The Mt. Hopkins fire perimeter team stands in front of a small part of their day’s work. Our heartfelt thanks to this group of thirty-eight volunteers from MMTO, Steward, LPL, UA Physics, FLWO, SAO, TAAA, SAIDA, Southern AZ Dark Skies Group, and family and friends who came to Mt. Hopkins on July 12 to help build a fire perimeter around observatory buildings on Mt. Hopkins. We filled nearly 400 bags with pine needles and removed dozens of cubic yards of “ladder fuels,” undergrowth that contributes to the spread of a wildfire. The observatory is a safer place today because of their efforts. Click here for a larger image.