Welcome to our series showcasing Unique Holidays: April 26th,, 2021. Take a look at today’s Holidays and let me know which Holiday you most would like to celebrate and why.
May 26
Sally Ride Day honors the first American woman Astronaut to go into Space. Dr. Ride accomplished this feat as a mission specialist aboard STS-7, during the second flight of the Space Shuttle “Challenger”. STS-7 which was launched from Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, on June 18, 1983.
Celebrate Sally Ride Day by learning more about the U.S. Space program and NASA. We encourage everyone to push for a more active and dedicated U.S. Space program and policy.
If your children have thought about becoming an Astronaut, we encourage them to follow your dream of going into space. The exploration and taming of the frontier made America what it is today. As a famous trekkie one said. “Space is the final frontier”.
This week in Homeschooling Charlie and I will be studying Space, the Planets along with Astronauts and Sally Ride. If you have resources we should check into leave me a comment.
World Otter Day – Last Wednesday in May
World Otter Day was created to celebrate the Otter to raise awareness of the importance of Otters to the environment,.To make people aware of their declining populations and the reasons why.
Did you know there are thirteen species of Otters. All thirteen species are on the Red List of Endangered species. Its important to know why their numbers are declining, and do what we can do to help stabilize and increase their populations.
With the exception of North America, where their population is fairly stable, Otters are decreasing in numbers all around the world.. Their numbers have become vulnerable due to a number of reasons, including:
- Loss of habitat
- Pollution of habitat
- Trapping by humans for their pelts
- Otters can be a pest to homeowners along Waterways, damaging to businesses like hatcheries and commercial Fish ponds. Otters then, can fall victim to illegal hunting and trapping.
- Otters are sometimes killed by automobiles on roadways.
Otters are Aquatic Mammals with webbed feet, making them excellent Swimmers. If you’ve ever seen Otters live in the wild, at a Zoo, or on an Animal Nature Show, I’m sure you’ll agree that Otters are cute and lovable creatures.
Otters are members of the Weasel family, and dwell on every continent, except Antarctica and Australia. Otters can be found in a wide variety of Waters, including Lakes, Ponds, Rivers, Streams, Estuaries, as well as Marshlands and Wetlands.
Otters spend most of their time in the water and they can live up to 16 years. Otters are Carnivores. Their diet consists of Fish, Crawfish, Mollusks, Frogs, small Reptiles, and Mammals.
Did you know a hungry Otter will also eat Birds, small Beavers and even Muskrats. Otters are smart animals. They’reknown to use small rocks as “tools”, to break open hard shells of clams and other mollusks.
Otters make their home by digging holes along river banks. They have also been known to make their den under porches and decks, making themselves a nuisance to homeowners.
An otter’s den is called a “Holt” or a “Couch”.
World Otter Day is celebrated in over twenty countries around the world. On this day, Nature Preservation Groups provide Educational programs and research programs to protect Otters.
Armed with this information, you can do your part to protect Otters, and help to preserve their Natural Habitat. You can also support Organizations that strive to do research on Otters and influence governmental policies.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
