Texas WRP Ranks Playas # 1
Playas now rank at the top of the list for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in Texas, thanks to a two-year campaign led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
"Our success is due to the partnership between the three agencies," said Charles Coffman, NRCS biologist in Lubbock. "We wouldn't have gotten anywhere if all three agencies hadn't been working together."
It all started back in 2004 at the PLJV management board meeting in Woodward, Oklahoma, when an NRCS biologist urged the board to send a letter to the state NRCS office recommending changes in WRP ranking criteria so that playas didn't lose out on scoring, as they often did.
The board took the biologist's advice. And after two years of continued outreach by TPWD, USFWS and NRCS staffers from the Panhandle - playas were given special status for the 2007 WRP cycle. Now, a solid WRP application that includes playas is given top consideration, despite its place in the overall ranks.
Signup for the 2007 WRP cycle closes Feb. 16, and so far NRCS has received applications for two playa projects and three more are in the works. One of the applicants became interested in conserving playas after listening to the Playa Country radio show.
The WRP means permanent protection for playas. Although some Panhandle biologists say the payment per acre is too low - which might turn some landowners away - the NRCS is processing as many playa WRP applications as it can currently handle.
The campaign shouldn't stop when bottlenecks are breached, says Coffman. With a new Farm Bill in the works and NRCS staff changes, it's too soon to tell if the special status for playas under WRP will continue.
"I would suggest that we barrage the NRCS state office with letters of thanks to past and current staff members who were involved in this process, and let new staff and leadership know that we'd like to see special status for playas under WRP to continue," he said.
NRCS download: Wetlands in the Texas Playa Region (3.5M PDF)
ConocoPhillips receives Great Blue Heron award
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee honored ConocoPhillips with the 2005 National Great Blue Heron award for the company's substantial contributions to waterfowl and other wetland-associated migratory bird populations over the years. The award was presented to Mike Johnston, PLJV board member and Manager for Health, Safety and Environment, Downstream for ConocoPhillips, at the PLJV Management Board meeting in January.
ConocoPhillips is the only two-time recipient of the award, having first been honored in 1996 as Phillips Petroleum before the company's merger with Conoco. The two-time honor is a testament to the company's longstanding commitment to waterfowl habitat conservation, even through corporate transition.
ConocoPhillips' contributions to PLJV alone total more than $1.5 million, which has been leveraged at least three-fold to complete an upwards of 350 habitat conservation, research and education projects across the PLJV region. This year, ConocoPhillips increased its annual contribution to the JV to $100,000 from $75,000. See the PLJV Management Board meeting update at right for information on projects funded by ConocoPhillips in 2007.
Headlines and Resources:
> Audubon publishes article on the playas.
> CDOW honors city of Sterling for expanding State Wildlife Area.
> USDA study shows CRP helps quail, grouse.
> Ogallala Commons airs aquifer video online.
> Playa film is online at MyOutdoorTV.com.
> Pete Dunne featured guest at Colorado Snow Goose Festival.
> NSF study says native grass is best for biofuel.
> Ducks Unlimited celebrates 70th anniversary.
> Whooping Crane population continues to soar.
> Colorado Bird Atlas II seeks participants and sponsors.
> Sec. Johanns seeks more money for conservation in 2007 Farm Bill.
Follow the Money:
> Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: The USFWS is currently seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories interested in securing federal grant assistance to acquire land or plan for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2007, the President's budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund would provide approximately $80 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. Proposals must be submitted to the appropriate service regional offices by February 7.
> USFWS Private Stewardship Grants:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals for conservation projects to benefit imperiled species on private lands through the Private Stewardship Grants Program. This program provides federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that help federally listed endangered or threatened species as well as proposed, candidate and other at-risk species. Proposals are being accepted through February 14, 2007.
> Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grants:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife has made $200,000 available for a competitive grant program to support projects to conserve, restore or enhance Colorado's threatened, endangered or declining wildlife species. The Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grant (CWCG) program is funded through the federal State Wildlife Grant program, with funds available for projects starting in the summer of 2007. Grant applications must be e-mailed or post-marked by February 15.
> Texas WRP for Playas:
Texas landowners have until Feb. 16 to submit applications for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which this year is giving priority status to playas (see article above). Contact Charles Coffman of the NRCS or Bill Johnson of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. for more information.
> Kansas Wetlands Reserve Program:
The Natural Resources Conservation Service of Kansas has announced the signup cutoff date of March 1 for the Wetlands Reserve Program. The program is continuous, but applications need to be received by the cutoff date to be considered for the fiscal year 2007 funding allocation of $1.2 million.
> North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants: NAWCA Standard Grants provide matching funds to private or public organizations or to individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Before applying, contact the PLJV staff and also check out the PLJV's NAWCA Timeline. Deadline: March 2 and July 27, 2007.
> Five Star Restoration Grants:
The Five Star Restoration Grant Program brings together students, conservation corps, other youth groups, citizen groups, corporations, landowners and government agencies to provide environmental education and training through projects that restore wetlands and streams. The program provides challenge grants, technical support and opportunities for information exchange to enable community-based restoration projects. Funding levels are from $5,000 to $20,000 with $10,000 as the average amount awarded per project. Deadline: March 9.
> Great Outdoors Colorado Large-scale Grants: The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board recently released a request for concept papers for large-scale land acquisition and outdoor recreation projects for Fiscal Year 2007-2008. As it did in 2004, the Board will use this process to determine if it can provide funding for such projects through its current cash flow or whether the Board should consider bonding to pay for projects. Concept papers are due March 23.
Playas now rank at the top of the list for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in Texas, thanks to a two-year campaign led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
"Our success is due to the partnership between the three agencies," said Charles Coffman, NRCS biologist in Lubbock. "We wouldn't have gotten anywhere if all three agencies hadn't been working together."
It all started back in 2004 at the PLJV management board meeting in Woodward, Oklahoma, when an NRCS biologist urged the board to send a letter to the state NRCS office recommending changes in WRP ranking criteria so that playas didn't lose out on scoring, as they often did.
The board took the biologist's advice. And after two years of continued outreach by TPWD, USFWS and NRCS staffers from the Panhandle - playas were given special status for the 2007 WRP cycle. Now, a solid WRP application that includes playas is given top consideration, despite its place in the overall ranks.
Signup for the 2007 WRP cycle closes Feb. 16, and so far NRCS has received applications for two playa projects and three more are in the works. One of the applicants became interested in conserving playas after listening to the Playa Country radio show.
The WRP means permanent protection for playas. Although some Panhandle biologists say the payment per acre is too low - which might turn some landowners away - the NRCS is processing as many playa WRP applications as it can currently handle.
The campaign shouldn't stop when bottlenecks are breached, says Coffman. With a new Farm Bill in the works and NRCS staff changes, it's too soon to tell if the special status for playas under WRP will continue.
"I would suggest that we barrage the NRCS state office with letters of thanks to past and current staff members who were involved in this process, and let new staff and leadership know that we'd like to see special status for playas under WRP to continue," he said.
NRCS download: Wetlands in the Texas Playa Region (3.5M PDF)
ConocoPhillips receives Great Blue Heron award
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee honored ConocoPhillips with the 2005 National Great Blue Heron award for the company's substantial contributions to waterfowl and other wetland-associated migratory bird populations over the years. The award was presented to Mike Johnston, PLJV board member and Manager for Health, Safety and Environment, Downstream for ConocoPhillips, at the PLJV Management Board meeting in January.
ConocoPhillips is the only two-time recipient of the award, having first been honored in 1996 as Phillips Petroleum before the company's merger with Conoco. The two-time honor is a testament to the company's longstanding commitment to waterfowl habitat conservation, even through corporate transition.
ConocoPhillips' contributions to PLJV alone total more than $1.5 million, which has been leveraged at least three-fold to complete an upwards of 350 habitat conservation, research and education projects across the PLJV region. This year, ConocoPhillips increased its annual contribution to the JV to $100,000 from $75,000. See the PLJV Management Board meeting update at right for information on projects funded by ConocoPhillips in 2007.
Headlines and Resources:
> Audubon publishes article on the playas.
> CDOW honors city of Sterling for expanding State Wildlife Area.
> USDA study shows CRP helps quail, grouse.
> Ogallala Commons airs aquifer video online.
> Playa film is online at MyOutdoorTV.com.
> Pete Dunne featured guest at Colorado Snow Goose Festival.
> NSF study says native grass is best for biofuel.
> Ducks Unlimited celebrates 70th anniversary.
> Whooping Crane population continues to soar.
> Colorado Bird Atlas II seeks participants and sponsors.
> Sec. Johanns seeks more money for conservation in 2007 Farm Bill.
Follow the Money:
> Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: The USFWS is currently seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories interested in securing federal grant assistance to acquire land or plan for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2007, the President's budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund would provide approximately $80 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. Proposals must be submitted to the appropriate service regional offices by February 7.
> USFWS Private Stewardship Grants:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals for conservation projects to benefit imperiled species on private lands through the Private Stewardship Grants Program. This program provides federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that help federally listed endangered or threatened species as well as proposed, candidate and other at-risk species. Proposals are being accepted through February 14, 2007.
> Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grants:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife has made $200,000 available for a competitive grant program to support projects to conserve, restore or enhance Colorado's threatened, endangered or declining wildlife species. The Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grant (CWCG) program is funded through the federal State Wildlife Grant program, with funds available for projects starting in the summer of 2007. Grant applications must be e-mailed or post-marked by February 15.
> Texas WRP for Playas:
Texas landowners have until Feb. 16 to submit applications for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which this year is giving priority status to playas (see article above). Contact Charles Coffman of the NRCS or Bill Johnson of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. for more information.
> Kansas Wetlands Reserve Program:
The Natural Resources Conservation Service of Kansas has announced the signup cutoff date of March 1 for the Wetlands Reserve Program. The program is continuous, but applications need to be received by the cutoff date to be considered for the fiscal year 2007 funding allocation of $1.2 million.
> North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants: NAWCA Standard Grants provide matching funds to private or public organizations or to individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Before applying, contact the PLJV staff and also check out the PLJV's NAWCA Timeline. Deadline: March 2 and July 27, 2007.
> Five Star Restoration Grants:
The Five Star Restoration Grant Program brings together students, conservation corps, other youth groups, citizen groups, corporations, landowners and government agencies to provide environmental education and training through projects that restore wetlands and streams. The program provides challenge grants, technical support and opportunities for information exchange to enable community-based restoration projects. Funding levels are from $5,000 to $20,000 with $10,000 as the average amount awarded per project. Deadline: March 9.
> Great Outdoors Colorado Large-scale Grants: The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board recently released a request for concept papers for large-scale land acquisition and outdoor recreation projects for Fiscal Year 2007-2008. As it did in 2004, the Board will use this process to determine if it can provide funding for such projects through its current cash flow or whether the Board should consider bonding to pay for projects. Concept papers are due March 23.
New Chairman Takes the Helm at PLJV Board Meeting
The PLJV Management Board and teams conducted their annual winter meetings January 16 - 18 at the Quartz Mountain Resort in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Newly-elected PLJV Chairman Jeff Ver Steeg of the Colorado Division of Wildlife presided over the board meeting, for which the first order of business was to thank outgoing Chairman Bob McCready of The Nature Conservancy for his four years of dedicated leadership. McCready will remain on the board as the TNC representative.
The Board also honored and bid a fond farewell to three outgoing board members - Merlin Bartz of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and John Cornely and Nancy Gloman of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. PLJV Communications Team Leader Debbie Slobe was also thanked for her work on the new playa film.
The Board approved funding for eight projects submitted to the ConocoPhillips grant program, totaling $125,430 in awards. Among the habitat projects funded was Oklahoma's Drummond Flats, a multi-year project to permanently protect and restore a 7,000-acre wetland in the heart of the Central Flyway wetland corridor which includes other areas restored through PLJV NAWCA grants, including Cheyenne Bottoms, Jamestown Wildlife Area, McPherson Valley Wetlands, and Hackberrry Flat Wildlife Management Area. The project received $25,000 and a commitment from the Board for another $50,000 over the next two years as match for potential NAWCA funding. The Board also awarded $25,000 for a Texas Tech University study to address the Joint Venture's highest priority research need to evaluate playa buffer effectiveness.
Other projects receiving funding were: $25,000 for Herron Playa in Kansas; $25,000 for phase two of a study of Nebraska's playas; $10,000 for Rush Creek wetland restoration as part of a WRP project in Nebraska; $2,000 for Whiteface Independent School District in Texas for a student-led playa outreach campaign; $7,430 for a bird banding station in Colorado; and $6,000 for watershed festivals in Texas and Nebraska.
Also during the meeting, PLJV staff presented its annual report which pointed out successes in conservation delivery, biological planning and communications as well as other core JV elements, and how the JV might measure its progress toward achieving large-scale habitat conservation.
The next PLJV Board meeting will be held June 13 - 15, 2007 in New Mexico.
Power Companies Energize Sand Sage Prairie in Kansas
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is working alongside Wheatland Electric Cooperative to purchase 34,000 acres of irrigated cropland and restore it to native sand sage prairie as part of a plant expansion project in Finney County, Kansas.
The area is adjacent to 20,000 acres of native sand sage which already provides habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chickens, Northern Bobwhites, Loggerhead Shrikes and Cassin's Sparrows, among other prairie bird species. Together with the 34,000 acre site, the total area will make a noteworthy impact in achieving the habitat goal for sand sage for western Kansas, according to PLJV planning.
The PLJV Area Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 18 of Kansas calls for the restoration of an additional 200,000 acres of sand sage. The 34,000 acre site will take a 17 percent bite out of that goal. Currently, there are an estimated 400,000 acres of sand sage in Kansas BCR 18.
"This achievement will contribute a significant portion of the 30-year habitat objective for sand sage in BCR 18 Kansas as outlined in the current Area Implementation Plan," said PLJV's BCR 18 Coordinator Christopher Rustay.
The power companies consulted with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Pheasants Forever, Sharp Brothers Seed Company and the original landowners to develop a restoration plan which KDWP biologists believe is on the right track.
"Most of the credit lies with the power companies," said Randy Rodgers, Upland Game Bird Biologist for KDWP. "When we got involved, they were well down the road and headed in the right direction and I think they have every intention of managing the property well. This has the potential to be one of the best prairie-chicken areas anywhere."
Purchasing the land was essential to Sunflower's plan to build two additional 700 megawatt plants on the site. The plants will be concentrated on a few hundred acres adjacent the current plant. Since the area is located in an Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area, the only way to get the water needed to operate the plants was to purchase the land and water rights.
Restoring the land to native sand sage was simply good citizenship, says Wheatland's Director of Member Services Lynn Freese, whose western Kansas roots and personal involvement with Pheasants Forever seem to have made an impact on the company's plans.
Playa Country Lineup for Feb.
Playa Country is a weekly radio program produced by the PLJV that airs on High Plains Public radio affiliate stations and other public and farm radio stations across the Joint Venture region.
LISTEN NOW
This month's shows:
> Feb 5: William Ashworth on his new book, Ogallala Blue
> Feb 12: Opportunity Knocks for Western Nebraska landowners
> Feb 19: Birding is Booming in Southeast Colorado
> Feb 26: Show and Tell Brings Landowners to Platte River Basin Environments
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Feb. 5 - 8: Flying WILD Bird Education Conference; Austin, TX
> Feb. 7: OWPHA Quarterly Meeting; Waynoka, OK; contact Brandon Cook
> Now - Feb. 11: Playa exhibit on display at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
> Feb. 12-13: Colorado Coalition of Land Trust Conservation Policy Conference; Denver, CO
> Feb. 20: Deadline to submit nominations for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee's International Canvasback and National Great Blue Heron awards.
> Now - Feb. 20: Land Trust Alliance is now accepting presentation proposals for the 20th National Land Conservation Conference; Oct 2007; Denver, CO
> Feb. 23 - 25: High Plains Snow Goose Festival, Lamar, CO; contact John Koshak
> Feb. 27: Ecosystem Service Markets: Everyone's Business conference; Houston, TX
> Feb. 27- March 1: Bird Monitoring and Detectability Symposium; Ft Collins, CO
> March 4 - 9: Central Flyway technical committee and Central Flyway NSST working group meeting: Brookings, SD
> March 16 - 18: Rivers and Wildlife Celebration and Nebraska Partnership for All-Bird Conservation Steering Committee Meeting; Kearney, NE
> March 20 - 24: 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference; Portland, OR
> Now - April: Registration and poster competition open for the New Mexico 6th Annual High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival April 13-15; Milnesand, NM
The PLJV Management Board and teams conducted their annual winter meetings January 16 - 18 at the Quartz Mountain Resort in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma. Newly-elected PLJV Chairman Jeff Ver Steeg of the Colorado Division of Wildlife presided over the board meeting, for which the first order of business was to thank outgoing Chairman Bob McCready of The Nature Conservancy for his four years of dedicated leadership. McCready will remain on the board as the TNC representative.
The Board also honored and bid a fond farewell to three outgoing board members - Merlin Bartz of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and John Cornely and Nancy Gloman of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. PLJV Communications Team Leader Debbie Slobe was also thanked for her work on the new playa film.
The Board approved funding for eight projects submitted to the ConocoPhillips grant program, totaling $125,430 in awards. Among the habitat projects funded was Oklahoma's Drummond Flats, a multi-year project to permanently protect and restore a 7,000-acre wetland in the heart of the Central Flyway wetland corridor which includes other areas restored through PLJV NAWCA grants, including Cheyenne Bottoms, Jamestown Wildlife Area, McPherson Valley Wetlands, and Hackberrry Flat Wildlife Management Area. The project received $25,000 and a commitment from the Board for another $50,000 over the next two years as match for potential NAWCA funding. The Board also awarded $25,000 for a Texas Tech University study to address the Joint Venture's highest priority research need to evaluate playa buffer effectiveness.
Other projects receiving funding were: $25,000 for Herron Playa in Kansas; $25,000 for phase two of a study of Nebraska's playas; $10,000 for Rush Creek wetland restoration as part of a WRP project in Nebraska; $2,000 for Whiteface Independent School District in Texas for a student-led playa outreach campaign; $7,430 for a bird banding station in Colorado; and $6,000 for watershed festivals in Texas and Nebraska.
Also during the meeting, PLJV staff presented its annual report which pointed out successes in conservation delivery, biological planning and communications as well as other core JV elements, and how the JV might measure its progress toward achieving large-scale habitat conservation.
The next PLJV Board meeting will be held June 13 - 15, 2007 in New Mexico.
Power Companies Energize Sand Sage Prairie in Kansas
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation is working alongside Wheatland Electric Cooperative to purchase 34,000 acres of irrigated cropland and restore it to native sand sage prairie as part of a plant expansion project in Finney County, Kansas.
The area is adjacent to 20,000 acres of native sand sage which already provides habitat for Lesser Prairie-Chickens, Northern Bobwhites, Loggerhead Shrikes and Cassin's Sparrows, among other prairie bird species. Together with the 34,000 acre site, the total area will make a noteworthy impact in achieving the habitat goal for sand sage for western Kansas, according to PLJV planning.
The PLJV Area Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 18 of Kansas calls for the restoration of an additional 200,000 acres of sand sage. The 34,000 acre site will take a 17 percent bite out of that goal. Currently, there are an estimated 400,000 acres of sand sage in Kansas BCR 18.
"This achievement will contribute a significant portion of the 30-year habitat objective for sand sage in BCR 18 Kansas as outlined in the current Area Implementation Plan," said PLJV's BCR 18 Coordinator Christopher Rustay.
The power companies consulted with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Pheasants Forever, Sharp Brothers Seed Company and the original landowners to develop a restoration plan which KDWP biologists believe is on the right track.
"Most of the credit lies with the power companies," said Randy Rodgers, Upland Game Bird Biologist for KDWP. "When we got involved, they were well down the road and headed in the right direction and I think they have every intention of managing the property well. This has the potential to be one of the best prairie-chicken areas anywhere."
Purchasing the land was essential to Sunflower's plan to build two additional 700 megawatt plants on the site. The plants will be concentrated on a few hundred acres adjacent the current plant. Since the area is located in an Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area, the only way to get the water needed to operate the plants was to purchase the land and water rights.
Restoring the land to native sand sage was simply good citizenship, says Wheatland's Director of Member Services Lynn Freese, whose western Kansas roots and personal involvement with Pheasants Forever seem to have made an impact on the company's plans.
Playa Country Lineup for Feb.
Playa Country is a weekly radio program produced by the PLJV that airs on High Plains Public radio affiliate stations and other public and farm radio stations across the Joint Venture region.
LISTEN NOW
This month's shows:
> Feb 5: William Ashworth on his new book, Ogallala Blue
> Feb 12: Opportunity Knocks for Western Nebraska landowners
> Feb 19: Birding is Booming in Southeast Colorado
> Feb 26: Show and Tell Brings Landowners to Platte River Basin Environments
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Feb. 5 - 8: Flying WILD Bird Education Conference; Austin, TX
> Feb. 7: OWPHA Quarterly Meeting; Waynoka, OK; contact Brandon Cook
> Now - Feb. 11: Playa exhibit on display at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
> Feb. 12-13: Colorado Coalition of Land Trust Conservation Policy Conference; Denver, CO
> Feb. 20: Deadline to submit nominations for the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee's International Canvasback and National Great Blue Heron awards.
> Now - Feb. 20: Land Trust Alliance is now accepting presentation proposals for the 20th National Land Conservation Conference; Oct 2007; Denver, CO
> Feb. 23 - 25: High Plains Snow Goose Festival, Lamar, CO; contact John Koshak
> Feb. 27: Ecosystem Service Markets: Everyone's Business conference; Houston, TX
> Feb. 27- March 1: Bird Monitoring and Detectability Symposium; Ft Collins, CO
> March 4 - 9: Central Flyway technical committee and Central Flyway NSST working group meeting: Brookings, SD
> March 16 - 18: Rivers and Wildlife Celebration and Nebraska Partnership for All-Bird Conservation Steering Committee Meeting; Kearney, NE
> March 20 - 24: 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference; Portland, OR
> Now - April: Registration and poster competition open for the New Mexico 6th Annual High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival April 13-15; Milnesand, NM
Playa Post ©2003 - 2007 Playa Lakes Joint Venture. Submission deadlines are the 15th of each month for publication the following month. Send press releases, comments and subscription inquiries to Debbie Slobe.