Craft for the Coast Chelsea Pulliam, NEC Outreach Coordinator We are putting out the call to all trash crafters and upcycling artists! We want you to create a piece of trash art and enter to win prizes! Submission deadline is July 16. We will have an outdoor art show on Saturday, July 24 at the Arcata Farmer's Market. The community can cast their vote online for the People’s Choice Award and help raise funds for the NEC. (1 vote = $1). Submit art and vote online at www.yournec.org/craft4coast. Craft for the Coast Trash Art Contest strives to bring awareness to marine debris issues and give litter a new life! By doing beach cleans and making upcycled art we can prevent trash from going into our oceans and landfills. To take it a step further, we embrace the idea that art is activism and has the power to influence policy and change the way we deal with marine debris as a community. Craft for the Coast encourages us to recognize the possibility in what we may have once considered “waste.” Trash can become something beautiful, useful, innovative, and even powerful. We hope to transform our community mindset to see value where we couldn’t see it before, and know our actions create ripples. Viewing or creating a moving piece of artwork made from trash has the potential to create change within your home, community, or even the world!
Prize Categories
• People’s Choice Award: $100 Restaurant 511 gift card and free admission to NEC Summer Celebration • Best Upcycled Creation: NEC zero waste gift basket • Best Litter Creation: NEC Cleanup Kit: bucket, picker, gloves, stickers, poster • Youth Award: Environmental Education Gift Basket
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Ivy Munnerlyn, Coastal Programs Coordinator
North American Porcupine Did you know that a mother-baby pair of Porcupines is called a Prickle? On their own, a female is called a sow, and a baby is called a porcupette. North American Porcupines are fairly uncommon in Humboldt County, but they are still very much a part of the landscape. In the Wiyot language, they are known as “Humaqhulilh”. These prickly creatures are the second largest rodent in North America, after the beaver. There is a common misconception that porcupines can “shoot” their quills. While this is false, it’s still a good idea to keep your distance if you see one! Their 35,000 quills can detach easily. Image: Flickr users Chiot’s Run, Smithonian’s National Z oo, and Marie Hale. Sources : wildlifesciencecenter.org
Yellow Spotted Millipede It’s been a while since we’ve done a creepy-crawly Creature Feature. Birds and mammals, move aside! This month we’re taking a look at the Yellow Spotted Millipede (Harpaphe haydeniana). This species of millipede is easily recognized by the row of yellow dots along each side of it’s body. Predators know these yellow spots too. They’re a warning sign that tells
www.yournec.org
potential enemies to watch out–this millipede is toxic! This species is also known as the Almond-scented Millipede, which can give you a clue as to what kind of toxin it produces. Cyanide! It sounds scary, but these gentle crawlers won’t harm a human. If you pick one up, it will curl into a ball and release an almond-scented cyanide gas. It’s not enough to kill a human, but make sure to wash your hands afterwards. It’s more than enough to kill most birds though, so this millipede has few predators. You can commonly find these critters in redwood forest leaf litter. But if you want an extra-special millipede experience, head out at night with a black light flashlight. Millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders all glow under black light, making them easy to spot. Photo: Phil Hagelberg on Flickr. Sources: Blog. nature.org wikipedia – yellow spotted millipede
JUNE 2021
ECONEWS
