The annual Perseid Meteor Shower
is currently underway and will peak on Sunday
evening with rates of 100+ meteors per hour
possible.
This year's display will be
especially impressive due to a new Moon occurring
on Sunday the 12th. This will allow for dark skies
and prime viewing for the meteor shower.
Over the past couple of nights
fireballs have been reported from several
locations. These "Earthgrazers" are
often very bright and colorful and are a
spectacular sight in the evening sky.
For best viewing, find a
location as far away as possible from city lights.
Rocky Mountain National Park will be an excellent
place to view the Perseids. The show begins at
sundown and lasts until dawn. While you will be
able to see a few Perseids over the next few
evenings, the main event will be on Sunday
night.
The source of the shower is
Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is nowhere
near Earth, the comet's tail does intersect
Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in
August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's
atmosphere traveling 132,000 mph. At that speed,
even a smidgen of dust makes a vivid streak of
light--a meteor--when it disintegrates. Because
Swift-Tuttle's meteors fly out of the
constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."
More information about this
year's Perseid Meteor Shower can be found by
visiting Science@NASA.com
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County
Rescinds Fire Restrictions
Tuesday
August 7th - County
Rescinds Fire Restrictions...
Effective immediately, there are
no longer fire restrictions on Open Burning in
unincorporated Larimer County. The Board of
Larimer County Commissioners rescinded fire
restrictions today. Recent moisture to the region
has lessened the danger of fire.
On July 24, the Board adopted
restrictions on Open Burning in Larimer County’s
unincorporated area. The restrictions were to
remain in effect through September 4, 2007.
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Elk herd near Estes Park Museum on
Tuesday afternoon
This week's photo features a small herd of Elk resting on the grounds of the Estes Park Museum on Tuesday afternoon.
Elk are abundant in the area and are often seen grazing in the yards of homeowners in Estes Park. They are very accustomed to people and it is not unusual to see an Elk walking down the streets in downtown Estes Park.
The North American Elk, or Wapiti, is the largest form of the red deer species Cervus elaphus. In general appearance elk are obviously kin to the well-known White-tailed Deer. However, elk are much larger. In the Rocky Mountains, they are second in size only to the moose. An adult bull Elk stands about 60 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs about 600 to 800 pounds, although some large bulls approach 1100 lbs in late summer before the rut, or breeding season. Cows are substantially smaller but still have a shoulder height of 50 to 55 inches and an adult weight of around 500 lbs.
At this time of year, Elk spend the majority of their time grazing and resting in preparation for breeding season and the upcoming winter. The Elk traditionally begin their mating in September, bringing thousands of visitors to the Estes Park area in hopes of glimpsing this annual ritual.
Bull Elk can be very aggressive during the rut and people should maintain a safe distance from these large animals. Bulls are very protective of their harems and have at times charged unwary individuals who get too close and who they feel pose a threat. The bulls' antlers are extremely sharp and can cause serious injury or even death. Remember, while Elk may seem quite docile that they are indeed wild animals and should be treated as such, particularly during their mating season.
The National Weather Service in
Denver has issued a Flash Flood Watch for
northeast Colorado, including the Drake, Glen
Haven and Storm Mountain areas, in effect from
noon today through midnight tonight.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AND
MOVE ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND NORTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 3
INCHES PER HOUR POSSIBLE.
THE SOILS IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN
SATURATED BY RECENT RAINS, AND ADDITIONAL
RAINFALL COULD CREATE FLOODING PROBLEMS. THE HEAVY
RAIN COULD ALSO CAUSE ROCK AND MUD SLIDES ALONG
THE FOOTHILLS, ESPECIALLY IN THE HAYMAN BURN
AREA IN WESTERN DOUGLAS AND SOUTHEAST JEFFERSON
COUNTIES AND THE OVERLAND BURN AREA IN BOULDER
COUNTY.
REPEAT THIS IS A WATCH AND NOT A
WARNING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT
FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT IMMINENT,
WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA
SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER AND BE PREPARED
FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION SHOULD HEAVY RAINS AND FLASH
FLOODING OCCUR, OR IF A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS
ISSUED.
The complete text of this
official weather advisory can be found via the
link provided below.
Registration information for Thompson Valley and Estes
Park schools is now available. This information can be found by visiting
the 'Community' section of this website.
In addition to the registration information, lunch
menus, school supply lists and the 2007-2008 school calendar are also
available for download or viewing.
School starts on Monday, August 27th, for students
attending Thompson Valley Schools and on Tuesday, September 4th, for
students attending Estes Park Schools.
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