Category Archives: Environmental Awareness

Website – USGS EROS Land-cover Modeling

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Terry| 1 Comment
FORE-SCE Example

Finally. About 8 years after starting work on our own modeling framework and using it to project the Earth's land-cover out into the future, we have our own, official, dedicated USGS website.

Finally.  A website. 

USGS Land-Cover Modeling Website

This will be my 20th year working at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.  OK…USGS EROS for short.  For the first 12 or so years, I primarily worked on the mapping of land cover (what’s on the surface of the Earth, such as “agriculture”, “urban”, Forest”, “wetland”, etc.), and analyzing land-use change, using satellite imagery.  About 8 years ago, we started work on taking the concept forward into the future, projecting what the landscape of the Earth will look like at some future date.  Over the years, I led the development of a new land-cover modeling framework, the “FORE-SCE” model (FOREcasting SCEnarios of land-use change).  FORE-SCE?  Get it?  We’re “FORE-SCE-ing” the future!!

It’s been fun over the last 8 years, and our modeling work has gotten quite a bit of attention.  However, that attention has all come from publications in the literature.  We haven’t had a website!  Until yesterday, when we finally had an official USGS website go active for the modeling work.

USGS Land-cover Modeling Website

Pretty simple so far, but it gives you an idea of what we do, has a few little tools to show “before” and “after” maps of land-cover, and lets you download some of our land-cover projection data that we’ve produced.  Excited to FINALLY have a web presence, a presence I hope to expand in the coming years, particularly with more interactive tools for data exploration and analysis.

Posted in Environmental Awareness, Scientific Awareness

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Pile O’ Dead Birds – Just another South Dakota Day…

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Terry| 3 Comments

I used to be a hunter, back as a kid and through high school.  I wasn’t an avid hunter or anything, but did go out occasionally with friends.  However,  in my current place in life, I can’t imagine ever going out hunting again.  I can’t really say I see the thrill in going out and blasting away, but at least I can somewhat see hunting as one means of putting food on the table.  I REALLY don’t understand anyone’s desire to go out and kill, just for the sake of killing (ala prairie dog, coyote, or mountain lion hunting in South Dakota).  However, I at least have been telling myself for years that I’m not against hunting in general.

It’s getting harder…and harder…and harder…to keep telling myself that I’m not against hunting in general.  Not when it seems every other time I go to bird and take photos that I run into yet another example of South Dakota “hunters” gone bad.  I was recently up birding in the Lake Thompson area of South Dakota.  Lake Thompson used to be a big wetland area with scattered shallow water, but since heavy rains in the 1980s and 1990s, it’s now the largest natural lake in South Dakota.  Ice is just going out on the big lakes, including Lake Thompson.  The lake was a mix of open water, rotten ice, and piles of slushy ice crystals being blown into masses by a strong northwest wind.  Along the ice edge were gulls, several thousand snow geese, as well as thousands of ducks scattered around the lake.

In other words, a nice day of birding!  That is…until I drove along “Oldham road”, a road bed slicing through the lake with water on both sides.  As I started to drive along the grade, I saw a few thousand Snow Geese well south of the road, but near the road was a pair of Snow Geese.  One was obviously wounded, with a wing dragging behind it as it and its partner struggled to walk away on the ice as my car approached.  I drive another hundred yards, and I see a dead goose on the rocks by the road.  A tough winter and a tough migration, I’m thinking.  However, as  I drive a bit further and approach the one bridge on Oldham road, I see a mass of white.  I stop, and on the rocks by the bridge, I see a pile of about two dozen dead snow geese.

The birds were on the rocks, well above the water line, and it was quite obvious the wind or waves hadn’t deposited their bodies there.  I didn’t closely examine the bodies, but when I got out and looked, there was quite a bit of blood on some of the birds.  They had obviously died rather recently, and had died of trauma.  Unfortunately, I’m positive it was a “South Dakota” type of trauma..some redneck or group of rednecks with shotguns, who saw the masses of geese on the lake and started blasting away.

The carnage didn’t end there.  Further down were a few more dead snow geese.  As I headed west from the lake on Oldham road, I approached a large lake, again with water on both sides of the road.  As I started to cross the lake, a single snow goose struggled mightly to move to the water.  It had been sitting on the side of the road, and could obviously barely move.  It wasn’t hard to see why…it’s right lower part of it’s body was covered with blood.  On the retreating ice on the lake, another sad pair of Snow Geese stood…one with a drooped wing, another victim.  As a wildlife lover, it’s hard for me not to anthropomorphize animals at times. Snow Geese mate for life, so with one of the pair shot and injured, the other bird stays behind with it.  It was pretty obvious that mating pair wasn’t going to ever raise young again.

I’m losing count of how many times I’ve run across this kind of thing in South Dakota in recent years.  I’ve come over a hill, only to find two rednecks in a pickup, too lazy to even get out, guns pointing out of the window, and blasting away at American Coots in the wetland by the road.  I’ve gone to a favorite birding spot, having a quiet day interrupted when two young girls pull into the parking area to drop off their two younger brothers, both of whom immediately start to blast away at ANY bird or living creature they come across.  I’ve come across an idiot who wing-shot a goose, but didn’t know how to finish it off, so was chasing it around a field, kicking it and beating it with his fists.

Sadly, I could go on…and on…and on.  There are unfortunately MANY South Dakota “sportsmen” who behave in such a manner, using wildlife for target practice or abuse.

I have some friends who hunt, and I know they are indeed sportsmen who follow the law to the letter.  I know the good that groups like Ducks Unlimited do for habitat.  However, when it seems that I run into examples of South Dakota rednecks about every other time I go out, it’s VERY hard for me to continue to say I’m not against hunting.  Even for groups like Ducks Unlimited, it becomes VERY hard for my cynical side not to come out, for me to view them as simply focused on ensuring a steady supply of targets to blast away at.

It only takes a few idiots to spoil the “fun” for everybody else.  It only takes a few idiots to forever taint the views folks like myself may have about hunting.  However, the more I go out and about, the more my cynical side becomes convinced that there are one HELL of a lot more than just a FEW South Dakota rednecks who think this is acceptable behavior.

 

Posted in Ecosystems at Risk, Environmental Awareness

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Sax-Zim Bog Trip – Wolf(!), Owls, and Rude Photographers

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment
Wolf - Canis lupus

Wolf emerging from the forest near Sax-Zim Bog in northern Minnesota. Certainly much larger than all of the many coyotes I've seen, I still couldn't convince myself for sure that I'd seen and photographed a wolf, until getting confirmation after showing the photos to Minnesota DNR folks who work in the area. Highlight of the trip, and it doesn't have feathers! Click for a larger view.

Eight years ago, I had one of the most memorable birding trips of my life.  Birders in northern Minnesota were seeing unprecedented numbers of “winter” owls, particularly Great Gray Owls and Northern Hawk Owls.  Both species are quite hard to find in the lower 48 states, and I had never seen either, so did the 6-hour drive to Duluth and ended up seeing a lifetime’s worth of owls in 1 day, with 30+ Great Grays and Northern Hawk Owls.  This winter, they’ve reported a large number of Boreal Owls, another species I’ve never seen, so I decided to take a trip to the Duluth area again. 

Northern Hawk Owl

Wonderful look at a Northern Hawk Owl, curious as I first walked up, but then very relaxed. When you see these guys up there, they seem to show little fear of humans, making you wonder how much, if any, experience they've ever had in seeing and dealing with a human being.

I left Saturday afternoon and arrived that evening, intent on birding all of Sunday and until about noon on Monday before driving back.  Sunday morning I left before dawn and was nearing the famed Sax-Zim Bog area, when I decided to start taking small gravel roads up instead of the main highway.  I got on a gravel road right around dawn and started driving very slowly, scanning the trees on either side of the road for owls.  Only a few minutes into it, I noticed a bit of motion in the forest to my right.  Given how thick the trees were, I couldn’t see what it was, but I could see motion every once in awhile, and could tell something was paralleling the road, and me, as I slowly drove along.  It seemed like whatever the creature was, it was looking for a chance to cross the road, so I stopped, hoping it would cross the road in front of me.  I got out, crouched down beside my car, and got my camera ready to shoot.

Boreal Chickadee

With the rich chestnut sides and the grayish-brown cap, Boreal Chickadees really stand out from the much more common Black-capped Chickadees in the area. A nice species to find in the lower 48!

About a minute after I stopped, the creature stepped out of the forest and onto the snowy side of the road about 20 yards in front of me, and turned his head and stared in my direction.  One glance and I knew this was a creature I’d never seen in the wild before…a wolf!! I’ve seen plenty of coyotes before, and this animal certainly was much larger than any coyote I’ve seen.  I only ended up seeing him for about 10 seconds, as he paused briefly to stare at me before crossing the road and disappearing into the thick forest on the other side.  With the camera ready, I was able to grab a handful of shots before he slipped into the forest, including the photo at the top.  I may be a “bird” guy, but seeing my first wolf in the wild, at close range?  Definitely the highlight of the trip, and a moment I won’t soon forget.

Northern Hawk Owl

See the rather relaxed Northern Hawk Owl in the first photo? THIS is what happens when a jackass "nature" photographer decides to intentionally piss off a rare, wild owl, just so he can get a "better pose".

The trip was off to a rousing success!  Unfortunately, I had a little bit less luck searching for birds over the next day and a half.  The Boreal Owls I was searching for?  The prior day, two Boreal Owls were spotted in the Bog area, treating several birders who were able to enjoy them.  Despite talking to every birder I came across on Sunday and Monday, nobody I talked to had seen any Boreal Owls or Great Gray Owls on those days.  However, someone had reported a Northern Hawk Owl on “Big Stone Lake Road” at the northeastern edge of the bog, so I headed in that direction to try my luck.

As I arrived, the Northern Hawk Owl was easy to spot, sitting on a branch in a taller tree overlooking an area of scattered shrubs.  The Owl was about 200 yards out from the road, but after a short hike through the snow, I arrived at a reasonable distance and started to shoot.  What a gorgeous bird!  Big Stone Lake Road was also where I saw my first Northern Hawk Owl, 8 years before, so it was a real treat to see one again in the same area.   He gave me a few quick looks before resuming his normal hunting, searching the ground around him for signs of prey.  I snapped a number of photos and left him as I had found him.

Later that day, I found another Northern Hawk Owl on Big Stone Lake road.  This one was closer to the road, but just as relaxed, acting normally as I snapped photos of him on his perch.  Another photographer arrived and approached with a tripod and camera.  He plopped his gear down, set up the camera, snapped a few quick shots, and then said “Are you ready”?  I had no idea what he meant, but he immediately started playing a Northern Hawk Owl call on his iPod!  I am NOT a fan of people using digital calls to lure in birds, but in this case, the owl was sitting right there in front of us!  There was no need to lure the bird in!  Rather startled by what this guy was doing, he said he “wanted a better pose”. 

What WAS a very relaxed, calm owl was now one pissed-off, not very happy owl.  He immediately started fluffing his feathers up, spreading his wings and tail, and even started calling back.  I’m rarely amazed any more at the lengths some “nature” photographers will go to in order to get a shot, but the owl wasn’t the only one pissed off in this situation.  One of the rarest birds to find in the lower 48 states, a bird that could very well be in a stressed state to begin with, and now this “nature” photographer decides he needs a “better pose”, so he PURPOSELY irritates the bird to get it to change poses.  Sometimes it seems the rare birds bring out the worst in some birders and some photographers.  It was 8 years ago, in Sax-Zim bog, that I personally witnessed multiple photographers trying to lure the stressed birds closer by using live pet mice. 

And you wonder why I’m cynical?  Argh.

The rest of the trip was nice, but no more owls of any kind were found.  I did find Boreal Chickadees, Pine Grosbeaks, Gray Jays, and other nice “northern” species, and had a wonderful trip in general.  I’m hoping to get up to Sax-Zim bog again next year, as even without the wolf, even without the owls, it’s a very nice birding and wildlife experience.

Posted in Birding, Birds, Environmental Awareness, Photo Story

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Climate Change and Hummingbird Migration – With Great Photo!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding at a honeysuckle plant. In Brandon, South Dakota. On June 9th, 2008. At someone's front porch. With a guy grilling hamburgers nearby. Just a hunch...

Jason Courter from Taylor University, along with his co-authors, published research that examined the migration of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, finding the birds are moving north earlier than they did historically.  The birds are arriving back in North America 12 to 18 days earlier than they did prior to 1970.  Overshadowing the research itself is of course the incredible, fantastic photo that has accompanied the story that’s been carried by the popular press.  The photo is of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering in front of an orange honeysuckle bloom.  I happen to have very, very personal knowledge that the photo was taken from the front porch of a private home in Brandon, South Dakota, in between the grilling of hamburgers  (just a hunch).

It is cool to have a photo in a science story like this, a story that’s been picked up by AP and has shown up in a number of news outlets, including overseas in The Guardian and elsewhere.  But of course it’s the science itself that is the cool story here.  The research isn’t the first to show that migration dates have changed in the last century, presumably in response to climate change.  It is yet another very strong piece of evidence that indicates our climate is changing, and that natural ecosystems are evolving to adapt.

Nice story, and the research article is definitely worth reading if you can get a copy.  It is published in The Auk, the journal of the American Ornithologists Union.

Posted in Birding, Birds, Climate Change, Ecosystems at Risk, Environmental Awareness

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Nature Thrives – If we just give it half a chance

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment
Injured Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle near Brandon, South Dakota, with injured bill and missing left eye. Despite all the human activity in the area, despite the injury, I believe he is in one of two nesting pairs in the area. Nature thrives, if we give it just the tiniest opportunity, but given our short-sighted nature and greed, far too often even that tiny opportunity doesn't exist.

I live right next to the Big Sioux Recreation Area, a state park along the Big Sioux River.  I often take walks there, taking trails or going off-trail along the river, through the forest, and through an area of open grassland. This morning I was walking along the river and came across and adult and younger (not totally mature plumage) Bald Eagle, perched on a tree overlooking the river.  Over the next half hour the two would occasionally leave the perch, fly to a different one, or disappear upstream a bit before coming back a few minutes later.  I took a number of photos, and everything seemed fine.

However, when I got home, I noticed the adult bird was missing part of its bill, and it appeared its left eye was also gone.  I don’t think it was a fresh injury, from the appearance, but it was obvious the eagle had undergone some sort of trauma.  Given my cynical nature, and given the idiots around here who blast away at anything that moves, my first thought was a shotgun blast.  What’s amazing though is the bird appears to be doing quite well, despite the setback.

Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota.  OK, at 150,000 or so, it’s not huge by some standards, but there are a lot of folks that live in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area.  The Big Sioux River isn’t exactly the cleanest river in the world.  It’s a typical, slow, meandering, Great Plains river, very muddy and receiving one heck of a lot of agricultural runoff.  Despite the setting just a few miles from the biggest city in South Dakota…despite the cleanliness of the river…and despite this eagle’s injury, there are not one, but two active Bald Eagle nests, including one less than a mile from my house.  What I am always amazed at is how nature can thrive, if you provide it just the slightest bit of an opportunity.

What I find so depressing though is how often human beings are unable to provide even that slight opening for life to thrive.  The USGS center where I work is 15 miles outside of town, and I often used to take gravel roads to work.  It’s all agricultural land here, soybeans and corn, but there were a few tiny pockets of habitat where I would stop on my to and from work, looking for birds.  It’s amazing how often these tiny pockets of land would host a variety of birds.   Nearly all the wetlands on my drive have long since been drained and converted to cropland, but there was one small patch of damp land, not more than 2 or 3 acres, where I would often stop on the way home from work.  Despite being in a sea of cropland, despite being such a tiny bit of habitat, this damp bit of land with some sedges and a few cattails would often hold a lot of birds, including some real exciting birds from a birder’s perspective, such a Le Conte’s Sparrows that I often found there during the fall migration.

This summer, we had a severe drought, and farmers took advantage of the dry situation by plowing up dried up wetlands and installing drain tile to ensure they remained dry in the.  After this summer, I don’t bother taking gravel roads to work any more.  My little damp spot was plowed up and drain tile was installed.  Other little patches of habitat, including brushy fencerows and windbreaks, have also been torn out and plowed under in the last few years, as farmers are capitalizing on high commodity prices by plowing and planting every square inch of available land.

Just a small opportunity…that’s all life needs.  But given our short-sighted, greedy nature, we seem incapable of providing even that tiny opportunity.

Posted in Birding, Birds, Ecosystems at Risk, Environmental Awareness

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South Dakota Redneck fined $85,000 for Killing Whooping Crane

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Terry| 10 Comments
Whooping Crane - Grus americana

Hey...rednecks....does this LOOK like a pheasant or a duck to you? No? Then perhaps you can control yourselves before pulling the trigger next time you see one. Save yourself $85,000....

Well, now I know why I’ve gotten several emails and attempted blog posts from enraged South Dakota rednecks in the last day.  One of their fellow rednecks, Jeff Blachford of Miller, South Dakota, has been fined $85,000 for killing a Whooping Crane last year.

Some brilliant logic from these folks though on why it’s perfectly fine to go out and shoot one of the most endangered birds in the world.  My favorite…the idiot that posted this morning saying that Whooping Crane “mortality rates are high because of natural causes…they just can’t get off the ground fast enough” to  get away from predators (or South Dakota rednecks with guns?).  Brilliant.  They’ve somehow survived for thousands of years despite this “handicap” of not being able to “get off the ground fast enough”.

Surprising, this brilliant person may be the intellectual giant of Miller, given some of the other emails and attempted posts I’ve gotten.  I’m surprised some of these folks are able to log on to a computer and actually produce a message of any kind.

I hope an $85,000 fine has taught you a lesson, Mr. Blachford.  I hope the rest of the Miller redneck crowd realizes how incredibly small and insignificant they are (we all are) in the big scheme of things, and that YES, wiping a species off the face of the earth IS a big deal.

This is South Dakota.  Given the “culture” ( hesitate to use that word here) of the state, you’re allowed to blast away at practically anything that moves.  However, the next time you see an enormous white bird and you don’t know what it is, perhaps you’ll now pause before actually pulling the trigger.  In the meantime, I think I’ll bestow the coveted “scum of the week” award to Mr. Blachford, and to all of the redneck “supporters” who have tried to email or post.

Posted in Birding, Birds, Environmental Awareness, Scum Of The Week

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Review: “Rare Birds” by Elizabeth Gehrman

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment
Rare Birds - By Elizabeth Gehrman

Rare birds indeed, with an incredible story of both the Bermuda Petrel, as well as the man who devoted his life to saving the species, David Wingate.

I’m, in many ways I guess, what people think of when they think of a “scientist”.  Socially awkward?  Check.  More at home with my work than with people?  Check.  More at home in the field and out with nature than with people?  Check.  Kind of like Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory”?  Well no, not that bad, but you get the idea.  I’ve also never been a “hero worshipper” of any kind.  I just don’t care that much about reputation.  I don’t care that much about the scientist himself.  It is the science I’m interested in.  Because of my nature, I was a little surprised at how I reacted to a book I just completed.

The book is “Rare Birds: The extraordinary tale of the Bermuda Petrel and the man who brought it back from extinction”, by Elizabeth Gehrman.  A book about a rare bird? I knew I’d love that part of it. As an avid birder, I knew a bit about the Bermuda Petrel, so was looking forward to reading a detailed account of the species.  Given my personality, what I didn’t know is how much I would enjoy the story of the man who was instrumental in saving the species.

The Bermuda Petrel (also known as a Cahow) was a bird that likely numbered in the millions when explorers first came across Bermuda in the early 1600s.  Due to hunting pressures and introduction of predators on their nesting islands, the species quickly declined, and for a few hundred years (!!!), the species was thought to be extinct.  Many scientists even had begun to doubt that the Bermuda Petrel had ever existed, as a unique species.  In the early 1900s, there were hints that the species had survived, and by the middle of the century, an incredibly small relict population of breeding birds were found on a few tiny islands of Bermuda.  The book is the story of one man, David Wingate, and the plight of the Cahow.

When a twist of fate brought Wingate face-to-face with the first confirmed, live Bermuda Petrel recorded in centuries, he made it his life’s mission to bring the bird back from the brink of extinction.  An exhaustive search of the tiny islands around Bermuda led to the discovery of a mere 7 surviving breeding pairs.  With very little in financial support, the book details Wingate’s tireless efforts to restore Cahow populations.

As expected, I greatly enjoyed the detailed story of restoration efforts.  The book provides a remarkable demonstration of the interconnected nature of ecosystems, and the chain of dependent plant and animal species that contributed to the demise, and to the ultimate restoration, of Cahow populations.  Who would have thought that the reintroduction of Yellow-crowned Night-herons would be necessary to control native land crabs, to control crab foraging on native sedges, to restore better ground habitat on “Nonsuch Island”, the focus of much of the restoration efforts?  The book is a fascinating look at not only the life history of the Cahow, but of the entire ecosystem on which the Cahow depends.

While my appreciation and enjoyment of the natural story of the Cahow was expected, what I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed the personal story of Wingate himself.  As I said, I’m not a hero worshipper, I’m into the science more than I am into the scientist.  However, I found the presentation of Wingate in the book to be equally as fascinating as the story of the Cahow itself.  The book intersperses narrative accounts of Wingate’s history with quotations from Wingate himself, and quoatations from those around him during this lifelong journey to save the Cahow.  SPOILER ALERT…don’t read the rest of this paragraph if you want to save the story for when you read the book…but the point where I knew I was “falling” for not only the Cahow story, but the story of Wingate himself, was when his beloved wife “Anita” was tragically burned in an accident on the island, and died several days later.  Wingate was obviously every bit the “quirky” scientist, but the book portrays the wonderful relationship with the love of his life, Anita.  As a fellow “quirky scientist” who has always been a bit awkward around people but who (shockingly!!) has my own ‘love-of-my-life’, I more than sympathized with Wingate upon reading the story of Anita’s death.   Given the wonderful writing style of the book, I could almost FEEL Wingate’s pain.

In short, if you’re a naturalist, if you’re a lover of wildlife, if you’re a birder, you’ll love the book for the story of the Cahow.  Even if you don’t traditionally fit into one of these categories, you’ll love the book for not only the story of the Cahow, but for the story of one man’s perseverance and dedication, in the face of incredible personal, social, and political odds.

This book arrived at my house on a Monday, and less than 24 hours after hitting my doorstep, I had completed it.  I strongly recommend picking up a copy.  I can almost guarantee that you too will have a hard time putting it down.

Posted in Birding, Birds, Ecosystems at Risk, Environmental Awareness, Review

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Landsat Launch Success! Incredible View!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Terry| 1 Comment
Landsat 8, separating from the rocket

The view from the Atlas rocket, towards the just released Landsat 8 satellite. Incredible view, and timing, with the sun appearing behind the "crescent Earth" just moments after satellite separation. Click for a larger view.

Everyone at USGS EROS (Earth Resource Observation and Science) Center had been looking forward to today for a long time…years in fact.  With the Landsat 5 satellite recently decommissioned after an incredible 28 year run…with Landsat 6 somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific, and with Landsat 7 operating with a crippled instrument, USGS EROS, and Earth Science in general, NEEDED a successful Landsat 8 launch.   Today, we got that successful launch.

The “Landsat Data Continuity Mission”, soon to be dubbed “Landsat 8″ once NASA transitions satellite control to the USGS, launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  Everything has gone flawlessly so far.  No delays in the countdown, great weather, and everything gone perfectly during launch.

Three “goosebump” moments for me today…

1) The final “OK”s from the mission engineers.  One by one, they went through a check of all systems, with each engineer replying with a “Check!!”.  That’s when you knew that after years of planning, you only had a few minutes before actual launch.

2) Actual launch, with multiple views showing the launch from a distance, camera on the rocket, etc.

3) My favorite moment, pictured above…separation of the satellite from the rocket.  The NASA announcer talked about the quiet and tension in the room in the few minutes leading up to this, as satellite separation can be a tricky stage.  Not only does it go flawlessly, but the views from the camera on the rocket, looking towards the satellite as it slowly moves away, were just stunning.  It separated somewhere over Europe, where it was night.  All you could see of the earth was a bright sliver in the distance, like a sliver of a crescent moon.  Then just about 15 seconds after separation, you seen the sun come out from behind the crescent, with the satellite and rocket in the foreground.

AMAZING.  GREAT day for USGS EROS!  Now we just have to hope the satellite checks out as flawlessly as the launch!!

Posted in Environmental Awareness, Scientific Awareness

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Landsat Satellite Launch – Monday, mid-Day

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Terry| 3 Comments
Landsat Data Continuity Mission

A huge day for my USGS center tomorrow, with the launch of the Landsat 8 mission.

A very big day at work tomorrow (Monday).  I work at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.  We house the world’s largest collection of satellite imagery, providing both data and the science to support the use of the data.  USGS EROS was established 40 years ago, with a carefully selected site in the central part of the nation, to facilitate collection of satellite imagery. 

In 1972, the first “Landsat” satellite was launched.  It marked a milestone in environmental monitoring and assessment, as for the first time, synoptic, broad-scale, consistent observations of the Earth’s surface were available.  Several subsequent Landsat missions have followed, with one mission (Landsat 5) finally ending recently after a remarkable 28 years of continuous data collection (not bad for what was thought to be a 5-year lifespan at most).  Landsat 6, launched in the early 1990s, never achieved orbit and is currently at “home” somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  Landsat 7, a flagship mission for USGS EROS, experienced sensor problems a few years ago, and now collects only partially degraded imagery. 

Tomorrow, Monday, February 11th, at around noon central time, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  The mission will officially be termed Landsat 8 after a successful launch and a transition of control t0 USGS.  The mission is a partnership between NASA and USGS, with NASA leading the design, construction, and launch of the satellite.  We at USGS control the mission after launch, collect the data from the satellite, and distribute it to the public.

A big day, not just for USGS EROS, but for Earth Science.  Landsat imagery have been used for countless different applications over the years, and with Landsat 8, we’ll be able to provide the data and science for years to come.  If you get a chance, check out the launch tomorrow on NASA TV.

Posted in Environmental Awareness, Scientific Awareness

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Environmental Protection Agency – South Dakota’s “Boogeyman”

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Terry| Leave a comment

I swear I live in a place where stupidity and greed are viewed as virtues…

In South Dakota, we haven’t been totally swamped by political ads.  Presidential candidates certainly aren’t going to waste any money here.  Hell will freeze over before a Democratic presidential candidate wins South Dakota.  However, South Dakota is getting to be known for corny, ridiculous political ads for in-state battles.  Jeff Barth, a Democrat who was running for South Dakota’s lone House seat, had an ad go viral on YouTube this spring.  In the ad, Barth walks along while a series of corny props show up in his path, including a gun that Barth picks up and fires.  Barth did end up losing.

The House race is between Kristi Noem, the Republican (of course) incumbent, and Matt Varilek, Democrat. Noem had her own ad go viral this week, a ridiculous ad that makes all of South Dakota look like a bunch of dumb hicks.  In the ad, Noem compares her experiences in South Dakota, winning awards from the state soybean council and working on a farm, to Varilek, who is apparently wasting his time traveling the world, getting graduate degrees, and working for the United Nations.  Her point?  To supposedly make Varilek look like he’s out of touch, I guess…for you see, here in South Dakota, if you travel the world, get a graduate degree, and work for the U.N., it evidently makes you uppity and out of touch with “real” South Dakotans.

Don’t ask what I think of the “real” South Dakotan.  I’m sitting here watching football tonight, and there have been a number of political ads, including more for Kristi Noem.  The talking point for Repub political candidates in the state?  Stopping “Obama and EPA regulations” that evidently are killing the state.  It’s not just Noem that has used the supposed evils of the EPA in attack ads against a Democratic opponent.  I just saw an ad for Kristi Fiegen, an incumbent with the Public Utilities Commission, that also used the evil EPA as a reason why South Dakotans should vote for her.  After all, EVERYONE knows that when you control the mighty South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, you control the EPA, and the world.  Vote for Fiegen!!  Otherwise the evil EPA and their regulations will ruin South Dakota!!

Everyone needs a boogeyman, I guess, and for Republicans of all flavors in South Dakota, it seems like the EPA is somehow the boogeyman de jour.  After all, it’s more important for farmers and industry in South Dakota to make an extra buck, than it is to protect the air, water, and land that our children will depend upon.  I’m young enough that I guess I don’t understand when the terms “environment” or “conservation” became dirty words to Republicans.  For god’s sake, it was Nixon who established the EPA. It was Nixon who established the Endangered Species Act.  It was Nixon who signed the Clean Air Act.  Yes, public pressures at the time were important in moving Nixon to establish a number of environmental programs, but Republicans as a whole USED to believe in environmental and conservation issues.

Why have Republicans become so averse to supporting environmental issues?  When did things start to turn?  The naive side of me can’t understand why environmental and conservation issues ARE political issues.  The naive side of me can’t understand how ANY party, how any human being, can be so unconcerned about the world our children will live in.

However, the naive side of me is dwarfed by my cynical side.  The cynical side knows the reason.  People are inherently selfish SOBs, so much so, that their short-term pursuit of the almighty dollar is more important to them than what kind of world they leave their children.  As with every other issue in America, it’s been branded as a black-or-white issue…it’s either economic growth, or environmental conservation.

I do find it rather pathetic to sit here tonight and watch commercials, where South Dakota politicians feel that opposing the EPA, an agency charged with PROTECTING the health of our citizens, is a winning play for getting votes.  Are South Dakotans really that gullible?  Are they really that stupid?  Given how South Dakotans typically vote, it’s pretty obvious what the answer is.

Posted in Environmental Awareness, Politics

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