Rarities: Wolf Moon, Arapaho Peaks

Moonset, Arapaho Peaks. Photo by James Beissel (Jamesbeissel.com)

Photographer James Beissel sent us this fantastic dawn-patrol shot of the full moon setting over South and North Arapaho in the Indian Peaks, shot from Flagstaff Mountain. Said Beissel: ”The first full moon of the New Year is often called the Wolf Moon. The name comes from Native American culture, in which it was associated with cold nights on which hungry wolves could be heard howling at the moon. January 30th’s full moon was also the largest for 2010—the full moon coincided with the lunar perigee, the point at which the moon is nearest to Earth during its egg-shaped orbit, making the moon appear larger and brighter than normal.”

Here’s another thing this photo reminds us: The east ridge of North Arapaho (right foreground), located inside Boulder’s closed-to-the-public watershed, sure looks like a fine mountaineering route. It’s a shame no one gets to climb it.

New Deal for Great Sand Dunes

Photo by Bob Berwyn

By Bob Berwyn

Stakeholders in the San Luis Valley have taken a giant step toward protecting Great Sand Dunes National Park from mining, energy development, and water exports. Lexam Explorations has agreed to sell its mineral rights if a $9.7 million deal can be finalized by May.

Great Sand Dunes National Park was created by Congress in 2000. More than 150,000 acres are protected, including Colorado’s largest federal wildlife area, the Baca National Wildlife Refuge…. But the mineral rights under the surface were not included, and have long been eyed by a variety of developers dating back to the 1980s.

Read the rest of this story at Summit County Citizens Voice, the website created by longtime Colorado journalist Bob Berwyn.

Fate of Colorado Lynx Still Uncertain

In this Colorado Division of Wildllfe map, the highest levels of lynx activity are shown in red.

By Bob Berwyn

Despite ongoing intensive efforts to monitor Colorado’s reintroduced lynx population, biologists are still not sure if the threatened cats will survive in the long run. “It’s not clear if reproduction will keep up with mortality,” said Kurt Broderdorp, the Grand Junction-based biologist who keeps tabs on lynx for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service….

…Between 1999 and 2006, state biologists transplanted 218 lynx from Alaska and Canada to the San Juans. Since then, researchers have documented 118 lynx deaths, with more than a quarter of those fatalities related to human involvement, including poaching and vehicle collisions.

Trackers and biologists have also documented the birth of about 115 lynx kittens dating back to 2003. In 2007 and 2008, they couldn’t find any sign of lynx reproduction, but the researchers believe that other kittens have been born to females that can’t be tracked because they don’t have active radio transmission collars. In 2009, 10 kittens were born, including the first documented set of third-generation Colorado kittens, born to native Colorado lynx. State biologists said this was a key step toward establishing a self-sustaining population.

Read the rest of this story at Summit County Citizens Voice, the new website created by longtime Colorado journalist Bob Berwyn.

Rarities

Rising blue moon, caught in the sunset shadow of Pikes Peak, from the summit, December 31, 2009.

The second full moon of December rises at sunset on a cold New Year’s Eve. Temperature: –1°F. Wind: 30 to 40 mph, gusting to 55 mph. And a mystery: Why does a round-topped mountain cast a pointed shadow?

Happy (Snowy) Holidays

Winter rainbow above Mill Creek Cirque, near Red Mountain Pass. Photo by Michael Barton

Courtesy of Mountain Goat Ski Guides, reprinted with permission.

Happy Solstice!

Mt. Otis

The winter solstice occurs this morning at 10:47 a.m. Tomorrow, the sun will rise slightly higher in the sky and daylight will last two seconds longer. Soon there will be noticeably more time to play outside.

Have a great winter everyone!