A wildlife study at the National Guard’s training post in north Florida may soon give biologists insight into one of the state’s most intriguing inhabitants.

The two-year study of Florida black bears at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Starke began this summer, and will be looking into the movement patterns and behavioral habits of the omnivorous mammals on the military site.

The study is a partnership between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Camp Blanding, and may help answer questions about what appears to be an expanding bear population at the 72,000-acre training site.

“We want to see what the bears are doing here on Blanding, because we are seeing more and more bears everywhere,” Camp Blanding Environmental Manager Paul Catlett explained. “I’ve got guys who have worked here for 35 years, and in the last five years have seen their first bear … Is it the fact that there are more bears now or the fact that they are losing habitat?”

Catlett, who lives on the post and has been working there for 17 years, said he thinks there are just more bear sightings because the population of the animals has gradually increased. He said sightings can spike when their habitats are encroached upon by development, but that doesn’t appear to be the case at Blanding.

A robust bear population on the post could mean the habitat here is strong and healthy, Catlett said.

“As a land manager I want to know that we’re doing the right things; that we’re having a positive influence,” he said. “It’s possible this is a sign that the habitat is strong and we’re doing the right things here.”

Black bears are the only species of bear found in Florida, and the FWC estimates there are between 2,500 and 3,000 black bears in the state. Adult bears weigh between 125 to 450 pounds, and can be found anywhere in Florida.

The study itself is simple: biologists and volunteers place specialized tracking collars on the bears and follow their movements around the area via radio signals. The movements are plotted on a map with a latitude and longitude point for each signal, letting the team see when the bears move and where exactly they go.

Getting the collars on the wild animals is a much more complicated matter.

The study-team pinpoints high “bear-traffic” areas on Camp Blanding, sets snares at the sites, and places scent lures (usually glazed donuts or fabric soaked in bacon fat) around the area. When a curious bear sniffs his way to the site and gets caught in the snare, a radio signal lets the team know it has a catch. The captured bear is then tranquilized, weighed tagged, and fitted with the tracking collar.

FWC technicians measure a Florida black bear captured at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., this summer. The bear was tranquilized, measured, tagged, and is being tracked by Florida Fish and Wildlife biologists using a specialized collar. Photo courtesy Camp Blanding Enviornmental Office.

“We can respond quickly, dart them, and get them out of the snare,” explained Walter McCown, an FWC research biologist who specializes in bears.

After an hour or two the bear wakes up from the effects of the tranquilizer and is sent back into the forest.

“These collars are actually quite sophisticated,” McCown explained. “They will acquire positions from GPS satellites and report the positions through a text message to a ground base on my computer. We don’t have to follow them around. We’ll be getting 24 to 27 locations a day, which we will use to identify travel-ways for bears.”

The collared bear will get used to the device around its neck after a couple of days, McCown said. The thick leather collar weighs less than four pounds with the attached battery pack, and is programmed to drop off the bear’s neck after about two years.

McCown and the study group have already identified and collared five bears on Camp Blanding, and have collared an additional two bears that were off the post. Five of the bears were males – the largest male captured weighed 320 pounds. The FWC is receiving data from each collar and sharing the results with two local schools to help educate children and dispel misconceptions about the animals.

“Many people in Florida are surprised we actually have bears here,” McCown, who has been studying the mammals for 15 years, said. “They are not aware of it, although bears are becoming more of an issue in this state. I think part of my mission is to spread information about how neat bears are, how to live with bears, and the value of preserving and maintaining the bear populations in the state.”

Another result of the ongoing study may clear up a bit of a mystery surrounding the bear population on Camp Blanding; it could explain why the black bears at the base all seem to have migrated from Ocala National Forest about 25 miles away.

Since the training base sits midway in a natural corridor between the sprawling Ocala National Forest to the south and the smaller Osceola National Forest to the north, biologists might expect to find bears from both forests at Camp Blanding. However, according to Catlett a previous study of the Blanding bear population found that it shared DNA exclusively with the Ocala bears.

Both Catlett and McCown said the data from this current study may help determine if the Ocala or Osceola bears are avoiding certain areas during their movements or are deterred by specific roads or other obstacles to travel between the two forests. The data could possibly be used to help connect parcels of land to facilitate the bear movement and create additional conservation easements if warranted.

Based on initial data McCown said he thinks there are only a few resident bears on Camp Blanding, but other bears pass through regularly due to their penchant for the thick bottomland hardwood and well-preserved swampy areas of the post.

“There are maybe four to five resident animals now, but I hope there will be more in the future,” he said.

Story by Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa
DVIDS

Diagram from the Global Energy Network Institute. Click for a larger image.

As the Tokyo Electric Company continues rolling blackouts and electric users try to reduce energy consumption, the question becomes: Why is Japan short of electricity?

The easy answer is that nearly 20% of the operating nuclear power plants in Japan are shut down, due to the earthquake and the tsunami. The more complex answer involves the convoluted history of electrical power in Japan and the Japanese electrical grid.

Perhaps alone among modern nations, Japan has a divided electrical grid. South of Tokyo, the grid operates on a 60 hz frequency. From Tokyo northward, the grid operates at a frequency of 50 hz.

In simple terms, the electricity in half the country cannot be used in the other half. Trying to do so would result in damage, electrical fires and other related mayhem. Tokyo is in the region that has all of the shut down reactors and is suffering the lack of generation capacity.

The Tokyo Electric Company introduced electricity to Japan in the late 1800′s. It bought its equipment from Germany. Other electric providers bought from the U.S., from General Electric, and that is why the separation developed. There are only four points where the electricity is converted from one frequency to the other, and their capacity is severely limited in comparison to the current need.

For more information on this topic:
The Japanese Electrical Grid: A Major Problem for Economic Recovery
A Country Divided: Japan’s Electric Bottleneck
The Japanese Situation
Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan

Southern Company teams up with EPRI to develop a Smart Grid project to demonstrate a broad array of technologies.

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI also provides technology, policy and economic analyses to drive long-range research and development planning, and supports research in emerging technologies. EPRI’s members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to 40 countries. EPRI’s principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.

Airman 1st Class Dakota Parker, left, of Brownsboro, Texas, and Senior Airmen Brittany Sculley, of Blair, Neb., both assigned to Misawa Air Base, Bioenvironmental Engineering Department, recalibrate a radiation detection instrument following an air sample test at Misawa Air Base. The department's field team is conducting frequent tests of atmospheric radiation levels and water contamination to ensure the safety of service and family members as efforts continue on base in support of Operation Tomodachi. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Devon Dow

The Bioenvironmental Engineering Department at Misawa Air Base stepped up its efforts to ensure local water and air conditions remain within standards, March 21.

The department’s field team is conducting frequent tests of atmospheric radiation levels and water contamination to ensure the safety of service and family members as efforts continue on base in support of Operation Tomodachi.

“We have not detected any changes in either air or water, but we will continue to constantly monitor,” said Technical Sgt. Laura Andrews of Eastlake, Ohio, assigned to Misawa Air Base, Bioenvironmental Engineering Department. “The test we are conducting are routine, we are just performing more. With that said, we already have a good idea of what the radiation levels in our area should be.

“We are here to protect the people and want to ensure levels stay within the status quo, while continually keeping our chain of command informed of our findings,” she added.

Air samples are being taken every three hours from various areas on base using a radiation detection instrument. The team checks the filter on the instrument and posts their findings in a logbook to catalog the radiation levels for any changes.

For water, the team conducts samples of water resources on base in search of any traces of bacteria. When the sample is taken, it is brought back to their lab, and goes through a series of tests, placed in an incubator for 24 hours and evaluated for any abnormalities.

While there have been no substantial findings of uncommon increases in radiation or water contamination, Andrews said the amplified testing is important.

“This is the right thing to do,” she said. “We have had an influx of military personnel arrive to the base in the past week and we need to do our part in ensuring that they and everyone on base are working in a safe environment.”

Andrews acknowledged that there is a lot of misinformation about radiation on the Internet, but with her unique perspective, she says Misawa residents need not panic.

“There are a lot of concerns [about radiation] from individuals and families back home; I still have my family here,” she said. “If I thought my children were in danger for a minute I would make the necessary arrangements to send them back to the U.S. where family could take care of them.

“I believe that most people don’t have a full understanding of what radiation is, and find it hard to wrap their mind around it,” said Andrews. “Our testing helps validate the safe conditions here.”

DVIDS
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Devon Dow

An LC-130 Hercules from the 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard takes off as part of Operation Deep Freeze, Feb. 2, 2011, in Antarctica. The 55th year for Operation Deep Freeze began in October 2010 as an LC-130 Hercules, equipped with retractable ski-wheels, departed to support the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation's research at international sites throughout the Antarctic continent. The 109th AW is the only organization in the world that flies the ski-equipped LC-130s. Headquarters Air Mobility Command courtesy photo

I saw some of these guys at work in the wreckage of Christchurch on New Zealand TV a couple of days ago.

All 26 members of the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing, currently deployed in support of Operation Deep Freeze, are safe and unharmed after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the New Zealand capitol of Christchurch today.

The Air Guard wing will remain in Christchurch and are scheduled to begin returning home this week on two of the unit’s three LC-130 Hercules cargo planes, which are a ski-equipped version of the C-130 Hercules used in the Arctic and Antarctic, Air Force Col. Timothy LaBarge said today.

“We’re making very good progress to have everybody depart New Zealand per schedule,” he said.

Another LC-130 will remain in New Zealand for planned maintenance.

The Guardmembers were in Christchurch as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which runs from mid-October to mid-February, assisting the National Science Foundation in Antarctica with climate change research.

Christchurch is a maintenance and re-fueling location for Operation Deep Freeze.

The Guard’s mission had completed Feb. 13, and the Guardmembers were already scheduled to return back to New York, regardless of the earthquake, LaBarge said.

At the time of the earthquake, most of the 109th Airlift Wing was either at the airport, which is located about eight miles from the center of Christchurch, or in one of two nearby hotels, he said.

The extent of damage to the hotels is currently unknown, but the airport had water, electricity and food, he said.

LaBarge added that, if called upon, the Guard will provide any assistance to the earthquake victims if possible.

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Orrell
National Guard Bureau

The Navy is still testing railguns, really really fast railguns.

High-speed camera image of the Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, firing a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot, breaking the previous record established Jan. 31, 2008. The railgun is a long-range, high-energy gun launch system that uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors to launch projectiles capable of striking a target at a range of more than 200 nautical miles with Mach 7 velocity. A future tactical railgun will hit targets at ranges almost 20 times farther than conventional surface ship combat systems.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) achieved a milestone Dec. 10 when it successfully conducted a world-record 33-megajoule shot of the Electromagnetic Railgun aboard Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division.

“Today’s railgun test demonstrates the tactical relevance of this technology, which could one day complement traditional surface ship combat systems,” said Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of naval research.

“The 33-megajoule shot means the Navy can fire projectiles at least 110 nautical miles, placing Sailors and Marines at a safe standoff distance and out of harm’s way, and the high velocities achievable are tactically relevant for air and missile defense,” he said. “This demonstration moves us one day closer to getting this advanced capability to sea.”

Besides the extended ranges, the railgun also improves safety for Sailors and Marines because it will eliminate the need for a high-energy explosive warhead and traditional gun propellants. Removing explosives and chemicals will reduce the munitions logistic chain.

A megajoule is a measurement of energy associated with a mass traveling at a certain velocity. In simple terms, a one-ton vehicle moving at 100 mph equals a megajoule of energy.

In 2008, ONR conducted a 10-megajoule shot for media and visitors at Dahlgren. Today’s demonstration showed researchers are steadily progressing toward developing a gun that could hit targets almost 20 times farther than conventional ship combat systems. A 33-megajoule shot, for example, could potentially reach extended ranges with Mach 5 velocity, five times the speed of sound.

The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps’ technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions of higher learning, and 914 industry partners. ONR employs approximately 1,400 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.

U.S. Navy
By Geoff Fein, Office of Naval Research Public Affairs

Chris Petersen, a natural resource specialist with Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, fits a GPS harness equipped on an anesthetized hutia, colloquially known as a banana rat, at the Guantanamo Bay Veterinary Treatment Facility, April 13. The purpose of the GPS unit is to track the migration patterns of the local hutia population. The hutia, nicknamed 'Thor' during the procedure, will be tracked for the next three to four months before being recaptured to gather the information stored in the harness. The veterinary clinic serves primarily to treat the pets of service members and Department of Defense employees assigned to Joint Task Force Guantanamo and the naval station. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Nistas

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay is the oldest overseas U.S. Naval base, the only base located in a country with which the U.S. does not maintain diplomatic relations, and is home to the Joint Task Force Guantanamo detention facility. All this information is easily found on the Internet, but there is another side to GTMO that is not as easily found by typing “Guantanamo Bay” into a search engine: The base is also a wildlife refuge, providing protection for a variety of fluffy and scaly creatures that do not have the chance to flourish on the rest of the island.

For the past 10 years, Dr. Peter Tolson, director of conservation and research at the Toledo Zoo, has been visiting Guantanamo Bay to conduct research on some of the reptile species that call the base home. His most recent trip focused on the Cuban Boa snake.

“We go out and catch wild Cuban Boas,” Tolson said. “We surgically insert a radio transmitter into their body cavity using the [Naval Station Guantanamo Bay] veterinary staff. We then follow those snakes as they roam throughout the habitat on the base.”

And roam they do. According to Tolson, the average range of an adult snake is approximately two square miles.

“The babies have about half an acre,” Tolson said. “As they grow they expand their range as they become sexually mature and start looking for mates.”

The radio transmitter inserted into the snakes includes a GPS unit and provides Tolson with information on where they go and how long they stay in one place. He uses this information to determine how the snakes interact with the humans who share the base with them. Tolson said one of his missions is to lessen the conflicts between the military and the wildlife here.

Another researcher working on helping humans and wildlife co-exist in Guantanamo is Chris Peterson, a natural resource specialist with Naval Facilities Atlantic. His research is similar to Tolson’s: he’s tracking one of GTMO’s more popular creatures, but he’s focusing on a more furry variety, the hutia. Hutia are large rodents that inhabit many Caribbean islands. The species found in GTMO is known locally as the banana rat, so named because their feces look like small bananas.

“There is an effort to control the hutia population when the numbers get too high,” Peterson said. “We’re trying, through the information provided with our study, to apply a little science to the control of the population here in Guantanamo Bay.”

Peterson said the process of controlling the population is not cut-and-dried. “For example, if we find that the activity range of a hutia is only a few square acres, maybe there’s not a need to control the population in areas that are greater than four acres outside the housing areas,” Peterson said. “The way we’re doing that is through a technique called radio telemetry.”

The process is similar to the work Tolson has done with the boas, only instead of inserting a transmitter into the body of the hutia it is placed around the hutia’s neck on a collar. Peterson said the transmitter emits a signal which he can pick up using a hand held radio receiver.

“It’s much like a radio station,” Peterson said. “Each transmitter has its own unique frequency.”

In addition to the radio telemetry technology, Peterson is using a mini GPS, which he said is instrumental in the field of wildlife study. It’s strapped to the back of a hutia and can be programmed to turn on at various intervals. The ones used in GTMO are programmed to provide a longitude and latitude reading every five hours for 60 days, which, according to Peterson, is how long it takes for the battery to die.

When the GPS unit is collected, it is connected to a computer and the information downloaded. Peterson uses the data to calculate an activity range.

“We’re getting a tremendous amount of data with little effort,” Peterson said. “If we didn’t have this GPS collar we’d have to send a biologist out daily.”

Peterson said that not only does the GPS collar mean less footwork, it also allows the tracking of the hutia during the night, which is when they are most active.

Research and conservation efforts effecting base wildlife are not confined to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. According to Tolson there are many programs on U.S. military bases throughout the world. He also pointed out that in many cases it is the very presence of the base that allows certain species to thrive.

The Cuban Boa and hutia research and tracking programs are ongoing projects made possible by a partnership between the U.S. Navy and the Toledo Zoo.

DVIDS
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Shane Arrington

A high ranking Cardinal has announced that the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, has agreed to work with the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine by funding research into the medical uses of adult stem cells. An Associated Press report states the Catholic Church will be making an initial donation to the project in the amount of 2 million euros or $2.7 million.

The University describes the initiative as exploring "the therapeutic potential of intestinal stem cells". Such research is believed to have potential for the treatment of bowel conditions such as celiac disease.

Stem cells exist in every adult’s body. They are cells that that can reproduce themselves throughout a life time. The cells that make up most of the human body cannot reproduce and have a limited life span, according to the University of California, San Francisco’s Science Cafe site.

In 2000, the Vatican issues a document titled "DECLARATION ON THE PRODUCTION AND THE SCIENTIFIC AND THERAPEUTIC USE OF HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS" that recognized the potential efficacy of adult stem cells and the lack of moral and ethical barriers to research and use of these cells. A number of medical treatments currently use adult stem cells and research on those cells is routinely conducted at Catholic Universities such as Notre Dame.

Adult stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for about 40 years and the University of Utah has a website describing those treatments. WSOC-TV reports on research at the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, that is using the patient’s own stem cells to stimulate bone repair and speed healing in orthopedic injuries. In a December, 2009 story, CNN reported on a study taking place using adult stem cells with a few days of a heart attack that seems to repair at least part of the damage to the heart. The University of Wisconsin, in August, 2009, was engaged in trials testing the use of adult stem cells to treat Type 1 diabetes.

While actual research using the Vatican money is some years away, the decision to fund such research appears to signal the Catholic Church’s desire to make morally and ethically gathered stem cell medical therapies available.

Air Force Col. Mike McDonald, left, commander of the Air National Guard Readiness Center, and Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Muncy, command chief of the Air Guard, stand outside the newly-constructed Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, Dec. 10. Muncy visited the Airmen across that frozen continent and in Christchurch, New Zealand, to gain a better understanding of their missions in Operation Deep Freeze. Photo by Master Sgt. Mike Smith

While the U.S. East Coast feels the closest it has come in many years to “extreme” weather, some service members are facing real cold as they support the National Science Foundation’s efforts in Antarctica.

Air Force Col. Paul Sheppard, commander of the 13th Air Expeditionary Group and deputy commander of Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, provided details of the mission from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on the Pentagon Channel podcast, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”

Sheppard discussed Operation Deep Freeze and the major contributions by service members in support of the National Science Foundation, including coordinating strategic and tactical airlift, sealift, emergency response and aeromedical evacuation.

“Operation Deep Freeze started with the Navy in the mid-’50s and is a military-centric operation on the continent of Antarctica,” Sheppard said. “Then, under international treaty, the world community started moving toward declaring the Antarctic an open continent for science research only, and no development. So … science started to take the lead for all U.S. interests in Antarctica.”

The Defense Department provides logistics support, especially heavy airlift and sea power, that can’t be contracted elsewhere, Sheppard explained. The military component in Antarctica makes up only about 10 percent of the manpower there, he said.

The extreme climate in Antarctica give Sheppard and his troops some unique challenges.

“Almost everything we work with is a piece of metal equipment. … We have to worry about metal fatigue and brittleness of metal — we’re talking about ships and airplanes and all the support equipment that goes along with that. And our big problem environmentally is temperature,” Sheppard said.

He said the limited weather forecasting available on Antarctica creates a problem or two, both in temperature management and in planning and carrying out operations.

“That’s what gives us our biggest problem operationally and safety-wise — not knowing for certain what the weather trends are going to be over the course of the day or week,” he said. “So blizzards — we call them ‘Herbies’ down here, the massive blizzards that have hurricane-force winds — those type of events create a danger for us, for aviation and every aspect of life on the continent.”

Newcomers to the camp, military and civilians, undergo a few nights of on-site survival training, a course known at McMurdo as “happy camper school.” Program participants camp in the snow, build snowcaves and learn how to protect themselves from extreme conditions. The military crew also goes through barren-land training in Greenland, learning to survive in a number of simulated scenarios.

“If you’re going into the field, you get training,” Sheppard said. “But if you’re staying here in at McMurdo and you’re working within the infrastructure of this town, then you don’t need the extreme weather survival training.”

Sheppard himself has had to use his survival training. During one mission to place a fuel cache in an open-snow area, an axle on his plane shattered.

“Cold weather makes metal brittle, and this axle had been manufactured incorrectly, and it broke,” he said. “And the nose wheels went up into the wheel well of the airplane, and the plane fell down on top of the nose ski, luckily.

“I no longer had an airplane,” Sheppard said. “I just had a huge snowmobile, and there was no place to go. So, we parked the airplane next to the fuel drums and shut down.

“We set up our camp, not knowing how long we’d stay there,” he continued. “And then we started to set up to stay for a long time before someone could come and get us. It was dead silence, and you realized you were someplace in the middle of nowhere and [had] no idea how you were going to get out of there or when you were going to get out of there.”

Sheppard’s story ends well. A rescue crew arrived 20 hours later and brought everyone to McMurdo safe and sound.

Another danger in Antarctica is crevasses, deep niches in the ice that can be fatal for a person on foot or a ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft in take-off. But the Defense Department and National Science Foundation have been working together for the past eight years on a crevasse detection radar.

They’ve also been developing equipment for their LC-130s that will allow for easier snow take-offs. By adding high-tech eight-bladed propellers with electronic propeller controls, Sheppard said, they’ll be able to actually create some lift on the plane while it’s stationary. This will allow a heavily laden plane to take off on snow easier, as the propellers are picking up some of the weight before takeoff.

Advances like these not only help to move cargo and save money on fuel, but also improve safety for the crews in Antarctica, Sheppard said.

“People don’t realize that the continent itself has a land mass of the continental U.S., plus Mexico,” he said. “It’s mind-boggling how large it is.” In his survival story, Sheppard recalled that he was relatively close to McMurdo, about 400 miles into the barren snow fields. But without the kinds of advances being made there, he said, “[everyone there is] at the mercy of the continent.”

Much of the mystery of Antarctica comes from a broad lack of awareness, Sheppard said. For example, he said, most people don’t know that most of the continent is covered with an ice cap that’s up to two miles thick.

“The continent is at high altitudes, around 10,000 feet or higher, and that it is the coldest, windiest, driest, cleanest place on Earth,” Sheppard said. “And the geography of the continent is truly spectacular, with the ice caps and then the mountain ranges. And that’s what the international community wants to do, is keep it that way — the cleanest place — and do science.

“And it has every natural resource that you can imagine down here – but no one can have it,” he added with a laugh.

DVIDS
Story by Ian Graham

A sea turtle is seen during a dive off Windmill Beach by service members of Joint Task Force Guantanamo. There are several species of sea turtles that can be found in the waters surrounding U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. They include the leatherback, loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles.

Whether it is on land, in the air or in the surrounding waters, all creatures big and small share the living space with service members and residents of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay – this is also true of sea turtles.

There are several species of sea turtles that can be found in the waters surrounding the naval station. They include the leatherback, loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles.

“Because of the unique position the base is in, we can see these turtles spawn year round,” said Mike McCord, U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay environmental director.

Service members and residents who take advantage of snorkeling or diving can see sea turtles on a regular basis. Some may even happen upon a nest of eggs or newly-hatched turtles while on the beach.

On Dec. 12, 2009, Jean Anderson, purchasing manager for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, walked up on some newly-hatched turtles before starting a night dive at Windmill Beach.

“It was so exciting and we were surprised at first,” Anderson said. “We saw them heading to the basketball court and helped them back to the water using a flashlight.”

Hatchlings find their way to the ocean by crawling toward the brightest horizon.

“They were thrown off course because the basketball court lights were on,” Anderson said. “When my dive partners and I started shining the flashlight toward the water, they turned and started to follow it in. It was really awesome to see.”

Service members and residents may not realize that all species of sea turtles are endangered and protected creatures.

“Around the world, fish and wildlife conservation commissions have regulations in place to protect sea turtles from catching them and harvesting their eggs,” McCord said.

Some of the biggest threats to the sea turtle population here in Guantanamo Bay, according to McCord, are traffic and light pollution on the beaches.

“People go to the beach to dive or to hang out. When they do, they tend to track through the nesting areas which destroys eggs,” McCord said. “People also leave the lights on in the cabanas at the beach when they leave.”

Another problem affecting the turtle population is harvesting of the eggs in the nests.

“During the 90s, when we had a large population of migrants here, our turtle population was affected because the migrants would go to the beaches and get the eggs and eat them,” McCord said.

Service members and residents may not realize they can help in the conservation of the sea turtle population here.

“The best way people can help is to keep a look out for turtle tracks on the beach and be aware of where they are traveling on the beach and to turn off all lights at the cabanas after using them,” McCord said. “We need to remember that most of us are visitors here and we want to protect the wildlife so others who come can enjoy it as well.”

DVIDS
Story by Spc. April de Armas

It has emerged health officials knew about the outbreak among people who visited the farm days before it was closed to the public.

The Health Protection Agency became aware of the outbreak in late August after cases were traced to the farm.

The farm, which is a popular destination for families, was closed when a pattern was established as the number of infected children rose.

All the sick children are aged under 10. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) says 36 cases have been reported so far.

The outbreak is believed to have started on 8 August. The bacteria causes diarrhoea and can lead to kidney failure, especially in young children. It is fatal in very rare cases.

HPA spokesman Dr Graham Bickler said it was one of the largest outbreaks seen in the UK.

BBC

More at the link

Teeth and bones from late Ice Age animals, including hyenas, deer and woolly rhinos, have been discovered by archaeologists at a cave in Devon.

The dig at Kents Cavern, Torquay, also unearthed a 15,000-year-old spearpoint, known as a “sagaie”, which is made from reindeer antler from the same era.

The spearpoint is thought to be the first complete one found in the UK.

The dig, organised by the University of Durham and the University of Sheffield, is part of a study into Neanderthals.

BBC

More at the link

Pity the poor sheep.

A businessman who has smoked 30-a-day for decades is to maroon himself on a remote Scottish island in an effort to quit the habit.

Former merchant banker Geoff Spice is due to land on the small isle of Sgarabhaigh, off Harris in the Outer Hebrides, over the weekend.

Mr Spice, 56, will spend four weeks in solitude with only some books and the island’s sheep for company.

BBC

Apparently, now Venus has a mystery spot. First, Jupiter, and now Venus. Planetary measles?

Astronomers are puzzled by a strange bright spot which has appeared in the clouds of Venus.

The spot was first identified by an amateur astronomer on 19 July and was later confirmed by the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft.

Data from the European probe suggests the spot appeared at least four days before it was spotted from Earth.

The bright spot has since started to expand, being spread by winds in Venus’s thick atmosphere.

Scientists are unsure as to what caused the bright spot tens of kilometres up. However, a volcanic eruption is a possibility.

BBC

Click on the photo to see the article in the Daily Mail, with many more rare pictures.

Bird's eye view: Safe from harm, NASA scientists look down on the Sarychev Peak volcano as the dramatic eruption takes place. The force of the blast sends clouds scattering