PSU Magazine Spring 2001

AROUND THE PARK BLOCKS It came from .. . Cue, B-movie monster music ... Like evil invaders from another world, they are coming. Some of them are plants, some animals. All are bent on making a home here, pushing aside native species and causing widespread economic damage. The invaders are Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS), and unfortunately, are not the stuff of science fiction. Some 135 non-indigenous aquatic specie have been reported in Oregon, with more expected to arrive. Some hitch– hike on ships calling on the state's ports; some are pets or ornamental plants that escape by accident. Still others are brought in and released intentionally. That's believed to be the case with the bullfrog, a non-native amphibian now well-established in Oregon, says Mark Sytsma, associate professor of biology in the environmental sciences and resources program. "A lot of these (nuisance species) get introduced as food. Probably the bullfrog wa intro– duced by someone who liked frog legs." Unfortunately, says Sytsma, the frog is "really predacious," eating everything from native salamanders to baby ducks. Carp is another non-native nuisance species. It was first brought to the United States by East Europeans. Now the fish is in most U.S. waters, where it stirs up river bottoms and competes for food with native species. Not much can currently be done to combat well-established non-natives, but Sytsma, working with colleagues in PSU's Center for Lakes and Reservoirs, has drafted the state's first-ever ANS L E T T E R S Management Plan, aimed at prevent– ing new introductions. The plan, developed with port authorities and state agencies including DEQ, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, is the first step toward possible state and federal funding of the initiative. The plan calls for targeting certain plants and animals known for aggres– sive immigration, like mitten crabs and zebra mussels. The crustaceans have invaded California waters by the mil– lions. Also planned are better intera– gency coordination, education, species cataloging and monitoring, biocontrol, and other eradication measures. As might be expected, that won't come cheap. The plan estimates costs at nearly $3 million, but notes that this figure is less than the cost of the potential economic impact from just one new invasive aquatic plant. D Expert concurs: quality fiction for children on the rise I feel compelled to write my first letter to PSU Magazine to thank you for John Kirkland's article, "Kid Power," on the continued and increasing popularity of quality fiction for children. I too am delighted with the Harry Potter books, for the excitement about reading they have generated among children, but also because they are imaginative fantasies with memorable characters! Length has never been a deterrent to a determined reader, as any parent who has been begged to buy an entire C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, or Susan Cooper series knows. And I, for one, would much rather see parents being dragged out at midnight to wait in line for the newest Harry Potter book than for the hottest, graphically violent computer game or action figure . When I took my first children's literature course at Portland State College (as it was then) in 1964-65, we were already sensing new and daring directions in children's books. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak won the Caldecott Medal that year and psychologists predicted dire consequences for the youngest listeners/viewers. How wrong they were! When I went on to become a children's librarian 10 years later, I worried that soon there would be no qual– ity books for children. Publishers were reducing their output of children's books-there was an energy crisis, costs of production were going up, and a paperless 4 PSU MAGAZINE SPRING 2001 future was being predicted. Fortunately, once again, how wrong those predictions were. When I later served on the Newbery Award Com– mittee, we struggled over the choice-as every commit– tee does. I am proud that we awarded that year's prize to Oregon native Beverly Cleary for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Not only did it deal with a difficult topic (divorce) sen– sitively from a child's point of view and in an intriguing format (letters), but it was written for the middle ele– mentary student. Some critics were concerned that Cleary had strayed too far from her signature "Ramona" books. Again, how wrong they were; the book has stood the test of time. (To set the record straight, Cleary won in 1984, not 1974 as the article states.) Celia Morris '65 Adjunct Professor, Lesley University, Cambridge, Mass; Board Member, The Foundation for Children's Books, Boston PSU Magazine wants to hear from you. Send your comments to PSU Magazine, Portland State Univer· sity, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751; or to e-mail address psumag@pdx.edu . We reserve the right to editor for space and clarity. j