hacrawford2's Journal

When going out for a walk to look at the different plants and animals around I ended up running into this bald eagle down by the science building here in Juneau. They tend to hang out at the estuary where Auke Creek runs into Auke Bay. They like to hang out down there especially during this time of year because of the salmon returning to spawn in the creek. So they have been hanging out in the area to wait and hunt for fish. Even though they like to hang out down there most of the time, they are not always visible, they tend to be hiding inside the trees. This photo is not the best, but I didn’t want to get too close to disturb the eagle.
Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are found throughout North America and are more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the US. They are admired for their beauty and their importance in their ecosystems as scavengers and predators, but humans pose as one of the biggest threat to their population due to our habitat destruction, poaching, and pesticide use (“Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Species Profile”). Due to our impacts on their population, they are federally protected under the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1962 (“WILDLIFE SPECIES: Haliaeetus leucocephalus”).
Eagles are also “highly revered and considered sacred” for many indigenous traditions, culture, and religion. They are said to be “honored with great care and shown the deepest respect. They represent honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power and freedom” (“Golden Eagle as a Symbol”). It can also be known as the “master of the skies”, and it is believed to be the creature with the closest relationship to the creator. Due to the eagles “Soaring to great heights, he can travel between the physical and the spiritual world. He is said to be a messenger to the creator” (“The Eagle Indigenous Symbol”).

Sources:

• “Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Species Profile.” Bald Eagle, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=baldeagle.main. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024.
• “The Eagle Indigenous Symbol: Spirits of the West Coast.” Spirits of the West Coast Art Gallery Inc, spiritsofthewestcoast.com/collections/the-eagle-symbol?srsltid=AfmBOoqaFPbSHz2nl__kozHti-i0FWCdViB9DsHd7paY8yLwDrEaGapw. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024.
• “Golden Eagle as a Symbol.” American Eagle Foundation, eagles.org/what-we-do/educate/learn-about-eagles/golden-eagle-as-a-national-symbol/#:~:text=Both%20Bald%20and%20Golden%20Eagles,%2C%20wisdom%2C%20power%20and%20freedom. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024.
• “WILDLIFE SPECIES:  Haliaeetus Leucocephalus.” Haliaeetus Leucocephalus, USDA, www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/bird/hale/all.html#:~:text=ABBREVIATION%20%3A%20HALE%20COMMON%20NAMES%20%3A%20bald,leucocephalus%20and%20Haliaeetus%20leucocephalus%20ssp. Accessed 5 Sept. 2024.

This time I went out the road here in Juneau for a drive and I found some berries, I wasn't sure what they were at first, but it looks like they might be Red Huckleberries (if I am wrong please let me know!). When I’ve visited my family in Montana I've tried the huckleberries down there where they looked more like blueberries, I didn't know they could be red! They are a part of the genus Vaccinium, more specifically called Vaccinium parvifolium, and can be found along the Pacific coast, from southeast Alaska to central California. It is a staple food for many birds and mammals, including bears, raccoons, deers, mountain goats, elk, and more. Many eat the bears, but also the twigs and foliage are important for browsing for deer, mountain goats, and elk (“Red Huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium”).
Red huckleberries can be picked and made into jam to be eaten, or eaten right off the shrub. However, they have also been eaten by many coastal First Nations peoples. They would eat it fresh, mashed, dried, and even bake them into cakes for winter use. It was also said sometimes a wooden comb are used to rake the berries off the branches. Some communities, like the Kwakwaka’wakw, boil the berries with salmon spawn in cedar boxes, then seal the top of the boxes with a type of fish and skunk cabbage, preserving the berries for many months. The leaves and bark could be used by infusing it in water and then drinking it to soothe a sore throat (“Red Huckleberry”). The leaves and stems could also be chopped up and used to treat gout (“Planet Alaska: Red huckleberries: Food for songbirds”). These berries, like others, can be used by both animals and humans for food, and even medicine to help when a person gets sick.

Faith Prescott , Vivian. “Planet Alaska: Red Huckleberries: Food for Songbirds.” Juneau Empire, 31 Oct. 2019, www.juneauempire.com/news/planet-alaska-red-huckleberries-food-for-songbirds/#:~:text=Indigenous%20peoples%20in%20the%20Pacific,and%20used%20to%20treat%20gout.
“Red Huckleberry, Vaccinium Parvifolium.” Native Plants PNW, 8 Feb. 2016, nativeplantspnw.com/red-huckleberry-vaccinium-parvifolium/.
“Red Huckleberry.” Sierra Club BC, 9 Feb. 2024, sierraclub.bc.ca/red-huckleberry/#:~:text=TRADITIONAL%20USES%20BY%20INDIGENOUS%20PEOPLES&text=Gargle%20infusion%20of%20leaves%20and,made%20into%20a%20dietary%20supplement.