Field Notes
by Peter B Brace

PLANETARY DRAMA On Aug. 24, the planet Pluto got demoted to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union because "it has not cleared the area of its orbital path," according to the IAU and Answers.com

This means that Pluto does not rate on the same level as true planets such as Earth, Jupiter and Mars.

If this downgrading of a planet fascinates you and you would like learn more about Pluto's demise among astronomers, consider joining Dr. Vladimir Strelnitski, Maria Mitchell Association's Director of Astronomy, on Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. for Open Telescope Night at the Loines Observatory at 59 Milk St. Ext.

Clear skies prevailing, Strelnitski will give tours of the winter night sky through the telescope.

For nonmembers, the event costs $10 for adults and $5 for children. Maria Mitchell members pay half price.

PUBLIC ACCESS When the Board of Selectmen gets down to dissecting the current version of the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plan, they will do some of it in public, giving those who care about the harbors a chance to brainstorm right along with them.

Town Administrator Libby Gibson said that the selectmen would be discussing the harbors plan at 10 a.m. on Nov. 28 in the conference room at the Nantucket Islands Land Bank offices at 22 Broad St.

Copies of the plan are not yet available to the public, so you will have to wait until the town files its final version with the state's Department of Environmental Protection at the end of December. When that happens, you'll be able to go to www.nantucketharborplan. com/ and download the harbors plan to read online or print out. Copies will also be available at the Nantucket Atheneum. For details, call Sarah Oktay at 228- 5268.

FOG IN NOVEMBER? It should have been snow that closed Nantucket Memorial Airport on Nov. 13, but instead, the island airport was fogged in. And that prevented Dreamland Theater Attorney Ed Woll from getting to Nantucket that night.

Woll had been scheduled to attend the Planning Board's meeting to explain his client's (Haim Zahavi) timeline for getting the movie operation the Dreamland running by May 31, 2007.

According to the Senior Planner Leslie Woodson, Woll plans to attend the board's Nov. 27 meeting.

This summer, the Planning Board lambasted Zahavi for not opening the theater for the 2006 season per order of the Planning Board as part of its conditions of approval of Zahavi's special permit issued on Jan. 9. The board got Zahavi's timeline in its packets for its Oct. 30 meeting but wants Woll on hand to answer questions about it.

The board requested Zahavi produce the timeline by Oct. 24. In it is a detailed description of events leading up to Zahavi's inability to open in time for the 2006 season and how he plans to get the work done in time for the summer of 2007. FIVE DAYS UNTIL SHOTGUN SEASON Nov. 27 through Dec. 9 is shotgun season for deer, followed by primitive firearms Dec. 11 through Dec. 30.

If you're planning any outdoor activities including walking and running, be aware that hunters can hunt from a half hour before sunrise through a half hour after sunset. Anyone venturing out into the island wild should be wary of hunters and wear at least one article of bright neon orange clothing. If you take your dog, clothe it in a similarly colored sweater or vest, or at the very least, a fluorescent orange or yellow dog collar.

If you're one of those packing a shotgun and looking for deer to shoot, Nantucket's deer check station is at the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of South Shore Road. You can purchase anterless deer permits online at www.sport.state.ma.us/ and can take as many deer as you can shoot, but one at a time. When you take your deer out to the check station and have it examined and weighed, you can purchase another permit at that time.

NOVEMBER NSA MEETING After not securing a quorum for its Oct. 31 meeting, the Nantucket Shellfish Association is holding its Nov. 28 meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Maddequet Admiralty Club at 15 Tennessee Ave. in Madaket.

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