Astronomy Day celebrated on Observatory Hill
Astronomy Day is April 24, and the Goldendale Observatory State Park is a prime place to be for the celebration.
To celebrate the international event, park staff are planning for public viewing of the sun, including sun spots and solar flares, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. During nighttime hours of 8 p.m. to midnight, other celestial objects to be viewed include the moon, Mars, Saturn, binary stars, nebulas, star clusters and even other galaxies.
Local astronomy enthusiasts will have portable telescopes and binoculars for public use outside the main dome. The observatory’s largest telescope will be used to get a look at Venus.
Spring/summer hours are now in effect at the Goldendale Observatory through the end of September. Visiting hours are 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight, Wednesdays through Sundays.
For the month of April, telescope viewing under clear skies should reveal the moon from April 16 to April 23 (new moon is on April 14). The constellations Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, Corvus and Virgo will be identified, and deep-sky objects such as a nebula, star cluster and galaxy in the constellations will be viewed.
During “The Stars Tonight” portion of the program, current topics from Sky and Telescope Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, the Astronomical Calendar, “The Observer’s Year,” and “365 Starry Nights” will be presented.
Contact the Observatory at 509-773-3141 or go email goldendale.observatory@parks.wa.gov.
Horse owners cautioned to protect against West Nile
Horse owners should plan to protect their livestock from West Nile virus—a potentially fatal disease in horses—particularly since Washington led the nation the past two years for equine cases of the disease.
West Nile virus (WNV) is spread by mosquitoes that have fed on an infected bird. The disease can sicken people, horses, many types of birds and other animals. It is not spread from horses to other animals.
Six counties accounted for 72 horses testing positive for WNV in 2009, up from 41 confirmed cases in 2008. This includes 23 horses in Benton County, 17 horses in Yakima County, 16 horses in Kittitas County, 11 horses in Grant County, three horses in Franklin County and two horses in Adams County. Western Washington reported no equine cases, although six dead birds tested positive.
“Nearly half of the horses infected last year either died from the illness or had to be euthanized,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Leonard Eldridge. “Our state had nearly one-third of all the confirmed WNV horse cases in the U.S. last year. It’s a shame that unvaccinated horses continue to be one of our most active indicators warning us that the virus is present in a local community. Clearly, WNV is an ongoing threat.”
Eldridge said that the majority of WNV cases in horses are preventable with vaccination. There was only one confirmed case last year in which a horse had received the vaccine but still was sickened by WNV. That horse suffered mild WNV symptoms before recovering quickly.
Most horses acquiring WNV do not become ill and show no symptoms at all. Those that do become ill display loss of coordination, loss of appetite, confusion, fever, stiffness and muscle weakness, particularly in the hindquarters.
“Some horses go down and never get up,” Eldridge said. “Others seem to fight the virus.”
Although the first confirmed case of WNV in a horse last year wasn’t reported until late July, there is no guarantee it will take that long for it to show up again, according to Eldridge.
Vaccinating a horse or getting the proper booster injections is the best way to help protect the animal and prevent greater expense from treating a horse infected by the disease.
“A spring dose of vaccine, even in previously vaccinated horses, is necessary to maintain protective immunity in most horses,” Eldridge said.
Horse owners should consult with their veterinarian for vaccination recommendations and WNV control measures. The vaccine requires two doses the first year of vaccination two to four weeks apart. Immunity will not be achieved until three to five weeks after the second vaccination, so it’s important to avoid waiting until mosquito season is in full swing.
The state veterinarian also recommends that horse owners take measures to reduce mosquito populations.
Recommendations include:
• Removing standing water from yards and barns
• Removing old tires and garbage that may be rain soaked
• Changing water at least weekly in troughs or bird baths
• Keep horses in stalls or screened areas during the early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are the most active and feeding.
Veterinarians who learn of potential WNV cases in horses or other animals should contact the State Veterinarian’s Office at (360) 902-1881.
State and local health departments and mosquito control districts work together on prevention measures for the virus. Additional information on WNV can be found at: www.doh.wa.gov/ WNV.
CAB church opens, dedicates new auditorium
Columbus Avenue Baptist Church of Goldendale has just recently received a shipment of auditorium and choir chairs for seating in the new sanctuary of the church. The chairs are upholstered in a light wine colored fabric, complementing the blue carpeting and white painted worship area.
The opening of the new auditorium is a milestone in the building project of Columbus Avenue Church. The church has practiced a pay-as-you-build program from the beginning of the church. Therefore, they have come to this time with the building debt free.
At the present time a dedication is set on April 25 at 3 p.m., and first worship service in the new auditorium is planned for Good Friday every Sunday in April will be a special time for the church.
Columbus Avenue Baptist church was started as a mission outreach in the summer of 1983 by the Baptist Church at Rufus. There have been four pastors in the ensuing years; Pastor Lee Brock, the founding pastor; Pastor Jeff Pharaoh; Pastor Scott Lombard; and the present pastor, Michael Block.
“This is not the time of celebrating what the church has done and is doing in Goldendale, but rather what Christ is doing worldwide,” Block said.
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