Page 46 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2017

Bodega Volunteer Fire
Join us Sunday, August 6th 2017 for the 37th Annual Bodega Fire Big Event BBQ A full day of family fun. Day starts out with Sonoma County’s Shortest Parade at 10:30am through downtown Bodega. Free admission. Live music from 10:45am- 5pm. Enjoy BBQ chicken and tri-tip lunch served with salad, beans and garlic bread. Adults $15, Child $8. Beer on tap, wine, mimosas and Bloody Mary’s. Desserts, kids games, and craft vendors. Pet Friendly. Free Parking. All proceeds bene t Bodega Volunteer Fire Department. More info: 707-876-9438 or bodega re.org. Event held in Downtown Bodega: 17184 Bodega Hwy.
Graton Fire
Defensive Driving –
Overcorrecting
New Equipment: You may
or may not have noticed
that Bodega Fire has a new emergency response vehicle. We have received grant funds from Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival and Sonoma County TOT
A Guide to the Night Sky
limited access. This vehicle enhances our ability to access, assess, treat and extricate victims from these areas. This vehicle also allows us to access and mitigate res in areas where large re engines cannot gain access. This tool allows us to access rural ranches and trails in western Sonoma County and access public managed properties/parks/trails in our response area. This rig is also available for mutual aid responses to Bodega Bay to access the beaches and areas around the Estero Americano. The UTV is capable of carrying 3 volunteer re ghters or 2 victims, carries 60 gallons of water with a 180 GPM pump. It also carries a cache of rescue and re ghting tools. This UTV helps us help you in times of emergencies.
funds through the re advisory council to purchase a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV). A UTV is a proven vehicle to access tight areas and rural areas. Bodega and surrounding areas have narrow roads, steep terrain and
By Tre Gibbs, LAAS
Saturn is the prominent planet this month! The quintessential ringed gas
giant has been slowly making it’s return to our night skies since late May and is poised for perfect viewing on clear, still nights. The one issue with this distant world is that it’s really distant. So, from Earth, it appears as if it’s simply just another “star” in the night sky. - except for one small di erence... it doesn’t twinkle. On the evening of July 6th, the moon rises and travels the sky just to the left of Saturn. When it’s dark (and weather permitting) it will be easy to spot this distant neighbor appearing as a small but steady stream of light. Earth has a spacecraft orbiting Saturn. The spacecraft left Earth in 1997 and arrived
at Saturn in 2004. Since then, Cassini has been sending back incredible images of the planet, it’s ring system and many moons. The mission ends however this September 15, as the spacecraft plunges into the ringed giant, becoming part of the planet itself.
Two nights later, on July 8th, we are treated to this month’s full moon, known as the Full Buck Moon, since it’s the time of year that bucks are showing o their new antlers.
There are also some cosmic happenings in the pre-dawn skies. For the early risers, look to the east around 5:00 - 5:30 am on the morning of July 20th to see the moon paired up with brilliant Venus. The Goddess of Love will be sitting just above the waxing crescent moon, until the sun’s increasing glare renders her practically invisible.
Jupiter has been a brilliant force in the early evening skies all through later Spring and early Summer of this year. Look high in the southwest after twilight to see the Roman King of Gods still shining brightly in the constellation Virgo, The Maiden of the Harvest. Jupiter, being further away from the sun than Earth, orbits the sun more slowly than Earth does. So, as Earth continues it’s orbit around the Sun, it catches up to and passes Jupiter, which is why over time, bright Jupiter appears a little further west than it did the night before. While extremely subtle and not noticeable on a nightly basis, over several weeks and months this westward drifting becomes increasingly noticeable. On the evening of the 28th, the moon and Jupiter travel the sky together, so look for both in the southwest on this one night only as twilight begins.
Here is a preview of what’s coming next month. On August 21st, we are going to experience an almost Total Solar Eclypse! This is the rst total solar eclipse in the USA since 1979, although, from our location here in California, we will only experience about 80-85% of the sun being blocked, but it will be very noticeable as the daylight will darken slightly, making everything looks strange and erie. FYI - here’s what happens during a Solar Eclipse. The moon, orbiting Earth, crosses in front of the sun, temporarily and partially blocking a great deal of sunlight from reaching us. Remember – Never look at the Sun directly. Find some proper glasses to protect your eyes so you can view the eclipse - you can usually nd some online (amazon.com). The eclipse will slowly start to begin around 9:00 am on Monday morning and by 11:36 am, the eclipse will have ended, with the moon having moved past the sun, and no longer blocking any of it’s light.
Enjoy your Summer, protect your eyes and until next time, keep looking up!
On June 12th, this driver on
Frei Road overcorrected after
drifting o the right side of
the road. His instinct was to
immediately cut the wheel hard
to the left in order to get back
on to the road. Unfortunately,
that caused him to cross the
roadway uncontrollably and
slam into a tree – severely injuring the passenger. This is a very common cause of tra c crashes in our district.
If you ever nd your tires have drifted o the shoulder, DO NOT crank the steering wheel hard left at speed... you can see the results. Instead, keep the tires pointing straight and apply the brakes until the car comes to a complete stop. Then, turn the steering wheel to the left, check for no vehicles, and slowly apply the gas pedal. Once the front tires are back on the road, the rear tires will follow. If the berm is too steep, it may require a tow truck to safely remove the vehicle – which is much better than injuring yourself, your passengers, other drivers, and totaling your car.
Defensible Space Time What are we talking about? Keeping a perimeter of mowed and/or green grass around our homes to prevent wildland res from reaching them. 100 feet is recommended. Mow early in the day and often. We also recommend keeping ammable things away from our homes – wood piles, dead trees, bushes, etc. Go to readyforwild re.org to learn more.
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