continued from page 6
discovered by Charles Messier
on June 5, 1764. Its name
means ‘divided into three
lobes.’ The object is an unusual
combination of an open cluster
of stars; an emission nebula
(the lower, reddish portion), a
reflection nebula (the upper,
blueish portion) and a dark
nebula (the apparent ‘gaps’
within the emission nebula that
cause the trifurcated appear-
continued from page 10
lives. Their migration between
the Chisos and their southern-
most range in Latin America
coincides with the blooming of
the flowers in their diet.
Black Capped Vireo Vireo
atricapilla Listed as an endan-
gered species in 1987, the Black
Capped Vireo is native to
northern Mexico and the
southwestern United States.
This tiny, adorable bird, smaller
than the average human palm,
has been a subject for study
among ornithologists who are
attempting to determine its dis-
continued from page 19
us at the Cenizo Journal, that
we are still interested in making
those connections – introduc-
ing people to you and your
business,
knowing
your
thoughts through your writing,
continued from page 21
stretches from just north of
Interstate 10 to Kokernot Mesa
south of Alpine, a distance of
about 82 miles.
The main Davis Mountains
are west of Highway 17, south
of Interstate 10 and north of
Highway 90. The high moun-
tains run in a J-shape from
Gomez Peak (6,320 feet) to
Black Mountain (7,544 feet)
and Mount Livermore (8,378
feet). The map shows the main
mountains and stream chan-
ance; these are also designated
Barnard 85).
The 0.8m telescope mounts
an instrument, the Prime Focus
Camera, or PFC, and a science
detector, or camera known as
LF-1. The PFC contains five
filters, from the Johnson-Bessel
photometric set, U, B, V, R,
and I, or Ultraviolet, Blue,
Violet (green), Red, and
Infrared respectively.
The image was formed using
a series of exposures in the B, V,
R, and I filters, 600-seconds in each filter, and three images in
each wavelength. These images
were then mapped into what is
known as the LRGB color-
space - L for luminance, R for
red, G for Green, and B for
Blue. The images are individu-
ally processed with a series of
flat frames, bias frames, and
dark frames, then aligned, and
“stacked” together to produce
the color composite - the LF-1
detector is a monochrome
imaging device.
tribution and numbers. From
1987 to 2009, the highest
number of black-capped vireos
counted in the park was 41, in
2009.
Big Bend Slider Turtle
Trachemys gaigeae This species
of turtle, considered vulnerable,
lives primarily in the Rio
Grande in West Texas and west-
ern New Mexico, as well as
northern Mexico. It can be
found in the riparian ecosys-
tems of the Big bend area and
occasionally strolling across the
desert from one wet spot to
another during rainy times.
If you’re looking to spice up
your visit to the Big Bend, or for a new focus to your frequent
excursions to the park and
around Brewster County, mak-
ing a checklist of rare native
species to seek out can lead you
to new discoveries and rare
sightings. In light of the delica-
cy of the ecosystems and the
rarity of these species, it’s more
important than ever to act as
stewards of the landscape, and
to take only photos and never
collect samples of plants or ani-
mals. With that in mind, these
and the many other rare species
native to the Big Bend can
flourish for generations to
come. Happy hunting!
and viewing your perceptions
via the lens of your camera. Ad
sales help supplement many
incomes from the magazine
staff to the contributors, help-
ing us do things we love to do,
whether that’s photography or
design or sharing things about
the area and its peoples. For us, advertising is a respectable
enterprise, not a brainwashing
exercise. I thank you for letting
me get to know you and your
business over the last four years
– even if you turned me down
– and thank you for advertising
and helping a few more people
live on in the region.
nels. Note how drainage radi-
ates
from
the
Brooks
Mountain-Mount Livermore-
Paradise Mountain domed area.
The Davis Mountains evoke
cool, airy expanses of moun-
tainous terrain much appreciat-
ed by Texans in the summer-
time. They are the first of the
southwestern mountain ranges
you see when traveling west
across Texas, standing on the
edge of the great North
American cordillera, but not
part of it, on the boundary
between the Great Plains and
the Rocky Mountains. For those who want to delve
more deeply into the reasons for
the volcanic and tectonic activi-
ty that convulsed Texas 35 mil-
lion years ago, our website
www.texasgeologicalpress.com
now includes an account of
research on the subject under
the title “Uplift of North
America.”
William MacLeod wrote
several books about the geology of
the Big Bend area, available at
various locations including Big
Bend National Park, Fort Davis
State Park, and discerning shops
in the area.
Open 7 days
Weekdays 10-6
Weekends 1-6
Rocks & fossils, rare,
beautiful & strange;
jewelry & supplies;
great books
OCOTILLO ENTERPRISES
205 N 5th St, Alpine
Needleworks, Etc.
Flax ˜ Brighton ˜ Tribal ˜ Double D
Jeremy Gonzalez
Freelance writer and illustrator
Managing Editor, Fort Stockton Pioneer
Ready to work for you
email: tigerwithcoffee@gmail.com
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2018
27