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Paralympic goals

When former Coral Springs resident Tyler Merren and his American teammates play for the world championship in their sport during this fall’s Paralympic Games, they will need to rely on their ears as much as other body parts to succeed.

That is because the sport in which Merren and his teammates compete is goalball. It is a sport designed specifically for athletes who are visually impaired. Participants compete in teams of three and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents’ goal. Players, using ear-hand coordination, must use the sound of the bells to judge the position and movement of the ball. Athletes play the sport indoors, usually on a volleyball court.

Merren, who lives in Fort Wayne, will participate this fall in his fifth world championship as a member of the U.S. men’s goalball team. The results will play a crucial role in determining qualification for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Specifically, the top two men’s and women’s teams at the world championships earn an automatic berth for Paris. The Paralympics games are for physically disabled athletes.

Merren, 37, was born with an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa in both of his eyes. It is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina. As a result, he is legally blind, meaning he has less than 10 percent vision.

Merren, who grew up in a family of athletes, used to play other sports. But as his vision got worse, he had to stop. Then, a sports education camp for visually impaired youth at Western Michigan University introduced him to goalball and other adapted sports such as swimming, track and field, and wrestling.

Merren had never heard of goalball before the camp. He said that a fellow camper observed him play, thought he was good, and asked him if he wished to continue to play. Merren stuck with the sport. And today, his former fellow camper is his teammate on the U.S. Paralympic team.

Altogether, Merren has competed in 15 countries and 28 states. He has been competing with the U.S. men’s goalball team for more than 20 years. He credited their success to the work the players put in off the court.

“We run ourselves into the ground training day after day,” Merren said. “Like any athlete out there, we want to be the best we can be. I enjoy the process of trying to perfect my game and my athleticism.”

Individually, Merren said that his accuracy throwing the ball is “pretty good.” As a result, he gets many opportunities for penalty throws.

During the 2010 world championships, Merren was the fourth-highest goalscorer in the world.

However, he said that he values team victories more than individual statistics and accomplishments. “Sometimes that means handing the ball off to a teammate,” he said.

How does it feel to qualify for the world championships?

“It’s gratifying and affirming at the same time,” Merren said. He added that the U.S. has a “pretty strong” goalball program. “I would have been shocked if [we] had not qualified,” he said.

The former Coral Springs resident described goalball as a combination of soccer, handball, and volleyball.

“It’s not quite like anything else that people have played before,” he said. “The cool thing about goalball is that no matter how much vision I might lose, the sport stays the same. It’s based off of my work ethic and skill as opposed to my vision loss.

“Being visually impaired doesn’t change the fact that I’m a competitive athlete, and goalball gives me that opportunity to compete at an elite level.”

Goalball has existed since 1946. Its first purpose was to help rehabilitate veterans who had lost their sight during World War II. Players remain on their hands and knees to defend their net and score against their opponents. A goalball court measures about 60 feet long and almost 30 feet wide. String taped to the markings on the court allows players to feel the lines and orient themselves.

Goalball’s Paralympic premiere came in 1976 in Toronto. Organizers added a women’s event at the 1984 Paralympic Games in New York. The sport’s first world championships took place in 1978 in Austria. The International Blind Sports Federation is the official governing body for the sport.

Merren, who is originally from southwest Michigan, lived in Coral Springs from 2013 to 2019. While in South Florida, he worked at a 24 Hour Fitness location as a master trainer and an assistant fitness manager. He is also a motivational speaker and has a Facebook page. To find it, go to www.facebook.com and search for “Tyler Merren Speaks” in the search bar. Following Merren’s Facebook page will, among other things, allow you to keep up with his goalball team’s progress. For more information on the International Blind Sports Federation and goalball, visit https://ibsasport.org/.

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May’s marvelous skies

What a month ahead for stargazers! The month of May offers a little bit of everything for us astronomy enthusiasts. There’s a meteor shower early in the month, a total lunar eclipse mid-month, and a parade of planets in the morning skies near the end of the month. Pretty cool!

This month’s challenge for beginners: It’s a great time of the year to follow an old saying and “arc to Arcturus.” Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the entire night sky and has a beautiful orangish color (due to its relatively “cool” temperature).

First, find the Big Dipper by looking north. Then, follow the arc of its handle but extend the arc until you curve to Arcturus. If you continue the arc, you can then “speed on to Spica,” which is a brilliant-white star (due to its relatively hot temperature) located in Virgo.

This month’s astrophotography challenge: Take your pick — you can stay up late for the eclipse or wake up early for the planets. Either offers the opportunity for beautiful pictures with or without a telescope. Good luck!

Sky highlights this month:

  • May 6. Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. This is a reliable meteor shower of a medium rate. This year it will be at its best due to moonlight not being a factor (a waxing crescent that evening, which will set early). For best results, view from a very dark location after midnight.
  • May 15–16. Total Lunar Eclipse. The full eclipse begins at 11:29 p.m. local time. Look for the Moon’s slight reddish hue as sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere gets scattered onto it. The eclipse maximum occurs at 12:11 a.m. The full eclipse ends by 12:54 a.m.
  • May 15–16. Full Moon. Of course, it’s also a Full Moon, because you can only have a lunar eclipse during a Full Moon. This one was nicknamed the “Flower Moon” by some ancient Native American tribes for the time of year when, obviously, many flowers are in bloom.
  • May 22–29. Conjunction Week! OK, that’s not an official title — just one I made up — but I think it’s apropos. In the morning skies of late May, we will be treated to a parade of all the naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and a crescent Moon (some nights). It should be magnificent and worth setting the alarm clock for a pre-dawn walk.
  • May 30. New Moon. This is the best time of the month to venture out to a dark area and view/photograph deep-sky objects (nebulas, star clusters, galaxies, etc.). Please consider joining the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association for information on the best places for sky-watching (www.sfaaa.com).

It’s a terrific month for astrophotography. If you post any cool pics, be sure to tag the Parklander® and me on Instagram (@theparklander and @jeterk1971)— We’d love to see your work!

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Kindred spirit at the dog park

I was such a cheerleader from the sidelines. Usually in a conversation, I am the one who is defending animal rights or educating people about them, but recently I observed my kindred spirit. I live part of the year in Colorado, and going to the dog park when the temperatures are below freezing is not an activity I typically partake in, but recently we had a nice surprise. The temperatures were in the high 50s, so I went with my daughter and her dog to the local dog park. Now Coloradans don’t care what the temperature is. They will go to the dog park if it is 5 degrees below zero.

So on this day, the dog park was busy. I believe that everyone in Colorado has more than one dog. I could overhear a man and a woman talking passionately about something related to the man’s sick dog. It obviously had nothing to do with the malamute that he was throwing the ball to. That dog was running at full speed, not caring what was between him and the ball, as he was completely focused on getting that ball and preventing other dogs from touching it. What I could hear was that his puppy Monty was in the local animal hospital fighting for his life with parvovirus.

Parvovirus is a killer. If a puppy gets it, there is a 50/50 chance of its survival, even if it gets the best care at the best hospital. Parvovirus targets rapidly dividing cells in the body such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the bone marrow, so the puppy will have explosive diarrhea and vomiting. The integrity of its GI tract will be compromised, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream, and because the bone marrow is also affected, the puppy won’t have the ability to fight off the infection. Most people will never know a puppy is affected by parvo, because veterinarians vaccinate all puppies four times starting when they are 2 months old, and they are typically revaccinated again at a year old, then every three years.

I did hear the woman in the conversation ask the man if he had had his puppy vaccinated, and he said he doesn’t “do vaccines anymore.” He didn’t get COVID vaccinated, he doesn’t get flu shots, and he won’t get the shingles vaccine no matter how much his doctor and girlfriend ask him to. The woman asked if the malamute, named Aspen, was vaccinated and he said that he was, but he is not going to do it anymore. The woman then told the man that parvovirus is incredibly contagious and typically transmitted through the stool to other dogs. She told him that Aspen is probably doing so well because he was vaccinated, and if his puppy was positive for parvovirus last week, most likely he was passing parvovirus in his stool. Therefore, if he defecated at the park, he could infect young dogs not fully vaccinated.

The man was getting uncomfortable as others were joining the conversation. People in Colorado are uber-protective of their pets. That dog park had regulars, and they were not happy that someone had potentially brought an infectious disease to their dog park. The man stopped throwing the ball and started to walk toward his car. I must have looked empathetic to him because he muttered to me to “watch out for the Fauci liberals over there.” I was about to educate him about infectious disease when my daughter grabbed my arm and gave me the look, “Not today.”

Ironically, Colorado was not a mask-happy-wearing state, but if COVID affected dogs, believe me, you would see dogs in designer masks. Please don’t bring unvaccinated puppies to dog parks.

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Loving life at Loxahatchee wildlife refuge

Where can you find 250 species of birds, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians, 40 species of butterflies, many types of mammals, a ring of levees in an extensive dike system, an assortment of wet prairies and sawgrass ridges, and a 400-acre cypress swamp?

That would be at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, a huge, biodiverse, forested cypress swamp community at the northernmost part of the Florida Everglades. The refuge contains 226 square miles of everglade ecosystems. Loxahatchee is one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the country, with more than 145,000 acres of land, and is one of three water conservation areas in South Florida.

The headquarters area, accessed from Lee Road in western Boynton Beach, contains the visitor center, the boardwalk trail, observation platforms, boat launches, levees, and more. This beautiful wildlife refuge also is adjacent to Parkland on the southern end. Some people go biking, to fish, or to boat. I recently went there to bird-watch, hike, and look for alligators with relatives visiting from the north.

Behind the Visitors Center is the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk, a half-mile trail through the natural cypress forest. The cypress swamp features pond cypress trees with peculiar-looking “knees,” at ground level, that I’d never seen anywhere else, along with lichens, ferns, and all kinds of wildlife.

We started our visit to Loxahatchee on the boardwalk trail, and my group was impressed with the beautiful nature all around us. Many of the trees had silvery-gray Spanish moss hanging high from their branches. Some of it had landed on the boardwalk, and we got to pick it up and explore it closely, a rare thrill for my aunt from Maine.

After doing the boardwalk trail, we drove over to the Marsh Trail, which has its own parking lot.  The trail is about 0.9 miles in length, and it follows a square path. We set out to walk along it and take in the peaceful setting. Just as we reached an observation tower about halfway along the trail and started to climb its steps, the sky opened up and rain drizzled down, followed by a quick downpour. It was lucky timing for us, as we stayed dry under the wooden roof of the tower. We watched as two separate groups of people made a quick dash from other parts of the trail to take cover with us. We all enjoyed looking out over the bucolic vista in the rain.

Just as quickly as it started, the rainstorm stopped, and we climbed down the steps to continue on our little hike. After finishing that part of the refuge, we headed over to the final stage of our outing: to climb up on a levee and walk along the trail there.

We had never been on a levee before, and we looked up the definition: “a continuous dike or ridge (as of earth) for confining the irrigation areas of land to be flooded.” There was a long, flat trail up there that was flanked by water on either side. Birds were singing all around us as we walked. We continued down the endless trail, past the canoe and kayak rentals, and enjoyed the striking views. We took photos of the landscapes and used a smartphone to identify some of the birds we saw. We watched someone fly fishing. We walked along the quiet levee until we decided to turn around to come back. The area was open, vast, and empty, and we enjoyed the solace on this nice Friday morning.

There is much more one could do at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. I’ll be going back and trying more activities there. I recommend you check it out some time.

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Looking for hope this Easter

It’s that time of year! Chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, and pastel colors can only mean that it is time for Easter.

Many of us have grown up with excitement about the Easter Bunny and receiving a basket full of goodies on Easter Sunday. As exciting as an egg hunt may be, many are not sure exactly why this holiday is so significant.

To the Christian, Easter is one of the most important days of the year because it symbolizes hope. Hope is defined as a desire for a certain thing to happen. Easter is when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people today are struggling with hope based on what we see in the news or in our own circumstances. We get so used to hearing bad news that many are living in a place of hopelessness.

Easter provides hope because it shows how the God of this universe loves us all. He overcame every struggle we could face. He did that when he defeated death on the cross. Three days later he rose from the dead, and because Jesus had the power to defeat death, he has the power to give you eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Imagine being one of the followers of Jesus on Good Friday, the day that He was beaten and hung on a cross to die. It looked like a hopeless end, much like many of us are feeling today. But hope was just around the corner.

Are you looking for hope? No matter how dark your circumstances may seem, Easter is an opportunity for us to change our old ways and enter into our new abundant life with Christ. This is something worth celebrating. Happy Easter!

Steve Daigle is the Campus Pastor of Calvary Chapel Parkland.

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Celebrating resilience and freedom this Passover

“In each and every generation a person is obliged to regard him/herself
as if he/she had come out of Egypt.”

—Haggadah

Each year, the holiday of Passover returns during the springtime, recounting the story of the Israelites liberated from Egyptian slavery. Jews tell this story, with the assistance of a Haggadah, to remind us that in every generation, throughout time, all Jews regardless of status, age, or gender are to feel as if we personally made this journey as our ancestors had. We are obligated to retell this story because our freedom is not to be taken for granted — it is a sacred redemption. The “Exodus” is a powerful spiritual liberation, not just a physical one. The quote above talks about how each and every generation has this responsibility. The generations are not only time-bound, for every human within them carries this obligation. This narrative celebrates resilience, renewal, and freedom.

Passover falls on the eve of the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, lasting for seven or eight days depending on if you are an Israeli or a Reform Jew or if you are an Orthodox or Conservative Jew living in the diaspora. It is one of only a few holidays celebrated privately in homes, centered around a meal, making it one of the most celebrated holidays by Jews next to Chanukah and the High Holy Days.

The traditional meal called a Seder (meaning “order”), is outlined in a book called the Haggadah, which is read aloud at the dinner table. Haggadah means “the telling” of the story — the exodus from Egypt. The Haggadah also lists the order the story is told as well as the ritual foods that are blessed first and then eaten.

The number 4 comes up many times throughout the Haggadah. There are four sons described, four questions asked and answered, four cups of wine blessed, and four terms used by God in Exodus to describe the redemption. However, there are six symbolic foods on the Passover Seder plate: maror (the bitter herbs), charoset (chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine), karpas (parsley), chazeret (lettuce), zeroah (shank bone), and beitzah egg. They all have a unique symbolism to remind us of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt, the Passover sacrifice of a lamb in ancient Jerusalem, and the renewal of life in the spring.

The most commonly recognized food for Passover is the unleavened bread, or matzah, which reminds us of how our ancestors fled quickly from Egypt when freed, not having enough time to fully allow their bread to rise. “They baked the dough that they took out of Egypt into unleavened cakes [matzot], for it was not leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared provisions for themselves” (Exodus 12:39). It became known as the bread of affliction as there were few ingredients given to the Hebrews at the time, but it also became the symbol of freedom. At the seder, the middle matzah is broken in half by the leader and then hidden for children to find after the main meal. It must be returned to the leader, for a small reward, for the seder to finish with this as the dessert.

I wish all who are celebrating this holiday to have a meaningful seder experience with family and friends while fulfilling our sacred obligation to retell the story as we appreciate the freedoms we have today. “Chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach.” Have a happy and blessed Passover!

Rabbi Melissa Stollman is a major gifts officer for the Union for Reform Judaism.

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Embarking on an airboat adventure

When I first moved to Florida back in 2016, I was a New York transplant — a city girl through and through. My idea of the Everglades was a humid, mosquito-infested swamp, and airboat rides an overpriced tourist trap that posed little interest. Today, I’m an Everglades convert happy to admit that I was dead wrong. The Everglades is a majestic place unique from everything else Florida has to offer.

My conversion happened during my very first airboat ride. Just as Aladdin introduced Jasmine to a whole new world in “Aladdin,” I was fortunate enough to meet a man who did the same for me — he took me on a magic airboat ride through the Everglades at night, introducing me to a whole new world that has become one of my favorite places.

The diverse “River of Grass” is home to hundreds of different species of plants, birds, snakes, turtles, fish, frogs, and the American alligator. Gliding across the top of the clear, shallow water, airboats are the perfect way to pass through this beautiful terrain. No matter what time of day you venture out, you’re sure to see something different.

Reaching speeds upward of 60 miles per hour, airboats are equal parts sightseeing and thrill rides that can easily turn a hot summer day into a cool, enjoyable run. Under the morning/midday sun, you’ll have a crystal-clear view of the scenic sawgrass marshes and floating hydrilla, the greens dynamic against bright blue skies. Stare below the water’s deceptively clear surface and you’ll likely see garfish, bass, bluegill, and a number of other fish.

Cruising across the Everglades at sunset, you’re bound to see ibises, anhingas, egrets, and purple gallinules taking flight, soaring against the deep pink and orange sky. Considered one of the top 10 birding locations in the world, the Everglades is home to more than 360 different bird species. Be wary though — the transition to sundown is when you are likely to encounter the most mosquitoes.

Once the sun goes down, the Everglades begins to come alive, which is why nighttime tours offer the best wildlife viewing. Gliding slowly down shallow passageways between tall grasses, you’ll see plenty of alligators, their eyes glowing red from the airboat lights. Airboats can quickly pull up right alongside gators, giving you the ultimate safe, closer encounter. Once the water moves, these creatures dive beneath the surface, hiding under floating mud — one of the places they store a kill they cannot finish eating in one sitting.

One of the most enchanting parts of a nighttime experience is to shut off the loud engine and take a few moments to immerse yourself in your surroundings. Above you will be a stunning night sky laden with stars. Close your eyes and you’ll hear the low growling of gators and the trilling of frogs, a wild symphony that offers a peaceful escape from the day-to-day grind.

Public Airboat Tours

There are two outlets near Parkland that offer public airboat tours:

  • Loxahatchee Everglades Airboat Tours and Rides, 15490 Loxahatchee Road, Parkland. It offers a “Great Blue” 50-minute, guided airboat tour that costs $80 per adult and $45 for children between the ages of 3 and 12. Tours operate Monday to Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.evergladesairboattours.com.
  • Everglades Airboat Tours at Everglades Holiday Park, 21940 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale. It offers daily one-hour tours starting at 9 a.m., with the last boat leaving at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $35.99 for adults 12 and older and $23 for children between the ages of 3 and 11. Everglades Holiday Park also offers animal encounters and gator shows run by the Gator Boys, stars of the “Animal Planet” reality TV series of the same name.

Private Airboat Tours

While they may be a bit pricier, private airboat tours offer a more intimate experience, along with the ability to see the Everglades at different times of the day, when the sun is no longer bearing down on you.

Everglades Airboat Excursions offers private two-hour sunset tours, which cost $425 for up to four people, and private two-hour night excursions, which cost $500 for up to four people. Groups larger than four can be accommodated for an additional $50 per person. All tours depart from the boat ramp at Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area in Weston on Highway 27. For more information, visit www.evergladesairboatexcursions.com.

What to Bring/Wear

If you’re heading out on a daytime tour, you’ll want to bring water, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and bug repellant. You may also want a cell phone neck holder if you’re planning on taking pictures with your phone. Most airboats do not have sides, meaning that, if dropped, your phone will likely slide off the deck and into the water (unfortunately speaking from experience on that one!).

If you’re embarking on a nighttime trip, make sure to check the weather forecast. The temperature tends to feel about 10 degrees cooler in the Everglades, with the wind from the propeller making it even chillier.

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Diving for lionfish in April

The last day of Florida’s lobster season was March 31, and the seasons for grouper and hogfish don’t open until May 1, so what’s an underwater hunter to do in April?

Spearfishing expert Jim “Chiefy” Mathie sets his sights on a great-tasting exotic fish.

“There’s really not a lot of species to go after because of the lack of opportunity for lobster, hogfish, and grouper,” said Mathie, a retired Deerfield Beach fire chief. “So we target lionfish.”

Native to the South Pacific Ocean, lionfish were first discovered off South Florida in the mid-1980s. The belief is that the lionfish were someone’s pets and when the fish outgrew their aquarium, the owner dumped them in the ocean. From there, the invasive lionfish have spread throughout the Caribbean, into the Gulf of Mexico, down to South America, and up the Atlantic coast to North Carolina.

The fish have no natural predators in those waters, which means bigger reef fish such as grouper don’t realize they can eat them. Lionfish feast on tiny grouper, snapper, shellfish, and other native species. Left unchecked, lionfish can take over a reef. That’s where spear-fishers come in.

Although lionfish are here to stay — researchers in submarines have documented lionfish in 1,000 feet of water off South Florida — divers with pole spears and spearguns do their part by reducing the lionfish population. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is doing its part to combat the lionfish invasion by having no size or bag limits and no closed season. The agency has an informative web page at myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lionfish.

Mathie, who said he and his dive buddies had “an outstanding lobster season” diving primarily in 35 to 45 feet of water, noted that spear-fishers keep lionfish populations under control on coral reefs in those depths.

“We’ve seen a few lionfish, but in this location we do a very good job of harvesting lionfish in the shallow waters, just because it gets a lot of pressure from the divers. That’s actually a good thing because we’re kind of keeping them in check shallow,” said Mathie, author of the lobstering and spearfishing books “Catching the BUG” and “Catching the Spear-it!” that are available at local dive shops and online.

Deeper reefs that don’t receive that much pressure tend to have more and bigger lionfish, so that’s where Mathie and his Chiefy crew hunt.

“We change our tactics in April to head out into roughly the 80- to 100-foot depth. We call that the third reef or the east side of the third reef,” Mathie said. “It also gives us an opportunity to check out what’s going on out there, because lionfish and lobster like the same terrain. So those are areas that, when the season allows us, we can go back to for lobster. So it’s kind of a mixed bag for us from that standpoint. While you can’t take them, you can certainly explore and find some new locations.”

Lionfish are an ideal species for divers new to spearfishing because, as Mathie noted, they don’t swim around a lot, so they’re easy to shoot, especially compared with grouper and hogfish, which are the ultimate species for the majority of underwater hunters.

Given their small size — the state-record lionfish speared in the Atlantic Ocean was 18.78 inches off of Islamorada, and an 18.7-inch, 3.77-pounder shot last year off of Destin is the Gulf of Mexico state record — lionfish don’t require the use of big spearguns. Mathie and his crew use 3- to 4-foot, hand-held pole spears with three- or five-prong tips, which prevent a fish from spinning after it is speared.

Lionfish have 18 venomous spines, 13 on the top and five on the bottom, so care must be taken when handling them. Getting stung by a spine can cause intense pain. The pectoral fins, which are not venomous, give the fish its name because when they’re fanned out in the water, they look like a lion’s mane.

“Typically, after you spear them, you treat them like a bass. You put your thumb in their mouth and you hold them; that way you’re pretty much away from their spines,” Mathie said. “What we like to do is use a pair of paramedic (or trauma) shears to trim up those venomous spines. But there is an element of danger when you’re trimming them up under the water with shears.”

Mathie said a safer alternative is to use a Zookeeper, “a plastic tube with a one-way funnel. You keep the lionfish on the spear and stick the fish in there without having to touch it at all, pull the spear back out, and the lionfish stays in that tube.”

The hard-sided Zookeeper, which is manufactured in Sunrise, also keeps the spines from accidentally touching your body as you swim. They are sold online and at local dive stores.

This time of year, Mathie and his friends try to fill their Zookeepers, put the fish in a cooler when they get back in the boat, and fillet them at the dock.

“They’re excellent eating,” Mathie said. “They have a pure white fillet, no bloodline, a flaky texture, and almost a sweet taste. You can do anything with them. You can make ceviche or sear them in olive oil with salt and pepper and eat it right out of the pan, it’s that good.”

And that alone is a good enough reason to keep diving this month instead of waiting until May.

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April (meteor) shower, conjunctions, and more…

Interestingly, April begins and ends with a New Moon this year. I tell my students that “New Moon” essentially means “No Moon,” because the Moon can’t be seen at night during that phase. During a New Moon, the Moon is directly between the Sun and the Earth and is, thus, out entirely during the daytime. Of course, our calendar months are based on the cycle of the Moon’s phases. There are 12 complete lunar cycles in a solar year (along with a few extra days) and, hence, we have 12 months in a year.

This month’s challenge for beginners: finding Gemini, the Twins. First, find Orion. Next, draw a line from its super-bright star Rigel (below the famous Belt) through the bright, reddish star Betelgeuse (an equal distance above the Belt), and that line will roughly point toward Gemini.

Gemini has two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, that form the heads of the twins. Castor is whiter (think “Casper the Ghost”) and Pollux slightly more yellowish (like pollen). The Big Dipper roughly points toward Gemini as well (draw a line from the handle through the cup of the Dipper).

This month’s astrophotography challenge: See below. There is a plethora of potentially dazzling close encounters in the sky in April!

Sky highlights this month:

  • April 1. New Moon. No foolin’, this is a great time to go observing at a dark site as moonlight will not be a limiting factor.
  • April 4 — conjunction of Mars and Saturn. This should be a beautiful sight in the morning sky just before dawn for you early risers. These two planets will be very close together in the sky and of similar brightness. Venus will be nearby as well and will greatly outshine them both. Check it out!
  • April 4 — conjunction of the Pleiades and the crescent Moon. If you sleep through the morning’s conjunction, you have another chance on April 4 to witness a beautiful alignment. In the early evening sky, a thin crescent Moon will pass near the Pleiades star cluster. This promises to be absolutely gorgeous and presents a great opportunity for photographers.
  • April 16 — Full Moon. This is nicknamed the “Pink Moon” by some ancient Native American tribes for the time of year when certain pink flowers and vegetation would begin to bloom.
  • April 22 — Lyrid meteor shower. This is an average meteor shower in terms of the number of “shooting stars” you may see per hour. It is best seen in very dark skies after midnight.
  • April 29 — see Mercury! The closest planet to the Sun will reach its greatest distance (“elongation”) from the horizon this evening. Look for it around 45 minutes or so after sunset.
  • April 30 — conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The two brightest planets (from Earth’s perspective) will cross paths in the morning skies before dawn.
  • April 30 — New Moon (again!). Perhaps you know that a second Full Moon falling in a calendar month is nicknamed a “Blue Moon” (OK, fellow nerds, I know that definition’s not quite accurate, but let’s go with it please!). In April, we have a second New Moon on the calendar. I’ve seen some refer to this as a “Black Moon.”

With all these great photography opportunities, April might be the time to dust off that DSLR or try out your cell phone camera on a steady mount. If you post any pics, be sure to tag the Parklander® and me on Instagram (@theparklander @jeterk1971) — We’d love to see your work!

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Osteoporosis: a ‘silent disease’ that leads to broken bones

Most people don’t care about statistics until they become one. But approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and another 44 million have low bone density that increases the risk. The importance of regular bone density testing cannot be underestimated, especially for adults over 50 years of age.

Eighty percent of older adults sustaining a broken bone never had a bone density test (BDT) and subsequently were never treated for osteoporosis. A BDT is the best diagnosis. If one’s T-score is –2.5 or lower, chances are that osteoporosis is present and a plan of treatment needs to be developed.

Osteoporosis is called the “silent disease” simply because it’s impossible to know when bones begin to deteriorate. Over time, they can become so brittle that a simple cough or bumping into furniture causes a break. Bone density tests are a vital part of one’s regular healthcare regime and should be repeated at least every two years.

Women are more susceptible to osteoporosis. One in two women will break a bone in their lifespan, and their incidence of breaking a bone is higher than their risk of a heart attack or a stroke — and it’s equal to the combined risk of getting breast, uterine, or ovarian cancer.

Not only is breaking a bone painful, it’s also very costly. The burden on the healthcare system is nearly $20 billion a year and specialists predict a gloomy future — expecting as many as 3 million fractures by 2025, costing patients, families, and the healthcare system as much as $25.3 billion.

Prevention

Bone tissue is constantly being broken down and replaced, and with age the process does not occur as frequently. Peak bone mass is usually achieved by the late 20s, but people can still build and maintain strong bones for the remainder of their lives. Osteoporosis occurs when creating new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone. Your physician can prescribe medications or other treatment options, but to gain full benefit it’s important to exercise regularly, and be sure to take the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D obtained from foods and/or supplements.

Symptoms

There are typically no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. When bones being to weaken, however, one can experience back pain, loss of height, a stooped posture, and bones that break more easily than expected. Women who have experienced early menopause or have taken corticosteroids for several months are highly susceptible to weaker bones. Low sex hormone levels will also weaken bones. A fall in estrogen levels in women at menopause is one of the strongest risk factors in developing osteoporosis. In addition, if a person has taken too much thyroid hormone medication to treat underactive or overactive thyroid conditions or adrenal glands, bone loss is a probability.

Diet

A lack of calcium, eating disorders, and gastrointestinal surgery are issues that can put people in the high-risk category for osteoporosis. A lack of calcium leads to lower bone density, early bone loss, and increases the risk of fractures. Surgery can limit the amount of surface area available to absorb nutrients because the size of the stomach has been reduced.

Medical Conditions

The risk of osteoporosis is higher in people with chronic medical problems. These include celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, multiple myeloma, or rheumatoid arthritis.

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month. It’s an opportunity to be proactive about your health and a great time to make an appointment with a primary-care physician and undergo a painless bone density test. For more information, visit the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation at www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org.

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Shark Valley: the perfect place to see alligators, not sharks

Don’t let the name fool you — you won’t find any sharks in Shark Valley. Named for its location at the head of Shark River Slough, this 15-mile loop trail is the perfect spot to get up close and personal with an alligator (from a safe distance, of course!).

Located inside Everglades National Park, right off U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail), this paved trail is perfect for biking, hiking, and bird watching. There are also guided ranger and tram tours for those interested in learning more about the Florida Everglades — the only place in the world where the American alligator and American crocodile coexist.

This diverse subtropical wetland, the largest in North America, spans more than 1.5 million acres across central and south Florida — half of its original size. Composed of nine diverse ecosystems, the Everglades is home to more than 360 different bird species, 300 fish species, 20+ snake species, crocodiles, alligators, panthers, otters, frogs, and many other mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.

Shark Valley sits right in the middle of the Everglades freshwater marsh and is an ideal location for viewing wading birds — from herons to egrets, ibises, hawks, owls, and anhingas, along with plenty of freshwater wildlife. But the one animal that cannot be missed along the first half of this trail is the alligator.

These majestic reptiles bask motionless in the sun right along the side of the pavement just steps from visitors. While this may seem like a dangerous scenario, these gators are used to people coming and going and rely on their natural habitat for food, meaning they do not seek out people or pets. As long as visitors do not engage in any reckless behavior, such as feeding or harassing the alligators — behavior that constitutes a criminal offense — Shark Valley is perfectly safe for both adults and children.

Midway through the loop, visitors can stop and rest at the Shark Valley Observation Tower. Standing 70 feet high, it’s the tallest structure in the park, with a viewing platform that offers scenic panoramic views of the Everglades.

For those interested in a more daring adventure, Shark Valley offers guided full-moon and new-moon bike tours. Accompanied by a park ranger, riders embark on a three-hour tour where they can embrace the magic of the Everglades and all its nocturnal creatures, including alligators, after dark. Upcoming tour dates include March 4, March 16, April 1, and April 16. Reservations are required and can be made through the Shark Valley Visitor Center at (305) 221-8776.

Shark Valley is located at 36000 SW 8th Street, Miami, and is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in mid-December to mid-April, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in mid-April to mid-December. Bike rentals are available on-site.

For more information, tour schedules, and entrance fees, visit www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/svdirections.htm.

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Poodle patient: bruised no more

“My mom is going to kill me,” said my young client. He was watching his mother’s poodle, Chalmers, while his mom was in Seattle taking care of her grandkids. He’d just had Chalmers groomed for the first time in a long while. Chalmers had been so matted that the groomer had to shave him down. My client figured that his mother would be away for another two weeks and hopefully some of the hair would regrow.

Today, he noticed two large bruises along the dog’s abdomen. He didn’t notice them after the grooming, but he admits that all he kept thinking about was that Chalmers was naked and was praying that the hair would regrow quickly.

“I think that the groomer hurt him,” said my client. I was listening to him and hopefully I was empathetic toward his concerns for Chalmers, but I have seen this type of bruising before. Especially after grooming.

I opened Chalmers’ mouth, and his gums were pale pink, and I rubbed my fingernail against his gums and they started to bleed. I also looked into his eyes and there was a scant amount of blood in the exterior chamber of his eye. The rest of Chalmers’ examination was normal other than he had a fever of 103 and his lymph nodes were enlarged. I asked my client if it was OK to run some diagnostic tests, and he agreed.

My client wanted X-rays to document if there was any abuse, and I told him that I would, but after the bloodwork. My client and I had about a 10-minute discussion on what could have happened at the groomer that would have left the area around Chalmers’ abdomen the color of Merlot. I asked him if he had looked at the skin prior to the grooming. He said he didn’t and probably couldn’t, because of how matted Chalmers was. He guessed that it had probably been a year since Chalmers’ last groom.

I told my client that the lesions didn’t look like abuse. The combination of bruising, friable gums that bled excessively, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes can be signs of tickborne disease or autoimmune disease, which I asked the technicians to test for. The client told me that Chalmers used to have ticks, but he hadn’t seen them in a while. I did remind him that Chalmers had been extremely matted, and it was possible that he wouldn’t see them directly on the skin.

My client was skeptical of the groomer. “So why the bruising after the groom?” he asked. I told him it was just like when I rubbed Chalmers’ gums and made him bleed. It’s the same thing with the groomer. If Chalmers has a low blood platelet count, then blood clotting will be compromised. Brushing and shaving can be traumatic to the skin; just as you will see with any person on anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation, the person’s skin will bruise when touched. My client smiled and said that his grandfather constantly had bruised skin since starting warfarin for A-fib.

My technician came into the room and told me that Chalmers was anemic with a platelet count of under 100,000 when over 300,000 is normal. The coagulation profile would come back later, but they tested him for ehrlichiosis, and he was positive. They also found a dead tick in his ear.

My client wanted to know what my plan was because he needed to call his mom. I told him that we were going to start Chalmers on doxycycline for now and wait for the rest of the bloodwork to come back later. I also told him to tell his mother that the grooming might have saved the dog’s life by allowing us to notice a clinical sign of infectious disease before it was too late.

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