For some time, I haven't had the equipment for astrophotography, and while I still enjoy visual observing, that doesn't make for interest photos. But-I've always had many other interests, so I am going to hijack my own blog and turn it into something else until such time comes that I can afford some new astro gear.
Last year I started hiking daily, for health and recreation and sanity. Recently I became a National Park Service Volunteer, and will be working on the California Phenology Project, measuring the exact dates that certain plants go through key changes in their annual cycles-first buds, buds opening, various stages of flowering, etc. This is vital data that, when collected over large areas by large numbers of people, can show exactly what the effects of climate change are. Those of us that have always spent time outdoors are very aware that the world is changed from 20 years ago, and the CPP is one of the ways that change can be quantized.
This means I have a route where twice a week or more I answer a series of questions about specific plants. My area is the Rancho Sierra Vista park in Newbury Park, run by the National Park Service, but I can also collect data anywhere within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which includes Point Mugu State Park and the Boney Mountain Wilderness, two places where I spend a lot of time.
Here's what I'm planning on doing with this blog-I have a butt ton to learn about botany and plant recognition in general, so as I find new plants and learn to identify them, I'll share that here. In the past I planned hikes based on the trails itself, but now I can plan them based on the need to measure certain plants, or even on rumors that a certain plant or flower has been spotted somewhere.
If you subscribed to this to see me learn to take pictures of space, I don't blame you for unsubscribing now :) For now, this blog will just be about hiking, trails, plants and local critters.
Keith
Last year I started hiking daily, for health and recreation and sanity. Recently I became a National Park Service Volunteer, and will be working on the California Phenology Project, measuring the exact dates that certain plants go through key changes in their annual cycles-first buds, buds opening, various stages of flowering, etc. This is vital data that, when collected over large areas by large numbers of people, can show exactly what the effects of climate change are. Those of us that have always spent time outdoors are very aware that the world is changed from 20 years ago, and the CPP is one of the ways that change can be quantized.
This means I have a route where twice a week or more I answer a series of questions about specific plants. My area is the Rancho Sierra Vista park in Newbury Park, run by the National Park Service, but I can also collect data anywhere within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which includes Point Mugu State Park and the Boney Mountain Wilderness, two places where I spend a lot of time.
Here's what I'm planning on doing with this blog-I have a butt ton to learn about botany and plant recognition in general, so as I find new plants and learn to identify them, I'll share that here. In the past I planned hikes based on the trails itself, but now I can plan them based on the need to measure certain plants, or even on rumors that a certain plant or flower has been spotted somewhere.
If you subscribed to this to see me learn to take pictures of space, I don't blame you for unsubscribing now :) For now, this blog will just be about hiking, trails, plants and local critters.
Keith
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