Page 6 - The Shores of Jupiter - October '21

Page 6, The Shores
Northern Notes

Owls – Silent And Effective such as the ability to They are silent predators. Both primary and secondary
feathers have comb-like structures at the edge of the feather
rotate their heads 270
Predators degrees, ears that are that are responsible for muffling the sound of the air going
offset on the sides of over the wing – this essentially makes an owl virtually silent
By Katie Roundtree, their head in order in flight. In addition, an owl’s feathers can separate from each
Finance Director, Northern to pinpoint location other on the same wing; therefore, the air flows over each of
Palm Beach County of prey, the ability the individual feathers and their comb-like structures, which
Improvement District to control feathers maximizes how silently owls fly.
Florida is home to five on their dish-shaped Most of these species of owls are fairly common,
resident species of owls, face to direct sounds however, the burrowing owl is Florida’s only state-designated
including the barn owl, barred into their ears, and threatened species of owl. Florida Atlantic University’s Boca
owl, burrowing owl, eastern comb-like structures Raton campus was designated as a burrowing owl sanctuary
screech owl and great horned on their feathers to silence them in flight. in 1971 and even though the campus has expanded, breeding
owl. The largest of these owls Owls cannot move their eyes in their eye sockets like humans pairs still exist on the grounds.
is the great horned owl, which and most other animals. Instead, they can rotate their heads up Next time you’re outside in wooded areas around dawn
is generally 18 to 25 inches to 270 degrees (not 360 degrees like sometimes believed) in or dusk, look up; or if you’re in an open area, watch your
tall, followed by the barred owl and barn owl. The eastern screech order to view their surroundings. The unusually high number step and keep an eye out for ground burrows. You may be
owl and burrowing owls are the smaller species and measure only of light-sensitive cells in their eyes, their large pupils, and a lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most
about 6 to 10 inches tall. All but the burrowing owl prefer to live reflective layer behind the retina give them excellent nocturnal accomplished predators.
high in trees, in either tree cavities or nesting boxes. Burrowing vision, useful when hunting at night or navigating dark forests. NPDES tip: Please pick up after your pet. When pet waste
owls live in areas with wide-open spaces and little vegetation Their ability to locate prey by sound alone is the most accurate is washed into lakes or canals the waste decays, using up
and spend most of their time on the ground or in burrows. of any animal that has ever been tested. Owls can catch mice in oxygen and sometimes releasing ammonia. Low oxygen
Each of the species have their own distinctive characteristics, complete darkness in the lab, or find prey hidden by vegetation levels and ammonia combined with warm temperatures can
but they all have one thing in common, they are voracious or snow out in the real world. Their ears are placed unevenly on kill fish. Pet waste also contains nutrients that encourage
eaters and can consume thousands of small rodents in a year. their head and point in slightly different directions, giving the weed and algae growth. Perhaps most importantly, it is
Because of this, they are a welcome addition in most farms and ability to hear where a sound is coming from without moving considered a significant source of pathogens like fecal
neighborhoods. Owls are mainly nocturnal creatures and have their heads. Owls can also funnel sound toward their ears by coliform, a disease-causing bacteria.
developed some amazing adaptations to be successful hunters, manipulating different types of feathers around the ears and face. Source: Cornell University Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Commissioner’s Update

Rail Connects Our that cannot telework. With Tri-Rail connecting to all three the southwest corner of PGA Boulevard and Alternate A1A
major airports in the region, the SFRTA anticipates that airport
and would likely include a significant development of hotel,
Communities ridership will return to 100 percent by the end of 2021. retail, office and residential uses with convenient access to
The three counties connect rail riders with their respective the train. The station could potentially serve both Tri-Rail and
By County Commissioner bus services, light rail and people movers to take riders to their Brightline, the private high-speed-rail train service currently
Maria Marino final destinations and back. For stations in Palm Beach County, constructing tracks to provide service from Miami to Orlando
Tri-Rail, the commuter rail Palm Tran – the public transit bus system – provides shuttle and from Orlando to Tampa.
service linking Palm Beach, service from Tri-Rail stations to destinations, along with taxis There is also heightened interest in conducting a feasibility
Broward, and Miami-Dade and transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft. study for a Tri-Rail station at the Veterans Administration
counties recently reached a South Florida is the fifth largest urbanized area in the U.S. Medical Center in Riviera Beach. This would enhance
significant milestone – 100 with more than five million residents, projected to grow by transportation options for veterans to access services as well as
million riders. another three million people within the next 20 years. Planning present an opportunity for residents in the western communities
You may wonder how for this future growth, SFRTA is embarking on large-scale to access the train. Additionally, Palm Tran is working with
that affects you, particularly projects, including Coastal Link, which will reintroduce SFRTA on plans to achieve fare collection interoperability
if you are not currently a passenger service along an 85-mile stretch of the Florida East between the transit systems in all three counties, to promote a
rider. Consider this: for Coast (FEC) Railway corridor between downtown Miami seamless fare system in the region.
every person who takes Tri-Rail, that is potentially one less and Jupiter, connecting the rail networks. Transit-oriented With road networks reaching capacity, a multimodal
vehicle on the highway. Taking the train can save you wear developments (TOD) at stations along the eastern Coastal transportation system is essential to maintaining our economic
and tear on your vehicle, help reduce the carbon footprint, Link corridor are in the study phase. Development at locations competitiveness, high quality of life, and protecting our
and afford you a window of time to perhaps read the news, where SFRTA owns land would result in a revenue stream environment. This is the vision of the SFRTA.
catch up on work or studies, and avoid the aggravation of for the agency. One of the proposed new stations for which I As always, please contact me if I can be of assistance
crowded highway driving. strongly advocated while serving as mayor and councilmember to you by calling (561) 355-2201 or send an email to
Tri-Rail commenced operations on Jan. 9, 1989. It for the City of Palm Beach Gardens, would be located at mmarino@pbcgov.org.
covers a service area of 73.4 miles between the three
counties, with 18 stations. The hours of operation are 4
a.m. to 11:35 p.m. on 50 weekday trains and 5:17 a.m.
to 11:45 p.m. on 30 weekend and holiday trains. See the
following link for schedules: https://www.tri-rail.com/
pages/view/reduced-service-weekday-schedule.
The service, operated by the South Florida Regional
Palm Beach County Commission’s representative, provides NoN-Toxic cancer immunotherapy
Transportation Authority (SFRTA) on which I serve as the

a comfortable, safe commute to connect you with business,
educational, retail and recreational venues in the Tri-County
region for a reasonable fare. Fares run from $1.25 to $17.50 Available NoW
based on zones traveled and discount eligibility. Frequent riders
card) with fares validated as passengers board and exit the train. Safe and Effective!
may choose to preload an EASY card (similar to a SunPass

Passes and paper tickets are available at Tri-Rail stations and
not sold onboard the train. Information on calculating your fares This is the Original Immunotherapy that
in order to plan for your trips is located at https://www.tri-rail.
com/pages/view/fare-information-calculating-your-fare. balances and optimizes your immune system to
Daily weekday ridership on Tri-Rail is approximately fight almost any type of cancer.
15,000, and is currently operating at 92 percent of pre-COVID
service. Compared with other cities’ rail services around the
U.S. that have experienced a slower recovery, Tri-Rail is a Hundreds of successes over the years.
service, tourism and construction industry-based ridership
Continuously available since 1977

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