![]() Then came a birthday surprise: Trevor dug a live, wiggling hatchling from the nest and then another. Brian Shamblin, an assistant research scientist at the University of Georgia who uses the uses the maternal DNA from the egg shell to genetically tag and track which female turtles are nesting and where along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.Īt the second nest, a lifeless hatchling was the first pulled from the sand. The team seeks softer shell samples suitable for DNA testing and, while wearing gloves, places the shredded shell into a plastic vial. “For the most part if a coyote has gotten to a nest, it’s all gone,” Trevor said. Trapping helps limit the number of predators on the 5,000 acre barrier island, but their presence is still apparent in the tracks along the beach. There was evidence some of the eggs had been eaten by a coyote, one of the most common predators with racoons that threaten turtle eggs. Trevor began digging gently with his hands at one of the first nesting sites, feeling for the fluffier sand that chamber where adult loggerhead females lay eggs. Kaitlyn, Trevor and members of SCDNR’s Office of Media and Outreach disembarked on Otter Island to begin surveying while Meredith piloted the boat to check on nearby Pine Island. ![]() Only Otter, Murphy and Sandy Point typically have eggs that go the distance and produce hatchlings, Meredith said, and so are the only islands the team conducts inventories. The trips begin in about mid-May to locate nests and collect genetic samples, and then later in the summer transition to recording hatching activity to conduct inventories of emerged nests. The team, led by Meredith, makes as many as four trips a week during sea turtle season to conduct surveys of Otter, Pine, Cedar, Murphy, Morris, Bay Point and Sandy Point Islands. Helena Sound between Edisto Island and the sea islands of Beaufort County to the south. With Trevor at the helm, the 150-horsepower motor idled out of Mosquito Creek and pushed the skiff down the Ashepoo River to the south end of Otter Island, at the mouth of St. ![]() They loaded the boat with the necessary supplies that they would later be carrying down the beach: backpacks containing heavy red stakes used to mark the nests, plastic vials for collecting shell samples, latex gloves for handling hatchlings and to prevent contaminating genetic samples, and multiple 32oz water bottles collapsible metal wire cages used to protect the nests from predators, a small shovel for digging, and an aluminum probe to assist in finding nest chambers. and the team of Kaitlyn, Meredith Bean and Trevor Proctor began a familiar routine in preparing to launch the boat. That’s why she was hopeful, but perhaps not optimistic, about the prospect of seeing her first baby turtle on an outing to Otter Island in early August - on her 22nd birthday.Īn SCDNR truck towing a 24-foot Carolina Skimmer pulled into Bennetts Point landing at 7:30 a.m. “But turtles are kind of the special place in my heart.” “Now I love everything about marine biology,” Kaitlyn said. She is working her first nesting season since graduating from College of Charleston with a marine biology degree in May. From that point, Kaitlyn amused her family by amassing dozens of turtle figurines as she grew up. ![]() It was a path set by motion from a childhood visit to a turtle rehabilitation center while on vacation on Topsail Island in North Carolina. Department of Natural Resources Marine Turtle Conservation Program, part of a team that works to survey turtle nests and later turtle hatches on the six islands they are assigned. Nearly 1,000 miles separate Kaitlyn Roberts’ home of Springfield, Illinois, and the beaches of South Carolina’s uninhabited barrier islands that she has walked this summer. It was a birthday surprise born of a passion sparked years earlier.
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![]() ![]() Before the eTA program was in effect, a traveler arriving in Canada who did not meet entry requirements would not be allowed in to the country. The eTA program came about as an attempt by the Canadian government to pre-screen travelers coming from visa-exempt countries. Once granted the eTA, travelers may visit Canada for 180 days or less.Ībout the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) Program Instead, if they are citizens of a visa-exempt country, they may simply apply online for a travel authorization. Planning to visit Canada? You must have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) if you are a citizen of a visa-exempt country.The beauty of the eTA is that travelers do not have to go through the sometimes-lengthy process of applying for a visa at a Canadian embassy. Canada requires citizens of many countries to obtain visas to enter Canada. Both require time filling out paperwork and approval from an immigration officer. ![]() Usually, you either request an advance visa from an embassy or obtain one at the border. A visa is a physical authorization, such as a stamp or a sticker that is placed in your passport so that you are allowed to enter a foreign country. Here is a link to the eTA Application Form for further information.ĭifferences Between a Canadian eTA and a Canadian visaĪ Canadian eTA is not the same thing as a Canadian visa. These travellers do not need an eTA when arriving by car, bus, train or boat (including a cruise ship). You need an eTA to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport. If you get a new passport, you need to get a new eTA. There are many countries that did not require a visa to visit the country and an eTA is an electronic form to help screen visa-exempt countries. A valid eTA remains valid for up to five years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. It is simply permission for you to visit the country. Let’s see exactly what you need before your flight to Canada.Īn eTA is an electronic travel authorisation. You no longer have to visit the Canadian embassy for tourism or short business trips, which makes entry into Canada and business opportunities more convenient than ever. To enter the country you will need either a visa or an electronic travel authorization – eTA. That’s where we come in to help you along the way. However, those who are not as tech confident may be intimidated by the new process. The Most Important eTA Canada Questions Visiting Canada has never been easier with the new eTA visa system. Canada eTA Visa Frequently Asked Questions Luke 21:36, then, is not an injunction to be glued to CNN, FOX, the Drudge Report, or any other news source. The danger is that, if we do not "watch" ourselves-that is, continually take stock of our condition and responsibilities-self-indulgence and material concerns will distract us, and we will find ourselves spiritually unprepared when the end comes. He is talking about being vigilant about our own spiritual state, as well as being circumspect and spiritually awake as we go through life. Instead, His instruction is to watch ourselves, which is what " take heed to yourselves" suggests. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.Ĭlearly, Jesus' message is not an admonition to watch world events so that we will know when He will return. Verses 34-35 provide the context for Jesus' command to "watch":īut take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. We cannot understand verse 36 until we know what preceded it. Verse 36 begins, "Watch therefore," signaling that it concludes or summarizes previous material. ![]() Even without examining the underlying Greek, we can tell from the context that Jesus has something else in mind. In fact, the Greek word translated "watch" has nothing to do with looking at events or keeping world news under close observation. But does this assumption agree with Scripture? The underlying assumption is that God wants us to have our finger on the pulse of the news, and this knowledge-combined with prayer-will make us worthy to escape all those prophesied things. A tremendous amount of effort is put into commenting on world events and tying them into biblical prophecy. This interpretation has led to a cottage industry of sorts within the greater church of God. The common paraphrase of this command is "watch world news, so that as you begin to see prophecy unfold, you can escape the horrors of the Tribulation." One oft-quoted "watching" verse is Luke 21:36: "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." It is frequently interpreted to mean that we should be closely watching current events so we know how close we are to Christ's return. Why is such watching important? What does it have to do with Christ returning as "a thief in the night?" ![]() It is tied closely with our Savior's return, yet it has little to do with physical observation. "Watch" in such instances does not mean what many think it means. ![]() Though it may vary slightly from verse to verse, numerous instructions are given to " watch, because the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" (emphasis ours throughout). In the parables, prophecies, and epistles, a phrase is used frequently with regard to the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ. We watch events in the world continue to churn seemingly out of control, but we do not see many key prophecies being fulfilled. We might scan the horizon for any clue to how and when the end-time prophecies will be fulfilled and Christ will return. What Does Jesus Mean by the Parable of the Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32)?Īs we slide further into the time of the end, and the bright summer days continue to be spiritually dark, it is common for us to look around for an indicator of how long it will be until Jesus Christ returns. ![]() Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox OneĬ’mon, were you expecting anything else? Jason Brody’s sun-kissed sandbox is simply one of the greatest first-person shooters of all time. If you want to get lost in a shooter this year, you should start with Far Cry 6. Sure, you'll be attacking outposts and completing missions for a variety of larger-than-life NPCs – some things will never change – but the enemy AI, weapon modeling, and more nuanced world state makes this feel like an adventure worth sinking tens of hours into. If you've played any modern Far Cry games you'll immediately feel at home here, although there's something special to the way Far Cry 6 handles. Set on the fictional island of Yara (which is loosely based on Cuba) you're tasked with leading a guerilla revolution, taking up audacious experimental weapons to fight back against a brutal dictatorship. While it doesn't have the same narrative hooks as the best Far Cry game of all time, it does do an excellent job of getting you lost in a truly gorgeous open world. Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series Xĭeveloped by Ubisoft Toronto, Far Cry 6 is undoubtedly the best looking and feeling game in the series to date. With inventive, well paced missions, and a beautiful chunk of fictional North American real estate to cause chaos in, this is very close to taking the top spot on this list… well, if it wasn’t for a certain threequel. ![]() If a bear/mountain lion/other fanged beastie isn’t charging you down roughly every 32 seconds, is it really a Far Cry game? Thanks to Ubisoft’s Dubai engine, Far Cry 5 runs brilliantly, serving up smooth shooting and all kinds of frantic animal slaughter. Stepping into the shoes of a mute sheriff’s deputy, it’s your job to stop an unhinged cult, which normally involves blowing up silos, shooting topless cultists in the face, and occasionally harvesting bison testes… because reasons. To semi pilfer a line from The Shawshank Redemption: “Fear will hold you prisoner… Hope (County) will set you free.” Now that we’ve butchered an all-time great movie tagline in pursuit of a tenuous pun, it’s time to give F ar Cry 5’s Midwestern (extra fictional) US state a whole lot of love.įar Cry’s first trip to the US of A results in a gorgeous, wonderfully free-form sandbox that stands tall as one of the best open-world shooters of the Xbox One/PS4 generation. ![]() Want to burn down an entire virtual Sergenti with a flamethrower? Have at it! Just try not to flamegrill all those lovely zebras. When every victory you scratch out involves the constant juggling act of pill-popping, engine-fixing, gun-repairing instant reactions, the eventual victories prove hugely satisfying. For every minor victory you achieve in Far Cry 2, the game makes you crawl through a river of sh*t.īUT… all this commitment to harsh realism does make this African open-world super rewarding. Head into a firefight with a loyal sidekick… then revive them every 17 seconds because they constantly keep getting shot in the spleen. Barely survive one of dozens of highly guarded roadside outposts, only for your rickety jeep’s engine to stall after you’ve gunned down half a dozen tooled-up guerrillas. Moreau monster-slaying action of the original game, this brutally gritty sequel is a shooter that loves to make you suffer.Ĭontract malaria, then gobble down pills every 15 minutes to avoid a game-ending blackout. Well over a decade on, F ar Cry 2 attracts a cult following unlike any other entry in the series. Far Cry 2Īh yes, the one with all the fire. While Primal’s bows and clubs are perfectly satisfying, no other game in the series nails animal assaults quite like this bold prequel. Primal may not give you shotguns or AK47s, but who needs automatic weapons when you can command a chorus line of ancient feral beasts to murder your enemies at the drop of a prehistoric hat? Tame wolves, bears, leopards, and even sabre tooth tigers, then set them on your cavemen foes with all the precision of furry, heat-seeking missiles. Shunting players into the fury toga of a surprisingly talkative neanderthal, Far Cry Primal channels the prehistoric spirit that the first Far Cry initially aimed to tap into - turns out, the 2004 Crytek shooter was originally going to involve dinosaurs, not slightly disappointing mutant murder. This caveman detour remains the most experimental of all of the series’ mainline entries. Perhaps the ultimate expression of Far Cry’s obsession with animal sidekicks. ![]() ![]() They ended up in the Taverna next door to the fortress. They ran into a dead end, but Scrappy used the Mikos statue to ram through the wall, giving the others a way out. Right after he finishes, the Cyclops finds them, warning them to never go there. It reads "The Mask of Medusa is beneath the fountain in the Cave of the Cyclops on Cyclops Mountain. It's written in ancient Greek, but Scrappy used his watch translator to figure out what it says. But, they were able to examine the writing on it with the picture he took. Scrappy took a picture of a tablet on the wall, which caused it to fall and shatter. While trying to escape the monster, they stumbled into a room filled with lifelike statues of people, and found a statue that looks like Professor Mikos apparently turned to stone. While wandering they found a statue of the Cyclops, only it wasn't a statue, it was alive. ![]() They followed him inside the Fortress of the Cyclops, but got separated not long after entering. Upon arriving on Cyclops Island, the gang met up Professor Mikos who's agreed to help them. Thaddeus decided that it's time to make his move, scheming to add the mask of Medusa to his treasures and plans to use it to turn all the world leaders and enemies to stone, including Scooby-Doo. Thaddeus's assistant Wilmer informed his master of Scooby's arrival. On their way to their destination Cyclops Island, they sailed by Blimp Island, home to the international arch-fiend Thaddeus Blimp. The mask is said to have the same ability. The gang are heading for the exotic Greek islands for a vacation, and to do a story on the mask of Medusa, a mythological creature who can turn people to stone with a single look. But it seems that Thaddeus Blimp, a master villain, wants the mask too, and he plans to turn all the world leaders and his enemies, including Scooby, to stone. In the Greek islands, the kids head for Cyclops Island, to find the legendary Mask of Medusa with Professor Mikos. 10.4 Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities.10.3 Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches. ![]() “We’re very fortunate that we’ve got 28 acres here. Visitors to Lavender Valley Farm in Parkdale snap an idyllic picture So it did afford us a little more time than some of the other businesses that opened earlier,” remembers Ojeda. Thankfully for us, our season starts in May. “In February and March, we were really unsure if we were going to be able to open. Lavender Valley also experienced that uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 a challenging year to be in almost any kind of business. “Seventy-five plants would give us about a half a gallon. “Unlike some of the other varieties that produce (about) two gallons,” Ojeda notes. That perfume-like profile comes at a price in the volume of essential oils collected. It’s almost like a perfume quality,” says Ojeda. And it has a very light pink to purple-ish flower so it’s really beautiful, but also produces some of the most floral fragrance. “We’re fortunate enough here in Hood River (Valley) to be able to grow it. One variety that was developed on the farm is called “Mellissa,” named for the wife of the former grower. Legend has it that Cleopatra seduced Mark Antony with the fragrance, and many health practitioners swear by the scent’s calming effect. Lavender’s essential oils have a storied history going back at least 2,500 years. Honey produced by these bees has a distinct lavender aroma and subtle tasteĪs versatile as the hydrosol is, the real treasure is the oil. “We’ve got some of the farmers coming in, buying it in big quantities (to) wash their horses down because it’s a natural mosquito and insect repellant,” he says. Ojeda calls the hydrosol a “miracle” product that can be bottled as linen spray, skin toner, and window cleaner. ![]() Once harvested, a steam distillation process releases and carries oil molecules from the flower buds, then separates the essential oil from a lavender distillate known as hydrosol, as it cools. He’s really mastered the art of pruning it and shaping it.” “Unlike many other shrubs where you can kind of cut them back hard, lavender isn’t as forgiving. “It’s really important when you’re pruning a lavender plant to leave a little bit of the new growth,” Ojeda says. If these twin tasks aren’t done correctly, it can have dire consequences for the plant. “Geronimo is very adept at, we call it, giving it the haircut, (because) not only is he harvesting, but he’s actually pruning at the same time,” says Ojeda. Geronimo Hurtado has mastered the tricky task of pruning and harvesting lavender in one fell swoop His small team includes Geronimo Hurtado, an expert horticulturist in the area. This piece of paradise is where Francisco Ojeda spends his summers managing farm operations from growing, to harvesting and pruning, to production, bottling and marketing. A small gift shop offers soaps, balms and even lavender honey, all produced on-site. ![]() For a nominal parking fee, visitors can snap selfies that appear to be set in a fairy tale and cut aromatic bundles to carry home. Located in Parkdale, the 28-acre growing operation cultivates 11 varieties of lavender and doubles as a day-trip destination between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Now imagine all of that as the foreground to an unobstructed vista of Mount Hood and you have Lavender Valley Farm. Many of the map’s destinations will guide you to luscious purple fields, saturated with a dizzying combination of floral perfume and bee hum. The Oregon Lavender Association lists 45 member farms, and even provides a map for “lavender tourism,” with destinations in northern, central and southern Oregon. The fragrant purple flower adapts well to the state’s moderate temperatures, sandy, well-drained soils and dry summers. So, it might not be a surprise that Oregon is among the top U.S. |