Bones and Fur......again

Last night we did some last minute geocaching for some exercise....

This geocache was hidden under some logs.

We also did a few other caches and there is still snow that is super deep!

Remember this picture....

I didn't know why there where houses over the graves instead of tombstones.  A fellow blog reader (thank you very much by the way) emailed this link for me to understand the reasoning of the houses. 
Here is the explanation of the houses:  In the 18th century the missionaries suggested to the native americans to bury their dead rather than cremate them.  They agreed to do so and they now have the blended tradition of placing a blanket over the recently deceased.  Then they go back and add a miniture house painted with their tribes colors over the grave.  This explains the cemetary full of different colored houses.  So that was very interesting to learn.  Now...onto Wednesday's events

Bones and Fur was first thing on the schedule for Wednesday morning......so.....
We jumped in the car right away at 9:00 am for our first group at 10.

We divide the kids into 4 groups and give them each a skull.  This group had a black bear skeleton that they were trying to figure out.  The other three skeletons are porcupine, coyote, and Moose.  After we give them skulls we also give them fake poop, paw prints, and fur from the animal. 

We hurried back to the center for a tour at 3:30.  We had 45 kids from anchorage tour the center.  We divided them up into 2 groups for me and amelia to each take a group. 

A few of the employees where cleaning out their fridges so the porcupine and deer were fed very tropical meals tonight.  Julie, the deer, had some mango and bakchoy.  Bakchoy is basically chinese cabbage that is delicious.  Snickers had some bakchoy, mango, grain, and asperagus.

I fed the cubs...

To end the night I tagged along with Eve and Kat (fellow AWCC employees) to take pictures of flat stanley.  Flat Stanley is something Eve's niece does for school.  They take Stanley and get pictures of him traveling.  Eve is getting pictures of stanley then sending them to Wisonsin for her niece.

 
I also got a few pics of other animals..
Does anyone know what bird this is.....

 It is actually a juvenille bald eagle.  They do not get their white heads until they are about 5 years old.  People are always arguing with us that it is some kind of Hawk.

This is Slide the musk Ox...

This is Hershey the Caribou/Reindeer...  notice He is growing his new antlers.  Caribou's antlers grow up to 5 inches a day when they are just starting to grow back.  Once they get to the length they were the previous year they slow down to about an inch a day. 

  By the way santa's reindeer where actaully females since males shed their antlers before late december, while female caribou shed theirs at the end of december and early January.  The females may also keep their antlers later if they are pregnant to use for protection.  Just thought I would leave you with that fun fact...

Goodnight Lower 48,

ErIn