How You Can Help the Manassas Bald Eagles

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the City of Manassas, the Virginia Department of Inland Game and Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and, of course, the developer on the land, have very little interest in protecting the bald eagles' habitat near the Manassas airport. We've witnessed each of these entities pass the buck from one to the other with no results. If you don't know what is happening, read this.

But YOU can make a HUGE difference:

1. Contact the news media and tell them what is going on: CNN (also online form), FOX (888-369-4762, press 3), MSNBC, WJLA, Clinton, Trump, etc. Try to get investigative reporters and "on your side" people. The Bald Eagle is the Nation's Symbol of Freedom. This is the kind of story they like. National attention will get other U.S. citizens involved. You can share with them this link.

2. Document by photos and video the construction and the eagles from now and through all the construction taking place over the next several months. Get pictures and video of the birds near or on the nest. Take pictures of the birds reacting to the construction. Note any signs of stress in the birds, attempts by the birds to build nests elsewhere, or other issues that will show that the construction has had an effect on their livelihood. Take these photos from the PUBLIC region outside the site and DO NOT DISTURB or ANTAGONIZE the people doing the construction.

3. Capture VIDEO INTERVIEWS in front of the construction site of people concerned about the eagles and ask them how they feel about the construction. Tell your children that the eagles may not come back or may get hurt because of the construction, and get their reactions. Again, stay on the public sidewalks.

4. SHARE your videos and photos relentlessly on Facebook and Twitter with everyone. Also, follow along at the Manassas Airport Eagles Facebook page.

5. TWEET these country music stars and ask them to draw attention to what's happening in Manassas, Virginia. You can share with them this link. Maybe someone will buy the small plot of land and preserve it.

@DollyParton, @TheTimMcGraw, @FaithHill, @Reba, @Clint_Black, @ShaniaTwain

6. Consider who you vote for in the November 8 elections. If the current councilmen and women do nothing to stop this, and they won't, you can remove them from office. The American Bald Eagle is our nation's symbol. If our own representatives can't protect it, what good are they? The City could have easily purchased that small parcel of land and extended the Cannon Branch Fort Park years ago when the eagles started nesting there. This will send a message that some things are more important than office park development.

Thank you for all your help!

Vic

Update: 7/23/2016. This is the leasing company's sign and contact information at the site.

Destruction of Manassas Bald Eagle Homeland Has Begun

Update 7/27/2016: WUSATV9 covers story.

Update 7/25/2016: Heartbreaking video of continued construction and interview with one of the many concerned residents, Amber Taylor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_oQPPiY9JU

Update 7/23/2016: How You Can Help The Eagles

It has only been 16 months since I first reported on a bit of construction that took place in front of a bald eagle nest in Manassas, Virginia. The post went viral, the story ended up in all the papers, and the City of Manassas reassured the public that the eagles would be safe. Today I returned to that site when I got word that they were now clearing down all the trees and brush directly in front of that nest, thereby destroying the eagles' refuge.

Here is the video I shot today, July 21, 2016. I spoke to one of the construction crew members and he was unaware that there was a nest there. You can hear me talking to him at the end of the clip. He continued to tell me that at other sites he's worked on, they were advised to cease construction when an eagle nest was present.

Typically, this time of year adult eagles and their juveniles will seek out other nearby areas to forage for food. I'm certain the City will use that as their defense, saying that the nest is no longer "active." However, I spoke to one of the proponents of the eagles' safety, Ann McIntyre, who told me she had spotted one of the adults and a juvenile returning to the nest just prior to the construction a week ago. She has not seen them since. It was because of Ann and other naturalists that the City erected this sign across the street to protect the eagles. Seems a bit odd now with a construction vehicle in the background. Odd and disingenuous.

I'm certain the City will call in their go-to Fisheries and Wildlife guy, who will say that this is not doing any harm to the eagles. He'll say that bald eagles are no longer on the endangered species list, which is true, and that distance guidelines for construction near a nest are simply guidelines, not requirements or laws...anymore. He'll also repeat that since the eagles have become used to the noise and commotion of the nearby Manassas Airport and railroad line, this will not bother them as well.

But now their immediate nesting area has been taken away. Gone. Removed. And whatever gets erected there in the coming months, mere yards away from the nest, will most certainly have an impact on them. Will they return to the nest to live and raise offspring this fall?

Would you?

How You Can Help The Eagles

Dumpster Toy Puppy Comes to Life

What would you do if you an inanimate object suddenly came to life? Author Victor Rook describes what happened one Sunday afternoon while taking out the trash.

"I got out of my car to toss away an empty box. As I was about to drive away, my eye caught what appeared to be a stuffed toy animal on its side partially hidden around the back of the bin. It made me wonder why anyone would toss out such a cherished item. Maybe it was torn or dirty. Surely it could be cleaned up. Or maybe someone outgrew it. I told myself to just drive away, but then I looked back one more time. That's when I noticed the toy puppy was now standing on all fours and looking right at me! I had to do a double-take. It just looked at me with its pink tongue sticking out. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!"

Rook first thought that a gust of wind had brought it back up, but there wasn't even a breeze. And upon inspection, the stuffed animal wasn't a battery-operated or animated toy.

"Well, of course I took this as a sign. I had to rescue it from certain death. I couldn't see this creature crushed in a dump truck or buried in some landfill for eternity. It needed a home."

Rook says that Diver, the name he's given the toy puppy after "Dumpster Diver," really wasn't that dirty at all. Its tongue just had a tiny tear in it. After spending a little time with Diver himself, he plans on donating the lost and found toy puppy to a welcoming home this Christmas.

Creating 3D Graphics for Book Covers and Posters

My parents would be proud that my Mechanical Engineering degree has been put to good use over the last few years. Back in the early 1980s, I minored in CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design & Computer-Aided Manufacturing), and once taught automotive engineers in Michigan how to perform stress and strain analyses on car parts. The screens were green and email was the newest invention.

Now I use 3D design programs for other reasons. For instance, recently I needed to create a pizza paddle for a poster for my upcoming book, Poetry Pizza. This is a very simple example below. If you need any 3D elements for print or website design, send me an email at vic@victorrook.com.

1. Draw a rough outline

Here I created corner points and a few in between to approximate the shape of the paddle.

2. Add curves

 I then applied Bezier curves to some of those points to round the corners.

3. Extrude to create depth

Next, I created a short line to "extrude" the paddle along and give it thickness. I then altered the edge lines to form the beveled bottom and sides of the paddle. You can see those pink and blues lines off to the side and below the figure.

4. Create the leather strap

To create this, I drew a rectangle with rounded edges, then pipeline extruded the rectangle along a path shaped like a folded thread with crossing ends.

5. Position the pieces together

Finally, I placed the strap through the hole in the paddle, added a squished sphere where the strands cross for the knot, then applied a deformer to make the strap twist a bit.

6. Add textures

The last step is to add wood and leather textures to the individual components and render a final image. Here you see it in my final poster.

If you need any 3D elements for print or website design, send me an email at vic@victorrook.com. 

How To Run A Book Signing Event

This advice can be applied to any vendor event—craft show, home and garden show, etc.—but for now I will make it specific to book signing events.

1. ADVERTISE

Did you get that? No, that's not a spot for someone to advertise on my blog. It's telling you that you need to advertise the HELL out of your event from 3-6 months in advance.

I've been to over 20 book signing events in the past year, and it amazes me how much effort the organizers will put into things like event applications, event passes, online booth graphics, parking passes, etc., but do a horrible job of getting the word out. I know they mean well, but there we sit, our beautiful tables flanked with our goods....waiting for people to show.

2. ADVERTISE

It's not enough to advertise online, though you should definitely have a Facebook page dedicated to your event. Or, if you already have a group with many followers, create the Event on that page. Encourage people to share it. If your group is a Closed Group, then those in that group can't share things to their friends unless they copy and paste the links. Therefore, a Facebook Page is the best bet. Don't forget Twitter as well.

3. ADVERTISE

I see a lot of events that only use online event listers like Eventbrite. When is the last time you went to Eventbrite to see what's happening in your town? Exactly. Some online news media pair up with Eventbrite, but it's still not enough. Do it, but do more.

4. ADVERTISE

I recently asked an event coordinator where they are advertising, and you should too. They mentioned a few of their local papers...in their town of 12,000. Wow. If you have an upcoming event, pick the largest city near you and get it in their newspaper. Many times it's free. Search "Local Events" or "What's Happening Around Town?" or "Things To Do" and post your ad there weeks in advance.

5. ADVERTISE

And finally, hand out flyers at your local church, book clubs, author groups, and other book signing events to help spread the word. You want to reach both authors AND readers. Have an online pdf flyer that authors can print and give out at their signing events to encourage patrons to attend yours.

6. PLANNING

Got you there, didn't I? Check around to see what other events are planned for a weekend before you schedule your event. Don't pick a day when the largest craft show or book signing event in the state's history happens to fall on the weekend you have in mind. Sure enough, you will hear crickets.

Poem: Beer Buzz and Wine High

Beer Buzz and Wine High
By Victor Rook from Poetry Pizza

Pour it fast or pour it slow
Sip it nice and let it flow
Any way to get it in
Sooner then to feel the spin

Sweet or sour or bitter taste
Lap it up and leave no waste
Every drop has worth in gold
Once you start you will be sold

Bud or Coors or Miller Lite
Take your wine in red or white
No matter what brand of booze
Soak it in to heal your blues

In no time you’ll lose that edge
A higher plane soon to pledge
Emotions soar within your buzz
For this how and what it does

It strips away the oxygen
And takes you to your origin
Within your blood it will swirl
And make your head all awhirl

Out your mouth words will slur
Thinking now may be a blur
Everything will seem surreal
That’s the way you want to feel

Dial a friend and show you’re cool
But don’t say much or be a fool
For in the morning you may fret
On what you said and now regret

For some it may increase their lust
Walls fall down and ease distrust
Lips will meet and bodies thrust
Protect yourself if you must

For me I am a happy camper
Within my home I will scamper
And bounce around like feral ferrets
This is why they call it spirits

But moderation is the key
Thrice a month no more for me
For it’s the days in between
When loving life means being clean

When A Fan Recognizes You and Your Work

Thank you to Morgan Combs for making my day, year, and decade today at the Grounds Central Station coffee shop in Manassas, Virginia.

While I was discussing distribution ideas for the Virginia Authors Book Sampler with poet and past President of the Virginia Writers Club, June Forte, a sweet and terrifically good-looking couple started up a conversation about photography with us. It came about as I was taking the selfie below with June. The gentleman, probably in his mid-20s, takes professional photographs at the DC Zoo. June was once a photo journalist, and I take photos as well.

June Forte and Me

I mentioned that I also shoot video, specifically nature videos, and when I brought up my nature film Beyond the Garden Gate, a customer across the way spoke up. Morgan Combs revealed that as a child she would watch my film often with her mother. It was one of her all-time favorites, and they watched it over and over again. Beyond the Garden Gate aired on PBS from 2001-2005, but she thinks they purchased their VHS copy at the National Arboretum at that time.

Morgan Combs and a very speechless me trying to take a decent photo.

I had distribution agreements with several garden centers and public gardens, including the renowned Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. Even a science museum in Scotland used the video as part of one of their displays for a while. I believe they had the time-lapse photography pieces looping on a monitor inside an Alice in Wonderland tunnel.

Anyway, it's not often--in fact for many of us, never--that you get recognized for your work outside of friends and family. I was lucky enough to have experienced this twice for this film. Back in 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, a man called me from New York City one night. He said, "I pray that you can help me find the producer of Beyond the Garden Gate. I was watching it here in a coffee shop with some of the remaining firefighters of a battalion that lost a lot of men, and it brought such peace over us." He ordered 20 copies for those friends and their grieving families. It still gives me chills to think about that call, which I recorded midway through. I knew that it was a special moment that needed to be preserved.

When authors write, and filmmakers produce, and painters paint, and photographers shoot, we all do it with the hope that others will get what we are creating. That they will feel the same amount of enthusiasm as we did producing the work. That they will understand the characters, the emotions, the strokes, and the images. That's the connection that means the most to us.

That connection was made today. And I thank June, the terrifically good-looking couple that got us talking about photography, and, of course, Morgan Combs for putting a smile on my face and making me blush.

Beyond the Garden Gate is also available on DVD here and on Amazon.