than two decades, to talk about some of her favorite creatures! Some are small, some slither and some are larger, but they all are amazing. And best yet, you don’t need to travel far to see several of ’em!

To prepare for your family’s outdoor adventure, check out azstateparks.com/hiking-safety. There’s a

•

Gopher Snake

Sonoran Desert!

Harris’s Hawk

May 2020

Photo by Warren Lynn

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May 2020

CAMP GUIDE

2020

It's time to think about summer camps! In fact, now is a great time to start researching and planning so that you can have the best summer ever, with a little help from Bear Essential News!

CAMP INVENTION

Multiple Locations Throughout Phoenix and the surrounding area 1-800-968-4332 Grades: K-6 Invent.org/camp Imaginations will soar this summer in the all-new Camp Invention® program, Elevate!

Campers in grades K-6 will spark their creativity and build collaboration skills while controlling their very own flight simulation robot, protecting Earth’s ecosystems, designing the ultimate sports complex and learning the value of their ideas! Local educators will lead fun, hands-on STEM activities inspiring children to ask questions, overcome obstacles and be confident in their innovative ideas. Visit invent.org/camp or call 800-968-4332 to register. Use promo code LOCAL15 to save $15 (expires 5/12).

DAVID RUBIO VOLLEYBALL CAMPS

Tucson • 520-818-8668 Ages: 9–18 Contact: Amanda Rubio davidrubiovolleyballcamp@gmail.com www.davidrubiovolleyballcamp.com Sessions for boys and girls directed by UA Head Coach David Rubio.

MINI CAMP: MAY 26–28. AGES: 7–13. First time player or beginner. Cost: $180.

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED CAMP: July 7–9. Commuters $300 • Residents $425.

POSITION CAMP: July 14–16 Commuters $300 • Residents $425.

TEAM CAMP—BOYS & GIRLS TEAMS: July 10-12. High school girls and boys teams. Cost: $145 per camper.

DRVC is not an official function of the UA. It is

open to all entrants, limited only by space and grade level.

Virtual Summer Camps & Classes at EVCT Theatre Workshop Camps: A 40 minute class daily for one week. Cost: $60 Workshop 1: The Laugh Factory, June 1–5 Workshop 2: Improvisation & Theatre Games, June 1–5 Workshop 3: Drama is Serious Business, June 8–15 Workshop 4: I Got the Part, an audition workshop, June 15–19

EAST VALLEY CHILDREN’S THEATRE Summer Theatre Camps 4501 E. Main St. • Mesa 480-756-3828 www.evct.org info@evct.org

Worshop 5: Virtual Plays, June 22–26 Musical Theatre Camps: Workshop 6: Kids on Broadway, June 8–12 Workshop 7: Kids on Broadway II, June 15–19 Visit www.evct.org/camps/ for more information and to register.

Virtual Summer Camps & Classes Take a 40 minute class daily for one week for only $60 per class.

Workshop 1: The Laugh Factory, June 1–5 Workshop 2: Improvisation & Theatre Games, June 1–5 Workshop 3: Drama is Serious Business, June 8–15 Workshop 4: I Got the Part, an audition workshop, June 15–19 Workshop 5: Virtual Plays, June 22–26 Musical Theatre Camps: Workshop 6: Kids on Broadway, June 8–12 Workshop 7: Kids on Broadway II, June 15–19

Visit www.evct.org/camps/ for more information and to register.

May 2020 •

e-mail: boomer@bearessentialnews.com

MARICOPA COUNTY READS Beginning May 1st maricopacountyreads.org

For more information about this reading program, visit your local library online.

While you’re there, go on a journey of discovery! Visit fabulous destinations such as Hogwarts, Narnia, Oz, and Middle Earth!

LEGO. Kids will engineer interesting projects, engage in critical thinking, work collaboratively and explore STEM concepts.

Let your child’s imagination run wild with over 20,000 LEGO pieces. Camps include themes such as Star Wars, Minecraft, Harry Potter, Super Heroes and Robotics.

Play-Well is offering many camps in the Phoenix and surrounding areas. We also offer birthday parties, after school enrichment and Girl Scout programs.

PHOENIX CENTER FOR THE ARTS SUMMER CAMP 1202 N. 3rd St. • Phoenix 602-254-3100 info@phoenixcenterforthearts.org phoenixcenterforthearts.org/camp/

“Phoenix Center for the Arts presents this year’s Summer Camp in partnership with Rising Youth Theatre. Give your kids a fun-filled summer art adventure and an opportunity to explore their creativity while on break! Kids will delve into both the visual and performing arts. Multiple camp options available. See phoenixcenterforthearts.org/ camp/ for more information.”

PLAY-WELL TEKnologies Various locations in Arizona

602-317-7448 Ages: 5–13 June–August

jennifer@play-well.org www.play-well.org/camps2020.php Dream it, build it, wreck it, repeat in our LEGO-inspired engineering camps!

Campers learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math while playing with

SETH KOREY TENNIS Summer Tennis Camp

Shea Middle School 2728 E. Shea Blvd.

Phoenix skorey777@gmail.com www.sethkoreytennis.com 1- week sessions run May 25th–August 7th.

Ages 4–16. $195/week with 10% sibling discount. Monday - Thursday 8:00 - 1:00 PM and Fridays 8:00 - 4:00 PM. Aftercare available for an additional fee. Camp includes tennis instruction and games, lunch, and swimming and daily themes! Optional field trips on Fridays. skorey777@gmail.com for more information or to register.

More LISTINGS on page 10

BEAR 40 YEARS

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SUMMER 2020

BEAR 40 YEARS

www.bearessentialnews.com

• May 2020

CAMPS! GUIDE

Continued from page 9

WAYBRIGHT TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY 9825 E. Bell Rd. #110 • Scottsdale 480-331-7660 Ages: 6–17 www.waybright.com

TECH CAMPS: Coding, Build Your Own PC Mobile Apps, Java, C++/C#, 3D Animation, Wearable Technology, Unity, 3D Engineering Game Engine, Modding, Fashion Design, Build your own Drone to take home and more.

THEATER WORKS PEORIA CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 10580 N. 83rd DR. • Peoria 623-815-7930 www.theaterworks.org

Theater Works’ Summer Works camps are the perfect summer activity for kids ages 3-18 who love theater or who want a fun, creative summer activity. There are Summer Works classes for all skill levels, indulging the just-for-fun campers and those who want to hone their acting and musical theater skills. With many camp themes, from Broadway to Wizard School and from Annie to Furry Tales, boys and girls alike will have a fun-filled, creative summer.

WILDLIFE WORLD SAFARI CAMP 2020

602-321-5478 • Kristy June 8–12 & July 13–17 • 8:30 a.m.– 1 p.m.

Ages 7–12 • Lunch provided kristymorcom@wildlifeworld.com www.wildlifeworld.com Safari Camp is unlike any other camp, giving your child the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with exotic animals. With Arizona’s largest exotic animal collection, Safari Camp will give your chill the chance to explore their passion and have an unforgettable summer.

Your Jr. Zoo Keeper will experience Safari Camp exclusives that are NOT available to the general public!

Safari Camp includes: Exotic animal training, Sea Lion encounter, Animal feedings & interactions, Ostrich egg painting & other fun crafts, Wildlife Education, Create and provide enrichment for animals, Explore rides daily, Learn about careers in the zoological field, Behind the Scenes tours and much more.

Price $500 per child—Spots are reserved on a first come-first served basis. Each camper receives a goody bag, exclusive pictures & free kid passes. SPACE IS LIMITED.

Boomer’s Summer Camp Word Search!

Report for

Find all this summer fun up, down, across, forward, backward and diagonally.

DANCE SUMMER CAMPS SCOUTS STEM SWIMMING CODING

HIKING BUGS ARCHERY SPORTS COOKING LANGUAGE FUN

MATH SPACE KARATE WRITING SKATING CRAFTS ACTING

B E A R

SEA RIDING CABINS SCIENCE MUSIC EARTH ART

F Y R E H C R A L L S T E M A S

B U G S A C R H E R T R O O T W N I N B E C N A D E R A C U E R G N I T C A E E F R O O O N G I E N M G N I D I R T P C O H A T S U M M E R C A M P S O K T U I P H I K I N G N F U L D I A G N A E W N C I S U M I N I N M N G C I S A S K A T I N G N G U A F E A R T H E T A R A K G O A L S

Volume 41 • Issue 8 & 9

Boomer will send you all the reporter stuff you need to get started:

• Reporter Pad • Official Press Pass • Bear Stylebook Print out your sign-up form at

BearEssentialNews.com and click on

Young Reporters.

Mail your completed form to

2525 E. Broadway Blvd. #102 Tucson, AZ 85716 Editor & Publisher

Sales Director & Publisher

Stephen B Gin

Nancy Holmes

City Editor

YR Coordinator

Copy Editor

Art Director

Mike Loghry

Gary Shepard

Renee Griffith

Julie Madden

Bear Essential News for Kids®

is published monthly by Kids’ View Communications Corp. to educate, enrich and entertain children and their families. Content of this newspaper is designed to promote reading and writing skills as well as creativity.

Classroom educators are welcome to reproduce any portion of this newspaper for their students.

Call or fax Kids’ View Communications for any additional information on stories.

Please Call (480)

752-2327 for any editorial or advertising inquiries.

©2020 Kids’ View Communications Corp.—all rights reserved • 2525 E. Broadway #102 • Tucson, AZ 85716 Fax# (480) 792-2580 • Bear Essential News is distributed free each month.

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May 2020 •

e-mail: boomer@bearessentialnews.com

Happy Mother’s Day!

BEAR 40 YEARS

Congratulations to all the Moms, and we would like to make your day even sweeter, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers!

A Poem for

Kids!

Mom

Color the bouquet of flowers, and send it in with the entry form for a chance to win a Beautiful Bouquet of Flowers from Bear Essential News and the Arizona Republic.

Four lucky winners will be selected by random drawing, and notified in early June.

Think about how special your mom is, and then write a poem about her in the space below.

Good Luck!

Sign your name here

Send your completed Flower Bouquet entry to

Flower Contest/ Bear Essential News 2525 E. Broadway Blvd.

Suite#102 Tucson, AZ 85716

Flower Entry Contest Name: _________________________________ Address: _______________________________ Age: _______ Mother’s name:__________________________ Email address: __________________________ Tel.# __________________________________ Contest Deadline is May 30, and winners will be notified by the contact information provided in the entry form.

Must be 14 years or younger to enter

BearEssentialNews.com

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BEAR 40 YEARS •

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May 2020

Let’s Go...

VALLEY METRO! Kindness On Valley Metro Kindness feels good. It feels good to you and it feels good to others. It spreads and makes our world a happier place to live in. Kindness can be expressed in many ways: greeting people, teaching someone something new, sharing a toy, smiling (especially when you don’t feel like it), thinking before you speak and so much more.

Small, simple acts can make a big difference. Here are kindness tips that can make taking the bus and light rail better for you and for your fellow passengers.

Show kindness when using transit

• Smile and let another passenger board before you

• Make room for someone to sit down by keeping your stuff on your lap • Say thank you to the bus driver when getting off at your bus stop • And remember to be kind to yourself!

• Greet the transit operator with a smile and hello or have a nice day • Give up your seat to a senior citizen or to someone who needs it more

Can you think of any other ways to spread kindness while traveling around town?

Do the Kind Rider Word Search!

Friendly Generous Considerate Smile Goodwill Gentleness Warmth Concern Care Courage Hello Thank you Kindness Spontaneous Strength

I T S S C I H W E O P N P U O Y K N A H T P C H O O L C A R E W E O O E C A M K M E S F U P N L M P I T O R S R S A S L R N H I S U A E T T I O D E E T O G L N W O D N N D R R E I O D I D E L S E E H M P R L L S R O N N L S S Y T F S E A G E O H S N L P M O C T G N R E C N O C L Y H E N G O O D W I L L S U

Valley Metro at Home Valley Metro’s mission is to connect communities and enhance lives and one of our goals is to get you where you need to go as quickly and safely as possible. Online we have some activities to learn about Valley Metro services, the benefits of using public transportation, and how to use Valley Metro safely. Safety is a shared responsibility we all need to practice.​Please check it out and keep coming back for more cool stuff in the series. https://www.valleymetro.org/valley-metro-fun Important notice: Valley Metro requests that public transit use is limited to essential or critical trips due to COVID-19. Please check for updates at valleymetro.org.

valleymetro.org 602.253.5000