Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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Page 14 - shelby shopper & info - 704/484-1047 www.shelbyinfo.com Thursday, September 10-September 16, 2020 As you know, the Sheriff's Offi ce has continued an aggressive campaign to rid Cleveland County of as much narcotics as possible. As we continue to make our community as safe as possible please note our slogan listed below. ATTENTION DRUG DEALERS ARE YOU LOSING MONEY TO YOUR DRUG DEALING COMPETITION? WE OFFER A FREE SERVICE TO HELP YOU ELIMINATE YOUR PROBLEM! REPORT YOUR COMPETITION SPEAK ANONYMOUSLY WITH A NARCOTICS INVESTIGATOR CALL 704-484-4831 CLEVELAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE SHERIFF ALAN NORMAN Being a mile high has its advantages. From atop Grandfather Mountain, visitors can grab a front-row seat to one of nature's most stunning spectacles – thousands of raptors migrating over the mountains and heading south toward their winter- ing grounds. Guests can observe the raptors during the annual Hawk Watch, in which of- ficial counters note the number of passersby in the sky throughout the entire month of September. Raptors are birds of prey, such as hawks, ea- gles, owls and vultures. The telltale signs of the raptor are sharp talons, a hooked upper bill and keen eyesight. While some rap- tors remain in place dur- ing winter, most will travel south, where food is more abundant. Grandfather Mountain is a prime spot for viewing this phenomenon, because it sits along the eastern escarpment of the Appa- lachian Mountains, and its rocky peaks generate strong thermal uplifts and allow prime visibility. Perhaps the most dramatic visual display comes courtesy of the broad-winged hawk, which migrates in groups of hun- dreds or thousands, called kettles. Those sightings are most common around the second to third week of September. During 2015's Hawk Watch, Grandfather Moun- tain president and execu- tive director Jesse Pope spotted a kettle of some 4,800 broad-wings pass- ing over in less than 30 minutes, along with numer- ous other kettles of con- siderable size, amounting to nearly 10,000 raptors in one day. Aside from offering a visual spectacle, Hawk Watch serves an impor- tant purpose. The annual counts from Grandfather Mountain and other lo- cations help track hawk populations and migra- tion routes over time and provide important data to inform land management decisions. In fact, Grandfather Mountain is one of more than 300 Hawk Watch sites officially designated by the Hawk Migration Associa- tion of North America. Counts will be con- ducted every day the weather permits – the hawks don't typically fly in fog or storms – from an area inaccessible to the general public and will be posted daily at HawkCount. org. Although visitors can- not participate in the of- ficial watch this year, due to safety concerns sur- rounding the COVID-19 pandemic, they're wel- come and encouraged to witness the annual phe- nomenon, with prime view- ing locations on Linville Peak (across the Mile High Swinging Bridge) and Half Moon Overlook (the first major overlook when enter- ing the park). "It invokes that sense of wonder we always talk about at Grandfather Mountain," Pope said. "It's that time of year where you're watching a majestic bald eagle soar over the mountain, and you can't help but ask questions, like, 'Where are they going?' or 'Why are they making this annual journey?' It's just an awe-inspiring time of year." This helps demonstrate why September is one of Pope's favorite months on Grandfather Mountain. Along with migration, it's a time when the mountain sees a kettle's worth of seasonal changes. "September is a very transformative month on Grandfather Mountain, where we go from the flora and fauna of summer to those of autumn," he said. "You don't know what you might see on any given day." The not-for-profit Grand- father Mountain Steward- ship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, call (800) 468-7325, or plan a trip at www.grandfather. com. For now, tickets are only being sold online at www. grandfather.com. Hawk Watch returns to Grandfather Mountain A red-tailed hawk soars through the High Country sky. Throughout the entire month of September, visitors to Grandfather Mountain can observe red-tailed hawks and numerous other raptors, as they make their annual migration south. (photo by Judi Sawyer/Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation) The Schiele Museum will reopen to the public on Friday, Sep- tember 11th with limited hours and reduced visitor capacity. This will abide by the Governor's 2.5 phased "Safer at home" order and allow time for sanitizing and disinfecting the facility. The museum will be open for visitors Monday – Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM and Sundays 1 to 4 PM. The museum operational hours are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Tickets will be sold for two separate time periods each day; morning tickets are good for 10 AM – 12:30 PM and afternoon tickets are for 12:30 – 3 PM. Sunday tickets are available for 1 – 4 PM only. Advance tickets are required and available at www.schielemuseum.org. Schiele members are able to reserve their tickets for the members-only preview earlier in the week via the website at SchieleMuseum.org.In addition to being open to the public on September 11, the museum will continue to offer their Science Club program for firs t through fifth graders. The Schiele Museum responded to the community need for an all-day, engaging educational opportunity for families that need a remote learning option for their children. Science Club is designed to meet new guidelines for health and safety while also providing participants with enriching science, cultural, art and outdoor activi- ties within a full-day schedule that will meet the needs of families. For more information, please visit schielemuseum.org or follow The Schiele Museum on social media. Schiele Museum reopens Sept. 11