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Storm
Mountain News
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Local News
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Sunday,
March 11th - Photo Of The Week...
With water dripping from their bodies, this weeks photo features a par of "Cinnamon Teal", just after taking to the air from beautiful Lake Estes in northern Colorado
Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) are usually found in small flocks, comprising pairs of birds. During the spring migration the flocks increase in size, containing up to twenty birds. Migration in the spring occurs during March and April. Cinnamon Teal spend winters in the southwest U.S. and also in Mexico and South America.
Although the birds are basically aquatic animals, they are mobile on land and are able to walk or run around loafing areas on land. They are very agile in flight. The birds make sudden and sharp turns while flying low, and they take off to flight directly from water.
The color of the adult male's head, chest, and underside is generally purple-chestnut, and the abdomen is dark brown. The lower back and rear of the bird are greenish-brown, while the wing coverts are blue. There are variations in shoulder feather color between birds, ranging from yellow with a center stripe, to green with a center stripe.
The juvenile is similar in appearance to the adult female, having a green speculum with a white leading edge, and pale blue upper secondary coverts. The adult male's basic markings are similar to these, but he has red eyes and a brighter forewing. From the fall to the spring, the adult male has an alternate plumage. The head, neck, belly, and flanks are bright red, while the back is dark brown. Additionally, the male has black undertail coverts in the fall through spring time span.
Pairs tend to sleep or rest within one meter of one another, and the males often remain alert while the female sleeps. The sleeping sites are water or dry areas near the water, and resting time tends to be midday more than morning or evening. Generally, from the spring arrival to the incubation period the day is spent sleeping and loafing, with time also spent preening, swimming, walking, or flying.
Females consume more food than males, and males spend more time alert and involved in inter-and intra species interactions.
Until the third week of incubation, males make aggressive displays in order to protect their mates and desired waiting sites. Only the males are territorial. Dominance
hierarchies are as follows: Paired birds dominate unpaired birds, and males dominate over females except during brood-rearing.
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Saturday,
March 10th - Spring Ahead Tonight...
This Sunday, the second Sunday in March, at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving
Time begins in the United States. This year, Daylight Saving Time is
four weeks longer than last year due passage of the Energy Policy Act in
2005.
The Energy Policy Act, which extends Daylight Saving Time by four
weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November,
is expected to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day due to reduced use of
power by businesses during daylight hours.
The phrase "Spring forward, fall back" helps people
remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the
second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of
standard time ("spring forward"). We "fall back" at
2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one
hour and thus returning to standard time.
Computer owners are advised to have the "Automatic Updates"
feature turned on so the proper updates for the time change can be
applied. Resetting your computer time manually may be necessary
otherwise.
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Tuesday,
March 6th - Loveland Worker Awarded International
Fellowship...
Keith Reester, director of public works for the City of Loveland, this week was named a 2007 International Fellow by the American Public Works Association and the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute. Through the Jennings Randolph International Fellowship Program, Reester will travel to Australia this August for nearly a month to attend the International Public Works and Engineering Australia (IPWEA) Conference and then complete a research fellowship in Australia.
Reester is only the 12th person selected for this prestigious Australian fellowship award from the United States since the program’s inception in 1987. Reester will officially be representing the United States, the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the City of Loveland.
The heart of Keith Reester’s research will be aimed at finding innovative approaches to replacing the retiring baby boomer generation in the public works and engineering fields. In this research Reester will conduct interviews, lead focus groups and survey professionals in Australia.
This research will be coupled with work already underway stateside; including surveys already completed with Colorado municipal executives. Australia, like many other modern nations, is facing this retirement crisis in the next decade as employers seek to replace the talent, experience and legacy of baby boomers in the workforce.
While attending the IPWEA Conference Reester will also present his American research findings while leading a program on “Building Exceptional Teams.”
The conference will be held in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Reester will also travel with American Public Works Association President Bill Verkest.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to learn and share with other public works professionals from Australia and the world.” Reester said. “They face so many similar issues, from development to traffic control to recruiting and retaining top-flight talent, I am really looking forward to learning and sharing that with Loveland and Colorado.”
Keith Reester leads the City of Loveland’s Public Works Department, the City’s largest. Reester has been with the City for over 4 years. He currently also serves as a volunteer member of the APWA-Colorado Chapter Board of Directors. Reester has also published a host of professional articles and programs dedicated to improving organizations and communities around the country.
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