Invasive species

* When a call comes i to 866-invader, Oregon Department of Agriculter officials answer -- ready to protect the states borders from plants, animals, and diseases that wreak havoc on natural areas and cost Oregon's important industries millions of dollars annually.

* Experts estimate that not only a fraction of 1 percent of foreign species turn out to be invasive. Most of the nations domesticated animals and food crops are non-native species but are not invasive.

* European settlers brought plants and animals that reminded them of home or could be used for food and medicine. Other European critters simply caught a ride on an American bound ship.

* Scientists estimate that a new non-native species are introduced to the Columbia River Gorge every five months.

* Oregon may become the new canary-in-the-coal-mine for the rest of the country, much the way the northwest has been in the past.

Self

At the Ike I have over come many obstacles. Like getting along with people I may not like very much and learning to set aside my differences with others and get along. Also
learning to do things even though i might not want to. To me these are very good things that i have struggled with in the past but being here at the Ike has helped me break through those.

Resolution

This summer I plan to work all summer then come next fall I plan to go to OYCP. It is a
five month boot camp and it is most likely the only way I will graduate high school. After that I plan to finish my senior year at my original high school. Then move on to become a carpenter. I really would like to study business in college and start my own carpentry business.

Inhabitants of the Ike

My inhabitants at the Ike Box has been great. I have made a lot of new friends. Pretty
much every one who has been in the class I have been friends with. And the only way I lost a friend is if they left the Ike, and I just didn't keep in touch. I have got along with everybody at the Ike Box. The experiences here have been amazing. They have been so much fun and i have learned so much. Not only about school subjects but also about people and how different we can be but still connect and get along really well. I don't think I have had a bad experience at the Ike. Everything has be so much fun and a
great learning experience.

Crashing at roberts

I crashed at the Ike because I was picked. I came here because I was told but i stayed because i liked the class. I was at Roberts because i had been in a lot of fights and got kicked out of my old school. I had the choice to be at the Ike Box or Roberts and I chose to try the Ike out. I liked it so I stayed. I think it was better for me to end up here because I was doing a lot better than at Roberts and my old high school.

Benefits of trees

There are many many benefits of trees, such as they are homes to a lot of animals and other plants too. They also provide shelter and food for animals. The roots help the soil stay rich and full of vitamins. They are also homes to many small insects.

The Northern Spotted Owl

The nocturnal Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) inhabits old growth forests full of large dead trees for nesting. It ranges all along the pacific coast from southern British Columbia all the way to northern California. It nests on ledges and in cavities in abandond nests left by other animals. The largest threat to the Northern Spotted Owl has always been logging. The removal of old growth forests have greatly effected the population of the owl by leaving it with no home and taking away its food sources such as flying squirrels, wood rats, birds, reptiles and other small mammals.