TO COUV OR NOT TO COUV

EMMERT

We all talk about one day leaving our hometown, for most we get bored with the routine of life everyday and for some we plan on starting our lives somewhere else right after high school. Vancouver, WA is about a 10 minute drive from Portland, straight across the river. Teenagers and college students always have this dream that they will leave the ‘Couve and never look back. I’ve lived my life as one of Vancouver’s 164,759 people, but Read more →

RUN CHEETAH RUN

EMMERT

You are driving on a freeway; you glance over and see a cheetah passing by. You think to yourself, “is this real life?” Yes, yes it is. The cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth. It can move up to speeds of 60-70 mph in a matter of 3 seconds. Most cars can’t even achieve this speed so quick. As you can see cheetahs are pretty incredible animals and you should consider yourself lucky if you ever get the opportunity to see a cheetah run.
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I was fortunate to be able to see this incredible animal while I was visiting my family in San Diego, California. At the Safari Animal Park Zoo they have a cheetah chase after a toy for 100 meters. The Olympic runners run 100 meters in 11-12 seconds which is a pace of 15 mph which may sound fast, but compared to a cheetah; it’s not. The day I was there the cheetah ran 100 meters in 5.3 seconds. If you ever go to San Diego I would highly recommend going to the Safari Zoo because you can see the animals in their natural habits instead of a cage and you can interact with some of the animals.

The way a cheetah is built helps them achieve these amazingly fast speeds. “The cheetahs’ ability to run starts with their flexible spine,” says Safari Animal Park, “this allows their front legs to stretch far forward on each stride.” Cheetahs’ claws are likes cleats which gives them very good traction, and their tail helps them steer when running which allows them to make sharp turns when going after prey.

-Writing, photography, and video by Sierra Lake

*For an AWESOME slow-mo video of a cheetah racing through the night, Read more →

POLK COUNTY AVIANS

EMMERT

Lakeland, a town situated an hour’s drive from Orlando, Florida is home to more than three hundred individual bird species. While these photos were taken on a wildlife reserve, all of Polk County’s sprawling marshlands are a natural home for the legions of birds that fly our nation’s Southeast.

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By LeeAnne Klagge