Nature & Wildlife
2019 June/July
Pg 11- The Sunshine Express
* June 10 - Jupiter at Opposition,
brighter than any other time of year and
visible all night long, A good pair of bin-
oculars should allow you to see Jupiter¡¯s
four largest moons appearing as bright
dots on either side of the planet
* June 17 - Full Moon, occurs 08:31 UTC,
known by early Native American tribes
as the Full Strawberry Moon because it
signaled the time of year to gather ripen-
ing fruit and also coincides with peak of
strawberry harvesting season, also known
as the Full Rose Moon and the Full Honey
Moon
* June 21 - June Solstice, occurs 15:54
UTC., this is the first day of summer (sum-
mer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere
and the first day of winter (winter solstice)
in the Southern Hemisphere
* July 2 - Total Solar Eclipse, path of
totality will only be visible in parts of the
south pacific Ocean, central Chile and
central Argentina, partial eclipse visible in
most parts of the south Pacific Ocean and
western South America
* July 16 - Full Moon, occurs 21:38 UTC,
known by early Native American tribes
as the Full Buck Moon because the male
buck deer would begin to grow their new
antlers at this time, also known as the Full
Thunder Moon and the Full Hay Moon
* July 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse, visible
throughout most of Europe, Africa, central
Asia and the Indian Ocean
* July 28, 29 - Delta Aquarids Meteor
Shower, avg shower produces up to 20
meteors/hr at peak, runs annually from
Jul 12-Aug 23, peaks night of July 28 &
morning of July 29, waning crescent moon
will not be a problem as skies should be
dark enough for a good show, best to view
from dark location after midnight, Meteors
radiate from constellation Aquarius but
can appear anywhere in the sky
Jun
3rd
9th
17th
25th
Visible Planets
[ June ][ July ]
Mercury -
[ dusk ][ --
]
Venus
-
[ dawn ][ --
]
Mars
-
[ dusk ][ dusk ]
Jupiter
-
[ night ][ eve ]
Saturn
-
[ morn ][ night ]
Jul
2nd/31st 9th
16th
24th
Night Time Delights
The Moon Dance
SUNSHINEEXPRESSMEDIA.COM
& WESTERNSLOPENEWS.COM
visit us online at:
Owners Responsibility To Know
caught northern pike to the Heeney Marina dur-
ing business hours. Call 970.724.9441 for more
information.
To collect the Colorado River Water Conserva-
tion District¡¯s angler harvest incentive at Wol-
ford Mountain Reservoir, take the freshly caught
northern pike to the campground host, or call
970.724.1266.
For each body of water, anglers must present their
fishing license to qualify for the harvest incentive.
¡°Our removal efforts thus far have been effective
at reducing the number of northern pike in Ken-
ney and we believe the population is still relatively
small,¡± said Martin.
¡°But northern pike are prolific and it doesn¡¯t take
long for a small population to grow, especially if
no management action is taken. We encourage
anglers to participate and help us eliminate north-
ern pike from Kenney and the surrounding area.
If the pike population continues to grow, we may
have to resort to less palatable options for manag-
ing against northern pike in the future.¡±
For more information about the angler harvest
incentives contact CPW Northwest Region Senior
Aquatic Biologist Lori Martin at 970.255.6186.
To report unlawful fish stocking anonymously, call
Operation Game Thief at 877.265.6648. Rewards
are available for information that leads to an ar-
rest or citation.
CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on
license sales, state parks fees and registration
fees to support its operations, including 41 state
parks and more than 350 wildlife areas cover-
ing approximately 900,000 acres, management
of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camp-
ing, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating
and outdoor education. CPW¡¯s work contributes
approximately $6 billion in total economic impact
annually throughout Colorado.
up an inspection. Boat owners who bring in
boats from areas known to be contaminated
and fail to alert CPW can face fines of up to
$1,000.
¡°Colorado is surrounded by states where
waters are infested with mussels,¡± said Brian
Sandy, manager of Navajo State Park, ¡°It¡¯s the
owner¡¯s responsibility to know.¡±
CPW inspectors take their time and are careful
when they look at boats. Mussels can attach
to areas that are not easily seen, explained
Derek Holden, senior ranger at Navajo State
Park.
To look inside holes, engine assemblies and
other tight spots CPW uses a special fiber-
optic camera. Inspectors also look at ropes,
trailers, inside live wells and at any spot where
mussels could attach.
Since the ANS program started in Colorado in
2008, CPW staff and other entities have com-
pleted 4.4 million boat inspections, more than
90,000 boats have been decontaminated and,
including this year, 204 vessels with confirmed
mussel infestations have been intercepted and
decontaminated.
boats at Navajo State Park
during the last month.
Two of the boats had been pur-
chased recently by Colorado
residents in Arizona and had
been on mussel infested lakes.
The owners said the boats
had been decontaminated in
Arizona, but CPW inspectors
still found mussels in cracks,
crevices and in the engines of
the boats. One was a pontoon
boat and the other two were
house boats.
CPW reminds owners, espe-
cially those bringing in boats
from outside of the state, to
make sure their boats are de-
contaminated before bringing
them into Colorado.
Anyone who is unsure if their
boat is contaminated should
contact CPW in advance to set
The threat of boats transporting mussels also
appears to be growing: In 2018, 51 boats with
adult mussels were found at inspection stations,
far more than the previous record of 26 boats in a
single year.
Waters in southwest Colorado are especially vul-
nerable because of the proximity to Lake Powell
which has been heavily infested for many years.
Holden said that boaters should be sure to get
an exit inspection before taking their boats out of
Colorado lakes and reservoirs.
¡°You¡¯ll receive a seal and a receipt, so the next
time you come back we can make a quick check
and get you to the boat ramp in a short amount of
time.¡±
For more info call the nearest state park or go to:
cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/BoatInspection.
aspx
¡°Long stormy spring-time, wet
contentious April, winter chilling
the lap of very May; but at length
the season of summer does come.¡±
- Thomas Carlyle
CPW inspectors find mussels on boats
in southwest Colorado
Even though the boating season is just getting
started, Colorado Parks and Wildlife boat inspec-
tors have already found eight boats infested with
mussels.
Most recently, CPW has found mussels on three