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sandyhookhistory · 11 months ago

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“Tragedy At Sea - The Loss Of Texas Tower 4”

Good evening, everyone. Today is a terrible anniversary, both in the history of our military, and the Jersey Shore.

63 Years Ago, Today - (Sunday) January 15th, 1961, 76.8 miles east of Barnegat Light, NJ:

In the 1950’s, with the Cold War well underway, the military wanted to extend our visibility deep into the Atlantic ocean. To accomplish this, large radar platforms would be built far offshore. With an additional 300 mile increase in range, the towers’ would give the United States additional response time in the event of a nuclear attack by Russian aircraft.

Five towers were planned, from New England to New Jersey. Towers 1 and 5 were never built; Tower 2 was placed on George’s Shoal northeast of Cape Cod, Tower 3 was built on Nantucket Shoal east of Montauk Point, LI, and Tower 4 was built on an unnamed shoal 76.8 miles nearly due east of the Barnegat Lighthouse, in New Jersey. The large platforms earned the nickname “Texas Towers,” due to their similarity with oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Tower 4 was assigned to the Highlands Air Force Station, here in Monmouth County (present day Hartshorne Woods County Park), with the call signs “Jitney” and “Dora,” as part of the 646th Radar Squadron.

Regrettably, it had a terrible reputation from the start, beginning in 1957. Built on land, it was transported to its shoal via barge. Enroute, two of the three legs were damaged, and the decision was made to repair them at sea - this was never properly done.

The whirring of the massive radar dishes, and their diesel generators, caused extreme reverberation through the entire platform. Due to the depth - 185 feet of water - the Tower’s hollow legs reverberated with the flow of the sea. Not only did the Tower shudder with the waves, it rocked violently, earning it the unenviable nickname of “Old Shaky.”

Repeated pleas for substantial repairs were deferred, and only small piece-meal work was done over time. Requests to abandon the Tower were declined, because of Russian patrol vessels who were ready to swoop in and strip the Tower of its secret materials.

The Tower endured one massive storm after another. It took Hurricane Daisy in August, 1958, and then was battered by Hurricane Donna in September, 1960..

Refusing to the abandon the Tower, the Air Force removed non-essential troops and left a skeleton crew of 14 Air Force personnel and 14 civilian contractors aboard. With the powers-that-be finally acknowledging that the Tower was in danger of collapse, their flash of brilliance to temporarily stabilize it was to mix concrete and dump it straight down the hollow shafts of each legs. As winter of 1960-61 approached, the helipad on the tower filled up with pallets of cement bags. As late as January 7th, Navy Divers, assessing the legs, found the supporting structures were damaged and letting go

As these stories always do, tragedy awaited. A storm arrived in full force - the forecast on January 14th called for winds as high as 60 mph. On the morning of the 15th, the Tower groaned and twisted in ways no one had seen before - another support brace had gone. All day the men on Texas Tower 4 called in damage reports and pleas for rescue.

The Air Force finally relented - but it was too late. At 4 pm, at the height of the storm, they authorized an evacuation, but the weather was too rough for helicopters. All US Coast Guard and Navy ships in the area - including an aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp (CV-18) - made for the Tower at full speed.

At 6:45 pm came the bone-chilling radio message “WE ARE BREAKING UP.”

Texas Tower 4 presented a massive blip on surface radars. Around 7:30 pm, with some ships just miles away - it vanished.

One of the damaged legs finally buckled, and the entire structure crashed into the sea. Texas Tower 4 was gone. And with it, all 28 men. Only two bodies were recovered; the rest were claimed by the sea.

We pause to honor and remember the lives that were lost 63 years ago today off the Jersey Shore. It must be remembered that our Cold War veterans served - and sacrificed - without a shot ever being fired in anger.

28 US Air Force Personnel and Civilian Contractors Lost their lives that day. Of note, many of the civilian contractors were veterans themselves, of several branches. Out of respect so as to prevent confusion, they are listed here without rank, simply by name and age.

They Are:

Abbott, David - 48

Bakke, Roald - 35

Brown, Vincent - 43

Bucherri, Samuel - 45

Cudnick, Chester - 47

Evans, Thomas - 54

Foster, Bishop - 35

Giurastante, Domenic - 19

Green, Kenneth - 27

Haroutunian, Aram - 45

Ide, William - 38

Jones, Leland - 22

Kovarick, Wilbur - 36

Kruse, William - 27

Laino, Louis - 21

Leo, Milton - 50

Martel, Raymond - 34

Opalka, Anthony - 46

Parker, David - 22

Phelan, Gordon - 33

Robertson, Edward - 39

Schutz, Henry - 57

Shaffer, Harry - 37

Smythe, William - 61

Waitt, Donald - 39

Williams, Troy - 39

Wolford, Larry - 24

Yavorosky, Vincent - 44

You Are Not Forgotten

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southjerseyweb · 1 year ago

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Chaat Party Has Entered the Party Chat - The New York Times

… south of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge; along Midland Beach on Staten Island; at Sandy Hook and Romer Shoal in New Jersey; off Breezy Point, in …

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alyosiuscreightonward · 1 year ago

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-F-

Gerta was sitting in her outrageously expensive designer chair listening to Derrick tell her about the irrigation system.

“ Well, Miss Santino, ma’am. From what I understand is that there are some trees and plants over there that are really overgrown. They’ve been growing out of control and the roots broke into the pipes and now the water is just backing up and creating a stagnant pool over by the property line,” he said quietly and barely making eye contact with her.

She sighed heavily. Sadly, it’s true and it’s a fucking cliché; if ain’t one thing, it’s another. Almost as horrible as starting a sentence with “It was a dark and stormy night.” Gerta paused for a moment before responding to Derrick. A memory popped up. Years ago her mother would take her and her sister to the really wild ice cream parlor. The most popular and expensive item on the menu, which she later learned was for potheads with the mad raging munchies, “The Kitchen Sink Sundae.”

Pints of ice cream, lots of fresh fruit and sauces, sprinkles and even something flambéd all served in a styrofoam container that looked like a kitchen sink. If you were that high, you’d probably have your picture taken and placed on the wall celebrating the fact you were that high. Bottom line: keep piling it on with apparently no sight in end.

“That sucks, Derrick. I’ll get Tarik out there in a day or so to figure this shit out. When you have a chance, can you please put it on paper and let me know. Then I’ll text Gallegos and let him know and thank you, Derrick,” with one hand she reached for the mouse and with the other she picked up her mobile.

“Y’all need anything else,” Derrick asked her.

“I don’t think so,” Gerta replied.

Derrick slowly turned to take his leave and Gerta glanced up and watched him walk across the room and exit the lodge. “God Damn. Cassavas. Ripe and in need of a good squeeze just to make sure they’re ripe,” she thought to herself. That ass. Not one seam from his underwear. “Commando,” she pondered as she diverted her attention to her mobile as scrolled with her thumb to find Tarik’s name in her contacts. The door opened and closed with such ease she didn’t notice. Again, Derrick’s backside.

Her forefinger tapped on Tarik’s name and with a few more tap taps, that first, piercing ring.

“Howdy, Gerta. Where you at,” Tarik asked as she heard the ambient traffic sounds disappear.

“Hey, Tarik I’m good,” she replied. “By some chance you wouldn’t be heading out this way? Apparently the irrigation system over here at the property line needs to be repaired.” Gerta went on to explain to Tarik why she needed him to come out to the barn.

“I get it. Text me some pictures and I’ll get the supplies,” Tarik said. “I’ll be there in the morning and I’ll get started. I’ll see you in the morning.” They said, “Ciao for now,” and hung up their phones. The sound of crickets chirping and the phone buzzing startled her as she saw Melouk’s name appearing on the screen.

Once she accepted the call, she was not ready for Melouk diatribe and pleading.

“Ugh!! The King and Queen are telling me to meet them in New Jersey. Apparently my brother has lost his fucking mind, again. New Jersey? Seriously, what the fuck?? The closest I’d ever come to being there was a connecting flight at JFK. It’s heinous enough to have to go through LaGuardia, but Jersey??!! When can you meet at Shoal Creek? Darling, please. London. Paris. Boston. I can’t. New Jersey. The very idea,” he moaned. “I don’t do the ‘Bridge and Tunnel Set,’ Gerta. Help,” he added.

“What about your brothers and sisters? Why don’t they just step in and leave you out of it,” Gerta inquired.

“Scheherazade, her five little fuckers have chicken pox. Five little shits all sick at the same time. Shoot me now. Elvairiz and Mahmoud are both in Vegas right now for their respective need to geek out over the newest tech. Nouri, is in D.C. testifying and of course, Waleed said he couldn’t be bothered me or Reza. AND since Reza is the baby of the bunch AND I’m the only one who has no life apparently, I’ve got to do something,” Melouk’s voice was beginning to crack and I was expecting him to have a fit of hysterical laryngitis.

“Gerta, I’m sorry but Waleed is beeping through on the other line. Let me get back to you later,” now with a pronounced irritation in his voice. I hung up.

“Wally Gator, what’s good,” Melouk asked his brother.

“Melly Mell, where you at,” Waleed replied.

“Dude, why on earth are they trying to rope me in,” Melouk questioned. “I don’t understand why. We barely talk or text. I mean once or twice a year and they still have to let me know that they’re not going to give me one fucking Dinar. Like that’s my opening salvo,” he said with such exasperation.

“Apparently we are all just so busy with our lives and we just can’t stop what we’re doing to help them out with Reza except for you. I mean what do you do other than ride horses,” Waleed stated with a questioning tone of voice.

The next few minutes was spent on making cheap shots at their siblings. Scheherazade apparently was making every effort to keep the ancestral name alive, but it had to be her maiden name and the husband’s name deliberately hyphenated. Elvairiz and Mahmoud, the twins, twining over gadgets and new tech in Lost Wages. Their pros and cons reviews on various websites were legendary. She’d tell how too much it was and why you couldn’t live without it. He’d say it wasn’t worth it but he was done. Nouri never to be not fighting for human rights and constantly making digs in the general direction of Amal Clooney just because she could. Reza is the baby of the bunch and he didn’t know what he wanted. He could be the wunderkind for the burgeoning entrepreneur yet if he imagined he was being slighted, Reza would go downhill from there. He’s a great guy and he’d share the spotlight, but if you didn’t mention him in a paragraph about how he helped the next thing you knew was Reza was a homeless junkie. Waleed and Melouk’s parents, The King and Queen, would swoop in and get Reza back on his feet. They’d done this more times than a carousel could go up and down.

“I’m in Atlanta for the next few months, Mel. I’ve found another near empty strip mall to revitalize,” Waleed told him. “Though without a word from you, I’d never have known about this place.”

“I know, right? I mean just steps away from Swinging Richards and then pulling in that that exotic dancer store was a brilliant idea,” Melouk replied.

“Miss Earline and Korneesha are really just two people who knew what Atlanta needed. Strippers and Drag Queens are keeping them and me flush with the ready,” Waleed confidently said.

“I’m flush also and I’ve got a great consortium here in Austin and it’s growing,” Melouk told his brother.

“We need to talk about this bullshit with Reza, then we need to figure out exactly why mom and dad came looking for you to help with his fucking crisis,” Waleed said steering Melouk back to the reason for the phone call.

“Yeah, I know that,” the resignation in his voice was obvious.

The two men went on to discuss how their parents had lauded their children’s achievements and in the same breath maligned them for not being mobbed by the paparazzi. They wanted their children to be fawned over and they kept a close eye on each of them, under a microscope was more like it. The King and Queen had a strict policy not to talk about or get involved with Melouk.

Boston and Northeastern University were both good for Melouk, but when Aziz spilled the beans on him and Amalfitano, they immediately took steps to stop financial support and told him flatly he would now live in exile and they’d be in touch. That was when the twins were barely 18 months old when they found out Reza was incubating. The brothers rarely talked about the 1980’s. They begrudgingly went on with their lives and careers.

“Wally Gator, when they called you, did they say where they were,” inquired Melouk.

“Yeah they said that they were in Ljubljana,” Waleed told him.

“That’s so random,” he said.

“Melly Mel, you’re telling me? This time of year it’s the Balkan’s. Dubrovnik and the toni cognoscenti,” they both burst out laughing and tears were flowing down their faces. Howling with laughter.

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derniererondeavantlanuit-blog · 5 months ago

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Le phare de Miah Maull Shoal dans le New Jersey

Lighthouse

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puttersmile · 2 months ago

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Crittertember Day 9: In Your AU

Excuse me as I shamelessly self indulge. Double induldge because I'm claiming this as a Crittertember Entry lmao. Day 9! "In Your AU"

This is a pretty loose AU. Pretty much everything I draw could be considered AU because what even is canon for the Smiling Critters? But I like to call this my "Critter Island" AU. (Or CritterCrossing) Simply because I headcanon that they live in a place called Critter Cove Isle. I basically treat it like a playground of ideas inspired by MLP, Animal Crossing and other stuff I like.

The OC is originally from This Post.

I wrote a short story about Kickin and my OC meeting for the first time. If you want then read below!

Self indulgent shipping stuff: First Meeting

It was a blistering summer day, and Sandy Paw Beach was packed with critters enjoying the sun, surf, and sand. Kickin Chicken was in his element, surrounded by his usual entourage of fans. His athletic prowess, smooth confidence, and laid-back attitude had made him a local celebrity. Today, he was out there impressing everyone with his latest trick—a complicated, gravity-defying flip off the side of the pier into the ocean.

“Yo, Kickin, that was sick!” one of the critters cheered, clapping him on the back as he stepped out of the water, flipping his wet feathers in an effortlessly cool way.

“Ye-hah, you nailed it, dude!” another chimed in, eyes wide with admiration.

Kickin smirked, shaking off the water and casually throwing on his sunglasses.

“Eh, no biggie,” he said, trying to downplay it. “When I was born my mom thought I was a penguin, y’know?”

His group of fans chuckled, hanging onto his every word. As they headed back toward the pier to grab some ice cream, one of the critters in the group glanced over at the lifeguard tower and scoffed.

“Ugh, there she is again,” an otter critter named Mia muttered, nudging her friend. “The weird lifeguard.”

Kickin raised an eyebrow, his attention pulled to where Mia was looking. At the lifeguard tower sat Jersey Shoals, a cow critter, her gaze steady as she surveyed the beach. She was calm and quiet, the wind playing with her short, ocean-swept hair as she sat atop the tower, her lifeguard vest loose around her shoulders.

“What’s weird about her?” Kickin asked, though his tone was still casual. He wasn’t the type to get caught up in gossip, but something about the way Mia said it piqued his curiosity.

“She’s, like, always so quiet and stares off into space,” Mia replied. “Barely talks to anyone, and when she does, it’s like... I dunno, she just acts kinda... different. People say she’s, like, in her own world or something.”

“Yeah,” another critter chimed in. “I heard she’s…excuse the language, a bit slow? Probably not all there, y’know?”

Kickin shrugged, not particularly interested in the details. “Whatever,” he said, brushing it off as he strutted toward the ice cream stand. “She’s just doing her job.”

But as they passed the tower, Kickin couldn’t help but glance up at Jersey again. There was something different about her, but not in the way his beach pals had been suggesting. She seemed...focused. Like she was tuned into something deeper than the noise around her. She wasn’t gawking at the athletes and body builders on the beach, wasn't trying to impress anyone. She just... was.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a loud shriek broke through the chatter of the beachgoers. Kickin turned his head in time to see a kid flailing in the water, caught by a rough current. The lifeguard tower’s alarm sounded, but Jersey was already in motion.

Without a second’s hesitation, she leapt from the tower, her movements swift and precise. She sprinted toward the water, cutting through the crowd with ease, while the beachgoers began to panic. Kickin watched, caught off guard by the sudden change in pace.

Jersey hit the water with purpose, diving beneath the waves in a practiced motion. The kid had gone under for a moment, but she found him quickly, pulling him to the surface with a strength that surprised everyone watching. With measured, powerful strokes, she swam back to shore, cradling the terrified kid in her arms.

By the time she reached the beach, the crowd had gathered, buzzing with concern and admiration. Jersey laid the kid gently on the sand, checking him over as he coughed up water.

“You’re okay, kiddo. Just breathe,” she said softly, her voice calm and steady.

The kid’s parents rushed over, thanking Jersey profusely, but she barely acknowledged the attention. Once the child was safe, she simply nodded and made her way back toward the tower, shaking off the water without a word, completely focused on her duties.

Kickin’s groupies watched the whole thing in stunned silence. Mia shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the ground as one of the others nudged her in the side. As if to say “Ahem. You were saying?”

“Well... okay, that was pretty cool, I guess,” she muttered, clearly embarrassed by her earlier comment.

Kickin, however, was still staring at Jersey as she walked back to her post. His sunglasses were pushed up, and for the first time that day, he was speechless. That girl who they had called “weird” had just saved a life without a second thought. No showing off, no need for applause. Just action.

Something stirred in him. She was different, all right—but in a way that made him curious. She wasn’t like the others around him, constantly seeking attention or validation. Jersey Shoals had her own rhythm, and that was something Kickin couldn’t help but admire, even if he didn’t understand it yet.

As Jersey reached the base of the tower, she glanced back, her gaze meeting Kickin’s for just a brief second. She didn’t smile, didn’t wave—just a quiet, steady look that lingered for a moment before she turned away and climbed back up to her station.

Kickin blinked, realizing he had been staring. He quickly composed himself, his usual cocky grin returning. “Alright, y’all go ahead,” he said, waving off his friends. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”

As they headed off toward the ice cream stand, Kickin lingered by the edge of the beach, his eyes drifting back toward the lifeguard tower. Maybe she wasn’t weird. Maybe she was just different. And honestly that was something he found intriguing.

With one last glance at Jersey, he turned and jogged to catch up with his pals, but his mind kept wandering back to the girl on the tower, wondering about what made her tick.

#poppy playtime #smiling critters #poppy playtime au #smiling critters au #kickin chicken #oc #canon x oc #jersey shoal #jersey shoals #fanfiction #crittertember #day9 #putterpenart #myart #island #fanart #critter cross au #critter crossing au

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lighthouses-click · 1 year ago

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what's left of Crossledge Shoal Light, Delaware Bay, Cumberland County, New Jersey, September 2023

#crossledge shoal #delaware bay #new jersey #2023

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mikesdiveblog · 2 years ago

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I just did a terrible dive, and I loved it. It was an unseasonably warm New Year’s Day – bright sunlight and 53 degrees at the Jersey Shore. I had already done my traditional Polar Bear Plunge at noon, along with our friends and their kids. High slack tide was at 3 PM, and the vis report from the day before was fantastic. Over 10 feet (very good for a shore dive) and some of the surfers were saying that the water in the inlets was as clear as they had ever seen it.

So even though I had packed up my gear for the season, and was looking forward to hitting the slopes for the next few months, I figured I would do a dive. I coordinated with Jason – someone I found on the local shore diving messaging group – to hit the Shark River inlet in Belmar around 2:30, entering from the beach jetty. Jason had scouted out the site and reported very few fishermen on the pier, which was a good thing – I had been hooked there once before. Since the current would still be running in, the plan was to ride it up to around A street and then turn back and swim to the entrance/exit point on the slack or outgoing tide.

We typically enter the water off the Jetty from the Belmar beach, just east of the southern abutment of the Ocean Avenue drawbridge. The bridge has two large concrete towers (called “piers”) which support the roadway and the mechanism of the “bascule leaves” that open for larger ships. The piers divide the waterway into three portions, directing traffic to the center of the inlet (between the piers). Wooden pilings and planking protect the piers from boats and vice versa. Divers try to stay closer to the riverbank and out of the central channel – with varying degrees of success, as we shall soon see!

The beach jetty entrance is one of the harder ones in the area, especially if you are carrying a heavy camera (which I always do). But I eventually made it down the slippery boulders and dropped into the water. The vis was clearly not what it had been the day before. I could barely see the tips of my fins, which meant maybe 5 feet. Oh, well. I told Jason that if I didn’t see him again during the dive, I would see him on my phone in the message group. I dumped air from my BC and dropped towards the southern shoal of the Shark River inlet.

Several things became immediately apparent. The vis at depth was much worse than on the surface, maybe 2 feet at best. The current was ripping – we must have gotten in a little early – and I was being blown through the midwater murk with no landmarks. And Jason had gone back to being just a name on the GroupMe app (I can never do these dives with a buddy anyway, so at least that part was going according to plan).

That was all OK, I was having fun! I knew that I was heading west, under the bridge and into the Inlet towards A street. My awesome Seac Komoda 5 mm wetsuit (they don’t pay for this product placement) kept me warm and comfy in the 45 degree water. I even tried to take a picture. It probably won’t make the cover of National Geographic, but hey, it’s a nice memory for me, so I included it in the album at the top of the page.

But eventually I had had enough. The only life I saw on the whole dive was one lonely little crab who must have been left behind when his buddies headed to Boca for the winter. Time to head back to where I parked my car, by the entrance point on the beach jetty. The current was still running, but it had started to fall off as high slack tide approached. I moved slowly east with a combination of finning and puling myself from rock to rock on the bottom. It got dark, which told me that I was back under the bridge. And then I found myself swimming through a bunch of nasty looking uprights, including pieces of steel rebar with sharp rusted ends that were part of the bridge substructure. I threaded through them, upcurrent, but something didn’t feel quite right.

As always when in an active waterway, I was towing a dive float, which is a flag on a Styrofoam base tied to some strong string, known as “line”. I use a special reel for this line, running out enough to reach the surface with a little bit of scope (extra line to compensate for the angle to the surface from diving in current). I clip the reel to my hip, and I have a small breakaway link where the line is tied to the float, so if it ever got snagged by a passing boat, I wouldn’t get towed away on a wild ride.

I got the sense that this line might have gotten snagged in that bridge structure. Now that is potentially dangerous. We have a saying: “line is evil”. That primarily refers to slack line floating loose in the water, where it can get tangled around a diver’s gear and legs. It’s less of a problem with line that is under tension, but that’s always an issue. This is one of the reasons that I always carry two cutting devices – a trauma shears on my belt and something called a “trilobite” on my dive computer wrist strap. This is especially important when you are diving alone, not only in case you get snagged in your own line, but wherever discarded fishing line is a risk.

My float line wasn’t entangling me (yet), but I saw it going down into the murk of the bridge pilings. Huh, normally it’s supposed to go UP! I just had a bad feeling about this, so instead of following it back down - alone into the muck, current, line and rebar - I surfaced. I kept close to the bridge pilings to stay away from boat traffic, letting more line out as I went.

I surfaced on the north side of the south pier, just at the upstream side of the bridge. Yes, that meant I was in then central ship channel, I must have gotten blown across the river bottom a bit. Suboptimal. I was holding on to the pilings and planks, and I looked across this open structure to see my flag on the south side of the pilings, with the line heading to the bottom.

I didn’t want to lose the expensive reel, and I didn’t want to navigate the channel without a flag, on the surface or at depth. I also didn’t want to cut the line until I was ready to re-secure it to the float. So I unclipped the reel from my waist, tied it off to the planking, and then went around to the south side of the pilings, hand over hand on the structure (the current was still pretty strong). I cut the float free with my shears, dragged it back to the reel, and tied it to the line again. With a new functioning float, I made my way back to the exit point. I then managed to drag myself, my scuba rig, my float, my fins and my camera up those slippery jetty boulders again, and happily made it to stable sand.

I looked up and saw Jason walking towards me on the beach. Turns out he had gotten swept up the river with no functioning light and decided to bail out at A street. He left his gear there, walked back to his car, and drove back to pick it up.

OK, so it wasn’t the gin clear waters of a Mexican cave. There were no schooling hammerheads like in the Galapagos. But it was my home field. I went diving and only had to leave the family for an hour or so. My carbon footprint was negligible, and my buddy and I both got in the water for the cost of an air fill. Half of an air fill. AND, we both got some good practice in solving problems.

And THAT, my friends, was a good day in the water!

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sciencespies · 2 years ago

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Animal architects: Meet the most incredible engineers in the animal kingdom

https://sciencespies.com/nature/animal-architects-meet-the-most-incredible-engineers-in-the-animal-kingdom/

Animal architects: Meet the most incredible engineers in the animal kingdom

Living bridges

Army ants in huge raiding columns will deploy their own bodies to form living bridges so fellow workers can cross gaps quickly. A bridge consists of up to 50 ants and a colony may have 40 or 50 bridges in use at any time. Myrmecologists (people who study ants) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Swarm Lab have worked out a simple rule governing this behaviour.

Ants only stay in a bridge if they feel sufficient numbers of other ants scurrying over their backs. To justify investing that much labour, the shortcut has to be popular. If fewer ants cross, forming a bridge isn’t worth the effort – it’s better for the colony if these ants go around the obstacle the long way.

It’s a wrap

In 2010, countless trees were left shrouded in swathes of silk in Pakistan following monsoon rains. It’s thought that the flood waters forced millions of spiders to take refuge in the trees, where they spun these veil-like webs. Though the identity of the spiders in this image is not known, some species will congregate in composite webs, often resembling huge hammocks or sheets.

Spiders live alone as a rule, but some – most of which are small and occur in the tropics – exhibit varying degrees of social behaviour. Communal webs enable them to catch much bigger prey and share the energy-sapping tasks of spinning the webs and maintaining their structure. Occasionally, enormous megawebs appear, covering several hundred square metres in silk, perhaps because a superabundance of prey caused an explosion in the local spider population.

Wheels of fortune

When first discovered in 1995 near the Japanese island of Amami, these submarine ‘crop circles’ were a mystery. Were they created by animals, currents or something else? Over 15 years later, divers spotted the seabed sculptor: a tiny pufferfish (Torquigener albomaculosus) new to science.

The male takes around a week to fashion a two-metre-wide nest that dwarfs his 12cm frame. He ploughs through the sediment with his fins and tail whirring to produce symmetrical peaks and troughs. He then sweeps the sandy amphitheatre clean of debris, moving scraps of seaweed or coral to the perimeter.

If his labours lure a female, the pair spawn in the middle – but the moment the eggs hatch, he abandons the nest to start all over again. In her book Eye Of The Shoal, marine biologist Dr Helen Scales suggests the sculpture may make an ideal soft spot for the developing eggs, with the furrows channelling oxygenated water to the centre.

Snug as a bug

Caddisflies could potentially be the first animal architects. Fossils of the elegant little cases built by their aquatic larvae have been dated to the Early Jurassic (and possibly earlier), well before social insects or birds appeared on Earth. Caddisfly larvae are like weird underwater caterpillars that frequent the bottom of streams and ponds, and many fabricate tubes no thicker than a pencil in which to live.

Assembled from grains of sand, fragments of twig or leaf, snail shells and any other debris to hand, the cases protect the soft-bodied larvae from the turbulence of the water current and from predators such as fish. The larvae wriggle out and build new cases as they grow – most will make five in one or two years – before finally leaving the water as short-lived winged adults. French artist Hubert Duprat famously gave larvae gold leaf and pieces of gemstone, with which they created beautiful gilded tubes.

Pole position

Weavers are finch-like birds celebrated for their exquisite nests made from knotted strands of dry grass. Most weave spherical or orb-shaped nests, sometimes with a tubular entrance to keep out predators. But sociable weavers, which live in southern Africa, build a giant communal nest that ends up swamping its tree (or telegraph pole, like the one pictured).

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Some of these sprawling avian high-rises last for up to 100 years and can grow to more than 10 cubic metres in size, making a cosy home for between 200 and 300 breeding pairs of sociable weavers. The spectacular structure protects the residents from extremes of temperature, with every pair housed in a separate flask-like chamber.

A 2016 study by researchers at the University of Miami found that ‘selfish’ birds that lavish time on repairing their own internal living quarters are likely to be on the receiving end of aggression from nest-mates working on the shared exterior thatch. After being apprehended, the selfish birds switched to more community-minded tasks for the good of the colony.

What lies beneath

Withouta doubt, ants are the greatest farmers after humans. Dependent on the species, they might tend crops (fungi) or herds of livestock (small insects called aphids) in massive subterranean nests. Yet these metropolises and the farming operations that sustain them are largely invisible, leading scientists to find innovative ways of revealing their hidden architecture. One technique is to excavate an abandoned nest and pour concrete into the maze of tunnels and chambers to produce an enormous cast.

The labyrinthine nest pictured here was found in Cerrado, which is the largest savannah in South America. It was made by a species of grass-cutting ant that harvests grass, carrying it underground to use as fertiliser for the precious fungi on which the colony feeds. Around 40 tonnes of earth, maybe more, would have been shifted in the nest’s construction. In addition to its chambers that act as fungus gardens, the underground city has ‘rubbish dumps’ where the ants dispose of waste. There is even an air-conditioning system: tunnels dug to maximise the flow of fresh air from the surface.

All together now

We now know that magnetoreception, the ability to detect Earth’s magnetic field, is quite common in nature. Everything from sea turtles to songbirds, bats, lobsters, snails, ants, bees and moths have been shown to navigate using it. It’s all the more impressive when you consider that our planet’s magnetic field is actually extremely weak.

There is one species of termite, unique to Australia’s Northern Territory, that appears to use this magnetic sense in the construction of its nest mounds. Known as the magnetic termite, its mounds are aligned with the thin edge oriented north-south. One theory is that this ensures the widest edges, and therefore greatest possible surface area, faces east and west to receive the welcome warmth of the morning and evening sunlight, while avoiding the scorching heat of the middle of the day. Seen from the air, the regularly spaced termite mounds form a grid, like some kind of weird cemetery, as you can see in the image above.

Birdy boudoir

In the bird world, males impress would-be partners with extravagant songs, dance moves or nest-building skills, but Australia’s great bowerbirds go the extra mile. They spend days constructing elaborate stick-structures whose sole function is to stage their display. The male great bowerbird weaves two thick panels to form a stately thatched avenue one-metre high, then arranges a host of eye-catching objects at either end.

His eclectic collection can include everything from leaves to bits of rubbish – plastic (a sign of the times) is especially popular – and individuals have curatorial preferences, with many of this species favouring red or white items such as berries, flowers or shells.

Here’s the clever bit: objects are displayed in size order, with the smallest ones near the bower, to set up a forced perspective that gives the illusion the bird is larger than he actually is. It’s a technique youngsters take years to perfect, and the mental gymnastics involved might explain why the family has bigger brains than other similar-sized birds.

#Nature

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alleycatallies · 11 months ago

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23 Ways We Worked for Cats in 2023

The New Year is almost here, and Alley Cat Allies is working throughout the holiday season to protect cats and start 2024 on the strongest foot to save more lives. But even as we prepare for all the work ahead to build a world where all cats are valued and protected, we’re also reflecting on the incredible change we accomplished together this year.

Here are just 23 of the ways (there are many, many more!) we worked on behalf of cats in 2023:

1. We Are Fighting to Protect Puerto Rico Community Cats

A community cat on the Paseo del Morro.

In November 2023, the U.S. National Park Service announced a plan to remove community cats living along the famous Paseo del Morro in Old San Juan within a period of 6 months. It is a cruel and pointless scheme Alley Cat Allies is doing everything in our power to halt.

We are reaching out to the government of Puerto Rico and working with local advocates as part of our ongoing efforts to stop the removal and help more cats and kittens across Old San Juan. We’re looking forward to more lifesaving progress in 2024.

2. We’re Confronting Calls to Kill Cats in Granite Shoals, Texas

Alley Cat Allies condemns the horrific discussion between the Granite Shoals City Manager and Wildlife Advisory Committee about a plan to mass kill community cats. We call for a strong, city-supported TNR program and would pledge our own support for that program.

We’re standing with the Granite Shoals Police Department, the Hill Country Humane Society, and the people of Granite Shoals against cruel, lethal policies. The next city council meeting about Granite Shoals’ cats is January 9, and Alley Cat Allies will be there.

3. We Provided TNR and Other Care to Thousands of Cats in Atlantic County

Luna, a partially blind cat helped through our grant to the Humane Society of Atlantic County.

Alley Cat Allies had a goal to spay or neuter 1,000 cats between May and November of 2023 as part of our ongoing work with the Humane Society of Atlantic County, New Jersey. Amazing news: We did it—and much more!

The 1,000 cats and kittens helped this summer and fall are on top of 1,000+ cats we’ve already helped through our latest initiative in Atlantic County–and that’s just our most recent work in the area.

4. We’re Working to Save Cats from Lethal Policies in the Cayman Islands

As the government of the Cayman Islands pursues a devastating policy to round up and kill cats, Alley Cat Allies is making all efforts to prevent the cruel, lethal scheme and working with local advocates on humane, effective programs for cats and kittens. In 2023, we provided spay and neuter surgeries, vaccination, and microchipping as well as no-cost cat food to indoor and community cat caregivers. We’re going to expand our lifesaving work even further in 2024.

5. We Helped 1,800+ Cats and Kittens in Iowa

Alley Cat Allies’ Cats Are Family Too™ collaboration with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa this fall provided incredible, no-cost resources to cats throughout the Des Moines area!

In just three cat food distribution events in October and November, we handed out cans of cat food to more than 540 households to help more than 1,800 cats and kittens. And through a no-cost vaccine and wellness clinic, we provided dozens of cats and kittens with care that may have otherwise been inaccessible to their families.

6. We Saved Cats with Specialized Surgery

Tank recovering after lifesaving liver shunt surgery.

The only struggle a kitten should face is choosing between playing with a fun new toy or curling up in a sunbeam. But cats Emporio and Tank were wracked with seizures that impaired their sight and adventurous spirits at a very young age.

They have a condition known as a portosystemic shunt, which is an anomaly in their blood vessels that causes blood to be diverted around the liver rather than through it for detoxification. They needed specialized surgery to have the best chance at survival—and Alley Cat Allies ensured they received it through a grant to Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester. They’ve both since been adopted and are thriving post-surgery!

7. We Supported No-Cost Animal Food Banks

From kicking off a community cat-focused food bank in Atlantic County, New Jersey, to supporting no-cost food resources in Iowa, the Cayman Islands, Virginia, and multiple other communities, we are Keeping Families TogetherTM. With the post-COVID era has come a great deal of financial insecurity, and food support is more critical than ever. We plan to expand our food bank support in 2024!

8. We Protected Cats Impacted by the Historic Maui Wildfires

When historic wildfires swept through Maui, Hawaii, in August, Alley Cat Allies was on the ground immediately to provide critical emergency support for cats. We brought food to cats outdoors in the devastated Lahaina area, as well as medications, vaccinations, kitten milk replacer, and other needed supplies for affected indoor and community cats. We also covered the costs of much-needed procedures from flea treatment to emergency dental care.

9. We Supported a Lifesaving Veterinary Bill in Florida

With access to veterinary care more limited than ever, any step that clears the way for experienced veterinarians to provide volunteer services makes a massive difference. That’s why Alley Cat Allies supported a Florida bill to allow veterinarians from out of state to legally provide spay and neuter and other care. It passed in summer of 2023, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for all the cats and kittens it will help!

10. We Advocated for a Texas Law in Defense of TNR

A 2023 law passed in Texas recognizes Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as a defense against cat abandonment claims, giving reassurance to caregivers and shelters who perform TNR that they are doing the right thing to help cats. Alley Cat Allies advocated in support of this law, and we’re pursuing stronger TNR protections in the Lone Star State.

11. We Received the Highest Recognitions for Transparency

Alley Cat Allies earned the 2023 Platinum Seal with Candid as well as the coveted Charity Navigator 4-star rating for the 10th consecutive year—the organizations’ highest levels of recognition! These achievements are a result of Alley Cat Allies’ commitment to transparency in everything we do with our supporters’ donations. Our supporters can be confident that every gift has a direct, lifesaving impact on cats and kittens, which strengthens our shared mission!

12. We Called for Justice for Nala the Cat

Alley Cat Allies was present at the trial of Ronald Schlotterbeck, who shot and killed Nala as she rested on a tree branch in his yard, causing her to suffer an agonizing death. We sent a letter of support to the prosecutor in the case asking for the strongest possible penalty under the law for this act of deliberate, needless cruelty.

In the end, the punishment served was light, but Alley Cat Allies continues to fight for justice for cat victims of cruelty and for stronger penalties against cruelty perpetrators.

13. We Provided Legal Counsel to Protect Community Cat Caregivers

When a Maryland community cat caregiver contacted Alley Cat Allies’ Cat Help Desk and told us a Code Enforcement Officer ordered her to stop feeding the cats and issued her a citation for a $1000 fine, we stepped in to provide legal counsel. The reality quickly became clear: Though the caregiver was told that feeding community cats violated an ordinance, the opposite was true. Her activities were in fact lawful.

Thankfully, the city ultimately chose to drop the case.

14. We Inspired the Next Generation of Cat Advocates

Alley Cat Allies connected with students at William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPU) and issued a grant to provide them with resources for community cats in collaboration with Only Kindness Rescue. The grant covered cat food and other needed supplies and care, all to help the students continue their incredible work for local community cats.

15. We Called for the Prosecution of an Alleged Kitten Killer

On behalf of cats across the country and our more than 60,000 supporters in Texas, Alley Cat Allies spoke and wrote in support of the prosecution of Gabriel Caswell for the unlawful killing of cats and kittens while he was employed at an animal shelter. We continue to monitor the case and other cruelty cases across the country as we work to set a strong standard for investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty.

16. We Provided Critical Care to Help Declawed Cats

Burrito thriving after surgery to relieve the pain of his declaw.

Cats who are declawed can suffer from lifelong pain and even life-threatening complications. We can’t restore a declawed paw—the damage cannot be undone. But surgery and the right pain management can alleviate cats’ suffering and help them truly live again. An Alley Cat Allies grant provided that specialized care for multiple cats throughout 2023.

Cats like Burrito and Sammy, who were abandoned and suffering crippling pain due to their declaw, are now happy and thriving in their adopted home.

17. Our Disaster Response Was a Lifeline for Cats and Kittens in Three States

Thor after surgery.

In the first half of 2023, devastating tornadoes struck Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Alley Cat Allies immediately stepped up to provide lifesaving rescue and veterinary care support—and saved so many cats’ and neonatal kittens’ lives through swift action.

Beyond general veterinary care, food, and other supplies, we funded complex, critical surgery when needed. A senior cat named Thor, for example, had his lower jaw severely broken during the disaster. We covered the costs of repair surgery, and now he’s a happy, healthy cat in his new forever home!

18. We Provided Lifesaving Veterinary Grants to Communities Across the Country

Soufflé after and before

From Maryland to Oklahoma to Arkansas to California and beyond, we strengthened access to care for cats and kittens. From spay and neuter and vaccination to injury treatment and any other needed surgery, we provided it all.

Soufflé, Poppy and Lily, the Orange Crew, Clover and Charm, Miso and her kittens, and so many more heartwarming stories are the result of this critical work—and YOUR generosity.

19. We Helped Hundreds of Cats and Kittens with Feline Frenzy®

Reese’s about to be trapped for TNR during a Feline Frenzy.

In 2023, Alley Cat Allies worked in New York, Maryland, and Virginia to host Feline Frenzy events that provided TNR and other veterinary services.

When we choose a city or county for our Feline Frenzy, we determine the most in-need communities and bring together local animal protection groups, advocates, veterinarians, caregivers, and policymakers to create long-lasting improvements for cats.

20. We Stopped a Deadly Ordinance for Cats in Ohio

A dangerous proposed law impacting cats in Cedarville, Ohio, was tabled thanks to Alley Cat Allies and our supporters, advocates, and local residents. If the ordinance had passed, cats would have been subjected to cruel, ineffective feeding bans—among other absurd measures.

21. We Defended Cat Declawing Bans

In 2023, the Washington D.C. ban on declawing officially went into effect! Alley Cat Allies wrote in support of the ban and rallied supporters to speak out as well—and the result will save countless cats’ lives.

And, thanks to our advocacy and supporters, a bill that would threaten efforts to ban declawing in Missouri did not move forward. The measure would have overturned existing declaw bans in St. Louis and St. Louis County and prevented other cities and counties from passing their own bans.

22. We Won a Critical Legal Battle to Protect West Virginia Cats

A Berkeley County, West Virginia, Circuit Court Judge sided with Alley Cat Allies in a lawsuit against Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department after it failed to comply with Alley Cat Allies’ requests for public records under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). With the ability to access the public records we requested, Alley Cat Allies can make decisions on how to best protect cats and kittens in Berkeley County.

23. We Protected Cats and Kittens During a Dallas Digital Disaster

Zayna (top right), Morel (left), and Hehe (right) are just three of the kittens transferred, treated, and saved through Alley Cat Allies’ emergency response grant in Dallas.

When the City of Dallas was the victim of a widespread outage incident earlier this year, Dallas Animal Services struggled to meet the needs of cats and other animals without access to even basic records.

To prevent cats and kittens from being “euthanized” in the chaos, Alley Cat Allies provided emergency grants. Working with Operation Kindness and Friends of Dallas Animal Services, we facilitated the transfer of cats, dogs, and neonatal kittens out of the shelter while also funding bottle-feeding, veterinary evaluations, treatments, wound care, spay and neuter surgeries, and more.

Help Us Save More Cats in 2024

Before December 31, your gift will be TRIPLE-MATCHED to go three times as far for cats and kittens in the new year. We have big plans to make big changes for cats, and we need you at our side. Please consider giving today.

Content source: https://www.alleycat.org/23-ways-we-worked-for-cats-in-2023/

#Community outreach for cats #Cat welfare organization #Alley Cat Allies achievements #Cat community engagement #Cat awareness campaigns

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