White Mountains slated for August

   Our annual low-oxygen star party will again convene this summer at Barcroft Laboratory, 12,435 feet high in the White Mountains northeast of Bishop, CA. TVS members can enjoy up to four nights of observing from this outstanding site.

   We will assemble at the Grandview Campground (8,600 feet) the night of Thursday, August 16. This important stopover allows us to begin acclimating to high altitude. On Friday, August 17, we'll pass famous Bristlecone pines on our way to Barcroft. Most members will observe for three nights, returning home on Monday but a few plan a fourth night.

   Barcroft Lab is half Antarctic research station, and half Shangri-La. The food is great and the views are breathtaking. Due to the level of research at Barcroft this year, we are limited to 19 participants. Lab room and board costs only $45/day/person. Priority will be given to those staying three or four nights. If you are interested, call Dave Rodrigues at 510/483-9191 or send a check (payable to Dave) for $45 per person per day. Also include an emergency-contact name and phone number, your name, and home and work phone numbers. Dave's mailing address is
Dave Rodrigues
1633 Graff Ct.
San Leandro, CA 94577-3938

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Miscellaneous news and notes

   From Hidden Hill: The new key lock is in place, and the road lock will be replaced as necessary. Vice president Gary Steinhour has located a sanitary service willing and able to treat the outhouses at H2O. Earnie's Plumbing and Sewer Service works on many of the local parks and is willing to tackle our unpleasant little problem. You can look forward to improved facilities for your next observing run.

   Looking for a few good members: A number of TVS volunteer positions have not yet been filled for 2001. Please contact Chuck Grant if you can help arrange speakers, mentor new members, share you knowledge at school star parties, or help with our next public star party at Yosemite.

Dates and deadlines

Foothill sponsors planetary talk

   Dr. Gregory Laughlin, of NASA Ames Research Center, will speak April 11 at Foothill College, on "The Long-term Future of the Sun, the Earth, and the Solar System." NASA Ames Research Center, Foothill College, SETI Institute, and the ASP will sponsor this talk at 7 p.m. in Foothill's Smithwick Theater, Los Altos Hills, CA. This nontechnical program focuses on the ultimate fate of our planet over billions of years. Discover whether a swollen Sun will someday melt or even swallow the Earth, and what Nature has in store for the solar system. Admission is free (parking $2) and open to the public. Call 650/949-7888 for more information.

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