Monthly Archives: January 2018

Take 5: Blue Moon

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Ryan D.

There are few sights as breathtaking and awesome as a full, bright moon rising through the sky. The January 31 full moon is extra special: not only is it a Blue Moon (a second full moon in the same month—the first fell on January 2), but just before sunrise, if the weather is clear, we should be able to see a partial (penumbral) lunar eclipse.

The term “blue moon” only came into common usage in the 1940’s. On average, a Blue Moon only occurs every 30 months, but 2018 is not an average year. Following a February completely devoid of full moons, March will see two—on March 1 and 31—meaning we will have two blue moons in two months!

In honor of this fluke of the calendar, here are five beautiful photographs of the moon that have been submitted to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest over the years. Learn more about the Blue Moon on our blog. To really get out and enjoy the January Blue Moon, find a night hike program at a sanctuary near you for a moonlit adventure.

Harvest Moon © Rod Delano

Moon Over Water © Rod Delano

Moon Close-Up © Mackenzie Lannon

Moon Close-Up © Mackenzie Lannon

Harvest Moon © Alex Sullivan

Moon © Alex Sullivan

Moon Over Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary © Judith Keneman

Moon Landscape © Judith Keneman

Moon and Herring Gulls © Lucy Loomis

Moon and Herring Gulls © Lucy Loomis

Wellfleet Bay

Speak Up On Climate Change Legislation

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Daniel Brown

A key climate change preparedness bill is being discussed in the Massachusetts House this week and it needs your support. The Comprehensive Adaptation Management Plan (CAMP) will:

  • Help protect people and wildlife from climate change
  • Safeguard our infrastructure
  • Set an example of responsible climate action for the rest of the country to follow

Take action by calling your state representative in the House and tell them to support CAMP (HB2147).

Why Support CAMP?

Climate change is already affecting Massachusetts. Many of our communities are unprepared for rising seas, stronger storms, more dangerous heat waves, and myriad other challenges. CAMP would help them prepare.

CAMP will require the state to identify our people and places that are most vulnerable. It will help us prepare for a greater risk of natural disasters. It will establish new ways for municipalities to prosper in the face of climate change, and will encourage communities to work with willing landowners to reclaim and protect threatened areas.

The Massachusetts Senate has already passed the CAMP bill, the first of its kind in the United States, and it’s time for the Massachusetts House to do the same.

Call your state representative and tell them to send the rest of the country a powerful message that Massachusetts intends lead in the fight against climate change.