EUREKA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Otters make themselves at home all over the Northern Coast of California, one of the best places to view the loveable water weasels. While they may be found in rivers, marshes, lagoons and bays, here are 109 places that HumboldtKids.com guarantees wildlife watchers will see the most unusual otters ever.
As a fundraiser for wildlife biology students, Humboldt State University has scattered 108 ceramic otters, each transformed into a singular work of art -- whether covered with mosaic tiles, clothed in Star Wars character garb or transformed into a robot -- through five North Coast counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Trinity and Del Norte.
Kids love to bag as many as they can. Each comes with a special code, which they write down in otter passport books, available in participating storefronts that host the musteline mammals, such as bookstores, cafes, hotels, visitor centers and state parks.
Those who collect 20 codes can enter into a sweepstakes for cool prizes. Parents swept into the critter craze can bid on the sculptures that catch their eye. The deadline for the bids is September 15, 2021, for the drawing entrees September 21, 2021.
Naturally, live otters are more thrilling to see. The HSU otter project encourages people to participate in ongoing 'citizen science' by reporting when and where they see wild river otters throughout the North Coast. Details here: https://otterart.humboldt.edu
Seeing an otter in the wild is a sign of a thriving ecosystem. The clean waters of the North Coast, with ample supplies of fish and other foods, are among the best places to see them.
"This is why we chose river otters as our visual 'spokesperson,' because they are resilient, and even playful in the face of adversity, and they are a sign of clean water and healthy habitat," said Jeff Black, a wildlife researcher with Humboldt State who is coordinating the otter art and citizen research projects.
Some of the most reliable places to see them are the Arcata Marsh, Stone Lagoon, Trinity River and the Humboldt Coast, where an occasional sea otter, much larger than their river otter cousins, ventures.
And the 109th location where HumboldtKids.com all but guarantees an otter sighting -- the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, which houses in an amazing aquatic wonderland three loveable whiskered brothers, who love to interact with humans on the other side of the glass.
Additional Information
Humboldt Kids.com, a project of the Eureka Lodging Alliance (ELA), is coordinated by Eureka homeschooling parents and educators passionate about sharing the natural wonders of Eureka and Humboldt County with the world, especially with home school and Zoom school families. To find out more go to: https://HumboldtKids.com.
Media Contact
Richard Stenger, Stenger Media, 7074978134, [email protected]
SOURCE HumboldtKids.com
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