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Alamo • Danville • Blackhawk • Diablo • San Ramon
Winter 2016/17
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november 2016
www.valleysentinel.com
SPOTLIGHT
Book Review: Let There Be Laughter by Michael Krasny, PhD By Denise Rousset In his new book, Let There Be Laughter, author Michael Krasny digs deep into Jewish culture, probing every aspect of it to extract the best jokes passed down over generations. It’s a look into the psychology and history of Jewishness, in the face of an evolving society that demands assimilation and yet through tradition and humor is able to preserve its cultural identity.
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How fortunate we are to live in the shadow of beautiful Mount Diablo! Your financial support as a ‘Friend of the Mountain’ allows Save Mount Diablo to preserve, defend and restore the natural lands on and around the mountain for wildlife, you, and future generations to enjoy. Photo by Ted Clement of Save Mount Diablo For more information visit www.SaveMountDiablo.org.
Botta’s Pocket Gopher burrow system can extend over 5100 square feet! By James Hale Botta’s Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae), or the Valley Pocket Gopher as it is known by some in California, is a fairly common and widespread gopher native to western North America. Both the common and specific names of the species honor Paul-Emile Botta, a naturalist and archaeologist who collected mammals in California in the 1820’s and 1830’s. Distributed from California to Texas, Utah, Colorado, and Mexico, Botta’s Pocket Gopher is found in valley grasslands, woodlands, chaparral, scrubland, agricultural land, and other habitats, limited mostly by major rivers, barren deserts, and rocky terrain. They have been found in suitable habitat up to 14,000 feet in elevation, and gopher skeletal remains from Oklahoma have dated back 31,000 years in the past.
Geographical distribution and the highly variable coloration of the pelage have facilitated the description of 195 subspecies. Both albino and melanistic individuals have been reported. I have observed and photographed beautiful, agouti patterned individuals in Morgan Territory preserve. Most adults are dark or grayish brown above and slightly paler below. Botta’s Pocket Gophers reach almost eleven inches in length, including a two and one half inch tail.
Adults may weigh more than half a pound. Botta’s Pocket Gophers are strict herbivores, feeding mostly on highly nutritious shoots and grasses, although a variety of plant matter is consumed. Roots, tubers, and bulbs supplement their winter diet. Gophers will pull the entire young plants by the roots into the safety of their tunnels to consume. Food is transported in their fur-lined cheek pouches. The main predators of Botta’s Pocket Gopher include the
This month’s Special Sections:
Holidays
pages 8 - 9
Senior Living pages 8 - 9
American badger, coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, golden eagles, skunks, bobcats, longtailed weasels, and snakes. Ninety percent of the gopher’s life is spent underground in their burrows, and digging is estimated to aerate the soil to a depth of eight inches. Botta’s Pocket Gopher dig primarily with their teeth, which are larger and with a thicker layer of enamel than in claw-digging gophers. This enables them to tolerate a wider range of soil types. A gopher’s incisors remain outside their mouth, even when their lips are closed, thereby keeping dirt out of their mouths while digging. Ears are small and inconspicuous. See GOPHERS page 4