The daily flights starting Monday and ending Saturday are part of a joint research project between the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Energy Department agency that oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

The single helicopter will fly during daylight hours at 300 feet above the ground in a “grid pattern” covering 69 square miles, the nuclear security agency’s press office said.

The helicopter, operated by the Department of Energy’s Remote Sensing Laboratory in Las Vegas, will perform the survey.

The information it gathers will be used by the agencies to “improve aerial radiation measurement capabilities” by local, state and federal entities, the announcement said.

No other information was available.

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Copters-to-measure-radiation-in-Bay-Area-3815658.php

for island in the Bay

An island offering a secluded beach, promises of great fishing and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline is up for sale — and at a discounted price.

Red Rock Island, a 6-acre mass of rock tucked away in a northern part of San Francisco Bay, is now being offered for just under $5 million, Realtor Steven Higbee said. The property earlier this year was listed for $22 million.

The undeveloped island has been on and off the market for years. Higbee said he advised the owner that the best way to move it was by “whittling away at the price.”

Accessible only by boat or helicopter, and with no crowds of tourists swarming about like the better-known Alcatraz Island, the island offers a very secluded getaway. “You could go out there and have wild parties or retreat away from the wild parties,” Higbee said.

Article source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/realestate/2018675180_realbrownbox15.html