text:
- American mink
This article is about animal. For the trademark of the same name, see American Legend Cooperative.
American mink
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene–Recent
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Subfamily: Mustelinae Genus: Neovison Species: N. vison Binomial name Neovison vison[2]
(Schreber, 1777)
American mink range
The American mink (Neovison vison) is a semi-aquatic species of Mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe and South America. Because of this, it is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN.[1] Since the extinction of the sea mink, the American mink is the only extant member of the genus Neovison. The American mink is a carnivore which feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs and birds. In its introduced range in Europe, the American mink has been linked to declines in European mink and water vole. It is the most frequently farmed animal for its fur, outdoing in economic importance the silver fox, sable, marten and skunk.[3]
- 1 Indigenous names
- 2 Evolution
- 3 Physical description
- 4 Behaviour
- 5 Intelligence
- 6 Range
- 7 Diseases and parasites
- 8 Decline of wild mink
- 9 Relationships with humans
- 10 See also
- 11 References
- 12 External links
Indigenous names
- Cree: Sang-gwiss, Shakzuashew or Atjackasheiv[4]
- Ojibwe: Shang-gwes'-se[4]
- Chipewyan: Tel-chu'-say[4]
- Ogallala Sioux: Lo-chin'-cha[4]
- Yankton Sioux: Doke-sesch[4]
As a species, the American mink represents a more specialised form than the European mink in the direction of carnivory, as indicated by the more developed structure of the skull.[5] Fossil records of the American mink go back as far as the Irvingtonian, though the species is uncommon among Pleistocene animals. The fossil range of the American mink corresponds with the species' current natural range. The American minks of the Pleistocene did not differ much in size or morphology from modern populations, though a slight trend toward increased size is apparent from the Irvingtonian through to the Illinoian and Wisconsinan periods.[6]
Although superficially similar to the European mink, studies indicate that the American mink's closest relative is the kolonok of Asia. The American mink has been recorded to hybridize with European minks and polecats in captivity, though the hybrid embryos of the American and European minks are usually reabsorbed.[7]
As of 2005[update],[8] 15 subspecies are recognised.
Subspecies Trinomial authority Description Range Synonyms Eastern or Little black mink
Neovison vison vison
Schreber, 1777 The smallest subspecies[9] Eastern Canada, west to Hudson Bay; south in interior to Catskill Mountains, New York, and to northern Pennsylvania altaica (Ternovskii, 1958)
borealis (Brass, 1911)
nigrescens (Audubon and Bachman, 1854)
tatarica (Popov, 1949)
winingus (Baird, 1858)
California lowland mink
Neovison vison aestuarina
Ginnell, 1916 Resembles energumenos, but smaller and has paler, less dense fur[9] Lowlands of west-central California; west to Petaluma and Marin Counties Neovison vison aniakensis Burns, 1964 Western or Pacific mink
Neovison vison energumenos
Bangs, 1896 A small and dark coloured subspecies with dark sooty-brown fur. Males measure 24 inches in body length and 8.2 inches in tail length[9] Western North America, from British Columbia south to the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and Rocky Mountains in New Mexico Neovison vison evagor Hall, 1932 Neovison vison evergladensis Hamilton, 1948 Alaska mink
Neovison vison ingens
Osgood, 1900 The largest subspecies, resembling energumenos but lighter in colour. Males measure 28.8 inches in body length and 7.2 inches in tail length[9] Northern, western and central Alaska; northern Yukon and northwestern Mackenzie; south to the Alaska Peninsula and to Fort Good Hope Hudson Bay mink
Neovison vison lacustris
Preble, 1902 Has dark chocolate-brown fur above with white which occurs on the chin and is irregularly distributed on the breast and between the hind legs. Males measure 27 inches in body length and 8 inches in tail length[9] Interior of Canada from Great Bear Lake and the western shores of Hudson Bay south through Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to southern North Dakota Mississippi Valley mink
Neovison vison letifera
Hollister, 1913 Has a light brown coat with white spots on the chin, throat and breast. Males measure 26 inches in body length and 9.4 inches in tail length[9] Northn Wisconsin and northern South Dakota south to northern Illinois, northern Missouri and southern Kansas Neovison vison lowii Anderson, 1945 Florida mink
Neovison vison lutensis
Bangs, 1898 A medium-sized subspecies, with a pale, russet to clay or reddish-brown coat. Males measure 23 inches in body length and 8 inches in tail length[9] Coast of southeastern United States from South Carolina to Florida Kenai mink
Neovison vison melampeplus
Elliot, 1904 Darker than energumenos, with dark chocolate coloured fur with slightly paler underparts and a white spot on the chin. Males measure 28 inches in body length and 7.2 inches in tail length[9] Kenai Peninsula and Cook Inlet Common mink
Neovison vison mink
Peale and Palisot de Beauvois, 1796 A larger and more robust form than vison, with similar colouration. Males measure 25.5 inches in total length and 8.5 inches in tail length[9] Eastern United States, from the coast of New England south to North Carolina and in the interior to central Georgia and Alabama; westward through southern Pennsylvania and Ohio to Missouri and northeastern Texas lutreocephala (Harlan, 1825)
rufa (Hamilton-Smith, 1858)
Island mink
Neovison vison nesolestes
Heller, 1909 Intermediate in size between ingens and energumenos with rather dark fur. The fur is Van dyke brown, lighter on the cheeks and sides and darker on the tail. The underparts are walnut brown and white on the chin, with irregular white spots or areas on the throat, chest, inner arms and abdomen. Males measure 24.5 inches in body length and 7.3 inches in tail length[9] Admiralty Island, Alexander Archipelago Southern mink
Neovison vison vulgivaga
Bangs, 1895 Resembles mink, but paler and smaller, with light brown, rich and lustrous fur which darkens at the end of the tail. Males measure 24.5 inches in body length and 7.5 inches in tail length[9] Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi
Physical description
The American mink differs from members of the genus Mustela (stoats and weasels) by its larger size and stouter form, which closely approaches that of martens. It shares with martens a uniformly enlarged, bushy and somewhat tapering tail, rather than a slenderly terete tail with an enlarged bushy tip, as is the case in stoats.[10] The American mink is similar in build to the European mink, but the tail is longer (constituting 38-51% of its body length).[11]
The American mink has a long body, which allows the species to enter the burrows of prey. Its streamlined shape helps it to reduce water resistance whilst swimming.[12] The skull of the American mink is similar to that of the European mink, but is more massive, narrower and less elongated, with more strongly developed projections and a wider, shorter cranium. The upper molars are larger and more massive than those of the European mink.[13] The dental formula is:
Dentition 126.96.36.199 188.8.131.52
Domestic mink, which are bred in fur farms, have 19.6% smaller brains, 8.1% smaller hearts, and 28.2% smaller spleens than wild mink.[14][15] The feet are broad, with webbed digits.[10] It generally has eight nipples, with one pair of inguinal teats and three pairs of abdominal teats.[11] The adult male's penis is 5.6 cm long, and is covered by a sheath. The baculum is well developed, being triangular in cross section and curved at the tip.[12]
Males measure 34–45 cm in body length, while females measure 31-37.5 cm. The tail measures 15.6-24.7 cm in males and 14.8-21.5 cm in females. Weight varies with sex and season, with males being heavier than females. In winter, males weigh 500-1580 grams and females 400-780 grams. Maximum heaviness occurs in autumn.[5]
The American mink's winter fur is denser, longer, softer and more close-fitting than that of the European mink. The winter fur's tone is generally very dark blackish-tawny to light-tawny. Colour is evenly distributed over all the body, with the lower side being only slightly lighter than the upper body. The guard hairs are bright, dark-tawny, often approaching black on the spine. The underfur on the back is very wavy, greyish-tawny with a bluish tint. The tail is darker than the trunk and sometimes becomes pure black on the tip. The chin and lower lip are white. Captive individuals tend to develop irregular white patches on the lower surface of the body, though escaped individuals from Tartaria gradually lost these patches. The summer fur is generally shorter, sparser and duller than the winter fur.[11] The thick underfur and oily guard hairs render the pelage water resistant, with the length of the guard hairs being intermediate between those of otters and polecats, thus indicating that the American mink is incompletely adapted to an aquatic life. It moults twice a year, during spring and autumn.[12] It does not turn white in winter.[16] A variety of different colour mutations have arisen from experimental breeding on fur farms.[7]
On land, the American mink moves by a bounding gait, with speeds of up to 6.5 km/h. It also climbs trees and swims well.[17] During swimming, the mink propels itself primarily through undulating movements of the trunk. When diving, the American mink undergoes a state of rapid bradycardia, which is likely an adaptation to conserving oxygen.[12] In warm water (24°C), the American mink can swim for three hours without stopping, while in cold water it can die within 27 minutes.[18] It generally dives to depths of 30 cm for 10 seconds, though depths of three metres lasting 60 seconds have been recorded. It typically catches fish after 5-20 second chases.[17]
Senses and scent glands
The American mink relies heavily on sight when foraging. Its eyesight is clearer on land than underwater. Its auditory perception is high enough to detect the ultrasonic vocalisations (1-16 kHz) of rodent prey. Its sense of smell is comparatively weak. The American mink has two anal glands, which are used for scent marking, either through defecation or by rubbing the anal region on the ground. The secretions of the anal glands are composed of 2,2-dimethylthietane, 2-ethylthietane, cyclic disulfide, 3,3-dimethyl-1,2-dithiacyclopentane, and indole. When stressed, the American mink can expel the contents of its anal glands at a distance of 30 cm.[12] Scent glands may also be located on the throat and chest.[19] The smell produced by these scent glands was described by Clinton Hart Merriam as more unbearable than that produced by skunks, and added that it was "one of the few substances, of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin, that has, on land or sea, rendered me aware of the existence of the abominable sensation called nausea".[20]
Social and territorial behaviours
American mink territories are held by individual animals with minimal intrasexual overlap, but with extensive overlap between animals of the opposite sex. Most territories are located in undisturbed rocky coastal habitats with broad littoral zones and dense cover. They may also occur on estuaries, rivers and canals near urban areas. Home ranges are typically 1–6 km long, with male territories being larger than those of females.[17] As long as it is close to water, the American mink is not fussy over its choice of den. Mink dens typically consist of long burrows in river banks, holes under logs, tree stumps or roots and hollow trees, though dens located in rock crevices, drains and nooks under stone piles and bridges are occasionally selected. Burrows dug by American minks themselves are typically about four inches in diameter and may continue along for 10–12 feet at a depth of 2–3 feet. The American mink may nest in burrows dug previously by muskrats, badgers and skunks, and may also dig dens in old ant hills. The nesting chamber is located at the end of a four-inch tunnel, and is about a foot in diameter. It is warm, dry and lined with straw and feathers.[21] The American mink's dens are characterized by a large number of entrances and twisting passages. The number of exits vary from 1-8.[18]
The American mink normally only vocalises during close encounters with other minks or predators. Sounds emitted by the American mink include piercing shrieks and hisses when threatened and muffled chuckling sounds when mating. Kits squeak repeatedly when separated from their mothers.[19] Ernest Thompson Seton reported hearing minks growl and snarl when confronting a threat.[22] During aggressive interactions, the American mink asserts its dominance by arching its back, puffing up and lashing its tail, stamps and scrapes the ground with its feet and opens its mouth in a threat-gape. Should this be unsuccessful, fights may result, with injuries to the head and neck.[19]
Reproduction and development
The American mink is a promiscuous animal, which does not form pair-bonds.[17] The mating season for American minks begins from February in its southern range to April in the north.[12] In its introduced range, the American mink breeds one month earlier than the European mink.[23] Males commonly fight during the mating season, which may result in the formation of loose, temporary dominance hierarchies governing access to receptive females.[17] The mating season lasts for three weeks, with ovulation being induced by the presence of males. The mating process in the American mink is violent, with the male typically biting the female on the nape of the neck and pinning her with his forefeet. Mating lasts from 10 minutes to four hours. Females are receptive for 7-10 day intervals during the three week breeding season, and can mate with multiple males. Along with the striped skunk, the American mink is among the only mammals to mate in spring whilst possessing a short delay before the occurrence of implantation. This delayed implantation allows pregnant minks to keep track of environmental conditions and select an ideal time and place for parturition.[12]
The gestation period lasts from 40–75 days, with actual embryonic development taking place after 30–32 days, thus indicating that delayed implantation can last from 8–45 days. The young are born either in April or June, with litters consisting of four kits on average.[12] Exceptionally large litters of 11 kits have been recorded in Tartaria and 16 in the United States.[23] The kits are blind at birth, weighing six grams and possessing a short coat of fine, silver-white hairs.[12] The kits are dependent on their mother's milk, which contains 3.8% lipids, 6.2% protein, 4.6% sugar and 10.66% mineral salts.[23] Their eyes open after 25 days, with weaning occurring after five weeks. The kits begin hunting after eight weeks of age, but stay close to their mother until autumn, when they become independent. Sexual maturity is attained during the kit's first spring, when they are about 10 months old.[12]
The American mink is a carnivorous animal, which feeds on rodents, fish, crustaceans, amphibians and birds. It kills vertebrate prey by biting the back of the head or neck, leaving canine puncture marks 9–11 mm apart.[24] In its natural range, fish are the American mink's primary prey. Although inferior to the North American river otter in hunting fish, Audubon and Bachman once reported seeing a mink carrying a foot-long trout. Mink inhabiting the prairie sloughs primarily target frogs, tadpoles, mice.[25] It is a formidable predator of muskrats, which are chased underwater and killed in their own burrows. Among the rodents killed by the American mink in its native range are rats and mice of the genus Hesperomys, Microtus, Sigmodon and Neotoma. Marsh rabbits are frequently taken in marshy or swampy tracts.[26]
In Tartaria, the American mink's most important food items are voles, fish, crustaceans, frogs and aquatic insects. In winter, aquatic foods predominate, while land-based prey increases in importance during the spring. Within the Altai Mountains, the American mink feeds predominantly on mammals such as rodents, shrews and moles, as well as birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Among the 11 different bird species preyed upon by minks in Altai are dippers and pine grosbeaks. Among fish, small species predominate in the diet of minks in Altai, and include ; minnows, gudgeons and wide-headed sculpins. In the Sverdlovsk and Irkutsk Oblasts, mouse-like rodents are the American mink's most important foods, followed by birds, fish and insects. In the Russian Far East, where crustaceans are scarce, the American mink feeds extensively on amphipods.[27] In the British Isles, dietary composition varies seasonally and regionally. European rabbits are the most commonly taken prey in areas where they are common, especially in summer. A range of small rodents and insectivores are preyed upon, but to a lesser degree. European hares are occasionally attacked. Minks in Britain prey on several bird species, with ducks, moorhens and coots being most frequently targeted on lakes and rivers, while gulls are taken in coastal habitats. Aquatic species preyed upon in Britain include European eels, rock-pool fish such as blenny, shore crabs and crayfish.[28] American Mink have been implicated in the decline of the water vole in the United Kingdom and linked to the decline of water fowl across their range in Europe. They are now considered vermin in much of Europe and are hunted for the purpose of wildlife management.[29] In the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, mammals, including both native and exotic rodents, are the American mink's main prey throughout the year, though birds are of equal importance during their summer nesting period.[30]
The American mink may pose a threat to poultry. According to Clinton Hart Merriam[31] and Ernest Thompson Seton,[32] although the American mink is a potential poultry thief, it is overall less damaging than the stoat. Unlike the stoat, which often engages in surplus killing, the mink usually limits itself to killing and eating one fowl during each attack. Studies in Britain indicate that poultry and game birds only constitute 1% of the animal's overall diet.[28]
Relationships with other predators
The American mink replaces and sometimes kills the European mink wherever their ranges overlap.[33] The decline of European mink populations seems to coincide with the spread of the American mink.[34] The diets of the American mink and European otter overlap to a great extent. In areas where the two species are sympatric, competition with the otter for fish causes the American mink to hunt land-based prey more frequently.[35]
An early behavioral study was performed in the 1960s that assessed visual learning ability in mink, ferrets, skunks, and house cats. Animals were tested on their ability to recognize objects, learn their valences and make object selections from memory. Mink were found to outperform ferrets, skunks and cats in this task, however this letter (short paper) fails to account for a possible conflation of a cognitive ability (decision making, associative learning) with a largely perceptual ability (invariant object recognition).[36]
The species' natural range encompasses North America from Alaska and Canada through the United States except Arizona and the more arid areas of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and western Texas.[1]
Mainland Europe and British Isles
It is thought that feral American minks in Europe are of domesticated stock derived from the vison, melampeplus and ingens subspecies. The first specimens were imported to Europe in 1920 for fur-farming purposes. The American mink was introduced in Italy in the 1950s, and currently resides mostly in the northeastern part of the Italian Peninsula. The majority of these populations do not appear to be self-sufficient, though minks in the Monti Prenestini and Simbruini in Lazio have reproduced successfully.[37] The first mink farm in Norway was built in 1927, with escapees establishing wild populations within 30 years of its establishment. The first feral mink populations arose in 1930, establishing territories in southwestern Norway. These feral minks, augmented by further escapees, formed the basis of a strong population in Hordaland by the end of World War II. Feral mink colonised eastern Norway in 1930 and had become established in mosrt southeastern counties in the early 1940s. By 1950, feral mink reached central Norway, with further populations occurring in the northern counties of Nordland and Troms. During the post-World War II period up until 1965, mink had colonised most of the country. In modern times, the American mink occupies all of the Norwegian mainland, but is absent on some islands.[38]
The American mink was first imported to Great Britain in 1929, though a series of escapes and releases lead to the establishment of a self-sufficient feral population in Devon by the late 1950s, and others by the early 1960s. In Ireland, the American mink was not farmed until the early 1950s, thus feral populations established themselves there much later. The species is now widespread in mainland Great Britain and Ireland, though some places remain uncolonised. It has established itself on a few islands, including Arran, Lewis and Harris.[17] The total mink population in Great Britain is estimated at 110,000 (England; 46,750, Scotland; 52,250, Wales; 9750). This population may be declining as European otter numbers increase. There are no estimates for the mink population in Ireland, but it is thought to be low, because of Ireland's strong otter population.[39]
Former USSR
In 1933, American minks were released into the Voronezh Oblast in European Russia. Until 1963, more minks were introduced in various quantities in the Voronezh and Arkhangelsk Oblasts, Karelia, in Kalininsk, Gorkovsk, Volgograd and Chelyabinsk Oblasts, and into Tatarstan and Bashkir, as well as the Lithuanian and Byelorussian SSRs. Beyond the Urals, American minks were introduced in the Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Omsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Chita and Irkutsk Oblasts, in the Altai and Krasnoyarsk Krai, in the Tuvan, Buryat and Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, into the Magadan, Kamchatka and Amur Oblasts, into the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krai, into the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and several other locations, including Sakhalin and Urup Island. In the Caucasus, American mink were released into North Ossetia and Tien Shan. Originally, captive-bred mink were used, but wild specimens were later released in order to facilitate the species' acclimatisation within Soviet territories. Several years after the first release, introductions into the ranges already held by native European minks were discontinued, with most releases from then on taking place in Siberia and the Far East. Although considerable areas were occupied by the American mink by the early 1960s, the species' Soviet range was never continuous, as most released populations were isolated from one another.[40]
The species has been present in Iceland since the 1930s, and has become well established, despite it being heavily hunted since 1939. However, its population underwent a 42% decline during the years 2002-2006, which coincided with a decline in sandeel populations resulting in a drop in the seabird populations which the minks feed upon.[41]
South America
The American mink was deliberately introduced for commercial fur production in several provinces of Patagonia in 1930. The animals escaped or were released from farms in Chubut Province and now occur in the Chubut and Río Negro Provinces and Tierra del Fuego.[42]
Diseases and parasites
The American mink often carries light tick and flea infestations. Tick species known to infest minks include Ixodes hexagonus, I. canisuga, I. ricinus and I. acuminatus. Flea species known to infest minks include Palaeopsylla minor, Malaraeus penicilliger, Ctenopthalmus noblis, Megabothris walkeri, Typhloceras poppei and Nosopsyllus fasciatus. Endoparasites include Skrjabingylus nasicola and Troglotrema acutum.[39]
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a prion disease of mink, similar to BSE in cattle and scrapie in sheep. A 1985 outbreak of TME in Stetsonville, Wisconsin resulted in a 60% mortality rate for the mink.[43] Further testing revealed that this agent is transmissible between mink, cattle and sheep. The Stetsonville outbreak may have been due to the animals being fed the carcasses of other infected animals.[44]
Decline of wild mink
Because of numerous incidents of domestic mink escaping from fur farms and establishing themselves in the wild, concern has arisen among conservationists of the possible repercussions such escapes may have on natural wild mink populations. Domestic mink are larger than wild mink, which may cause problems with the ecosystem when they escape. Mink are solitary, territorial animals and are intolerant of other mink. In times of overpopulation, mink control their own numbers by either killing each other through direct conflict or by causing weaker mink to be driven from territory until starvation sets in.[45] When hundreds or thousands of released domestic mink flood an ecosystem, it causes a great disturbance for the wild mink, resulting in the deaths of the majority of the released mink and many of the wild mink from starvation or injuries incurred fighting over territory.[45] When a domestic mink survives long enough to reproduce, it may cause problems for the wild mink populations.[46] The adding of weaker domestic mink genes into wild mink populations is believed by some to have contributed to the decline of mink populations in Canada.[46]
A 2006 study in Denmark concluded that, due to frequent escapes from existing mink farms, "Closing mink farms may result in a crash of the free-ranging population, or alternatively it may result in the establishment of a better-adapted, truly feral population that may ultimately outnumber the population that was present before farm closures." The study reported that more information would be necessary to determine the outcome.[47] Another Danish study reported that a significant majority of the "wild" mink were mink which had escaped from fur farms. 47% had escaped within two months, 31% had escaped prior to 2 months, and 21% "may or may not have been born in nature." The survival rate for recently released mink is reportedly lower than for wild mink, but if feral mink survive at least two months, their survival rate is the same as for wild mink. The authors suggest that this is due to the rapid behavioural adaptation of the animals.[48]
Relationships with humans
Fur use
American mink are primarily used in manufacturing ladies' fur coats, jackets and capes. Pelts which are not able to be converted into these items are made into trimming for cloth and fur coats. Mink scarves and stoles are also manufactured. Jackets and capes are mostly made from small to medium-sized specimens, usually females and young males, while trimming, scarves and stoles are made from adult males.[49] The most valuable peltries come from eastern Canada which, although the smallest, are the silkiest and darkest.[50]
Although difficult to catch, the American mink, prior to being commercially farmed, was among the most frequently trapped furbearers as, unlike other furbearing mammals, it did not hibernate in winter, and could thus be caught on a nightly basis even in the far north.[51] Minks were legally trapped from early November to early April, when their pelts were prime.[52] Minks caught in traps cling to life with great tenacity, having been known to break their teeth in trying to extricate themselves from steel traps.[53] Elliott Coues described a trapped mink as thus ;
One who has not taken a Mink in a steel trap can scarcely form an idea of the terrible expression the animal's face assumes as the captor approaches. It has always struck me as the most nearly diabolical of anything in animal physiognomy. A sullen stare from the crouched, motionless form gives way to a new look of surprise and fear, accompanied with the most violent contortions of the body, with renewed champing of the iron till breathless, with heaving flanks, and open mouth dribbling saliva, the animal settles again, and watches with a look of concentrated hatred, mingled with impotent rage and frightful despair. The countenance of the Mink, its broad, low head, short ears, small eyes, piggish snout, and formidable teeth, is always expressive of the lower and more brutal passions, all of which are intensified at such times. As may well be supposed, the creature must not be incautiously dealt with when in a such a frame of mind.
One Native American method involved using a bait (usually a slit open chicken carcass filled with fish oil and oysters) tied to a rope and dragged around an area laden with traps. A mink would thus follow the trail into one of the traps. Another indigenous method involved placing traps scented with muskrat and female mink musk on top of disused muskrat dens by water-bodies. Attracted by the scent of food and a female, the mink would get caught in the trap and drown.[54] On the American prairies, only the steel trap was used, because of the lack of timber.[55]
Breeding American mink for their fur began in the late 19th century, as increasing enthusiasm for mink pelts made the harvesting of wild mink insufficient to meet the new demands. American mink are easily kept in captivity, and breed readily.[56] In 2005, the U.S. ranked fourth in production behind Denmark, China and the Netherlands. Mink typically breed in March, and give birth to their litters in May. Farmers vaccinate the young kits for botulism, distemper, enteritis, and, if needed, pneumonia. They are harvested in late November and December. Methods for killing animals on fur farms, as on all farms, are detailed in the American Veterinary Medical Association's Report on Euthanasia which is used as a voluntary guideline for state departments of agriculture which have jurisdiction over all farms raising domesticated livestock, including mink.[57] In the past, some mink-farms successfully provided pools of water for the mink to swim in,[58] however, this practice is unheard of in modern mink production. Mink are motivated to access swimming water, and the absence of water is a source of frustration on modern farms. [59] The ideal diet for farm-bred minks consists of 4-5 ounces of horse meat and a quarter pint of milk once daily.[58]
Colour mutations
Selective breeding has produced a number of different colour shades in mink peltries, ranging from pure white, through beiges and browns and greys, to a brown that is almost black. The two standard strains are brown and "Black cross" which, when paired, produce numerous colour variations. When an albino mink is born, it is standard procedure in fur farms to breed it to other colour mutations in order to produce grey and light brown pastel shades. The following graph is a simplification of the main colour strains;[60]
Colour variant Image Description Pastel Pale brown and beige fur with darker guard hairs of various hues[60] Royal pastel Same as above, but with a bluish cast[60] Silverblu Bluish grey fur fibre and guard hairs which are sometimes white-tipped, giving a silvery blue tone. Pelts of this type with a brownish cast are less valuable[60] Breath of spring Also known as "Platinum", this variety has a brighter bluish cast than the Silverblu type[60] Blufrost Pale brown fur fibre interspersed with dark brown guard hair that is sprinkled with white guard hairs[60] Kohinur Also known as "black cross", this variety has white or cream-coloured fur fibre with a sprinkling of blackish guard hairs throughout the body, with the greatest concentrations being on the back and shoulders[60] Cerulean Also known as "Sapphire", this variety has bluish-grey fur fibre with mauve, blue-grey guard hair, with the greatest depth of colour being on the back Steel blue Dull battleship grey guard hair, with lighter shaded fur fibre[60] Lutetia Also known as "Aleutian", this variety has gun-metal grey fur fibre and guard hair
As pets
Wild mink can be tamed if caught young, but can be treacherous, and are usually not handled bare-handed.[61] In the late 19th century, tame American minks were often reared for ratting, much as ferrets were used in Europe. They are more effective ratters than terriers, as they can enter rat-holes and drive rats from their hiding places. Because of their fondness for bathing, captive American minks may enter kettles or other open water-containing vessels. When minks of wild stock are confined with tame ones, the latter invariably dominate the former. They have also been known to dominate cats in confrontations.[62] Though intelligent, mink are not quick to learn tricks taught to them by their owners.[63] Even though domestic mink have been bred in captivity for almost a century, they have not been bred to be tame. Domestic mink have been bred for size, fur quality, and color. However, the US Fur Commission claims that "mink are truly domesticated animals" based on the number of years they have been kept on fur farms.[64]
As an invasive species in the United Kingdom, mink have been the subject of at least two novels. Ewan Clarkson's 1968 Break for Freedom (published as Syla, the Mink in the USA) tells the story of a female mink escaped from a fur farm in a realistic style. On the other hand, A.R. Lloyd's 1982 Kine is a heroic fantasy with the mink as villains and weasels and other indigenous animals as heroes.
See also
- Aleutian disease
- European mink
- List of solitary animals
- Sea mink
- ^ a b c Reid, F. & Helgen, K. (2008). Neovison vison. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 21 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ^ Grubb, Peter (16 November 2005). Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14001484.
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 2002, p. 745
- ^ a b c d e Seton 1909, p. 872
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1397–1399
- ^ Kurtén 1980, p. 151
- ^ a b Harris & Yalden 2008, p. 488
- ^ Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14001484.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Anthony 1928, pp. 109–110
- ^ a b Coues 1877, pp. 161–162
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1392–1394
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Feldhamer, Thompson & Chapman 2003, pp. 663–664
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1394–1395
- ^ Kruska, D. (1996) The effect of domestication on brain size and composition on the mink. J. Zoo., Lond. 239: 655.
- ^ Kruska, D. and A. Schreiber (1999) Comparative morphometrical and biochemical-genetic investigations in wild and ranch mink. Acta Theriologica 44(4): 382.
- ^ Seton 1909, p. 873
- ^ a b c d e f Harris & Yalden 2008, pp. 489–490
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1410–1411
- ^ a b c Harris & Yalden 2008, p. 491
- ^ Merriam 1886, p. 67
- ^ Seton 1909, pp. 879–880
- ^ Seton 1909, p. 877
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 2002, p. 1413
- ^ Harris & Yalden 2008, p. 487
- ^ Seton 1909, pp. 883–884
- ^ Coues 1877, p. 178
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1407–1408
- ^ a b Harris & Yalden 2008, p. 492
- ^ Haworth, Jenny (3 February 2009) "National cull may exterminate UK mink". Edinburgh. The Scotsman.
- ^ Ibarra, J.T., Fasola, L., Macdonald, D.W., Rozzi, R., Bonacic, C. (2009) Invasive American mink Mustela vison in wetlands of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, southern Chile: what are they eating?. Oryx, Short communication, 43: 87-90.
- ^ Merriam 1886, p. 63
- ^ Seton 1909, p. 885
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 2002, p. 1414
- ^ Maran, T. and Henttonen, H. 1995. Why is the European mink, Mustela lutreola disappearing? - A review of the process and hypotheses. Annales Fennici Zoologici 32: 47-54.
- ^ Bonesi, L., Chanin, P. and Macdonald, D. W. 2004. Competition between Eurasian otter Lutra lutra and American mink Mustela vison probed by niche shift. Oikos 106: 19/26.
- ^ Doty, Barbara A., C. Neal Jones and Larry A. Doty (1967) Learning-Set Formation by Mink, Ferrets, Skunks, and Cats. Science 155(3769): 1579–1580.
- ^ (Italian)Spagnesi M, Toso S, De Marinins AM (2002) I Mammiferi d'Italia. Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Italy.
- ^ Bevanger, K. & G. Henriksen (1995)The distributional history and present status of the American mink (Mustela vison Schreber, 1777) in Norway. Annales Zoologici Fennici 32:1 1-14.
- ^ a b Harris & Yalden 2008, p. 493
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 2002, pp. 1399–1403
- ^ The impact of climate change on the American mink in Iceland, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
- ^ Bonino, Never, (1995) INTRODUCED MAMMALS INTO PATAGONIA, SOUTHERN ARGENTINA: consequeces, problems and management strategies, Integrating peoples and wildlife for a sustainable future. International Wildlife Management Congress, 1ro.; Bethesda, Md; Wildlife Society: 406-409
- ^ Tenembaum, David (2007) Unfolding the Prion Mystery. Grow online
- ^ Scientific papers on Spongiform Disease by R.F. Marsh
- ^ a b Dunstone, N. (1993) The Mink. London.
- ^ a b Bowman, J., A. Kidd, R. Gorman, A. Schulte-Hostedde (2007) Assessing the potential for impacts by feral mink on wild mink in Canada. Biological Conservation 139: 12-18.
- ^ Hammershøj, Mette, Justin M.J. Travis and Catriona M. Stephenson (2006) Incorporating evolutionary processes into a spatially-explicit model: exploring the consequences of mink-farm closures in Denmark. Ecography 29(4): 465-476
- ^ Hammershøj, M. (2004) Population ecology of free-ranging American mink Mustela vison in Denmark. PhD thesis, National Environmental Research Institute, Kalø, Denmark. 30 pp.
- ^ Bachrach 1953, p. 326
- ^ Bachrach 1953, p. 327
- ^ Harding 1906, p. 19
- ^ Seton 1909, p. 895
- ^ a b Coues 1877, pp. 175–176
- ^ Harding 1906, pp. 53–56
- ^ Harding 1906, pp. 57–69
- ^ Seton 1909, pp. 896–897
- ^ AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia, June 2007, American Veterinary Medical Association
- ^ a b Gates 1915, p. 50
- ^ Mason, Georgia; Cooper, Jonathon (2001). "Frustrations of fur-farmed mink". Nature 410 (6824): 35–36. doi:10.1038/35065157.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bachrach 1953, p. 335
- ^ Harding 1906, p. 2
- ^ Coues 1877, pp. 181–183
- ^ Gates 1915, p. 32
- ^ Fur Commission USA (2008) Mink Farming in the United States (revised edn). Colorado.
- Anthony, Harold Elmer (1928). Field book of North American mammals; descriptions of every mammal known north of the Rio Grande, together with brief accounts of habits, geographical ranges, etc.. New York, London, G. P. Putnam's Sons. http://www.archive.org/details/fieldbookofnorth00anth
- Bachrach, Max (1953). Fur: a practical treatise. New York : Prentice-Hall, 3rd edition
- Coues, Elliott (1877). Fur-bearing Animals: A Monograph of North American Mustelidae. Government Printing Office. http://www.archive.org/details/furbearinganima00couegoog
- Feldhamer, George A.; Thompson, Bruce Carlyle; Chapman, Joseph A. (2003). Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and conservation. JHU Press. ISBN 0801874165
- Gates, William Gilford (1915). The propagation of mink and marten. Spokane, Shaw & Borden co., printers. http://www.archive.org/details/propagationofmin00gate
- Harding, Arthur Robert (1906). Mink trapping; a book of instruction giving many methods of trapping. Columbus, O., A.R. Harding. http://www.archive.org/details/minktrappingbook00harduoft
- Merriam, C. Hart (1886). The mammals of the Adirondack region, northeastern New York. With an introductory chapter treating of the location and boundaries of the region, its geological history, topography, climate, general features, botany and faunal position. New York Holt. http://www.archive.org/details/mammalsofadiron00merr
- Harris, Stephen; Yalden, Derek (2008). Mammals of the British Isles. Mammal Society; 4th Revised edition edition. ISBN 0906282659
- Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (2002). Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol. II, part 1b, Carnivores (Mustelidae and Procyonidae). Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National Science Foundation. ISBN 90-04-08876-8. http://www.archive.org/details/mammalsofsov212001gept
- Kurtén, Björn (1980). Pleistocene mammals of North America. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231037333
- Seton, Ernest Thompson (1909). Life-histories of northern animals : an account of the mammals of Manitoba. New York City : Scribner. http://www.archive.org/details/lifehistoriesofn02seto
- Stone, Witmer; Cram, William Everett (1902). American Animals. Doubleday, Page & Co.. http://www.archive.org/details/americananimals02cramgoog
External links
- Serge Larivière, 1999. Mustela vison, Mammalian Species, American Society of Mammologists, 608: 1-9
Data related to Neovison vison at Wikispecies Media related to Neovison vison at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Weasels
- Mammals of Canada
- Invasive animal species
- Mammals of Europe
- Mammals of North America
- Pet mammals
- Feral animals
- Animals described in 1777
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.


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More info about the name "Lakeisha"
Lakeisha is a combination of Keisha and the prefix La-. Keisha is most likely a variant of Keziah. Keziah originates in Hebrew language and means "cassia tree". Cassia is an evergreen tree, a spice ultimately called cinnamon. Keziah was a character mentioned in the Old Testament. As a feminine given name it is very rare in the United States these days.

subset: commoncrawl


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CRS: Withdrawal from the ABM Treaty: Legal Considerations, December 31, 2002
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
For press enquiries, consult our media kit.
If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Withdrawal from the ABM Treaty: Legal Considerations
CRS report number: RS21088
Author(s): David M. Ackerman, American Law Division
Date: December 31, 2002
- Abstract
- On December 13, 2001, President Bush gave formal notice to Russia that the United States is withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty because of the constraints it imposes on the testing of missile defense system; and six months later the treaty effectively terminated. The treaty has been in force since 1972. Legal considerations that arise with respect to withdrawal concern whether the treaty allows for withdrawal; if so, the procedure to be followed; and the constitutionality of the President doing so without the involvement of the Senate or Congress. This report discusses those issues.
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text:
A warm sea at the North Pole — it's a bizarre idea, but one several individuals sought and gave their lives to find for financial gain and the glory of their home countries.
Explorers romanticized the existence of a Open Polar Sea during the 1500s, creating farfetched theories of its existence and losing a number of sailors to the harsh truth of the icy wasteland they encountered. Sailors believed an open body of water would create an easy-to-navigate passage between Europe and Northern Asia.
Robert Thorne, an Englishman, sent two ships looking for a northwest passage to India via the North Pole in 1527. Thorne pleaded with Henry VIII for financing, arguing that British use of a Polar Sea would shave 10,000 kilometers off the typical route to Asia, thus giving the English an advantage over Spanish and Portuguese shipping crews.
Although the idea seems bizarre, several 16th-century theories bolstered belief in an Open Polar Sea. Geographer William Bourne suggested in 1580 that the long summer days in the North Pole would create enough energy to thaw the ice and create an "Arctic Ocean."
The 16th-century British explorer John Davis posited that large bodies of ice could only be formed in freshwater. As the North Pole is thousands of miles from a freshwater source, the further north one went, the more likely it would be that they hit saltwater (and not freshwater) turned into ice. The most bizarre theory of this time claimed that Earth's temperatures declined abruptly prior to the North Pole, creating a temperate area on par with the Equator.
Thorne's 1527 expedition yielded no success, with one ship lost and the other severely damaged during the the journey. As eight more ships traveled in search of the Polar Sea in the coming decades, all encountered impassable ice. Belief in the Open Polar Sea theory subsided until the mid-1800s, when Elisha Kent Kane set forth on a number of expeditions north with hopes of finding this theorized body of water.
On an 1850s expedition organized by Kane, explorer William Morton, believing he discovered the Open Polar Sea, described a body of water containing...
Not a speck of ice...As far as I could discern, the sea was open...The wind was due N(orth) - enough to make white caps, and the surf broke in on the rocks in regular breakers.
Morton, however, did not find the Open Polar Sea — he found a small oasis of water. Morton's quote is likely tinged with a desire to raise the spirits of his boss, Kane, who saw the Polar Sea as a possible utopia, an area brimming with life amidst a harsh arctic world.
Hopes for the undiscovered Polar Sea died with a 1879 expedition led by American Naval Officer George Washington de Long. Lieutenant Commander de Long led his crew of 19 from San Francisco to their deaths after spending fourteen months trapped in ice in the Bering Strait. This would be the last major expedition to the elusive Open Polar Sea.
Nowadays technology and the affects of climate change have spurred modern interest in an Arctic passage.
Ice-breaker ships are used to open channels between scientific research stations located in Antarctica, making a path where one did not exist and allowing for the transport of goods.
Furthermore, satellite imaging shows the North Pole to be ice-covered during the winter, with the ice subsiding in the spring and summer. Over time, temperature trends could create a seasonably traversable stretch of water from Europe to the Pacific Ocean by way of Northern Russia — the same route explorers searched for centuries ago.
The top image is of a 19th Century circumpolar map, courtesy of the Rauner Special Collections Library at Darthmouth College. Additional images courtesy of Nicky Webster/CC and Dartmouth College, while the ice-breaker ship video is courtesy of sujpaul1/YouTube. Sources linked within the article.


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Daily News owner and real-estate mogul Mort Zuckerman is one of the investors ripped off by swindler Bernard Madoff, it was reported today.
Zuckerman, who also owns US News & World Report, has "significant exposure" through a fund that invested virtually all of its assets with Madoff, The Wall Street Journal says, quoting a person familiar with his investments.
Zuckerman said on CNBC today that none of his personal assets were affected, but that a charitable trust he set up several years ago valued at $300 million has lost about 10 to 11 percent as a result of the Madoff scandal.
The Journal further reported that powerhouse movie director Steven Spielberg's charity, Wunderkinder Foundation, also got burned, investing roughly 70 percent of its money with Madoff. A spokesman said he couldn't comment on whether Spielberg had any of his own money invested.
Among the many Jewish charities that lost money in the scam was Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's Foundation for Humanity, according to the Journal.
And New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg's family charity also took a bath, investing most of its $14 million trust with Madoff, his lawyer told The Record of Bergen County.
Meanwhile, more European banks revealed that billions of dollars they entrusted to Madoff may have vanished – and a second Jewish charity abruptly shut down after losing its entire endowment.
Spanish banking giant Grupo Santander SA, which recently purchased Sovereign, a big US bank, said it placed $3.1 billion of its private banking customers in Madoff's care through its Optimal Strategic US Equity fund.
BNP Paribas in France said it had more than $350 million at risk. The private Swiss bank Reichmuth & Co. told its hedge-fund investors that $327 million of their money was invested with Madoff. European media also reported Union Bancaire Privée of Switzerland may've lost $1 billion.
And a spokeswoman for the Royal Bank of Scotland confirmed it had invested with Madoff, but provided no figures.
Early today, Japan's largest brokerage, Nomura Holdings, said it has lost about $306 million.
Also, the Chais Family Foundation, which donated about $12.5 million a year to Jewish causes in former Soviet states and Israel, closed its doors for good after losing everything with Madoff.
The Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation in Salem, Mass., closed on Friday, after losing $8 million.
Madoff remained cloistered in his Upper East Side penthouse, a neighbor on E 64th Street said.
The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he saw the alleged con artist looking forlorn and puffing a cigar by his window at 3 a.m. yesterday. His wife, Ruth, came and cradled his head in her arms.
"No comment" was all son Andrew Madoff, the director of trading at his father's Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, said outside his East 75th Street apartment. Andrew and his brother, Mark, turned in their dad after he'd confessed to them.


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Relay for Life 2016 Millennium Park; June 10
Copyright: Belle Images & Design. These images are for personal use only. They are not to be used commercially. They are not to be altered or cropped; and they must credit the photographer, Karen Bell, if shared. © http://www.Belleimages.ca Contact Karen for information regarding print purchases.Read More


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Item prices may vary between online (for pickup, shipping or delivery) and in club.
Item prices do not include fees for pickup, shipping or delivery (if applicable) unless noted in the item description.
Sterling silver is in fact an alloy of silver and other metals. Using an alloy instead of pure silver makes earrings much more durable. For many years, sterling silver earrings have been hugely popular. Because there are so many styles of silver earrings available, it's important to think about the size and shape that best suit the wearer's face and tastes. Sterling silver can be accentuated with color by adding pearls, crystals, acrylic beads, and gemstones. You'll find that just about any shape of silver earrings goes well with an oval-shaped face. Women with round faces will likely prefer earrings that are elongated or geometric in shape, perhaps with dangling sterling silver pendants. Heart-shaped faces are best enhanced by short, sparkling sterling silver earrings. Dangling and hoop earrings are lovely beside a square face.
Sterling silver jewelry will always be a coveted fashion accessory. Earrings of sterling silver should be stored in tarnish-free bags or cases to be protected from tarnish and scratches. Polishing cloths are an easy way to clean sterling silver jewelry and restore its shine. When sterling silver is worn often and regularly, it is known to develop a beautiful glow that combines with darkened areas for unique look.


text:
Shop now, pay later in 4 interest-free installments.
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TechRadar Verdict
A good laptop for the money and if you want to use it to play games then it's a winner. However, if you need to work on the go then we would recommend looking at some others
- +
Solid 3D performance
- +
Good screen
- +
Decent performance
- -
Battery life
- -
Reflective coating on screen
- -
Small hard drive
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Asus is a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer currently best known for helping to launch the netbook market a few years ago with its Eee PC brand. It also makes full-sized laptops and the X5DAB-SX028V is a powerful machine that will especially suit those after multimedia functionality on a budget.
This is because it boasts a powerful graphics card, and also an impressive 512MB of video memory solely for the use of the GPU, ensuring it, and therefore your media, runs very smoothly. As a result, if you want to edit photos, movies, or even enjoy some light gaming, this machine is a very good choice.
Everyday performance is also good, although it falls just short of the Sony's VAIO VGN-NW20EF/P. The dual-core AMD processor does a good job and you will have no problem sending emails, surfing the internet and performing basic office tasks such as word processing and creating spreadsheets.
As with all the laptops here, however, very resource-intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop will cause performance to drop somewhat. Unfortunately, this machine features a 250GB hard drive, and the Mesh Edge15 Inspire RS offers better value for money in this context.
This should be a particular consideration if you have large music, video or photo libraries you intend to carry around with you.
The 15.6-inch screen offers good quality images, and the 1366 x 768-pixel resolution allows for a detailed picture. A shiny Super-TFT screen coating is in place. Unfortunately, this creates distracting reflections in bright light and can quickly become irritating.
As with the Sony, a custom-designed chassis has been employed. We think it's very smart and also not too shiny, meaning that it doesn't pick up dust, dirt and smears too quickly. It's also very tough, meaning good durability on the road.
Woeful battery
A major problem with this laptop is its terrible battery life. We expect a minimum of 180 minutes power from a laptop, and the Asus falls significantly short with 107 minutes, meaning you'll have to carry the charger with you on all but the shortest of journeys.
Connectivity is great though and the latest wireless and wired technology is in place, to ensure a fast connection to networks in hotspots, for example. If you are after an affordable laptop with entry-level multimedia functionality, then the X5DAB-SX028V is the machine for you.
However, the battery life is truly lamentable and everyday performance is beaten by the Sony, meaning if your needs are a little broader we would probably opt for Sony's VAIO instead.
Follow TechRadar Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/techradarreview


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Game in Review: Seahawks 45, Jaguars 17
Sep 22, 2013, 4:47 PM | Updated: 8:01 pm
By Danny O'Neil
The Seahawks had 31 points before the Jaguars scored.
Seattle had three players who gained more yards in the first half than Jacksonville's entire team, and in fact, the Jaguars lost more yardage than they gained in the first quarter.
All of which added up to a game that was, well, predictable. The Seahawks were the largest favorite in the league this weekend, favored by more points than any game in franchise history, and they played up to the billing in a 45-17 victory over Jacksonville at CenturyLink Field.
Don't let those 17 points for Jacksonville fool you, Seattle was dominant. The Jaguars' offense didn't cross midfield until the fourth quarter, and their first touchdown was the result of a Seahawks turnover that gave Jacksonville possession at the Seattle 2.
Zach Miller and Sidney Rice scored two touchdowns apiece and backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson had one scoring pass and one scoring run as Seattle scored more than 40 points for the fourth time in its last seven regular-season games.
The significance: Seattle starts 3-0 for the first time in seven years and only the sixth time in franchise history. The Seahawks have made the playoffs each of the past three times they started 3-0. The Seahawks have won 10 consecutive games at home. That matches the second-longest home winning streak in franchise history. The record is 12.
Play of the game: Doug Baldwin's 35-yard touchdown catch wasn't the most important play of Sunday's game, only the most impressive. Baldwin lined up outside, faked a slant to get cornerback Will Blackmon turned the wrong way, and then turned on the jets. He extended fully, diving to catch the throw from Tarvaris Jackson for Seattle's fifth passing touchdown of the game.
Turning point: It would be snide to say the coin toss, and not true as Seattle got the ball first, but went three-and-out. Seattle got the ball back 2 minutes later and promptly drove 71 yards on seven plays on a scoring drive that culminated with the first of tight end Zach Miller's two touchdown catches. Seattle scored the first 31 points of the game.
Player of the game: Tough to pick one given the way Seattle shared the wealth. Golden Tate led the team with 88 yards receiving, but Sidney Rice's pair of touchdown catches gave him the edge. His leaping grab for a 23-yard score in the third quarter showed the catch radius that is his most distinguishing trait. Rice caught three passes in the first two games combined, but finished with five receptions against Jacksonville, tied for a team-high.
The good: Russell Wilson passed for four touchdowns, matching his career-high. His 1-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller with 8:04 left in the first quarter was not only the first touchdown Seattle scored in the first half this season, it was the first time Seattle scored in the opening period this year. Miller — who scored three touchdowns in his first 34 games as a Seahawk — scored twice in the first 15:34 of Sunday's game. Seattle has not allowed a point in the first quarter yet this season.
The bad: Seattle failed to gain a first down on its opening possession for the third successive game this season. Wilson committed two turnovers, both as a result of scrambles and each giving the Jaguars possession of the ball on Seattle's half of the field. The first turnover was a fumble in which he was chased down from behind by safety Johnathan Cyprien, who knocked the ball loose. The second turnover was even worse as Wilson threw across his body from his own end zone to Golden Tate, who tipped the pass up, allowing linebacker Paul Posluszny to intercept it.
The ugly: Jacksonville had minus-9 yards of total offense in the first quarter, one fewer than Idaho State managed in its first half against the Huskies on Saturday.
Go figure: 131 minutes, 48 seconds. That's how long Seattle went without giving up a touchdown, going from Steve Smith's 4-yard touchdown catch with 3:13 left in the first half of the season opener at Carolina to Maurice Jones-Drew's 2-yard touchdown with 6:25 left in the third quarter of Week 3. Jones-Drew's touchdown was the first rushing touchdown Seattle has allowed this season.
Seattle: S Jeron Johnson, FB Spencer Ware, LB Malcolm Smith, DT D'Anthony Smith, DE Benson Mayowa, DT Jordan Hill. Jacksonville: QB Blaine Gabbert, WR Mike Brown, S Winston Guy, CB Alan Ball, CB Dwayne Gratz, TE Marcedes Lewis, DT Abry Jones.
Seattle: DE Red Bryant left the game in the third quarter because of a back injury. Jacksonville: S Dwight Lowery suffered a head injury in the first half and did not return. CB Will Blackmon left the game with a head injury in the fourth quarter.


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Standard 3
- 1 Text
- 2 % (3.B.1)Student Support Is Directed at Identified Student Needs
- 3 Enrollment Growth and Student Demographics
- 4 Standards
- 5 Supporting Documentation
% (3.A.1)The Student Affairs Division at Evergreen
The Student Affairs Division at Evergreen demonstrates a longstanding commitment to collaboration with academic programs, best practices and provision of services to enhance student learning and success. Evergreen's Coordinated Study Programs have been described as our "best-known and arguably most influential pedagogical vehicle to demonstrate why learning is an all-encompassing experience for Evergreen students".[1] Because of the centrality of these highly intentional learning communities, Student Affairs staff worked since the College's inception to imbed support for students as seamlessly as possible into the academic experience.
Partnerships among student affairs professionals and faculty are a cornerstone of our work. They occur through committee work intended to improve teaching and learning at Evergreen as evidenced in the deliberations and recommendations of the "First-Year Experience Disappearing Task Force (DTF) Report and Recommendations (Exhibit 3.1). Teaching and curriculum development partnerships are intentional in our "Beginning the Journey" credit-bearing orientation program offered in Fall quarter (Exhibit 3.2). Other prominent examples of collaborative efforts include "Core Connectors" through which student affairs professionals are attached to first-year student programs and faculty rotation into the office of Academic Advising. Many more examples are included in the balance of Standard 3.
Student Affairs staff also collaborate across campus divisions to maintain a system of safety nets and early warning strategies to provide students with assistance when needed. This network involves faculty, residential life staff, advising, counseling, health services and police services staff.
Consistent with our educational values and aspirations for student learning, the Student Affairs division is committed to the affirmation and celebration of diversity. This is evidenced in the array of services and offices dedicated to diverse populations and perspectives, diversity-awareness workshops and events sponsored by the division, our collaboration with faculty in promoting diverse perspectives in the curriculum and in a staff drawn from diverse backgrounds.
Major accomplishments in the Student Affairs Division since our 1998 reaccreditation include: Technological Improvements (conversion to Banner, substantial improvements to the College Web site and transition to E-mail communication with students); Physical renovations in Housing and implementation of a new meal plan for freshmen in Residential Life and Dining; increased outreach and sophistication in Enrollment Management and Student Recruitment in the face of increasing competition for students; formal election of a Student Government; Intercollegiate Sports expansion and several major upgrades of physical space on campus including the addition of a new building (Seminar (II), Remodel of the Library Building, and plans for a major renovation of the Campus Activities Building. Each of these accomplishments is discussed in greater detail in the remainder of this standard.
Major challenges facing the Student Affair Division include the following topics: Coordination of enrollment planning for graduate and off-campus programs, providing services to students at different physical locations and on different schedules; an increasing number of younger students; support for counseling and health services stretched thin coupled with inability to raise fees due to I-601 limitations; increased numbers of incidents/cases requiring legal interpretation; increasing student/family debt; supporting expansion of Extended Education, Summer School, and a new graduate program (M. Ed.); Library remodel and Seminar I relocation; updating of College Web site.
% (3.A.2)Student Affairs Staffing
Cooperative and collaborative working relationships are the hallmark of Evergreen's integrated service to students within Student Affairs and across the institution. Student Affairs is responsible for most services to students that support the academic mission of the institution, including academic advising and several auxiliary enterprises. Many student service offices are located in the Library building that is centrally located and also houses the Academic Deans, Provost, President, Human Resources, Business Services, Computing and Communications, and Advancement. For example, Enrollment Services, consisting of Admissions, Records and Registration, and Financial Aid, are located in the Library near business services such as Student Accounts and the Cashier. The divisional visional organization chart is in TBA and reflects the following departments within Student Affairs:
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
◘ Athletics and Recreation
◘ Enrollment Services
Financial Aid
Registration and Records
Student Employment
◘ Police Services
Telephone Operations
◘ Residential and Dining Services
Residential Life
Residential Facilities
Administrative Services
Dining Service
◘ Student and Academic Support Services
Academic Advising
Access Services for Students with Disabilities
Career Development Center
Counseling and Health Center
First Peoples' Advising
Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Program (Gear Up)
International Advising
KEY Student Services (TRIO)
Student Activities
Upward Bound
◘ Student Conduct
Staffing, Job Descriptions, and Performance Reviews
Since 1998 the staff head count has grown 27%, from 123 employees to 156, primarily due to growth in Counseling Center and Enrollment Services staffing, expansion of the Children's Center to serve twice as many children, and implementation of the federally-funded Gear Up grant. About 42% of professional staff holds advanced degrees, police officers are fully commissioned, and the Vice President, Vice President's Executive Associate, and the Dean of Student Academic Support Services hold doctorates. Student Affairs has utilized state allocations, as available, to address compensation compression issues and to generate competitive salaries for exempt staff. A College-wide review of exempt staff compensation is being completed and recommendations are forthcoming. The division is staffed with accomplished professionals who deliver developmentally-based services that enhance students' academic experience. Brief resumes of the professional staff will be available during the site visit.
Remaining active and current in professional literature and organizations is encouraged and in 2006-07 more than 40 exempt staff participated in a regional or national conference. About 10 individuals served in a leadership role with a professional association while about 20 wrote an article or presented in a professional venue.
Position descriptions for all staff are uniform in presentation and clear in assignments and expectations. These are updated regularly when vacancies occur, or during performance reviews. Classified staff is reviewed annually in accordance with their employment contract and exempt staff must be reviewed every three years per College policy, although supervisors in Student Affairs are expected to administer reviews annually. It is common practice to solicit evaluative feedback from students, faculty, staff in other units and those they supervise. In many instances student staff are also reviewed and provided with a written evaluation of their work performance.
Appropriate policies and procedures for student development programs and services are established. The objectives of each operating component are compatible and support the goals of student services. (Phyllis/Art)
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% (3.A.4) Resource Allocation
Student need and satisfaction surveys as well as principles and standards from professional organizations across functional areas are consulted to assess appropriate support for services. Budget requests are made biannually and vetted with staff in the division and prioritized with the Deans and Directors who report to the Vice President. These requests are incorporated into a systematic institutional budget process in which budget coordinators from the four divisions (Academics, Finance and Administration, Advancement and Student Affairs) review available funding and institutional and divisional needs and priorities to recommend appropriate budget allocations to the President. Student Affairs' fiscal resources are, in general, adequate and when budget reductions have been necessary or reinvestments have been available Student Affairs has been treated in a manner consistent with other divisions. In recent years, Student Affairs has had autonomy to invest in some initiatives that require "one-time" purchases due to acquisition of indirect cost recovery from a large Gear Up grant. These resources have purchased such items as computer upgrades for staff, equipment upgrades in Police Services, improved software for the Recreation Center, or staffing augmentation in Student Conduct.
Since 1998 every area within Student Affairs except the Athletics and Recreation department has been remodeled and/or expanded or soon will be (Athletics and Recreation is located in the Campus Recreation Center that was built in 1989). In 2000 the Health Center was completely remodeled and doubled in size. The Counseling Center that had shared a space with the Health Center was relocated to another floor of the building. Police Services was also remodeled at that time.
In 2003-04 a new Children's Center was built that increased the number of children that could be served from 37 to 70. It is now licensed to serve infants as young as six weeks old. The new Center was jointly funded from student activity fees and institutional funds, and replaced the Child Care Center that was located in the oldest building on campus.
In 2005 most of the areas within the Student and Academic Support Services (SASS) were relocated in a newly renovated section of the Library building. The new SASS location is much more student-friendly and includes a reception area for the first time. There is also space within SASS for two federal grants, Upward Bound and Gear Up that had been housed in satellite locations.
Residential and Dining Services issued over seven million dollars in Revenue and Refinancing Bonds in 2006. Of that amount, six million is for housing facilities renovations and upgrades. The projects were begun in the summer of 2006 and will continue through 2009.
Enrollment Services (Admissions, Financial Aid, Registration and Records, and Student Employment) and the Vice President and his staff were relocated to temporary offices in the summer of 2007 while a major renovation of the Library "A wing" is underway. This 18- to 24-month project will provide additional, more useable space to these areas.
In 2006 Evergreen students voted to incur a new student fee to fund a rebuild the College Activities Building. When completed in 2010, the expanded building will have additional space for student organizations, student activities administration and student events; a new student-operated food venue; as well as well as a remodeled bookstore and dining facility. The students voted to incorporate numerous green features in the project. In addition the College Master Plan suggests potential for expansion or renovation of the Campus Recreation Center and possible development of housing for students.
% (3.B.1)Student Support Is Directed at Identified Student Needs
Student Affairs staff provide a number of programs focused on the needs of specific student groups. The following table highlights a sampling of these efforts:
|Student Population
|Entering Freshmen
|Beginning the Journey – A College readiness course
|Core Connectors – Student Academic Support Services staff are attached to first-year academic offerings
|All New Students
|Seminar Savvy – an introduction to what seminars are and effective seminar techniques
|Conditional Admits
|one-on-one advising and orientation for students who have been admitted with a provisional status
|Student Athletes
|comprehensive advising including with emphasis on schedule challenges and focus on areas for program concentration
|Students on Academic Warning
|Advising for students who have received a warning letter to discuss plan of action for returning to "satisfactory" status
|Students of Color
|"Critical Moments" case studies in which students from diverse backgrounds consider leaving the institutions or dropping out because of an incident related to a diversity issue(s)
|First People's Advising Services "Peer Education Program" -- provides multicultural programming for students living in the residence halls.
|Pre-Orientation program (Scholars' Programs) -- introduces incoming students of color to learning at Evergreen and provides an opportunity for the cohort to develop community.
|First-generation, Low-Income Students
|"Keep Enhancing Yourself" Program (KEY)
Enrollment Growth and Student Demographics
As of 2006-07, annual average enrollment at Evergreen is up 385 (+10%) full-time equivalent (FTE) students since 1997-98. State funding has increased by 647 FTE (+19%). Since the Spring 2003 interim visit, enrollment has increased 59 FTE (1.5%) while funded FTE increased 306 FTE (8.0%) thus reducing patterns of over-enrollment as high as 250 FTE during the past five years to a very slight under-enrollment (-30 FTE) in 2006-07. (Figure 3.1: Annual Average Full-time Equivalent Enrollment)
The reduction in "over-enrollment" was one part planned – to reduce pressure on the classroom and avoid legislative "re-basing" to the higher number without additional funding – and another part unanticipated, especially in 2006-07. The drop in Washington state's 2006-07 community college transfer enrollment was sharper than expected and an increase of lower-division seats funded by the state at three branch campuses drew more freshmen away from the College than expected. The combined result was a slight drop in total enrollment (-18 FTE) and further erosion in the over-enrollment "cushion" than was planned. Our short-term enrollment target is to return to a modest level of over-enrollment (approximately 100 FTE) by the 2008-09 academic year.
The College has also gone through a period of adjusting budget assumptions about levels of nonresident enrollment and tuition revenue. During the past five years, the College has (1) reduced over-enrollment of resident fee-paying students – originally built to offset tuition revenue declines due to enrollment of fewer nonresident fee-paying students – now unnecessary because of (2) adjusted tuition revenue and base budget assumptions to a reduced level of nonresident enrollment. We are now in a much improved enrollment and revenue position: The operating budget is no longer dependent upon over-enrollment of state residents to offset a decline in nonresidents, holding adequate revenue support in place without inflating the student/faculty ratio beyond state funded levels. Additionally, our nonresident enrollment has begun to grow modestly and currently exceeds budget expectations.
Student Demographics
Distinctive characteristics of Evergreen's student body continue as reported in past reaccreditation documents:
- Transfers students typically constitute 60%+ of our entering class (Figure 3-2: Composition of Fall Quarter Entering Undergraduate Degree-seeking Class)
- Nonresident enrollment at the undergraduate level is high (20%+) for a public college (Figure 3-3: The Evergreen State College: Fall Quarter Enrollment History)
The proportion of freshmen in our entering class has risen in the past two years – from consistent levels in the 32%-35% range to 40%. Current estimates indicate that the proportion of freshmen will rise to 44% in 2007. The increase in freshman students is creating some staffing pressure in the curriculum and raises the importance of retaining this growing segment of our entering class well in the future.
Enrollment of students of color has held at 18% for the past six years, up from 16%-17% in the late 90's. (Figure 3-3: The Evergreen State College: Fall Quarter Enrollment History) The proportion of students of color enrolled on the Olympia campus has increased slightly each year since Fall 2003 reaching 16% in Fall 2006. Our program located in Tacoma typically enrolls 55%-60% students of color and our Tribal Program is generally between 90%-100% students of color. (Figure 3-4: Distribution of Students of Color by Campus)
Undergraduate/Graduate mix and Full-time/Part-time proportions have remained essentially the same over the past ten years. (Figure 3-3: The Evergreen State College: Fall Quarter Enrollment History)
Retention and Graduation Rates
Overall undergraduate Fall-to-Fall retention has remained at or near 80% since Fall 2000. Freshmen are the group of students retained least well to the following fall and of that group, nonresident fee-paying freshmen tend to be retained at a lower rate. This is no doubt in some part due to the increased cost of attendance for nonresident students – nonresident transfer students are also retained at a lower rate than resident fee-paying transfers. (Figure 3.5 Retention Summary http://www.evergreen.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/Retention/RetentionSummary2006.pdf )
In general, the College is making a concerted effort to improve freshman retention rates, specifically through the new "Beginning the Journey" program described elsewhere in this section. (Exhibit 3.2)
Overall, Students of Color are retained at a rate equal to or slightly above the rate for Caucasian students. Retention of Students of Color tends to be highest in our Tacoma Program. Retention of Students of Color on the Olympia campus also tends to run equal to or slightly higher than for Caucasian students. We find this trend especially gratifying since our Olympia enrollment is predominantly white.
Evergreen's first-time, full-time freshman six-year graduation rate is 55% for the most recent cohort (Fall 1999). While we hope to see improvement in freshman graduation rates as fall-to-fall retention efforts yield positive results, we view the current rate as comparable or better than our peers among public institutions. (Figure 3-6 Freshman Graduation Rates) http://www.evergreen.edu/institutionalresearch/pdf/Retention/RetentionSummary2006.pdf
% (3.B.6)Appropriateness of Student Services
The research of Vincent Tinto has shaped the work of the practitioners in Student Academic Support Services (SASS ) regarding student retention at Evergreen. Our approaches to improving retention focus on two facets of student experience: academic and social integration. In the academic arena students interact with an academic discipline, learning and new interests, as well as with faculty and peers. In the social system students develop relationships with peers, faculty, staff who provide services and operate the college, and alumni. According to the research, in order for students to persist they need to feel a sense of integration and congruency, or "fit" with college, in their experiences. When students experience low levels of integration or congruency they tend to exit the institution. Fit questions might include, "Does the student have similar academic or personal experiences and interests as other students, faculty and administrators at the college?" and "Does the student share the aspirations and values of other students, faculty and administrators at the college?"
Mindful of the challenges associated with retaining students, SASS has established a set of retention strategies dedicated to providing a variety of forms of assistance to students to increase their ability to function and thrive within the Evergreen environment. These initiatives increase the opportunity and probability for all students to access support, thereby increasing their sense of integration and congruency within the institution and the likelihood of their ultimate success at Evergreen.
SASS practitioners' actively engage in professional development through participation in key national and statewide organizations. This engagement results in implementing better approaches and strategies to serve Evergreen students in achieving their goals.
Exhibit 3.3 summarizes professional development activities and resulting improvements in services provided by SASS practitioners in the following areas: Academic Advising, Retention, General Education, Civic Engagement, Health and Safety, Student Engagement in Learning, Diversity, Legal Issues, and Budget Management/Regulations. (Link #X—Exhibit 3.3: Professional Development Activities)
Over the past few years special attention has been given to retaining undergraduates with specific emphasis on first-year students through outreach to new students entering the institution. A series of research-based initiatives and best practices have emerged which are directed specifically at increasing levels of student integration and congruency by helping students better understand (a) how the College works; (b) what they as students can expect of the College; (c) what will be expected of them as students; and (d) what support services and resources are available to them at the College.
These objectives are pursued through a series of activities under four broad categories:
- A Comprehensive Orientation Program
- Assistance in the Initial Transition to Evergreen
- Self-Care, Health and Safety
- Diversity and Community
The initiatives and objectives under each of these topics are presented in Exhibit 3.4: Retention Initiatives and Objectives. More detailed descriptions of these activities are provided in the relevant sections of this report.
% (3.D.2) Attention to Needs and Characteristics of Students
In SASS several offices provide intentional and direct support to students in underrepresented and protected classes. These groups include first-generation students, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color. SASS also provides advising support through existing services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and to students who are seeking support for their spiritual development though we have not established designated offices for these services.
The relocation and renovation of the SASS center in the library has made the work of the unit much more visible and accessible. In order to create a welcoming environment there is a student desk with is staffed during operating hours. The design of the center is intentionally laid out to provide students easy access and amenities while maintaining a sense of privacy.
Offices located in the center are Academic Advising, Access Services, Career Development, First People's Advising Services, Keep Enhancing Yourself (KEY) Student Services (TRIO), Upward Bound (TRIO), GEAR UP, and the Dean of Students. Prior to the relocation not all services were housed together and many were in cramped quarters. The design of the center has located adjacent to one another the Career Development Library and the Unity Resources Center, supervised by First People's Advising Services. This co-location provides students of color and low-income students access to resources that can help think about their life's work in a supportive environment. Student workstations are also located throughout the Center, providing students with the opportunity to check e-mail or the Web site and to work on assignments with trained staff available. The center also has several workstations with assistive/adaptive technology equipment for students with disabilities and houses the E-text equipment for students with disabilities.
As the Evening and Weekend Studies Program has grown there has been a great demand for support to students who come "after hours." The center is open five days a week. Monday through Thursday the center is open from 8am to 6pm. The center is open once month on Saturdays to provide support to students enrolled in the Reservation Based Program.
Emphasis over the past years has been on giving students an early start in becoming acclimated to Evergreen. KEY has sharpened the approach to students by creating programs that increase academic success. One example is the Step Up program that was designed as a one-week summer orientation and college readiness program for freshman and transfer students who are first-generation students, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Because of academic need the emphasis of the Step Up program is on understanding the learning environment at Evergreen. Additionally, there is a heavy emphasis on reading as first and fundamental and writing as the critical companion to reading. Students spend several hours a day in workshops and seminars developing and strengthening their abilities to read and write under the direction of the writing center director and a faculty member with a background in writing.
The First People's Scholars program has a similar emphasis, introducing incoming students of color to college life with the aim of developing a strong cohort. Students learn how the curriculum works, are introduced to faculty and staff of color, and explore the surrounding area to identify places which can address such personal needs as food, hair cuts/products, faith communities and local communities of color with whom they can identify.
KEY, First People's Advising Services, and Access Services encourage students to follow their passions regardless of what they may feel or believe are restrictions. Students from these groups are encouraged and supported to apply for internship, study abroad, and scholarship opportunities. These programs encourage students to pursue fields or studies that the students might not have thought of as open to them.
Still new to the Evergreen environment is intercollegiate sports. SASS practitioners work closely with the Associate Director of Athletes to coordinate meetings with coaches; to conduct advising, study crew, and career workshops; and to conduct one-on-one advising sessions so that student athletes select an appropriate program and develop an appropriate academic and career plan in light of a review of their eligibility status. The retention of student athletes is good at Evergreen, but the level of contact between student athletes and the resources of the College was clearly questionable. One retention effort implemented in this past year is the development of a comprehensive academic advising strategy for athletes at Evergreen. More specifically, this initiative addresses the delicate balance between the demands of a full academic program and the demands of a collegiate sport.
SASS practitioners are alert to the issues that create crises and emergencies in students' lives. Students come to the center or are referred by faculty to seek help regarding academic, financial or personal situations. Students are supported during crises by being assigned a case coordinator who can act as a resource person to assist the student in understanding their rights and responsibilities in navigating through the crisis situation. Cultural competencies (for whom?) include anti-oppression training, understanding the cultural of poverty, gender, age, sex, and class discrimination.
Outreach to school districts which have high numbers of low-income and first-generation middle school and high school students is one of the ways we have aligned with the mission of institution to serve our communities. We have done so by administering two pre-college programs--Upward Bound and GEAR UP. Each of these programs serves students in schools with at least 50% of students on reduced or free lunch programs. From these programs the students and their families learn college-going skills; participate in college visits, after school and summer programs; and are given professional staff support and resources to apply to the college of their choice. The work of both of these efforts have transformed school culture and developed cohorts of students committed to going on to postsecondary education.
Another response to our mission is our commitment to and participation in the College Success Foundation Achiever Scholars. The College Success Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fund this group of students. Each institution of higher education in the state of Washington signed an agreement to provide support services to these students. Students are required to meet with a SASS practitioner at least twice a quarter.
For the past nine years Evergreen has been involved in a project called Critical Moments. Critical Moments is an educational tool used both in and outside of the classroom. Critical Moments uses case studies of students who encounter situations from which they will determine if they will leave or stay in college. Over the years, Critical Moments has been used in the classroom and in peer training. Funding from the Hewitt Foundation was received to write case studies specific to Evergreen. These stories have been used with various student groups to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, empathy and deeper understanding of diversity in regards to culture, economics, age, and thought. The key here in terms of retention is that this project allows for students to practice to the fullest extent possible ways they can respond to situations which impact their persistence. First Peoples' advising has provided leadership and a home for this project.
Standard 3.A - Purpose and Organization
Standard 3.B - General Responsibilities
Standard 3.C - Academic Credit and Records
Standard 3.D - Student Services
Standard 3.E - Intercollegiate Athletics
Supporting DocumentationSee Supporting Documentation for Standard Three
- ↑ Kuh, G.D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.H., Whitt, E.J. & Associates (2005). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — High-scoring Steven Stamkos is not alone when it comes to Tampa Bay's offensive attack.
Stamkos scored his fourth goal of the season and five Lightning players had goals in Tampa Bay's 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
"We're doing good things," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "We're not good, yet."
Tampa Bay, which has won five of six to start the year, also got goals from Cory Conacher, Tom Pyatt, Dana Tyrell and Vincent Lecavalier. Stamkos, who led the NHL with 60 goals last season, has 11 points during a season-opening six-game point streak this year.
Peter Mueller and Tomas Fleischmann scored for the Panthers, who have lost five in a row after a season-opening win over Carolina. Florida has been outscored 23-5 during its skid.
"I think our record is fairly accurate of our play the last four games," coach Kevin Dineen said. "I hate to say we deserve to be where we are right now. … It's a matter of us deciding how we're going to deal with it, and we will."
Stamkos put the Lightning up 1-0 on a power-play goal at 11:09 of the first. The man advantage came after Panthers defenseman Keaton Ellerby received two minor penalties, a fighting major and 10-minute misconduct following a fight with Tampa Bay right wing B.J. Crombeen, who had tripped Florida defenseman Ed Jovanovski with his leg. Crombeen was given one minor penalty and a fighting major.
"I've been around long enough, it's something that I take pride in is playing honest," Crombeen said, explaining that the trip was unintentional. "I would, obviously, never do that to someone."
The Panthers tied it just 15 seconds after Stamkos' goal when Mueller scored after Lightning goalie Anders Lindback misplayed the puck behind his net.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 when Conacher, while being held from behind by Florida defenseman Mike Weaver, skated down the slot and beat goalie Jose Theodore with 7:11 left in the first.
Second-period goals by Pyatt and Tyrell extended the Lightning's lead to 4-1. Tyrell stopped a personal 38-game goal drought.
"I don't think we've really played a good game yet," Florida defenseman Filip Kuba said. "It's obviously embarrassing when you lose five straight, but it's not the right time to put our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves. We've got another game coming, and we've got 40-something more left. We've got to quickly figure out what we've got to do to get ready and play better."
After Lecavalier had a power-play goal 14:13 into the third, Fleischmann scored on a short-handed breakaway 18 seconds later. The Lightning have outscored their opposition 14-2 during the third period this season.
"Obviously, right now we're not getting any bounces, but we don't deserve them," Panthers right wing Tomas Kopecky said. "We are not working hard. We are not competing hard enough, and all the 50-50 pucks, the other team is winning and we've got to change it. And it's got to change right now. It's too late right now, actually, so everybody here is fed up."
Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis had an assist. The right wing has nine assists and 12 points overall.
NOTES: Stamkos has a six-game goal streak against the Panthers. … Florida LW Kris Versteeg (groin) played for first time this season. … Conacher, in his rookie season, has at least one point in five of six games this year. … The Panthers recalled C Drew Shore from San Antonio of the AHL.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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I bumped into Michael Dell at All Things D after his interview, and he was nice enough to show me this laptop that he was carrying that he said no one's seen before. It's a small form factor notebook, just like the Asus Eee and the HP 2133. He wouldn't tell me what OS it's running, or the pricing, but that it's a low-cost notebook meant for developing countries, and I hope here. Maybe it's Atom-powered. Who knows? But I do see three USB ports, a card reader, VGA out, Ethernet, and that red candy shell. I couldn't tell how big the screen was before it was tucked away into a black sleeve and ushered from the building, but it's small. Update: Dell just released a pair of shots that add to the sense of scale, but no official name yet.
Vizio's Latest TVs Go All Quantum


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By Clara Moskowitz
The rocky, mostly dry surface of the planet Mercury may once have been roiling with hot magma, a new study based on observations by NASA's Messenger spacecraft suggests.
NASA's Messenger, the first Mercury orbiter, has made its home around the closest planet to the sun since March 2011. From its close-up perch, the probe identified two distinct types of rocks that compose the planet's surface, which scientists were at a loss to explain.
Now, experiments in a lab at MIT suggest Mercury's puzzling surface makeup is most likely explained by a huge ocean of magma that existed shortly after the planet formed about 4.5 billion years ago.
"The thing that's really amazing on Mercury is, this didn't happen yesterday," Timothy Grove, a professor of geology at MIT, said in a statement. "The crust is probably more than 4 billion years old, so this magma ocean is a really ancient feature."
Messenger identified the two rock types using its X-ray spectrometer, which was able to distinguish the chemical composition of materials on the planet's surface. [Latest Photos of Mercury from NASA's Messenger]
Scientists made synthetic rocks in the lab to simulate the two types of material, using finely powdered chemicals to piece together the closest possible matches to what was seen on the planet.
"We just mix these together in the right proportions and we've got a synthetic copy of what's on the surface of Mercury," Grove said.
The researchers then subjected these samples to high temperatures and pressures to re-create the conditions they might have experienced throughout Mercury's evolution.
The analysis pointed to only one possible origin for the two rock types, the researchers said. An early ocean of magma created two layers of crystals, which eventually solidified and then re-melted into magma that was spread onto the surface of Mercury through volcanic eruptions.
The findings help piece together a more complete history for the solar system's tiniest planet.
"We're gradually filling in more blanks, and the story may well change, but this work sets up a framework for thinking about new data," said Larry Nittler, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Nittler led the team that originally identified the two rock types on Mercury, but was not involved in the MIT laboratory study. "It's a very important first step toward going from exciting data to real understanding."
The scientists detailed their findings in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
NASA's Messenger spacecraft (the name is short for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) launched in 2004 on a $446 million mission to study Mercury like never before. The spacecraft completed its primary mission in 2011 and is nearing the end of its first one-year mission extension.
Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
- Planet Mercury: Simple Facts, Tough Quiz
- Spinning Mercury Map From Orbiter Snaps | Video
- Water Ice on Mercury: How It Stays Frozen (Infographic)
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