The Perseids are Coming

Earth is entering a stream of dusty debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, the source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Although the shower won't peak until August 11th and 12th, the show is already getting underway. For sky watchers in North America, the watch begins after nightfall on August 11th and continues until sunrise on the 12th. Veteran observers suggest the following strategy: Unfold a blanket on a flat patch of ground. Lie down and look up. Perseids can appear in any part of the sky, their tails all pointing back to the shower's radiant in the constellation Perseus. Get away from city lights if you can.
Full story at Science at NASA:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/31jul_perseids2009.htm?list137366

UPDATE- Space Weather News for Aug. 4, 2009
http://spaceweather.com/

POSSIBLE PERSEID METEOR OUTBURST: This year's Perseid meteor shower could be even better than usual. According to NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, a filament of comet dust has drifted across Earth's path and when Earth passes through it, sometime between 0800 and 0900 UT (1 - 2 am PDT) on August 12th, the Perseid meteor rate could surge to twice its normal value. Check http://spaceweather.com/ for details and observing tips.

UPDATE: August 11, 2009

The Perseid meteor shower is about to peak. The show begins after sunset on Tuesday, August 11th, and continues until the sun rises on Wednesday, August 12th. A time of particular interest is 0800-0900 GMT (1-2 a.m. PDT) on the 12th. That's when Earth is expected to pass through a denser-than-usual filament of dust from Perseid parent Comet Swift-Tuttle. Forecasters are unsure what will happen, but some have speculated that meteor rates could surge as high as 200 per hour. Bright moonlight will blot out many of those Perseids, but even a fraction of 200 is a good show.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage of the Perseids.

On the trail...

While waiting for the mover, who will be bringing two of the old Giant's Camp cabins to Camp Bayou, we heard a call. At 9am on a sunny morning, we heard, "Who cooks, who cooks, who cooks for you?" It was surprising because you don't usually expect to hear an owl in the daytime. The picture posted was taken last year when possibly the same barred owl decided to watch me while I worked in the nursery.

Project Wild Workshop fun!

Nine teachers and Camp Bayou volunteers attended the 6 hour Project Wild workshop at Camp Bayou on Friday, July 24. Activities included 'Water Canaries', netting aquatic critters in the river and 'Dragonfly Pond', an introduction to community planning. Find out about more events and workshops at http://www.campbayou.org/

media release- Back to School- Back to Nature, Aug 1

Media contact: Dolly Cummings phone: 813-363-5438 2nd Annual Back to School- Back to Nature Event Remember when you were little and you spent a good part of your day catching butterflies or fireflies, hopping after toads or frogs or walking along a beach collecting seashells? It has been said that today's generation has lost that connection to nature. Not at Camp Bayou! An upcoming event will be a morning of hands-on fun- getting back to nature while getting the kids ready for back to school. Saturday, August 1, 2009 9am- noon FREE but pre-registration is requested. Easy online registration preferred, click the link at http://www.campbayou.org/ . If you don't have internet access, call Camp Bayou at 813-641-8545 to make your reservation. Be sure to leave your name, number attending, child's grade level and phone number. All children must be accompanied by an adult. What happens on the morning of the event? Sign in at the registration table. Kids can then start learning at one of our fun and educational stops on the 'Big Lawn'. After playing an eco-game, or learning to use a GPS or finding a doodlebug, or any one of the many activities at the nature stations, kids receive a free school supply item. Items given out include pens, pencils, looseleaf paper, spiral notebooks, and other useful items while supplies last. Raffle tickets will be drawn on the half hour for backpacks, Publix Supermarket gift cards and more throughout the morning. Don't worry about missing your raffle number- all winners will be displayed on the board on the 'Big Lawn' and in the registration area. You must, however, claim your prize before 2pm on the day of the event. A special surprise double-feature of films will also be shown in the classroom to help raise environmental awareness of some key issues. At noon there will be a butterfly release. Organizations planning to attend include: South Shore Regional Library Ruskin Branch Library Family Support & Resource Center Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful Florida Department of Forestry Camp Bayou Nature Center Paleo Preserve Fossil Museum Camp Bayou is a public- private partnership between the non-profit Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Inc. (RCDF) and Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Camp Bayou is located 3 miles south of SR674 at the end of 24th St SE in Ruskin. Camp Bayou is nether a campground nor a summer camp. It was an RV park before the County's ELAPP program purchased the land but it is now open for day use only, open to the general public. Through volunteers, donations, membership and grants, the RCDF offers pre-scheduled programs to schools, youth groups, adult groups and families plus it's open from Thursday- Saturday from 9am-2pm for passive recreational pursuits such as wildlife watching. More information is on the web at http://www.campbayou.org/ . ### Photo: Dr. Diane Alvarez (right) talks to visitors about the butterflies found at Camp Bayou at last year's event Photo credit: Dolly Cummings

I(SS) in the sky...

If you are reading this from the Tampa, Fl area, look up to the skies to see the International Space Station on Monday, July 6 at 9:05pm. Look to the south, just above the horizon and for 5 minutes you should be able to track the ISS as it travels low across the sky.
Update:
Here's another satellite tracking site that might be more useful. This link is set for Ruskin, FL . The ISS will be visible in the early morning hours during the next several days.

Florida-friendly landscaping and your HOA

Law allows all residents to install Florida-friendly landscaping

A new law signed by Gov. Charlie Crist promotes the installation of Florida-friendly landscaping. The law states that homeowners associations (HOAs) may not prohibit a homeowner from applying Florida-friendly landscaping to their property or create any requirement or limitation in conflict with state law.

Florida-friendly landscaping emphasizes nine easy-to-accomplish principles that, when practiced, can have a significant positive impact on yards and the environment. The concept was developed by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences for the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods program.

By following Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ practices, homeowners use a low-maintenance approach to landscaping that conserves water. Homeowners also spend less time maintaining their lawns and more time enjoying them.

"Because homeowners can no longer be prohibited from following Florida-friendly landscaping practices, they will have more freedom to choose the type of plants and turf that are right for their property," said Sylvia Durell, Florida-friendly landscaping project manager. "This is a great opportunity for homeowners to get know their yard's sun, soil and moisture conditions and put the right plant in the right place."

The law, which goes into effect today, also states that HOAs may not fine homeowners for brown lawns when the homeowner is abiding by water shortage rules such as the District's water shortage orders that restrict residents to watering their lawns one day per week.

For additional information about water restrictions, water conservation and the drought, please contact your local utility or visit the District’s web site at www.WaterMatters.org/drought/.

To learn more about Florida-friendly landscaping, please visit www.WaterMatters.org/yards or www.FloridaYards.org.