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marti
Pittsburgh,
United States of America
Gigapans: 19
Snapshots: 54
Bookmarks: 8
Last Visited: November 11, 2009
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Unless otherwise noted, my GigaPan photos posted on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License (BY-NC-SA http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/).
Please contact me using the "comments" feature if you're interested in using a gigapan for commercial or other purposes.
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Canon SD800 |
| Gigapan prototype robotic mount |
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Canon SD 880 |
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Just an hour out of Cape Town at the southern tip of Africa, lies an area of such natural beauty and floral diversity as to be recognized as perhaps world's greatest biodiversity hot-spot. Size for size, this 100 000 hectare UNESCO registered Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is home to the most complex biodiversity on our planet!
The Kogelberg begins in the Atlantic Ocean, 7.5 km off a rugged, rocky shore of False Bay interspersed by glorious, golden sandy beaches. A zig-zag ribbon of narrow coastal plain is squeezed between the ocean and huge sandstone mountains. Contorted by their tumultuous birth some 300 million years ago, these awesome folded mountains and highland valleys are home to over 1880 different species of plants. 77 species within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve occur nowhere else on Earth. Many spectacular members of the protea family occur in the reserve. These include the endangered marsh rose, Orothamnus zeyheri, once on the brink of extinction and now known to occur on a few inaccessible peaks. Kogelberg has three patches of relic indigenous forest, Louwbos, Platbos and Oudebos. These patches are similar to the Knysna forests and includes yellowwood, stinkwood and boekenhout trees.
Kogelberg is often considered the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, because of the exceptional quality of its fynbos. The reserve lies within the southern stretch of the rugged Hottentots Holland mountain range and has remained isolated and remarkably unspoilt. Its high mountain peaks, steep kloofs, valleys and several tributaries of the pristine Palmiet River create a sense of remote wilderness.
The Kogelberg does not have many large animals. There are a few leopards; the Cape clawless otter may be seen in or near water; smaller antelope include klipspringer and grysbok; and baboons, dassies and hares are failry common. Peregrine falcons, black eagles and fish eagles hunt and nest in and around the reserve. An endemic freshwater crab and the endangered micro-frog are found in the area. A herd of wild horses roam the flats of the Bot River estuary at Rooisand.
For more information visit -
http://www.kogelbergbiospherereserve.co.za/
http://www.viewoverberg.com/Biosphere.asp
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An open pit coal mining project on private land near Ligonier, Pennsylvania slowly removing a hill and all the trees around it.
Government Financed Reclamation Contract # 65-06-06 Mellon #2 "This reclamation project is being completed at no cost to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under a special program for reclamation of abandoned coal refuse disposal areas."
News Clippings:
DEP Awards Contract to Reclaim Abandoned Mine Lands in Loyalhanna River Watershed at No Cost to Taxpayers
HARRISBURG (April 15, 2008) -- DEP’s Greensburg District Mining Office has awarded a contract that will result in the reclamation of nearly 20 acres of abandoned mine lands and improve the health of a high-quality stream in the Loyalhanna watershed. By contracting with the mining company to remove remaining coal reserves and reclaim this site in return for the value of the coal, this project will save the Commonwealth approximately $90,306.00 in abandoned mine reclamation costs.
Coal Loaders Inc. of Ligonier received a contract to extract remaining coal reserves and reclaim 19.8 acres of abandoned mine lands in the Pittsburgh coal seam near the village of Wilpen in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County. The company will daylight, or expose, approximately seven acres of abandoned underground mine workings that are contributing to surface and groundwater pollution in the area, and remove the remaining coal reserves. In addition, 1,300 feet of dangerous highwall and 12 acres of spoil piles will be graded to approximate original contours as required under modern mining regulations, and planted with vegetation that is specially formulated to grow on abandoned mine lands. Reclamation of these abandoned mine lands will reduce the volume of acidic mine drainage from the site into tributaries of Coalpit Run, which is designated as a High-Quality waterway.
Source http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/news/cwp/view.asp?Q=536077&A=3
***
Oct. 29 --The board voted to set a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 for two proposals by Ligonier-based Coal Loaders Inc. -- extracting coal from former mine sites and reclaiming much of the land on each tract to its pre-mined state as part of government-financed construction contracts. The first site -- on which 40 acres of proposed reclamation would occur -- is on property owned by Seward Prosser Mellon along Myers School Road. The proposal would allow for completion of the second phase of a three-phase project on the land known as Mellon Tract No. 2. In May, Coal Loaders began mining remaining coal from the 28-acre Mellon Tract No. 3, which the company expects to have completely reclaimed by spring, said General Manager Don Lupyan. The company eventually plans to mine and reclaim a third plot known as Mellon Tract No.1, he said.
The second site -- on which about 9 acres of proposed reclamation would take place -- is on property owned by Ligonier Camp & Conference Center along Wilpen Road. The proposal would allow for completion of the first phase of a three-phase project on additional lands owned by the conference center in the surrounding area, Lupyan said.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_587455.html?source=rss&feed=29/10/2008
***
Nov. 13--Ligonier Township supervisors voted Tuesday to grant conditional-use permits for proposed abandoned mine-reclamation projects on two properties. Ligonier-based Coal Loaders Inc. will extract remaining coal from the sites and reclaim much of both lands as part of a government-financed construction program.
The first property is a 40-acre plot owned by Seward Prosser Mellon on Myers School Road known as Mellon Tract No. 2 that would allow for completion of what would be the second phase of a three-phase project. The company eventually plans to mine and reclaim a third plot known as Mellon Tract No. 1, said Coal Loaders general manager Don Lupyan. The second property is a 9-acre tract owned by the Ligonier Camp & Conference Center near Wilpen Road that would allow for completion of the first phase of a three-phase project on additional lands owned by the center in the surrounding area.
Coal Loaders must perform work on both properties between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays. Lupyan had asked the board to consider granting the company time to work on Saturdays, but the request was denied. "We feel it's the public's right to have privacy and quiet on the weekends," said board Chairman Carl Penrod. Several nearby property owners endorsed the project in writing, but several others attended a public hearing last month to voice concerns over potential noise problems and damages. Only Rose Stepnick of Darlington -- who implored the township not to allow Coal Loaders to work on Saturdays -- was in attendance yesterday.
The township waived an ordinance requiring the company to stay 200 feet away from any bordering property line on both properties, according to the documents. That allows the company to perform reclamation work up to one foot away from neighboring properties. The company can also work within 300 feet of Myers School Road to remove remaining highwalls and pits. "We have a need for this work to be done. It will improve public safety," said township Solicitor Judith K. Ciszek.
(Source: Tribune-Review) By A.J. Panian, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
11/13/2008
See article on Mellons and their long history with coal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07182/798280-28.stm
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An open pit coal mining project on private land near Ligonier, Pennsylvania slowly removing a hill and all the trees around it.
Government Financed Reclamation Contract # 65-06-06 Mellon #2 "This reclamation project is being completed at no cost to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under a special program for reclamation of abandoned coal refuse disposal areas."
News Clippings:
DEP Awards Contract to Reclaim Abandoned Mine Lands in Loyalhanna River Watershed at No Cost to Taxpayers
HARRISBURG (April 15, 2008) -- DEP’s Greensburg District Mining Office has awarded a contract that will result in the reclamation of nearly 20 acres of abandoned mine lands and improve the health of a high-quality stream in the Loyalhanna watershed. By contracting with the mining company to remove remaining coal reserves and reclaim this site in return for the value of the coal, this project will save the Commonwealth approximately $90,306.00 in abandoned mine reclamation costs.
Coal Loaders Inc. of Ligonier received a contract to extract remaining coal reserves and reclaim 19.8 acres of abandoned mine lands in the Pittsburgh coal seam near the village of Wilpen in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County. The company will daylight, or expose, approximately seven acres of abandoned underground mine workings that are contributing to surface and groundwater pollution in the area, and remove the remaining coal reserves. In addition, 1,300 feet of dangerous highwall and 12 acres of spoil piles will be graded to approximate original contours as required under modern mining regulations, and planted with vegetation that is specially formulated to grow on abandoned mine lands. Reclamation of these abandoned mine lands will reduce the volume of acidic mine drainage from the site into tributaries of Coalpit Run, which is designated as a High-Quality waterway.
Source http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/news/cwp/view.asp?Q=536077&A=3
***
Oct. 29 --The board voted to set a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 for two proposals by Ligonier-based Coal Loaders Inc. -- extracting coal from former mine sites and reclaiming much of the land on each tract to its pre-mined state as part of government-financed construction contracts. The first site -- on which 40 acres of proposed reclamation would occur -- is on property owned by Seward Prosser Mellon along Myers School Road. The proposal would allow for completion of the second phase of a three-phase project on the land known as Mellon Tract No. 2. In May, Coal Loaders began mining remaining coal from the 28-acre Mellon Tract No. 3, which the company expects to have completely reclaimed by spring, said General Manager Don Lupyan. The company eventually plans to mine and reclaim a third plot known as Mellon Tract No.1, he said.
The second site -- on which about 9 acres of proposed reclamation would take place -- is on property owned by Ligonier Camp & Conference Center along Wilpen Road. The proposal would allow for completion of the first phase of a three-phase project on additional lands owned by the conference center in the surrounding area, Lupyan said.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_587455.html?source=rss&feed=29/10/2008
***
Nov. 13--Ligonier Township supervisors voted Tuesday to grant conditional-use permits for proposed abandoned mine-reclamation projects on two properties. Ligonier-based Coal Loaders Inc. will extract remaining coal from the sites and reclaim much of both lands as part of a government-financed construction program.
The first property is a 40-acre plot owned by Seward Prosser Mellon on Myers School Road known as Mellon Tract No. 2 that would allow for completion of what would be the second phase of a three-phase project. The company eventually plans to mine and reclaim a third plot known as Mellon Tract No. 1, said Coal Loaders general manager Don Lupyan. The second property is a 9-acre tract owned by the Ligonier Camp & Conference Center near Wilpen Road that would allow for completion of the first phase of a three-phase project on additional lands owned by the center in the surrounding area.
Coal Loaders must perform work on both properties between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mondays to Fridays. Lupyan had asked the board to consider granting the company time to work on Saturdays, but the request was denied. "We feel it's the public's right to have privacy and quiet on the weekends," said board Chairman Carl Penrod. Several nearby property owners endorsed the project in writing, but several others attended a public hearing last month to voice concerns over potential noise problems and damages. Only Rose Stepnick of Darlington -- who implored the township not to allow Coal Loaders to work on Saturdays -- was in attendance yesterday.
The township waived an ordinance requiring the company to stay 200 feet away from any bordering property line on both properties, according to the documents. That allows the company to perform reclamation work up to one foot away from neighboring properties. The company can also work within 300 feet of Myers School Road to remove remaining highwalls and pits. "We have a need for this work to be done. It will improve public safety," said township Solicitor Judith K. Ciszek.
(Source: Tribune-Review) By A.J. Panian, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
11/13/2008
See article on Mellons and their long history with coal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07182/798280-28.stm
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This is a 360 degree panorama from the top of a small mountain called "Klein Hangklip" just between two villages: Rooi Els and Pringle Bay.
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On May 6-7, 2008 the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out-of-School Eviroments (UPCLOSE) ran a two-day CAISE Inquiry Group on the topic of how to conceptualize and evaluate successful professional online learning communities, especially those serving the multidisciplinary field of informal science education (ISE).
A second goal was to exercise the new NSF/ISE guidelines for "Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Projects" http://www.informalscience.org/research/show/3643 by putting the Framework into practice with example research designs, instruments and metrics to assess the impact of recently funded professional online communities like http://InformalScience.org and http://InSci.org and http://ExhibitFiles.org
This gigapan documents the discussion artifacts from BREAKOUT SESSION ONE which explored who are potential ISE professional users of these and future online community site and what might they want to be doing on these websites. In small groups we developed user scenarios for funders, policymakers, educators, and new media producers.
See the snapshots for more detail.
We are experimenting with sharing the breakout group discussion in this format. Please let us know your thoughts using the comment tool.
Thanks InformalScience.org
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A Fracking Convention
Created: September 19, 2009
Taken From: Mancos
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 1
Frac tanks lined-up like soldiers. These blue tanks hold water for hydro fracturing, and later hold the
fluids that return to the surface, after shale fracturing.
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Frac Water Pit
Created: September 19, 2009
Taken From: Mancos
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 0
Think this is a plastic lined open pit used as a containment strategy for capturing the frack water slurry of sands and solvents that comes back up.
What happens then ... evaporated?
Wish we had enough resolution to read the sign.
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Screening
Created: August 17, 2009
Taken From: Open Pit Coal Mine in Western PA
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 25
Separates coal into different sizes, or grades, for marketing.
Nut Coal or Slack - the finest-sized soft coal, usually less than one inch in diameter?
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'Slate' Waste
Created: August 17, 2009
Taken From: Open Pit Coal Mine in Western PA
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 24
Slate - A miner's term for any shale or slate accompanying coal. Geologically, it is a dense, fine-textured, metamorphic rock, which has excellent parallel cleavage so that it breaks into thin plates or pencil-like shapes.
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Tipple
Created: August 17, 2009
Taken From: Open Pit Coal Mine in Western PA
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 35
Originally the place where the mine cars were tipped and emptied of their coal, and still used in that same sense, although now more generally applied to the surface structures of a mine, including the preparation plant and loading tracks.
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Kleinmond - Palmiet Public Beach
Created: August 17, 2009
Taken From: Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, South Africa
Comments: none - add a comment
Total Views: 8
Palmiet Beach has white sandy beaches stretching along the coast. Watch out for strong currents sea side. The lagoon area of this shallow estuary is great for kids to play and for kite flying. Small shrimps can be harvested in the mud with a bicycle pump like contraption.
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