September 29, 2023

Overview for this week.

1. We're just about into October and Columbus Day is right around the corner.

2. Dr Fox has posted some guided meditations to his website, and we share those with you today.

3. October is Health Literacy Month. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has put together a website to help you stay on top of your health.

4. Astronaut Frank Rubio set an unintentional record for the longest spaceflight by a US astronaut after a breach of the International Space Station delayed his return to Earth.

5. We introduce you to high achiever, Jessica Cox, a truly remarkable motivational speaker.

6. We take a moment to look at the amazing impact the University of Arizona's School Garden Workshop program has had.

7. In two weeks, much of the American west will have the opportunity to view a solar eclipse. We'll let you know the best way to see it safely.

8. If you have ever wondered what those little piles of rocks you see while you're out hiking are, we'll help remove some of the mystery.

9. It's time to catch up with Linda Collazo who is headed to join Opera Orlando as a Studio Artist.

10. Geologists have identified an eighth continent, only this one is mostly under the sea.

11. The Northern Lights put on a rare show this last week turning the night sky red as far south as France in Europe and as far south as Kansas in North America.

12. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is working with the Armendaris Ranch in New Mexico to re-establish a healthy population of America's largest tortoise species.

13. We meet the Whitthorne dog pack and baby Zeus meets his siblings in the Pet's Corner.

Now, to this weeks Flock.

From: History.com, By: History.com Editors, April 18, 2023

Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492, and Columbus Day 2023 occurs on Monday, October 9. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century, but did not become a federal holiday until 1937.

For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’ achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. But throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have proposed since the 1970s including Indigenous People's Day, now celebrated in many U.S. states and cities.

Dr. Fox is progressing with his transition to a greater focus on online classes and teaching. As part of this effort, he has posted a series of guided meditations to the Institute of Personal and Transpersonal Knowledge website.

To receive up-to-date class schedule, registration information, and site updates, sign up to Dr. Fox's mailing list.

Every October, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services celebrates Health Literacy Month as part of Healthy People 2030, a government program aimed at eliminating health disparities and to achieve health equity and health literacy to improve health and well-being for all. Part of this program is the MyHealthfinder website, a resource that provides practical health information to the general public.

From: health.gov

This year, we’re also highlighting Healthy People 2030’s updated definition of health literacy! A team of experts recently split the definition into 2 parts:

• Personal health literacy: The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
• Organizational health literacy: The degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

MyHealthfinder

MyHealthfinder is a prevention and wellness resource that you can share with audiences who have limited health literacy skills. The site includes evidence-based health information written in plain language that’s actionable and easy to use.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio gives a thumbs up as he is carried to a medical tent after his landing Wednesday in a remote area of Kazakhstan. Rubio loggged 371 days in spce aboard the International Spce Station, the longest single spaceflight by a US asronaut.

Bill Ingalls/NASA/AFP Via Getty Images

From: USA Today, By:Eric Lagatta, September 27, 2023

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio didn't set out to break any spaceflight records when he and two Russian cosmonauts launched aboard a rocket more than a year ago bound for the International Space Station. The mission was only meant to last six months. But that was before a piece of space junk pierced the explorers' original capsule late last year, requiring a new Soyuz spacecraft to be rushed up to them for their return journey to Earth.

Ultimately, Rubio would spend 371 days in space before his mission came to an end, according to NASA. Rubio and his Russian companions — Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin — landed Wednesday morning in a remote area of Kazakhstan in the replacement Soyuz capsule that had only reached them aboard the space station two weeks ago.

This was brought to my attention by one of our favorite Flockers and a frequent contributor, Dino DeConcini. The Southern Arizona Leadership Council often profiles remarkable people. This last week they invited Jessica Cox to share her story.

From Southern Arizona Leadership Council

Born without arms, Jessica has accomplished multiple things that would be considered exceptional for those with a full physical tool kit. Her most renowned accomplishment was becoming the first person without arms to become a licensed pilot. She has been featured on such TV shows as National Geographic, CNN, Fox and Friends, Ellen and BBC News. Jessica and her husband Patrick have spent the last several years offering encouragement and a powerful positive example to amputees and other children and adults with disabilities around the world. Jessica shows by example how disabilities need not define a person.

A U of A grad and local resident, Jessica has initiated a series of talks in local elementary schools to encourage children to respect classmates who may exhibit physical, emotional, or mental differences. She and Patrick are exploring the potential to take these talks to national, even global audiences in video form.

We would now like to present some amazing facts about the agricultural efforts inspired by the great University of Arizona School Garden Workshop program that connects students in public schools with Tucson’s agricultural legacy by planting, maintaining, and engaging in school gardens. We first featured the School Garden Workshop in our September 23rd, 2022, issue along with a profile of the program’s founding director Sallie Marston. We saw Sallie again in our November 4th, 2022, issue when she received a lifetime achievement award from the Education Enrichment Foundation (EEF), in part for her work on the School Garden Workshop. The current director Moses Thompson has been a huge inspiration and leader. We would like to present some amazing facts about the efforts inspired by this great program.

~2.5K

K-12 Students served through Food Litercy Program Meal Kits,

Field Trips, and culinary lessons

34K

K-12 Students

impacted across arizona

~2.5K

K-12 Students served through Food Litercy Program Meal Kits,

Field Trips, and culinary lessons

" When I began working in school gardens, i thought that i would be empowering the community, but my community empowered me."

- Kelly Rushford, student intern with University of Arizona School Garden workshop class

1 Eco-Regional Almanac workshop and launch with South Florida partners

3 national publications:

Can Gardening Help Children Grow?

How LEARNING Gardens Foster Well-Being, and Social Emotional Growth in School Gardens

2 USDA awards:

Agrivoltaics Grant and

Climate Smart Foods Grant

"I can think of no better way to provide students with a hands-on learning experience that can be tied directly to grade level curriculum than working in a school garden."

- Principal Kelly Creasy, White Elementary, Tucson, AZ

1 SGW team member supported the work of the US State dept. funded Professional Fellows program in Guatemala and Mexico

2 SGW team members travelled to South Korea to present TUSD student research at the 4th annual Agrivoltaics world Conference

3 garden-based STEM resources distributed to 14-19-year-olds worldwide, in collaboration with Futurum Careers

There are two solar eclipses that will be viewable in the continental United States in the near future. The first will be an annular solar eclipse on October 14th, 2023, that will be visible from Oregon to Texas. The next solar eclipse will be on April 8th, 2024, and be visible from Texas to Maine. If you choose to watch the eclipse, please be safe and use "eclipse glasses" with special-purpose solar filters, a hand-held solar viewer, or an indirect method for viewing the eclipse. I was able to find eclipse glasses at Circle K convenience stores here in Tucson. Don’t wait to get yours, they get harder to find as the eclipse approaches. We'll show how to make your own pinhole solar eclipse viewer below.

From: National Parks Service

On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will be visible as it crosses the sky from Oregon to Texas. The eclipse will pass 29 national park units as it makes its way across Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas. Find eclipse events in parks in the event calendar on this page.

What is an annular eclipse?

Annular solar eclipses happen annually, right? Short answer: No. Annular solar eclipses actually get their name from a ring of bright sunlight, or annulus. This “Ring of Fire” is visible around the moon during the maximum phase of this type of eclipse. The difference between an annular eclipse and a total eclipse has to do with the distance between Earth and the moon at the moment they align perfectly with the sun. During an annular eclipse, the moon is too far from the Earth to completely obscure the sun.

The next annular eclipse will be October 2041. It is never safe to look at the sun during an annular eclipse without special purpose solar filters.

How to make a solar eclipse viewer

Anyone who has done a bit of trail hiking has probably come across a small stack of rocks, a rock cairn, along the trail. Rock cairns have been used as trail markers for centuries by many cultures to help travelers find their way. When you encounter one, it's best to leave it alone and leave their construction and maintenance to those responsible for maintaining the trail you are on. A misplaced cairn can cause other hikers to get lost. Gathering rocks to stack can also affect sensitive habitat and may even be illegal in some areas.

From: National Park Service

Have you ever come across strange stacks of rocks while hiking in national parks? Maybe you wondered what they are and if they mean anything. Wonder no more—these rock piles are called cairns and often mark hiking routes in parks. Every park has different rules about cairns, so it’s always a good idea to check out a park’s website for information on hiking trails before you go.

The rock cairns at national parks like El Malpais, Hawaii Volcanoes, and Acadia are carefully maintained by park staff to keep hikers like you on the correct path.

A Bates cairn at Acadia National Park

The cairns at Acadia National Park in Maine not only guide visitors, but also add some historical interest to the hiking trails. In 1896 Waldron Bates, lead author of the hiking map still referenced to create today’s trail maps of Acadia, developed a standard for building cairns in a unique style we now call the Bates cairn. However, starting in the 1950s or 60s the Bates cairns were replaced by the traditional conical cairns. Then, in the 1990s, Acadia National Park began recovering this little piece of history by re-establishing and building Bates cairns on the many east-side trails in the park. If you’re unsure about following cairns on your hike, ask a returning hiker or any park ranger.

The Flock's favorite Mezzo-Soprano and music teacher Linda Collazo has become a Studio Artist with Opera Orlando where she will sing as Shepherd Boy in Puccini's Tosca, Frida in Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World, Frida (Cover) in Rodriguez's Frida, Wood Sprite #2 in Dvorak's Rusalka, Alisa in Donizetti's Lucia di Lemmermoor, and Stepmother in Glass' The Juniper Tree. Linda will also be singing as a featured soloist at Symphony Space for Selected Shorts: Ken Burns Presents Willa Cather's America.

10. GEOGRAPHY: An Eighth Continent

From: Popular Mechanics, By: Tim Newcomb, September 25, 2023

Zealandia had so much promise as the eighth continent on Earth. Well, it did—until about 95 percent of the mass sunk under the ocean.

While the majority of Zealandia may never host inhabitants—at least, not land-based ones—the would-be continent is now no longer simply lost. Researchers recently finished mapping out the northern two-thirds of Zealandia, wrapping up the documentation of the nearly two million square miles of the submerged land mass.

11. THE HEAVENS: The Northern Lights

photo: Miguel Cabellero/X

From: Science Alert, By: Carlt Cassella, September 27, 2023

On September 24, a strong storm of solar plasma struck Earth's magnetic field and set the night sky on 'fire'.

Across the northern hemisphere, from Europe to North America, those with clear skies were able to witness a spectacular red light show, described by at least one skywatcher as the 'Holy Grail of Northern Lights'.

Red auroras are rare enough as it is, but to see them as far south as France and Kansas with the naked eye is quite remarkable.

12. CONSERVATION: The Bolson Tortoise

We love tortoises at The Flock. Captive Bolson tortoises are being released on the Armendaris Ranch in a "safe harbor agreement" with U.S. Fish and Wildlife to establish a free-ranging population. This is conservation at its best!

From: Phys.org, By: Susan Montoya Bryan, September 23, 2023

While the average lifespan of North America's largest and most rare tortoise species is unknown, biologists have said it could span upward of a century.

So saving the endangered species is a long game—one that got another nudge forward Friday as U.S. wildlife officials finalized an agreement with Ted Turner's Endangered Species Fund that clears the way for the release of more Bolson tortoises on the media mogul's ranch in central New Mexico.

13. PET'S CORNER: The Whitthorne pack & baby Zeus meets his siblings.

The Whitthorne pack:

from left to right, Rose, a 3-month-old sheepdoodle, Wooster, a 6-month-old moyen poodle, Benedict, a 3-month-old standard poodle (Rose's half-bother), and Teddy, a 6-year-old standard poodle looking sharp.

Baby Zeus, formerly known as baby Truffle, meeting his older family members for the first time. My Zuri and K2 were born to Katie's first litter nearly five years ago. Baby Zeus was born four years later to mom Katie's second litter.

The family resemblance is undeniable.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our second year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

520-818-4433

View as Webpage