Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks Closest Approach To Sun April 21
12P/Pons–Brooks is a periodiccomet with an orbital period of 71 years. It fits the classical definition of a Halley-type comet with an orbital period between 20 and 200 years, and is also one of the brightest known periodic comets, reaching an absolute visual magnitude ~5 in its approach to perihelion. Courtesy/wikipedia
Space News:
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will make its closest approach to the sun on April 21. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet that was first discovered by Jean-Louis Pons on July 12, 1812, and then independently rediscovered by William Robert Brooks in Read More
Los Alamos County Environmental Services Closed Wednesday April 24 For Employee Training
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Environmental Services will be closed Wednesday, April 24 for employee development, safety training and certification compliance.
This includes operations at the Eco Station and the Overlook Convenience Center. Residential service will not be impacted; however, commercial trash and recycling collection service will also be suspended Wednesday, April 24.
Environmental Services will hold one quarterly training and certification day to ensure all employees remain compliant.
The quarterly closure minimizes the public’s impact by ensuring services Read More
Kids Invited To Become Valles Caldera Junior Rangers
Courtesy/NPS
NPS News:
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a new Junior Ranger experiential program at Valles Caldera National Preserve.
The program begins by conferring the honor of Junior Ranger onto each participant and then invites them to explore the park and learn more about the rich geologic, cultural and natural stories found there.
Anyone interested in becoming a Junior Ranger can stop by either of the park’s visitor facilities to obtain a badge and training manual.
“The Junior Ranger program is very popular across national parks and has been adopted by many other state Read More
DPU Message To Solar Distributed Generation Customers
Sun emerges in cloudy sky. Courtesy/DPU
By Cathy D’Anna
Public Relations Manager
Department of Public Utilities
A quick message to our solar distributed generation customers. We hear you loud and clear!
Your concerns and questions about updates to Utility Rule E-5.05 are our top priority, and we want to assure you that we’re actively reviewing each and every one of them.
Please bear with us as we work on compiling answers to your questions.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated and we’ll get answers to you soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding! Read More
Daily Postcard: Trees Bloom Together In White Rock
Daily Postcard: Two trees merge into full bloom on the corner of Aragon Avenue and Garver Lane Wednesday in White Rock. Photo by VaLynn Purvis Read More
PEEC 2024 Earth Day Festival Saturday At Los Alamos Nature Center
DPU: Cloudy Water In White Rock Is No Cause For Alarm
COUNTY News:
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is receiving calls from White Rock customers concerned about cloudy water coming from their pipes. The cloudiness is simply air in the line and shouldn’t cause alarm.
Crews from the DPU’s Water Production crews repaired a large transmission main near White Rock that was leaking earlier this week. The repair required draining the main, which caused air to enter the line.
Residents who see cloudiness, such as in a glass of water, can set the water aside for a few minutes and the cloudiness will dissipate. Read More
Watershed Work To Limit Reservoir Access Starting April 22
Los Alamos Canyon Reservoir and the road leading to it will be closed starting Monday, April 22, through mid-June for watershed mitigation work on the damaged stream channel. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos Canyon Reservoir and the road leading to it will be closed starting Monday, April 22, through mid-June for watershed mitigation work on the damaged stream channel.
The reservoir and road will be closed to hiking on weekdays until the work is complete, however they will open for foot traffic on weekends. Hikers should park at the Los Alamos County Ice Rink as parking is not allowed Read More
Learn The ‘Old Ways’ To Make Herbal Remedies April 27
NMHS News:
The Northern Río Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA) is offering a hands-on plant and local herb identification and remedy workshop 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at Los Luceros Historic Site, 253 County Road 41 in Alcalde. Find directions online.
Participants will learn to identify the important parts of the plants, understand the medicinal properties the herbs have, and make remedios, or remedies, with locally foraged healing herbs.
Students will prepare salves, poultices, and tinctures. Information, materials, and local herbs will be provided.
The class is $50 per Read More
Los Alamos Mountaineers’ April 23 Meeting Features Talk By Rick Rubio On Climbing Ecuador’s Highest Peaks
Rick Rubio and his party on the glaciated summit of Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador. Courtesy/Mountaineers
By BILL PRIEDHORSKY
Los Alamos Mountaineers
Rick Rubio will speak about climbing Ecuador’s volcanoes at the April 23 Los Alamos Mountaineers meeting. Rubio, along with five friends, climbed five of Ecuador’s volcanoes in December 2023, culminating with a climb of 6,263-meter (20,548 foot) Chimborazo.
Chimborazo, 39th highest summit in the Andes, is farthest point on Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center, due to its location along the planet’s equatorial bulge. It was Read More
County Details New Standards To Limit PFAS In Drinking Water
COUNTY News:
For the first time ever, national standards regarding forever chemicals in tap water are being rolled out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Collectively called PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, these chemicals have been used since the 1940s and are now found everywhere—in air, water, soil and blood. They are often called forever chemicals because it takes thousands of years for them to break down.
What is the source of these chemicals? PFAS are found in a wide variety of products, such as cookware, food packaging, contact lenses, clothing, Read More
Daily Postcard: Northern Saw-whet Owl Near LA Reservoir
Daily Postcard: A Northern Saw-whet Owl spotted recently along the road to the Los Alamos Reservoir. A tiny owl with a catlike face, oversized head and bright yellow eyes, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is practically bursting with attitude. Where mice and other small mammals are concerned this fierce, silent owl is anything but cute. One of the most common owls in forests across northern North America (and across the U.S. in winter), saw-whets are highly nocturnal and seldom seen. Their high-pitched too-too-too call is a common evening sound in evergreen mountain forests from January through Read More
2024 Earth Day Festival Los Alamos Nature Center April 20
Fun and entertainment for all ages will be available 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20 at PEEC’s Earth Day Festival at the Los Alamos Nature Center, 2600 Canyon Road. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
The Pajarito Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC) reminds the community to come join them this Saturday, April 20, for their signature event, the annual Earth Day Festival. The festivities run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Los Alamos Nature Center, 2600 Canyon Road.
Family-friendly and free, the event promises a full day of educational fun, delicious food, live entertainment, hands-on learning experiences, Read More
BLM Seeks Public Input On New Mountain Bike Trail
BLM News:
FARMINGTON — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office is considering the designation of a new mountain bike trail on public lands north of Kirtland.
San Juan County, in partnership with the BLM, is proposing a single-track recreational trail improvement project that will be designated for mountain bikes and Class I E-bikes. The BLM is considering the inclusion of Class I E-bikes to provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities for an emerging demographic that includes older or disabled riders.
The proposed project will utilize an existing social trail, Read More
Daily Postcard: Flowers Beginning To Bloom In White Rock
Daily Postcard: An upclose look at flowers beginning to bloom Wednesday in White Rock. Photo by VaLynn Purvis Read More
Celebrate Art In Valles Caldera Sunday April 28
Fog obscures the lower portion of Valle Grande. Photo by D. Krueger/NPS
VCNP News:
JEMEZ SPRINGS – The National Park Service is celebrating National Park Week April 20 through April 28. The theme for Sunday, April 28 is Arts in Parks and Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) is hosting some special activities to help foster one’s inner artist.
The community is invited to join a ranger at 10 a.m. for a landscape photography workshop, 11 a.m. for a haiku workshop and 1 p.m. for a spring crafting activity.
Everyone is also invited to come out and create some art in the park. You may just happen across Read More
Encore Earth Day Presentation Of Eclipse Stories With Chick Keller At Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium April 20
PEEC News:
Saturday, April 20, at the PEEC Earth Day festival, Dr. Chick Keller will share stories of eclipse missions in the 1970s.
Dr. Keller will share insights about the 1970s airborne studies of the sun’s corona during total solar eclipses – conducted at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
By taking the eclipse observations airborne, lab scientists, including Keller and Art Cox, were able to extend their study of totality, as well as reduce interference from the atmosphere.
Dr. Keller will talk about the successes and failures of some of these missions, sharing fantastic photographs Read More
Daily Postcard: Silhouetted Wood Duck Watches Sunrise
Daily Postcard: A Wood Duck is silhouetted in its perch high in a tree where it watches the sunrise Monday in the Española Valley. Wood Ducks owe their common name to the fact that they are one of the few waterfowl species that perch and nest in trees. Sharp nails on their webbed feet allow them to balance on branches and maneuver into tree cavities that they use for nesting. Source: audubon.org. Photo by Rick Martinez Read More
Los Alamos High School Astronomy Club Views 2024 Total Solar Eclipse From Fort Worth, Texas – Shares Photographs
Los Alamos High School Astronomy Club members traveled to view and photograph the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse in Fort Worth, Texas. The photos were taken with a Canon Rebel 8 and Canon 500mm lens and edited with Adobe Lightroom Classic. More photos taken by LAHS Astronomy Club members can be found at www.lahsastronomy.com. Photo by Gavin Bent/LAHS Class of 2027, Astronomy Club Board member
The solar eclipse viewed April 8, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Gavin Bent/LAHS Class of 2027, Astronomy Club Board member
The solar eclipse viewed April 8, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Gavin Bent/LAHS Read More
Daily Postcard: Raven Glides On Winds Above Los Alamos
