Friday, December 30, 2011

Native American Wolverine Legends

In Native American folklore, wolverines most often play the roles of bullies or anti-social trickster characters. Among the Innu people of Labrador and Quebec, Wolverine is a more benign trickster-transformer who shapes the earth and helps the people as well as entertaining them with his socially inappropriate misadventures. And in some tribes of Northern California, wolverines are considered lucky animals-- they feature in legends as successful gamblers, and seeing a wolverine is a sign of good fortune to come.  The site the following legend came from has many other good stories for bed time reading and provides an understanding of the role the Wolverine has played in folklore history.  http://www.native-languages.org/loks.htm


WOLVERINE LEGENDS

How Wolverine Was Frozen to Death

This version of the legend comes from W H Mechling's 1914 collection Malecite Tales. Although the author describes these stories as belonging to the Malecite tribe, the man who narrated this particular story was Mi'kmaq. Since these two tribes are kinfolk and neighbors who share very similar cultures, it is likely that the story was told in both tribes.

One day Wolverine visited his older brother Bear, who was very glad to see him, and at once put the pot on the fire to cook him something. After the food was cooked and they had eaten it, Bear said to his younger brother Wolverine, "How would you make a fire if you did not have any flint and steel?" Wolverine acknowledged that he would be helpless without flint and steel. "Now I will teach you," said Bear, "how to make a fire, when you do not have any flint and steel." Having said this, Bear went out and got some maple bark, which he put in a little pile, and then jumped over it. As soon as he jumped over it, it burst into a flame. Then he said to his younger brother, "Now I give you power to make a fire."

Wolverine was very happy and was in a hurry to get away and try his power. As soon as he got out of the house, he started to run. He continued running until he got to a place where he could no longer see Bear. Then he collected some maple bark and made a little pile of it and jumped over it. When it broke into a blaze, he was very much pleased. He took out his flint and steel and threw them away, saying "These are no longer of any use."

Wolverine had no use for the fire he made; he only made it to try his power. So he went on, but he had hardly gotten out of sight of his first fire, when he decided to make a new fire. After that he made fires more frequently until at last he made them every ten steps; but finally his power gave out, for he had used it all up. When he next collected a pile of maple bark and jumped over it, it did not burst into flame. By that time it had grown dark and was very cold, and he was indeed in need of a fire. Then truly he jumped, but no success crowned his efforts. He had thrown away his flint and steel and was very much frightened, for it was very cold. He kept on jumping, but it grew so cold that he froze to death while he was jumping. He lay there until spring, when he thawed out. He was lying there dead, when his younger brother, Raccoon, came along and saw him.

Raccoon went over and tried to wake him up, saying, "Older brother, get up, you are over-sleeping, it is very late." Then the Wolverine rubbed his eyes, got up and said, "Younger brother, I overslept. I would have lain there forever, if you had not come by and awakened me." He would have rotted there, but as it was, he got his strength back and was as strong as ever.

The Gllutton

 Why Is the Wolverine Also Called the Glutton?
Glutton is a word for a person who eats too much. Another common name for the wolverine is the glutton, because this animal can eat a lot of food at one time. Wolverines often live in far northern areas. In winter, food can be hard to find. So when food is available, a wolverine gobbles down as much as it can. Wolverines can kill large animals, such as reindeer, moose, or wild sheep. But they mostly eat carrion, small animals, birds and eggs, and berries.

Wolverines have strong jaws and sharp teeth. They can easily crush bones and chew frozen meat. People have reported that wolverines can bite through tin cans. They are strong enough to drag a load of meat three times their own weight.

Wolverines can steal prey from much larger animals, such as mountain lions, wolves, and bears. They scare off these animals by raising their tails, fluffing up their fur, and growling.

The wolverine and the European glutton form the genus Gulo of the weasel family, Mustelidae. The wolverine is G. luscus. The European glutton is G. gulo

Child's writing contest









A very determined wolverine out looking for lunch.
Wolverine
The young wolverine opened it’s eyes after sleeping well for six hours to discover that the air was ten degrees below zero. After stretching and arching his back, he scampered out of his den into the crisp morning air to search for food. He was always hungry.
He went to his usual food stash, a tree stump about 5 feet away from the opening of his den. In his hunger the wolverine failed to notice the difference in his food stash. The two rabbits he had killed the day before were moved from inside the tree stump to the edge of the tree stump.
drawing_animal.jpg (6798 bytes)As the wolverine ran up to his rabbits, a loud snap filled the air. The wolverine’s foot was caught in a trap. He felt excruciating pain and began to thrashing around, tugging to free his foot. Finally, he pulled himself free from the trap leaving part of his foot behind. At first he wondered what had happened. His foot was bleeding and hurting more than it had ever hurt before.
He howled and whimpered as he went back into his den to nurse his wound. It took three days before the wolverine could walk out of his den and find some vegetation to eat. After a couple of months, the wolverines partially amputated foot healed and he was able to hunt again. But, for the rest of his life the wolverine carried around the remembrance of that day that he was not alert.
Story written by Aaron
Drawing by Samuel

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Jeremy Roberts - Wildlife Biologist and film maker


http://cascadescarnivoreproject.blogspot.com/

http://conservationmedia.com/

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1011293775

http://vimeo.com/naturefilmmaker

CASCADES CARNIVORE PROJECT

The Cascades Carnivore Project is a collaborative research initiative whose mission is to sustain biodiversity in the Cascade Mountain Range by monitoring species of conservation concern and identifying important areas of habitat use. We have initiated a long-term study of the Cascade red fox (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis) and the wolverine (Gulo gulo) and continue our long-term monitoring program of forest carnivores.

Conservation Media

Founder/Producer
Conservation Media is your first choice for complete New Media conservation messaging. We provide everything you need, including website development, social media outreach, and production of professional-grade HD web videos. Check out our site atwww.conservationmedia.com


Grad School



Montana State University

Class of 2009 · MFA · Science & Natural History Filmmaking

College

University of Montana

Class of 2003 · Wildlife Biology (Honors)

Jeremy R. Roberts

Owner/Producer at Conservation Media

Missoula, Montana Area

Media ProductionCurrent
Professor at University of Montana School of Journalism
Board Member at Filmmakers For Conservation
Owner / Producer at Conservation Media (Sole Proprietorship)

see all Past
Research Fellow at Landscope America
Science & Conservation Program Manager at Sun Ranch Institute
Contract Biologist, etc at Non-Profits, Universities, & Gov't Agencies Education
Montana State University-Bozeman
The University of Montana Recommendations

 Websites
Website
Blog
Photography

Jeremy R. Roberts's Summary
I am an award-winning conservation filmmaker dedicated to advancing conservation through writing, photography, and filmmaking. I hold a degree in Wildlife Biology and an Master's in Science & Natural History Filmmaking. In 2008, I founded Conservation Media, a complete New Media conservation messaging organization. We provide everything including website development, social media outreach, and production of professional-grade HD web videos.

Please visit www.ConservationMedia.com or go to or Vimeo site: http://www.vimeo.com/naturefilmmaker

Specialties
Northern Rockies biology and natural history, film production, writing, photography, cinematography.

Jeremy R. Roberts's Education

Montana State University-Bozeman
MFA, Science & Natural History Filmmaking

2005 – 2009

The University of Montana
BS, Wildlife Biology (Honors)

Graduated from Wildlife Honors Program

Activities and Societies: Morris K. Udall Scholar Barry M. Goldwater Scholar
Jeremy R. Roberts's Experience

Professor
University of Montana School of Journalism
Higher Education industry

December 2010 – Present (1 year 1 month) Missoula, MT

Board Member
Filmmakers For Conservation

Nonprofit; Myself Only; Nonprofit Organization Management industry
February 2010 – Present (1 year 11 months)

Owner / Producer
Conservation Media (Sole Proprietorship)

Sole Proprietorship; 1-10 employees; Media Production industry

December 2008 – Present (3 years 1 month)
Conservation Media produces high-quality, award-winning, conservation-based media and web content using green energy.

Owner/Producer
Paintbrush Films

2006 – Present (5 years)
Paintbrush films is a small production company that creatively blends science, moving images, and the timeless art of storytelling to engage audiences in the natural world.

We specialize in high-quality science & natural history films, stock HD footage, and wildlife photography. We are also available for production support in the Northern Rockies and beyond.

Northern Rockies Regional Editor
North American Butterfly Association
January 2006 – Present (6 years)
NABA is the preeminent non-profit butterfly conservation organization of North America

Research Fellow
Landscope America

June 2010 – October 2010 (5 months)
Literature Review and Website Content Building

Science & Conservation Program Manager
Sun Ranch Institute

Nonprofit; 1-10 employees; Environmental Services industry

January 2007 – January 2010 (3 years 1 month)
At the Institute I helped design conservation land planning packages for owners of large ranches in ecologically sensitive areas. I inventoried species of concern, mapped noxious weeds, planned ecological restoration, etc.

Contract Biologist, etc
Non-Profits, Universities, & Gov't Agencies

January 1998 – January 2009 (11 years 1 month)
For over a decade, I have assisted in countless conservation projects, from radio-collaring wolverines and banding hummingbirds to amplifying lynx DNA and keying out plants via microscope.

Jeremy R. Roberts's Additional Information

Websites:
Website
Blog
Photography

Photography Interests:

ecology, conservation, media, filmmaking, photography, conservation messaging. Groups and Associations:

Filmmakers for Conservation, American Birding Association, North American Butterfly Association, National Audubon

Canon EOS Digital Photography


Conservation Commons


Crew



Documentarians



Green Professionals



Nature Conservancy



Partners in Flight



Science & Natural History Producers

Society for Conservation Biology



The Wildlife Society



Wildlife Conservation Society



Wildlife Professionals Honors and Awards:
2011 - Official Selection - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2010 - CINE Golden Eagle Award - "Disturbance" 2010 - College EMMY - National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - "Disturbance" 2010 - Silver Telly - Nature/Wildlife - "Wetland Legacy" 2010 - Silver Telly - Cinematography - "Wetland Legacy" 2010 - Bronze Telly - Government Relations - "Wetland Legacy" 2010 - Silver Telly - Charitable/Non-Profit - "The Right Place" 2010 - Silver Telly - Cinematography - "The Right Place" 2010 - Bronze Telly - Nature/Wildlife - "The Right Place" 2010 - Finalist - International Wildlife Film Festival - "The Right Place" 2009 - Bronze Telly - Nature/Wildlife - "Disturbance" 2009 - Official Selection - American Conservation Film Festival - "Disturbance" 2009 - Official Selection - MontanaCINE Film Festival - "Disturbance" 2009 - Classic Telly Award 2009 - Merit Award for Artistic Approach - International Wildlife Film Festival - "Disturbance" 2009 - Official Selection - IWFF - "After the Burn"

Jeremy R. Roberts's Certifications

Zeiss Certified Guide (Naturalist/Birding)
Zeiss Optics

Contact Jeremy R. for:
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