NEW MEXICO
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a flapping, feathery, fluttering … drone? If you happen to have a surplus of dead birds on hand, take heart: Those wings and feathers can be repurposed into useful airborne science experiments. The Washington Post reports that Mostafa Hassanalian, an engineering professor at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, has taken upcycling to new heights, literally: Hassanalian researches the kinetics of bird drones during flight, with the goal of optimizing aviation technology. And that’s where all the taxidermied birds come in: He attaches their wings, feathers and heads to something he calls ornithopters — which are not the long-lost cousins of velociraptors, but rather “small machines with mechanical wings that flap like those of birds and insects.” He’s tested pigeon, crow and even hummingbird wings for their endurance and speed with hopes that his research “can create a revolution in the aviation industry” — though we can’t help but worry that bird drones could also be used for surveillance, giving a sinister new meaning to the phrase “a bird’s-eye view.”
MONTANA
A freight train full of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer derailed just outside the aptly named town of Paradise, directly across from Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort — and 25 rail cars carrying multiple cases of brew tumbled into the Clark Fork River. Talk about “bottoms up!” Hungry Horse News reported that the incident “brought back memories” of a similar calamity some 20 years ago, when Montana Rail Link jumped the track between Paradise and Plains; aside from liquid asphalt and corn syrup, the train was also carrying about 8,000 12-packs of Coors. Though the more recent derailment also involved a tank car carrying butane, a type of liquefied petroleum gas, no serious damage was done. Obviously, Bacchus and the other Beer Gods are smiling on Montana.
IDAHO
Back in January, coyotes on the Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort started “exhibiting highly unusual behavior” on the slopes, even chasing after skiers, according to USA Today. One woman was bitten, prompting Idaho Department of Fish and Game to warn the public that “patrons should be on guard and contact the agency if they spot coyotes,” even if the coyotes claim to have legitimate ski passes. The usually shy nocturnal canines have even been seen prowling downtown Sandpoint in broad daylight, which the Department of Fish and Game said is “extremely rare activity.” Asked for comment about what was up with the coyotes, a Road Runner spokesbird simply shrugged and said, “Beep-beep.”
WASHINGTON
The Walla Walla, part of the Washington State Ferries fleet, experienced technical difficulties during its regular Saturday night route to Seattle from Bremerton. Fortunately, none of the 596 passengers got hurt and everyone was safely offloaded, along with, eventually, their cars. Seattle Met writer Haley Shapley and her cat, Kai, who were also aboard, published a timeline of events. “4:20 to 4:22 p.m.: … lights on the ferry flicker. There’s an ominous feeling in the air … A message crackles over the loudspeaker: ‘We’ve lost steering and propulsion. Brace for impact.’
“4:36 p.m.: We run aground.
“4:37 p.m.: I text: ‘Okay we’re okay. We crashed into the shore, but it was very soft.’”
Shapley described the fiasco with good humor. Life jackets were retrieved and donned: “kids are crying, babies are screaming, and one guy is 100 percent sure he’s still making it to the Mariners game tonight. … There’s a sea of orange and confusion.
“5:10 p.m.: We’re asked to raise our hands and not lower them until we’ve been counted. There are almost 600 of us. My arm falls asleep three times before I’m counted.” Not everyone cooperated, though: Kai — adhering to the Cat Code of Conduct — refused to raise his paw.
WASHINGTON
Good news: Tokitae, also known as Lolita, the oldest killer whale in captivity, will return to her Salish Sea home waters after being held in Miami’s Seaquarium since the early 1970s, when she was taken from her pod. KIRO7 contacted the Lummi Nation for a statement: Tokitae “has a strong relationship with our homeland and all the natural resources therein. We are happy to hear that our relative, Sk’aliCh’elh’tenaut (Tokitae), will have the opportunity to return home. She represents the story of all Native peoples that have experienced genocide and the bad policies that have been put in place to ‘kill the Indian and save the man.’ But more importantly, she represents our resilience and strength and our need for healing.”
Tiffany Midge is a citizen of the Standing Rock Nation and was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. Her book, Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s (Bison Books, 2019), was a Washington State Book Award nominee. She resides in north-central Idaho near the Columbia River Plateau, homeland of the Nimiipuu.
Tips of Western oddities are appreciated and often shared in this column. Write heard@hcn.org, or submit a letter to the editor.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Ferry felines, ornithopters and Tokitae going home at last!.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
