Skunk Cabbage
Skunk cabbage can do a lot more than just announce the coming of
spring. Bears eat it for medicinal purposes, and Alaska Natives used to
wrap meals like fish in the large outer leaves before putting them in a
fire pit for cooking.

Does it ever seem like it rains for weeks on end?
Sometimes it does! Where does all this water go? The muskeg around here acts as a giant sponge. (And it feels like it!) It can hold up to ten times its own weight in water. That's a lot! In Los Angeles, they have problems with flooding if it rains more than two or three days in a row! Thank goodness for our absorbent ground!

Rain doesn't just show up in Southeast Alaska. In Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary there are two definitions for "rain" followed by
24 things that start with the word "rain". How many things can you
think of that start with the word "rain"?
answers

Did you know most kinds of salmon have two names?
See if you can match them up.

Red		Humple
Pink		Coho
Silver		Dog
Chinook		King
Chum		Sockeye

In 1996 Steelhead Trout were reclassified as a salmon.
answers

Look for Rufous Hummingbirds!
Rufous Hummingbirds leave their winter home in Mexico in late February to early March and begin arriving in Southeast Alaska by mid April. The rufous is the only common nesting hummingbird in the Alaska. The male rufous has a brilliant orange-red throat called a gorget. Hummingbirds must feed continuously all day to remain alive. Many flowers depend on hummingbirds for pollination.

How many ways can things and people get to or
from Petersburg?

(HINT: Not only can you can count them on your fingers, but you can count them on one hand!)

Petersburg is a fishing town. But all these fishermen depend on
other jobs such as fish processors, businesses, the Forest Service,
Fish and Game, and the Coast Guard. What do your friends
and parents do? What do you want to do?

We'll have some sunny days this spring and summer, but we'll also have our share of pouring down rain. Petersburg kids know they can't let the weather keep them down! One way to use the rain to your advantage is to sprinkle powdered tempura paint on a large sheet of paper. Set it outside somewhere where you can watch the rain swirl the colors around. See what kind of picture you end up with!

If you thought this was fun, wait 'til you see the Clausen Memorial Museum! The museum
is filled with exhibits on the history of the Petersburg area. Tlingits, Norwegians, fishermen, and many other kinds of people are well-represented here. The museum is free to children under 12 ($2 for your parents) and the staff will be happy to talk with you about objects found in the museum, or other Petersburg questions. See you soon!