A momentous event is coming our way.
Not the one in Washington D.C.
(I said momentous, not monstrous!)
This year, in a band slashing down to the Southeast,
from Tacoma to Charleston,
there will be a
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE.
A TSE is NOT like a partial TSE.
It is "Lights Out"
once in a lifetime,
break down
on your knees,
life changing moment.
It happens close to home (in Kansas, southern Illinois, Kentucky, etc) on August 21, 2017.
I would like to recommend viewing of this event
to all our community,
to encourage families, groups,
entire cities,
to vacate,
to witness this 2 minutes of disjunct,
of life altering newness,
to consider the fact of how,
"what is" can change
to something else so quickly.
They say that at
totality,
one can expect the temperature to drop 15 degrees in seven minutes,
due to the loss of solar inputs.
What does this teach us about the Sun,
the Earth,
the atmosphere,
the climate and CO2?
Please study up, empty your calendar, and make plans to meet up with this solar spectacular.
This website has a beautiful narrative of what to expect,
and everything you need to know to be able to witness it.
Closer to home and a bit more mundane
there are a few more days left to early registration for the
WILD THINGS CONFERENCE
at the UIC Forum on February 18. This is an all-day smorgasborg of workshops on all aspects of nature in our region, from monarchs, to bryophytes, to prairie orchids to home gardening. It is an excruciating challenge to select from the scores of workshops offered simultaneously. If you love nature, and are drawn to science and activity, find a way to attend this gem of a Gatheriing. I'll be there. Meet you for lunch? Register here.
and,
our Winter Field Ecology kicks off Wednesday, January 18. Hope you got some long underwear, winter boots and Carharts for holiday gifts!
I look forward to this new year full of possibilities and challenges.
The very best to you,
Mr. Leki