April 5, 2008

I just saw clip on tv news about the new giant telescope on Mt. Graham in SE Arizona. That was an ideal camping and birding retreat for me when I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca, just to get away from people up on the cool peak at 10,500 feet above sea level (although I didn't get there very often). Now I see it's been turned into a global hotspot for astronomers and probably public amusement. It is the southern most point in Arizona, for example, where Mountain Chickadees are normally found. Just across the gap to the south, where the Interstate Highway runs, the Mexican Chickadee takes over (Chiricahuas).

It reminds me of when I was 15 years old and moved down to Florida from Wisconsin. Just when I discovered the existence of a wild unspoiled Florida beach known as Cape Canaveral State Park, the federal government confiscated the area to build the (now Kennedy) Space Center, etc. Oh well...

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA