Sunday, February 02, 2020

"Good Night, Moon"

Waxing gibbous

8.1 day old moon

57.8 percent lit

I told you this daytime moon stuff would become a hot topic. Make my dream come true. Awesome!

DAYTIME MOON TO ECLIPSE MARS (click here)

January 31, 2020
By Curtis Roelle

This month the continental United States (click here) will be treated to an eclipse. Is it a lunar eclipse or a solar eclipse? Neither one.

On the morning of Feb. 18, the moon will eclipse the planet Mars in broad daylight for the East Coast beginning about a half hour after sunrise.

Weather permitting that morning, around the start of nautical twilight at 6 a.m. you will observe the waning crescent moon well placed in the southeast sky. Nearby, and to the moon’s lower left will be the planet Mars, only one lunar diameter away.

To the naked eye the dazzling moon, shining some 30,000 times brighter than Mars, can make Mars difficult to discern. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will help make Mars stand out better....
The people of the USA are ready for real leadership when it comes to the climate crisis. Please don't let them down.



It is not unusual for a black bear to rest in a tree. Never treat them as pets, they are not. They are wild animals that observe people no different than we observe them. Do not approach a bear or cubs. If a female bear believes her cubs are in danger she may attack.

Black bears have short, non-retractable claws that give them an excellent tree-climbing ability.

Black bear fur is usually a uniform color except for a brown muzzle and light markings that sometimes appear on their chests. Eastern populations are usually black in color while western populations often show brown, cinnamon, and blond coloration in addition to black. Black bears with white-bluish fur are known as Kermode (glacier) bears and these unique color phases are only found in coastal British Columbia, Canada.

Black Bear (click here)

Height: About 3 feet at the shoulder and 5–7 feet tall when standing upright
Weight: Ranges from 100 to 600 pounds depending on age, sex, and season
Average Life Span: 15–25 years
Did You Know? Despite their name, black bears can be black, cinnamon, blonde, blue/gray, or even white!

American black bears (Ursus americanus) are the most common and widely distributed species of bears in North America. They can be found anywhere from forested areas to the beach to the alpine zone.

While bears of the same species might look similar, everything from their size, coloring, diet, and sleeping patterns depend on the bear and its location. For example, a bear’s diet varies depending on what foods are available during a specific season in a specific region. The home range for an adult black bear can vary depending on the location, season, and food availability.

Let’s take a look at two different black bears, one in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and another in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve to see how they differ in diet, winter denning, and life cycle. For more information about bears and bear behavior in a specific national park, please contact that park.

Black bears will eat almost anything. They are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. Their curved claws help them climb trees to search for food, but they cannot dig for food as well as a brown bear. Black bears are very smart and can identify food not only by smell but also by appearance. Bears who have been fed human food will begin to associate campsites, bags, garbage cans, and even cars with food. These food-conditioned bears can become dangerous. So please remember: Don’t let bears get your food or garbage! Help keep them wild by following these tips on food storage and bear safety.

Storing Food 

Bears learn quickly and will return to areas where they find food. Not only can this be dangerous for people, but it is also harmful to bears....

Kindly be sensitive to habitat. Healthy bear habitat will serve them well and they won't be tempted to wander into places where people live. Once they experience a human food source it may be necessary to capture the bear and return it to the wild at a distance. 

Please understand when it comes to wildlife there is no eliminating them completely. There will always be wild animals that travel the North American continent.

Bears, like most wildlife, didn't draw the gerrymandered congressional district that one lives in, so don't expect them to understand boundaries. The wildlife rangers or officers know what to do with wayward bears and will provide any advise and/or intervention if needed.

Bears are wonderful to watch at a distance. The Black Bears usually are calmer then the Brown Bear. The White Bears that are only white in color are black bears. They are called "Spirit Bears" in western Canada.

From Wisconsin:

February 2, 2020
By John Skoug

When climate change appears in the news, (click here) it often seems there’s an impassable breach in attitudes toward it; readers may be surprised to learn that a recent report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication indicates 59% of registered voters believe climate change is caused by mostly human activities, and this sentiment is growing rapidly among Democrats and Republicans. Americans increasingly want action to address climate change.

The Eau Claire city and county governments — like scores across the country — are exhibiting vision and leadership on behalf of their citizens by adopting resolutions to address climate change. They have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, an important milestone that will mitigate the most serious effects of climate change. As reported by this newspaper on Dec. 29, a plan will be submitted for review by the city’s sustainability advisory committee, then a public hearing will occur before a vote by the City Council, all of which could be completed by March. An important partner in meeting these ambitious goals, Xcel Energy, has also pledged carbon neutrality by 2050....

I would encourage all the Democratic candidates to meet with a town or country's sustainability committee to understand their plans and how they plan to achieve their goals. If the federal authorities understand the efforts of it's citizens there is a lot that can be accomplished at the federal level.

The gray tree frog's (click here) range covers much of the eastern United States, from northern Florida to central Texas and north to parts of southeastern Canada. It is a largely arboreal species that occupies a variety of wooded habitats and is frequently found in forests, swamps, on agricultural lands and in backyards.
Access to trees and a water source is common to all habitats it occupies. When a gray tree frog is young and newly metamorphosed, it usually remains near the forest floor. As it ages, it may transition to living in the forest canopy.

Adult male gray tree frogs are around 1.25-2 inches (32-52 millimeters) in length. Females are typically slightly larger than males, ranging from 1.5-2.25 inches (38-60 millimeters) in length.

Males emit a loud, musical call, usually after dusk, for as long as four hours. The male uses the call to establish a breeding territory and to find a mate.

Gray tree frogs are a nocturnal species. They hide in tree holes, under bark, in rotten logs, under leaves and under tree roots when inactive. At night, they search for insects in trees, where they can climb vertically or move horizontally with specially adapted toe pads.

There are other frogs in New York:


Eastern Spadefoot
Eastern American Toad
Fowler's Toad
Northern Cricket Frog (Threatened)
Northern Gray Treefrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Spring Peeper
Upland Chorus Frog
Western Chorus Frog
Bullfrog
Green Frog
Mink Frog
Wood Frog
Northern Leopard Frog
Southern Leopard Frog (Special Concern)
Pickerel Frog
February 1, 2020
By Danielle Gehr

Blair Frank led a group chant, "One global family," as climate change activists filled up Locust Street between 5th and 4th avenues Saturday around noon.

Hundreds of climate activists (click here) filled portions of downtown Des Moines on Saturday to address what they believe is a lack of media coverage of climate issues.

The "Climate Crisis Parade" began on Locust Street between Fifth and Fourth avenues, just outside the building that houses the Des Moines Register.

Before marching through the street, some of the participants stood in the road and addressed the crowd with a sense of urgency, saying the media has failed to cover global warming and its effects. Seventy groups sponsored the event Saturday and about 400 people marched through downtown to the Iowa Events Center.


January 29, 2020
By Rebecca Beitsch


Iowa (click here) and other Midwestern states are seeing more weather extremes this summer, with many areas experiencing heavy rains that cause flash flooding followed by long periods of heat with no rain....
...Climate change was rated as the second most important issue in Iowa (click here) ahead of the caucuses, according to polling by the Des Moines Register, which showed 90 percent of respondents calling it “extremely important” or “important,” second only to health care.

That marks a change, according to Lehman, who said candidates previously had been “much more reluctant to engage farmers on this for fear of a backlash.”

What’s changed is that farmers are increasingly raising climate change as a threat to their livelihoods — and seeking measures to address it....

North Atlantic (click here)

In central and western areas, populations have recovered to perhaps pre-whaling levels and number over 12,000 animals.  Less is known about the abundance in eastern regions but almost 5,000 animals are estimated in the Norwegian and Barents Seas.  They have been increasing off West Greenland.  They are vulnerable to entanglement.


An average-sized humpback whale will eat 4,400-5,500 pounds (2000-2500 kg) of plankton, krill and small, schooling fish each day during the feeding season in cold waters (about 120 days). They eat twice a day. They eat tiny crustaceans (krill - mainly Euphausia superba, copepods, etc.), plankton (ALGAEBACTERIAPROTOZOANSCRUSTACEANSMOLLUSKS, and COELENTERATES) and small fish (including herring, mackerel, capelin, and sandeel) from the water.

Central America DPS, Western North Pacific DPS
ESA ENDANGERED - FOREIGN
Arabian Sea DPS, Cape Verde Islands/Northwest Africa DPS
ESA THREATENED
Mexico DPS
CITES APPENDIX I
Throughout Its Range
MMPA PROTECTED
Throughout Its Range
MMPA DEPLETED
Western North Pacific stock, Central North Pacific stock, California/Oregon/Washington stock

Map showing locations of the 14 distinct population segments of humpback whales worldwide.
WEIGHT - Up to 40 tons

Lifespan - About 80 to 90 years

LENGTH - Up to 60 feet

THREATS - Entanglement in fishing gear, Vessel strikes, Vessel-based harassment

REGION - Alaska, New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, West Coast, Foreign

Before a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, (click here) all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, some by more than 95 percent. The species is increasing in abundance in much of its range, but faces threats from entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, vessel-based harassment, underwater noise, and habitat impacts.
Humpback whales live in oceans around the world. They travel incredible distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet. Some populations swim 5,000 miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder, productive feeding grounds. Humpback whales feed on krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) and small fishes by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates.
The humpback whale takes its common name from the distinctive hump on its back. Its long pectoral fins inspired its scientific name, Megaptera, which means “big-winged.” Humpback whales are a favorite of whale watchers―they are often active at the water surface, for example, jumping out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.
NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to the conservation of humpback whales. Our scientists and partners use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue/disentangle humpback whales. We also work with our partners to ensure that regulations and management plans are in place to reduce entanglement in fishing gear, create safer shipping lanes, and protect habitats....
A departure from the forest to the sea where some of my favorite mammals live, the baleen whales.

3 June 2019
By Oliver Milman

For most New Yorkers, (click here) wildlife spotting is confined to squirrels, the odd raccoon and anguished encounters with rats. But in the waters surrounding the city a very different animal experience is quietly booming: sightings of whales.

A total of 272 whales were spotted in New York City waters last year, according to the citizen science group Gotham Whale. That is an extraordinary leap from 2011, when just five of the huge cetaceans were witnessed frolicking near the most populated urban area in the US....


August 10, 2019
By Eric Spitznagel

Paul Sieswerda (click here) was supposed to be retired by now. The 77-year-old, who has worked as a curator for the New England and New York aquariums since the late 1960s, was ready to call it quits in 2009.

“But then the humpback whales started showing up,” he says.

For at least a century, humpback whales hadn’t been seen near our shores. But in 2010, several boaters swore to Sieswerda that they’d spotted the 66,000-pound beasts gliding past the five boroughs.

One year later, Sieswerda launched Gotham Whales, a nonprofit that conducts sightseeing tours and also collects data on Atlantic whales. In 2011, just five humpbacks were identified in the waters off New York City. Last year, that number jumped to 209.

“So far this year, we’ve seen 268 whales,” says Sieswerda, a Boston native who lives on Staten Island. “And we’re barely into August.”...
February 1, 2020
By Patrick Reilly

Miller Creek

This winter has been a mild one (click here) — especially by Denny Anderson’s standards.

“I’ve seen it 43 degrees below zero” he recalled, walking the 220-acre ranch above Missoula where he’s lived for 54 years. When he moved here, he remembered on a sunny morning last week, winters would bring at least three solid weeks at 20 degrees below.

Those fierce cold spells are gone. So are the snowdrifts that would cover Miller Creek each year, and his ability to predict, reliably, when the soil would be just right for planting hay, grass, oats, and alfalfa in the spring. “It’s patchy” now, he said. “Some years it’s real moist, some years it’s bone dry. I really believe that’s due to climate change. Nothing is standard anymore.”

As Anderson reflects on these changes, Missoula is bracing for a warmer climate in decades to come. The Climate Ready Missoula plan currently being drafted by the city, county and Climate Smart Missoula lists 29 climate change-adaptation goals for the area, and 67 strategies to reach them — all to get Missoula County ready for a temperature increase of 5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century.

But climate change isn’t just a future trend; it's a current reality. Earlier this month, NASA scientists announced the past decade was the warmest on record. And according to the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, Northwest Montana’s average annual temperatures increased by .39 degrees Fahrenheit every decade between 1950 and 2015 — from just under 40 degrees in 1950 to just under 42 in 2015....

From Dave Eggers (click here):




New York State has many mammals that live in their forests, in edge forests and in urban areas.

The long-tailed weasel has a small head with long whiskers, a long body and neck and short legs. Its tail has a black tip. It has brown fur on the upper part of its body and white to yellow fur on its undersides. In the northern parts of its range, it turns white in the winter.

The long-tailed weasel is found in most of the United States, including New York State, except for parts of southeast California and Nevada and most of Arizona.It is also found in Canada, Mexico, and central and South America.

The long-tailed weasel lives in a wide-variety of habitats including woodlands, thickets, open areas and farmland. It usually lives near a water source.

A carnivore that eats 40 percent of it's body weight everyday due to a high metabolism rate. Most of its diet is made up of small mammals like mice, voles, rabbits, gophers and chipmunks. It will occasionally eat birds and insects. It crushes its prey's skull with its canines. It uses scent and sound to track its prey. Its long, thin body makes it easy for it to follow prey into burrows.

The long-tailed weasel mates in the summer, but the fertilized eggs don't begin to develop until about 27 days before the babies are born. The female gives birth in the spring. Most litters have between 4-8 young. The babies are born blind with a light covering of fur. Their eyes open and they are weaned when they are about 36 days old. The female brings them food when they are weaned and later takes them hunting. The babies leave their mother when they are between seven and eight weeks old.

The information is from "NatureWorks." (click here)
It is Sunday Afternoon

3rd Bass "Pop Goes The Weasel" (click here for an article about the artist - thank you)

Pop Goes the Weasel - Author Unknown

'Round and 'round the cobbler's bench
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread
A penny for a needle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

A half a pound of tupenny rice,
A half a pound of treacle.
Mix it up and make it nice,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

Up and down the London road,
In and out of the Eagle,
That's the way the money goes,
Pop! Goes the weasel.

I've no time to plead and pine,
I've no time to wheedle,
Kiss me quick and then I'm gone
Pop! Goes the weasel.
Americans need to be cautious about the coronavirus. It is not just China and the Philippines that has been effected. The idea that all possible carriers are quarantined in the USA is a “Duck and Cover” illusion. There has been a case in New York City. My best guess is a traveler from China that did not want to be quarantined came through Europe.

Any international city should be on alert. By international I mean a city with significant transportation that is usually one of the first places foreign arrivals experience Americans. NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, etc.

The symptoms are somewhat vague in the first nine days. The first signs are cold - flu like - sore throat. Within the first five days the impact is mild. By the 5th day a person will feel quite ill and more like a stomach virus. The ninth day is when the pneumonia shows up. 

If anyone is feeling ill no matter the symptoms take it very seriously and see a doctor or go to a health clinic. This is survivable but it needs medical treatment.
February 2, 2020
By Craig Thompson

N.H. Farmers in 8 counties Eligible for Emergency Loans For Extreme Cold, Temperature Fluctuations (click here)

‘If you don’t know where you’re going any road will do,” (click here) observed Lewis Carroll. He may well have been describing New Hampshire’s efforts to tackle climate change.
This reality was brought home to me last year when a constituent asked me to explain the House Democrats’ overarching plan to combat the climate crisis. I’ll admit here what I had to tell him: I don’t think we have one. Nor do we seem to as a state.
A decade or so ago, then-Gov. John Lynch commissioned a Climate Action Plan. It yielded some good research and solid ideas. And then was put on a shelf and largely forgotten, the lessons it offered never incorporated into law.
Since then, the Legislature has adopted a piecemeal approach to climate change. We’ve grappled with, and continue to grapple with, net metering and RGGI funds, offshore wind and vehicle emissions, and a whole host of other ideas often supported by the hard work of advocacy groups like 350NH. But at no point have we clearly spelled out where we want to go and how we’re going to get there.
That could change with House Bill 1664, the only bill this session to codify into law specific carbon emissions reductions – an essential step in combating the climate crisis.
The bill starts by setting goals for reducing those emissions – to 20% below 1990 levels by 2025, 50% by 2035 and 80% by 2050. This final number is what the world’s best climate scientists agree we have to hit to avoid the worst impacts of climate change....
...According to one study, mitigating climate change could be worth $26 trillion in economic growth in just the next 10 years.
You know, they say all politics is local. And I’m inclined to believe it’s also personal – and for me, a farmer and a legislator – the climate crisis is very real. Currently, farms in eight New Hampshire counties are eligible for emergency disaster relief from the USDA because of extreme temperature variations last winter.
Remember that 63-degree day we had a week or two ago? That type of weather on our farm last year had terrible results: We lost a 5-acre hay field and our raspberry and blueberry crops were a fraction of what they should have been.
Usually, summer on our farm means folks showing up for pick-your-own berries, but in 2019 we didn’t even open our rows of berries to the public because there just weren’t enough for them to pick. And our bottom line took a beating....