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2008 A Look Ahead
2008 Hurricane Names -from the National Hurricane Center
The 108th Christmas Bird Count weeks: December 14 2007 to January 5 2008 Christmas Bird Count day for Nantucket in 2008: Dec. 27 International Migratory Bird Day: May 10
Biodiversity Week: the 3rd Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative Week scheduled for May 25-31, 2008 Daylight savings: Begins: March 9, Ends: November 2 Starry, starry night Luckily for those of us who gaze up into the night sky, we have two things to be thankful for on Nantucket: very low light pollution and Vladimir Strelnitski, the Maria Mitchell Association's director of astronomy.
Gazing into his crystal ball - actually, reading his charts, making his calculations and using the Internet, Vladimir reports that there are quite a few spectacular astronomical events coming up in 2008, starting with a total lunar eclipse on Feb. 20 with mid totality at 10:26 pm. For those who scoff at stiff necks looking skyward and sore eyes from squinting into their telescopes, here are some seethem with-the-naked-eye astronomic events to watch for: At the Loines Observatory Open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in summer, and every Friday in the off-season. Special open night for observations of the lunar eclipse: Feb. 20, 8:30-10:30pm; special Open Mornings for observations of meteor showers: Aug. 13 and Dec. 14. Precise timing of the events will be announced in the local media and at www.mmo.org. Linda Loring Foundation Newly hired Executive Director Kitty Pochman is listing a light schedule of projects for the fledgling organization in 2008, including: • Getting the trails on the property laid out, mowed and open; • Launching a variety of education programs for children and adults; • Initiating a bird research program. Controlled burn areas for 2008 Nantucket Islands Land Bank Property Manager Bruce Perry, burn boss for the Nantucket Heathlands Partnership, and his prescribed burn crews will be at: • Head of the Plains, • Smooth Hummocks, • The Middle Moors. Our unpredictable natural world Prognostications on what wild inhabitants of the island will do in 2008 are almost fruitless, but for a glimpse at the possibilities, Dr. Bob Kennedy, Director of Natural Science at the Maria Mitchell Association, made four educated guesses: • A mild winter, already predicted by "The Farmer's Almanac," with small amounts of ice and snow will allow barn owl populations to continue to grow; • Although osprey procreation was off this year and last, Kennedy expects one or two more nesting pairs this year; • Gray seal populations on Muskeget Island seem fairly stable, but may be increasing in 2008; • Based on moderately healthy amounts of scallop larvae attached to Maria Mitchell's spat lines in 2007, Kennedy thinks scallopers of all ilks will enjoy a better season than the current season, which could be tough to do as commercial scalloper Doug Smith is on record estimating that 10,000 to 15,000 scallops will be harvested this season. Quentin the Quahog's prediction for 2008: Marine Superintendent Dave Fronzuto cannot say with any certainty which direction Quentin will squirt his juice on Groundhog Day when Fronzuto thrusts his shucking knife in between Quentin's shells. But, given the nasty cold weather in December, Fronzuto would happily take a spit to the left, which denotes an end to winter. I - Peter B. Brace |
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