Outlook; 509; Moose Kids Kitchen

0. 0. 0. 0. 0. You need to really embrace. That yes. It's a job that has to be done. Raise a girl's light be fired. Why I'm not alone in this because otherwise I was appalled. I like out what. Really makes. You. A. Window into the community. This is up to you with your vote. They're really mine. Hello everyone and welcome to Outlook. Anchorage moose in the yard geese in the grass the air in the hills almost sounds like Alaska doesn't it. But is it too much of a good thing. We're going to find out tonight. Hungry children in the city are being fed. We'll take a look at kids kitchen. And one way teens learn what it's really like to be a mommy and a daddy.

First on Outlook. I know we love to tell the relatives of the moose ate our cabbage and we break for the geese but balancing people's safety with animals rights is pretty tricky although I grant you we're struggling to find a way a little more. We both of. You. Coming back with us try to push back and deal with the last thing. These moose were caught roaming around Lake hood by the airport cops. The seven day a week 24 hour a day Animal Control team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Their job is to chase wild animals and birds away from

airports to keep airplanes and passengers safe. Or something like that. First thing. Last week. We had to block the words taking pictures just so that just of the people dog it stalled a steady increase of waterfall and animals in the average area has kept them busier than ever. We don't think that they were. There are very few or no Canada geese nesting in and the Anchorage area until in the late sixties and since then because we've had the increasing number of lawns and. Human made ponds and lakes and stuff. Numbers have been increasing and increasing year by year. At about a 14 or 15 percent rate until now we have between 4 and 5000 Kennedys in Anchorage. And if we just let the population continue to grow which it will in the near term at least in 10 years we'll have 15 to 20 thousand Kennedys in Anchorage at about two pounds of droppings for a day per bird or 8000 pounds per day for

the four thousand Anchorage. That's a lot of stuff to step in and mix with our water. These live about 20 years and always return to the same nesting site. So natural reduction isn't in the cards and unsafe situation for a state so dependent on air travel. All were awakened several years ago by the. Crash of the AWACS plane and 24 people that it was primarily caused by running into a flock of geese at Elmendorf. That's of course happened in many other states and it was just. The biggest thing that ever happened in Alaska as far as the crash moves and there have killed people moose regularly charge skiers and they are pretty bushes and trees. They cause substantial damage to cars and people when both collide. You know as a biologist I'm a man I love animals and just because these cause problems doesn't mean that they're bad and because most cause problems and mean bad I like them here I appreciate here but they can get into trouble especially at airports like Anchorage International with wide open

spaces. Short grass water no predators. Why it's paradise for birds. But wait wasn't that a coyote. Well yes and no. We use coyote effigies just to mimic natural predators out in open areas to discourage the geese especially from landing in those areas. They use a variety of methods we use pyrotechnic devices there are. Pistols and. Shoot of. The launch a pyrotechnic projectile. We use propane cannons that are set up on automatic timers to boom every so often. And those passive methods work for a while. We'll have airports that will call and ask what to do we recommend a propane cannon. And over time a few months later they'll call and say the thing worked great to begin with but now the gulls are sitting out on the can and using it for a purge and

that they'll actually as they hear a click they'll jump up and hover and wait for the thing to bang and then set back down and continue to use it for perch and that is just a result of the fact that they learn over time it's not going to hurt them. And that's the problem. You scare them from one place and they fly to another. So the multiplying population and the increasing safety hazards have caused the community to come to grips with a growing problem. Interestingly enough. About two thirds of the respondents felt that there were too many decent Anchorage. And that was compared to probably two thirds of people saying that they were about the right number of moves and bears for their tastes and even with the problems of their new cars. About half the number of geese here today is about right. According to a survey and a report from the Anchorage water fall working group formed after the tragedy and charged with recommending ways to control the water fall population. One way is to stop people from feeding them.

An ordinance to prohibit water following the Anchorage area is being drafted for assembly approval. People that hate to have more and more laws you know haven't had a lot of people otherwise but we've tried for at least a year to convince people to stop eating and some people have a lot of people still pull up and dump out whole sacks of grain along the roads to feed the problem. So while we like seeing that gaggle of geese as a community we must deal responsibly with the growing numbers to ensure the people population. And our wildlife neighbors live safely together

for years to come. Rick Senate a biologist with the Alaska State Department of Fish and Game is with me today and he was late for the interview because you had an emergency bear call and you went out to Rainbow tell me a little bit about it. Well unfortunately we had the first bear first black bear shot in town out at rainbow yesterday and it was. I have to say it was a bear that kind of had it coming to him because he was getting to the point where he was actually tearing into houses. And you know one house anyway and causing damage so that the community of rainbow is probably the most tolerant community in Alaska of bears and they've really bent over backwards for the last few years to to try to live with bears but this one bear had just kind of pushed away to foreign and they became concerned and had to shoot this one bear. Bears are dangerous though and they are in the Egret area and they are roaming around I had one in my yard. What should we do to make sure that we're not. Just seeing them as cute and cuddly right when any large wild animal is dangerous in the sense that it's not tame it doesn't recognise

people as something you know really respect and it's not that they're out to get us but they're just a wild animal and so you have to treat them with respect. For example you don't want to you know some people have to try to entice them into their houses or have their heads come in the we've got to be kidding me. You know I think I have some pictures of this and it's it's only a matter of time before someone gets killed by feeding a moose or trying to feed a bear or something like that. Dumb things people do with the wild critters. All right Rick I asked you to come because I wanted an update on some of the things we saw in the video. Number one how about the geese. I just stepped in a pile of poop the other day and it really I mean it was should have been there. What's happening with those numbers we're not sure where they are right now because their first count was a real good one the spring was windy conditions we couldn't really get a lot of discounted. But in July when the geese are flightless on the lakes we get a good count don't know where we are as far as what we were at last year the last couple weeks we've been out collecting goose eggs using a bunch of volunteers primarily and we've collected I think a little over 300 eggs this year. OK but people should go and

collect eggs on their own. Oh no no this is strictly under permit and we've got to be there to supervise and stuff like that so and that's all done with. Right now we know because the geese have reached the stage where their eggs are getting a little chewy. The fetuses are big enough so they weigh those eggs that you collected. We donate them to the Alaska native elders programs here and they just think this is the best. Government program that was ever invented. They were like those they are still speaking of geese we also said in the video that there was something going to the assembly to say people shouldn't think that was an ordinance it was drafted by the City Attorney John Richard last year. And given to I think Bill at the time it was just never introduced so we're still kind of weapon here that is not a good idea do you think. Well you know I'm not a big fan of having more and more laws as you said in the video but I hope I'm reading you're very consistent but sometimes educational programs don't work and we don't think that we've kind of reached an upper limit on what we can teach people through things like this and flyers and stuff and we're going to be putting out signs of spring saying certain places saying Don't feed the

geese and that might help a little bit. But there are some people that are just in corrigible and. Actually what they're doing right now is they're feeding the geese on the roads or by the roads and these geese are getting hit by cars that are alarming rate we've had something like 23 killed by cars already this year in town and a lot is because people are feeding them right by the roads and stuff and we just don't think it's a good idea and if it has if it takes a lot to make people stop doing that then so be it. Another thing that we do to keep the critters you know close and I feel like we're in Alaska able feed birds for a lot of reasons and I guess it's they think they're helping them but also it's a kind of a tender hearted thing where you also you think that you can get these clothes and you can watch them and it's just not a good idea with these are wild animals and especially and they can cause problems with cars and stuff. All right. They were talking about a hunt. Where are we with that. Well the the border game actually passed. They they said they made it legal to have a muzzle loader or a shotgun with slugs in portions of

it you've got state park up above the hillside in Campbell creek. The hang up right now if you can call it that is Parks has a regulation that says no discharge of firearms in that part of the park in the Camel creek up or chemically Valley. So right now they're trying to figure out what they're going to do with that regulation and it's a public process just like the board game where they've got to get some public comments and find out what the public wants and say yes you can discharge a firearm or no you can't still it's the good and bad of shooting a moose. I mean getting there lots of them in here and some of the and the browser's going I mean there it's down to the nubbins and in our area it's hard to summarize in just a few minutes but really from a biological perspective we have too many moves. They've they've they're destroying their winter food supply to the point where a lot of the plants they would normally eat are just disappearing they're dying off and so they're being replaced by alders and plants that the really don't like to eat and don't often eat except when they're basic on the last leg. So you've got that problem. We already have plants in the

Anchorage area we have one for Richardson and one son Elmendorf Air Force Base and those go very smoothly. But it's because they're not in parks and they're strictly regulated and stuff like that so you get a place in the park where you have in the park actually and to get state park back Beyond the Front Range. But you get this front rage thing. The front range where the lot of people mixing in with honors and stuff and the concerns are that. Safety concerns and not just not upsetting a whole bunch of people and so we're trying to balance all those things. But the board game said it was OK to have that and now we're just kind of working on the details of is it going to be illegal to discharge a firearm. Finally we don't have a lot of time but if somebody does have a bear in the yard somebody does have a moose that's causing some problems what should they do. The first thing is find out why the bear is there and you don't have to ask the bear. Look around your house. Do you have a bird feeder still hanging out with bird seed in it. It's a great idea to feed birds little birds in the wintertime because they mean you need the food but feeding in the summer is a bad idea if you have bears because the bears eat everything that the birds do. They love sunflower seeds. It's a love

peanut butter. So it all that stuff. So what you're doing is attracting bears to your yard into your deck and some people might think that's cute until your neighbor who has two year old kids says I don't want that bear in my neighborhood because it's a possible danger. You know if you have a 200 pound dog in your neighborhood that doesn't belong to anybody that's kind of gruff and unruly then you'd be worried about that if you had small kids and same thing with a black bear I mean I don't expect him to be stalking people very often but they're just a dangerous animal they can be. So you don't attract birds to your two yards put the garbage away put the bird seed away. If you do have a bear in your yard. You can call Fish and Game if you want to. If a bird acting aggressively you certainly need to call Fish and Game because we want to know about it because we have to do something. And I guess that's my best advice at this point. Thanks Rick good advice. Thanks for being with us. I'll get some of that. If you need the help of Fish and Game. Call them at this number.

Since Elgin Jones started Kids kitchens several years ago he and many volunteers have served more than 13000 meals to hungry children in our city. Today they are part of beans cafe there is some paid staff but they keep that healthy and nutritious food a common. Dawn Roberts is fixing dinner for his son Karim age seven and about 30 more children. He does this almost every day as a volunteer with kids Pichon at the Fairview recreation center. He's getting the chicken rice and green beans ready for the kids who are still of the camp fire afterschool program. First up. Let's. See. It. The currency coming from one. More chance to live and you.

Know as little. AS. I know they have. Some. Respect. And this will. Just. Do you know. If they. Stay. Home. And then when they get to do it live and think if. They can. Think you. Must do it when it first come here. Thank you. It. Just. Stinks. So. It's not. Like the way it. Was.

And you hear the stomachs growling. Dinner is almost ready at kid's kitchen. The table is set and founder Elgin Jones has brought the chicken. Each school day between 20 and 60 kids at Fairview alone and about the same in Mountain View eat a warm nutritious meal thanks to him and volunteers. Kids Kitchen was a result of a dream I had last summer in 1996. When the drain when I was. Told to pay to children. And I woke up crying. The kids we have four adults. Who are hungry are but there's nothing for children in the state. God is Good Guys great. Let us thank him for that. Why there is no requirement there is no we don't feed needy kids we just feed kids who need to eat. And kids

come in and allow them parents are working some of the parents have a problem with the. Substances and alcohol and some are just babies who had babies who don't know how to prepare food and we make sure that they eat that what we do with that chicken we take the skin off as you can tell but the kids till they get used to eating just and they are not so much bad they need that like broccoli Brussels sprouts and green beans till they can grow. I believe that the kids do have a better diet that they'll do better in school. Were. Kids going to school. They call to. Just get. A good. Nourishing meal. If I was a new kid learn to appreciate. The. Details full. Price. List You Don't. Want to.

See. How that second. Let me just thank me. You ate everything. You ate everything to what it is that. They can do. I think it's hungry. Yes. They are because just the day it will come back the second. No matter what I. Came back the second day. And I got sick of everything. From Camembert you know. Second. The day they came back right. Here or other quick fixes. Like Grandma might have made it. And at this time the program is run by volunteers including Belgians who remembered in this busy complex world. Kids can be forgotten in no matter what to learn.

And. If you want to contribute money food or to call Kids Kitchen at 2 7 4 9 5 9 5. Coming up a pretend baby wake up would be moms and dads. That's next on our. Employees. But it's and that's why to help you make sense of it all is easy. The challenge is determining. Us. My guest today Joy's guest is with a maternity outpatient program for Booth memorial home. And part of her job is to help young people understand the

responsibilities of being a parent. And these little guys help her do it. Hi Joyce. Hi Beverly tell us a little bit about these cute little guys. I mean these are not for real. Who are they and what are their names and how does this help you work with teenagers and help them really do a reality check before they become parents. Well the corporation that makes these babies is called Baby think it over you know paraded so. Just the name alone. You know it gets you thinking when do I want a baby. And with the teens that we work with. It gets them to understand the predictable the Malians and the attention that a baby. Make it in the hopes of seeing how time consuming it is because what they're doing is they're taking these babies around with them for 24 hours and they're heavy.

I mean they're having this really I mean this you know feels like a baby. Do they cry I do they do all the other there's a baby's due and of it yes they do cry and that's you know that's done with a recorder right in the back. OK OK. And you can see your heart right and what was it that would have caused that that baby to call with this baby. That baby's neck if that they do is neck goes back OK and then if it goes now when mine cries if there's something out of date if you're placed the baby on the stomach at all. All right it's not the recommended method but the neat thing Beverly is what it does it has a recorder in the back in this box and it will magically go off at unpredictable times and when that happens the team needs to take care of the baby and they do that by placing a key in the back right here. OK and then what. When I say Place a key that's

what attends the baby. And they're paying attention to the baby and that could be anywhere from five to 35 minutes. They have to pay attention to that baby that is a reality check because one of the problems in being a parent is crying trying children where you just don't know what to do. You've done everything you think but they're still crying. What now how do you do the teens take them for a certain period of time. Do they are they required to attend them 24 hours a day. How does it work. Well the teens that are in the program at Booth Memorial Home do have them for a 48 hour period minimum. Some of them want to keep them for a whole week five days. OK and that's just. Just depends on the teen and yeah they they will get woken up in the middle of the night. We'll have to change the baby's diapers any time they go on an outing. They'll have to take the baby outside out the baby. Use it infant car carrier so it does take a lot of time in needs and I think the crying one is a

challenging one for a lot of them that it is expressions on their face that darn baby crying again and oh my gosh you know and then they have to run to it immediately. So it's not like playing with dolls now because well what also is in the back right here is a little recorder back here will tell you whether the baby has been neglected or thrown around. OK so that's something that you can monitor where he comes back and you're able to talk and what kind of response do you get from the kids as it was and girls by the way how are boys and girls. Especially teens said don't have any children right now. I don't want to have a kids for a long time. I'm not ready. So it does work. I haven't done a long term studies but just watching they're watching what they their behavior when the baby's crying and just some of the comments afterwards. You know moms and dads who are at home who may have a teen that

they would like to test this on is that something that they can do through you. Is this is this baby up for adoption so to speak. Well we have very limited amount of babies to do that with. We'd like to have more carpool corporate sponsors to sponsor babies so we can get them out into the community but we have loaned them to foster families. And that of the schools. And so you're concerned with if you're not on them. Yeah it's a liability because these babies cost anywhere from two hundred fifty dollars three hundred dollars. That's that's pretty costly. But they also work from what I'm hearing just a do you know has there been a decrease in in pregnancy rates or pregnancy rates necessarily but teens becoming moms in a way that Alaska yes. OK. So whatever is being done at least people are taking young people are taking a second look at it. And it's not just the babies but there

are some of the teens who are mothers are talking with schools and and with kids in school and telling them about their experiences so it's not. Something that is just you know that it's so much fun to do. They feel that it's going to be neat to take this baby around carried around it towards the end. Their thoughts their thoughts really do change and I can see their reactions on their face and some of their behavioral changes. Well this is an awfully cute little fella. And if it's going to help a young person really make a good decision in their life it's certainly worth $250. So I guess you're asking folks out there who may belong to a service organization or a corporation or whatever to sponsor a few more of these so they can be loaned out to families whose whose kids may need to have this kind of reality check right. Yeah thinking of Lee Joyce thanks for being here. Take good care of these guys feed them and then diaper them and and all that good stuff

with home needs help purchasing more of these baby Think it over is for public use. So if your organization or family cares to donate call Joyce guessed at 2 7 9 0 5 2 2. Coming up on out like the other scientists battle in head to head competition to represent Alaska in the ocean sciences Bowl. And if your children have no health insurance Denali kid care may be what you need. That's next week on Outlook. Well that's our show tonight. And thank you very much for coming. Hope you're with us next week for Outlook. I'm Beverly Michaels good night. If you have questions or comments or would like a copy of tonight's program call a PM the area code 9 0 7 5 6 3 7 0 7 0. Or write us out. Outlaw KKR Channel Seven thirty eight seventy seven University Drive language Alaska 9 9 5 0 8. Or

email us at this address.