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valleysentinel.com
September 2012
VOL 17, NO 9
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SPOTLIGHT
Maggie Steffens
Jessica Steffens
Local Olympians bring home the gold By Dan Eaton
Maggie (L) and Jessica Stephens (R) were honored at the Town of Danville’s Oak Hill Park event on Saturday August 25th. The girls won gold medals for Team USA in water polo. This was Maggie Steffens’ first time participating in the Olympics, the second for her sister Jessica. In her first try Maggie became one of the “darlings of the pool” in her first Olympic Games, along with her sister during the two week global sporting event. They beat Spain in the final with Steffens scoring the final four goals for the US team. When Maggie arrived home from London she was honored on August 17 at her hometown
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Swimming for Diablo Country Club, L to R, Kate Christian , Grace Kerr, Aria Capelli,, and Shelby Lew had an impressive run through the Valley Swim Association (VSA) season, winning 15 of 16 races in the 4x25 Medley Relay and 4x25 Freestyle Relay, breaking 3 records. For the story, see page 9. (Photo by Gary Lew.)
Northern River Otter spotted in local creeks By James M. Hale
The northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, which includes the wolverine, fisher, badger, marten, mink and weasels. They are all unique in having anal scent or musk glands. Skunks formerly were members of the weasel family, however their well developed scent glands and other characteristics have placed them in their own family, Mephitidae. River otters reach their greatest abundance in the Sacramento/ San Joaquin delta region where myriad crayfish and freshwater or brackish water nongame, rough fishes provide them with diverse food resources. Turtles, frogs, small mammals, shellfish, birds eggs and even insects or earthworms supplement their diet. Their scat,
often deposited near their slides and haul out areas, can easily be identified by its composition of crayfish exoskeletons, fish scales and bones. Their permanent den is often in a riverbank, with both underwater and above water entrances. The female bears a litter of one to six blind, fully furred young in March or April. They first leave their den after three or four months, and after training with their parents for about half a year, they set off on their own. Adults have a sleek body about three feet long, with a thick tapering rudder-like tail, a long, round head with prominent whiskers, small valved ears and nostrils, and short legs with all four feet fully webbed. These features adapt the river otter
to aquatic life better than any other mustelid except the rare sea otter. Otters can hold their breath for over five minutes. Some river otters have taken up a marine existence around the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound. Others are occasionally seen along the California coast, particularly near the mouths of rivers and bays, where they feed on mussels and other intertidal prey. The river otter is generally thought of as nocturnal, although it is frequently seen hunting for food or playing on its slides in the daytime. Otters are known to live 14 years. In the past, the northern river otter’s thick, beautiful and durable fur was sought after by trappers and the fur trade. The otter was one of the great
incentives for the exploration of California prior to the gold rush. Excessive trapping diminished their populations across North America. Although commercial trapping ceased in 1961 in California, twenty percent of See OTTERS page 4
This month’s Special Sections:
Women in Business page 8
Home & Garden page 10