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Youngsters lead the splashin’, explorin’, investigatin’ and Critter countin’

By Marissa Harshman, Columbian Health Reporter
Published: April 11, 2010, 12:00am
3 Photos
Logan Ingemansion of Battle Ground shows off a bullfrog that was found at the Center for Agriculture Science and Environmental Education pond in Brush Prairie.
Logan Ingemansion of Battle Ground shows off a bullfrog that was found at the Center for Agriculture Science and Environmental Education pond in Brush Prairie. Logan and a couple dozen other people participated in the 10th annual Critter Count on Saturday morning. Photo Gallery

The sun was shining, frogs were singing and tadpoles were swimming as an army of critter counters dispersed across Clark County Saturday morning.

The explorers were in search of salamanders, tadpoles, frogs, snakes, and other amphibians and reptiles — or signs of them, such as egg masses — as part of the 10th annual Critter Count. About 150 children and adults showed up at the Water Resources Education Center for the event and split into four counting groups.

One group ventured to the Center for Agriculture, Science and Environmental Education in Brush Prairie, where Battle Ground School District high school students study two ponds as part of the environmental education program. About a dozen of the students were on hand Saturday to assist in the count.

The students set net traps Friday, and by late Saturday morning they were full of critters for the young explorers to count. When high-schooler Taylor Belstad, 15, pulled the first trap out of the pond, the youngsters squealed “whoa” and “cool” before sticking out fingers to touch the netted bullfrog tadpoles and a Northwestern salamander.

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“Will he bite my hand?” one counter asked his mother before reaching for the salamander.

“Slimy!” another child yelled after scooping a tadpole into his hand.

The critter counters at CASEE hit the amphibian jackpot Saturday, finding Northwestern salamanders at all stages of life, bullfrog tadpoles, a rough-skinned newt and bullfrogs. They also found a few Western painted turtles.

Portland resident Cathy Merrill made the trip to Vancouver with a handful of boot-wearing, net-wielding Cub Scouts.

“I knew it would be a fun thing for the kids to do,” she said.

“I knew he’d love the water,” she added, as she watched her 7-year-old, Cole, inch farther and farther into the pond, filling his boots and soaking his khaki pants.

Cole wasn’t the only one dumping water out of his boots. Nathan Bonnell forgot his rubber boots for the trip. But that didn’t stop him from wading into nearly waist-deep water with a net to look for critters.

“It’s more fun in the water,” the 14-year-old said.

Nathan oftentimes heads out to a creek behind his Vancouver home in search of frogs and salamanders. But for Christian Ambroso, 9, the outing was the first encounter with real amphibians and reptiles.

“It’s fun, and it’s cool to see different animals in real life,” the Vancouver boy said. “You can feel them.”

Christian had hoped to see a bullfrog on the trip, but he wasn’t having much luck.

“I was looking for some, and I turned to the right and saw a dead frog,” he said.

But before leaving the site and heading for home, Christian caught a glimpse of a bullfrog the size of a dinner plate that other counters managed to catch.

The critter counters also encountered a poisonous rough-skinned newt with a bright orange belly.

“Don’t eat it. Don’t lick it,” warned Battle Ground High School student Chad Sizemore, 16, as the young counters huddled around the net trap.

Chad’s classmate Tyler Koistinen, 15, told the group that the newt has enough poison in its body to kill a dozen people. Generally, the newts excrete only enough poison to kill one person, he said, and only when they feel threatened by predators.

In addition to teaching the students to identify different critters in Clark County, the event raised awareness about the importance of amphibians in the ecosystem, said Cory Samia, an educator at the Water Resources Education Center. Samia said she hoped seeing and touching the animal life would make people more aware of the impact herbicides and pesticides can have on amphibians.

“It’s a great introduction into ethical environmental behavior,” she said.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.

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Columbian Health Reporter