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Women who want a relaxed setting to learn more about the outdoors can now register for a special one-day Beyond BOW (Becoming an Outdoors-Woman) seminar being held April 8 at the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort.
Women who want to learn an outdoor skill or build upon their basic skills can sample from a variety of topics, including basic fishing, fun with air guns, beginner crossbow, bow hunting, tricks of the trade and more. A special class titled “Teaching Conservation with Live Animals” will give participants a behind-the-scenes look at how the Salato Center staff use animals to educate people about nature.
The event is limited to 50 women and classes are filling fast. Registration is open through March 27 by applying online at www.fw.ky.gov. Search under the keyword “bow” for registration and more information. Participants must be 18 or older.
The $50 registration fee includes two classes, equipment to use during classes, materials and lunch.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources offers the BOW program through its educational outreach efforts. The department launched Kentucky’s BOW program in 1995.
St. Patrick’s Day will take on a special meaning this year as a time to celebrate the wearing of the green but also to make the city a little greener, too.
As a way to help Metro Louisville expand its tree canopy, Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8) has announced Planting O’ The Green, an initiative to plant 88 trees during the week leading up to this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and 364 trees over the next four parade cycles.
“In honor of this year’s 44th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Planting O’ The Green partners and I are planting 44 trees in District 8 and 44 trees in District 1,” said Coan. “Next year, we’ll plant 45 trees in District 8 and 45 trees in another Metro Council district, and so on. I believe this pay-it-forward approach is the only way to solve our citywide tree problem, and I hope Planting O’ The Green becomes a tradition for many years to come.”
The Councilman made the announcement with Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1) and representatives of Brightside, MSD, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, TreesLouisville, Bellarmine University and the Ancient Order of the Hibernians on Monday.
“I am pleased to be part of this effort because we all know trees are important to all of our neighborhoods. Trees bring us closer to nature and remind us of the beauty that can be found on any street or corner. What better way to celebrate the wearing of the green than making sure our community is a little greener,” said Green.
In District 1, 44 trees will be planted at Farnsley Middle School, led by Planting O’ The Green partner Trees Louisville.
“TreesLouisville is thrilled to be a part of the Planting O’ The Green project,” TreesLouisville Executive Director Cindi Sullivan said. “We applaud Councilman Coan and Councilwoman Green for sharing our vision of a healthier and more livable community for current and future generations through a robust community tree canopy. Collaborative projects like this one are an excellent, strategic means to plant trees that will benefit students at Farnsley Middle School, the neighborhood residents that utilize the walking path we will be shading, and all Louisville residents.”
In District 8, 24 trees will be planted in Cherokee Park, led by the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and 20 trees will be planted on neighborhood streets in Deer Park and Tyler Park, led by Brightside. Additionally, Brightside is organizing an extra effort to pick-up litter after the parade, led by students from Bellarmine University.
“What a great opportunity to work with such an impressive group of public and private partners to help grow and sustain Louisville’s urban tree canopy,” said Olmsted Parks Conservancy President Rachel Kennedy, “As you know the Conservancy’s mission is to connect nature to neighborhoods within the nationally significant network of Olmsted Parks and we cannot think of a better way to do this than partnering with Metro Council and other nonprofits to green our neighborhoods and parks this St Patrick’s Day.”
“Brightside is thrilled to join with Metro Council, Ancient Order of Hibernians and community partners on this new community beautifying event,” Brightside Director Gina O’Brien said. “Keeping litter off the streets and trees in the ground are two pillars of Brightside and we love that this event focuses on both.”
John O’Dwyer, President of the Father Abram J. Ryan Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, reflected on the meaning of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the impact of Planting O’ The Green.
“We strive to open the spring season each year with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, often called the People’s Parade, and it is a time for fun and community. Now we are turning the Greenest Parade into the greenest parade as the next evolution of this charity event give back to our fine city,” O’Dwyer said. “Partnering in the Planting O’ The Green initiative will have lasting impact for generations to come. It will increase recycling on Parade Day and improve our tree canopy year-round. The Hibernians are proud to lead the way in being charitable and improving the environment.”
The 44th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Saturday, March 11. For more information about Planting O’ The Green and related activities during the week leading up to the parade, contact Councilman Coan’s office at 574-1108.
Mayor Greg Fischer announced changes meant to reduce the role of Louisville Metro Police in providing traffic details and security for special events.
Under new guidelines, organizers of special events in the city will be asked to increase volunteer participation during their events for positions that may not require a sworn police officer. Additionally, organizers will be asked to use private security companies when possible. Organizers will also be encouraged to use pre-designated routes that will need a limited or reduced number of sworn law enforcement.
“The sheer number of events throughout the city each week is a sign of vibrancy and community,” Mayor Fischer said. “But we must balance that with the need for LMPD to spend fewer hours covering special events.
“This new process allows our public safety teams to better coordinate with community groups to provide a better experience for participants and other citizens, while freeing up police officers to focus on other pressing needs.”
Earlier this year, the special events permitting process moved to Louisville Metro Emergency Services from Louisville Metro Codes and Regulations. Within Emergency Services, recently appointed Deputy Director Kelly Jones will oversee special events permitting, along with his other duties.
Jones will work with community groups to find appropriate venues for special events, with the goal of reducing LMPD involvement and street closures. The change will also allow for better internal coordination of city services for special events.
Jones retired last year from Louisville Metro Police. His most recent role included leading the city’s law enforcement details for special events, including Thunder Over Louisville and the Kentucky Derby and Oaks. He also played a large role in this past summer’s commemoration of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
“Louisville Metro is committed to facilitating safe experiences for event participants,” Jones said. “I’m pleased to return to public service, and to lend my experience coordinating logistics and security for events.”
More information about special events policies can be found here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/emergency-services/special-events
The Energy and Environment Cabinet today announced two contests to protect the environment and to celebrate Earth Day.
For middle school students, the “Capture the Earth” photo contest seeks original photographs and for high school students, the “Capture the Earth” video contest seeks original videos. Both contests seek to celebrate the beauty and diversity of Kentucky.
Submissions should attempt to move viewers to care about the environment in Kentucky. The deadline for submissions for both contests is April 7, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.
You can enter the photo contest by sending your photo as an attachment to kidsphotocontest@ky.gov. Your photograph must be saved as a jpeg file. File sizes may not exceed 5MB. The subject line of your email should read STUDENT EARTH DAY PHOTO CONTEST.
You can enter the video contest by uploading your video to YouTube, making it public and emailing the link to: Lanny.Brannock@ky.gov. Your video must be saved as a YouTube link.
The subject line of your email should read STUDENT EARTH DAY VIDEO CONTEST.
For more details about the contest, please visit the Facebook page.
Additional information is available at http://eec.kentucky.gov
A rising junior at one of Kentucky’s public or private high schools will win a $500 scholarship and a photo shoot at his or her school through the “Promote Your School” scholarship contest, sponsored by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
The school must participate in the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program.
To enter, the student must submit an essay about one of these subjects:
- What my aspiration for my generation is.
- How education makes a stronger community.
The essay must be no more than 200 words long and cannot mention the student’s name, school, county or community. The essay topic must be shown at the top of the page. The student’s name, address and high school must be listed at the bottom of the essay. The student must be a junior during the 2017-2018 school year. For more information, visit www.kheaa.com/website/contest/intro.
Photos from the winning school will be used in KHEAA publications and on KHEAA websites.
To enter, mail your essay to KHEAA Publications, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602. You may also email your essay to publications@kheaa.com or fax it to (502) 696-7574. The winner will be chosen by a committee of KHEAA employees. The deadline for submissions is May 31.
Students from high schools that have been featured in the past five years — Daviess County, Lexington STEAM Academy, Somerset Christian, J. Graham Brown and Sacred Heart — are not eligible to enter this year’s contest.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
Juniors in Kentucky public high schools will take the ACT on March 21. These tips from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) may help students do better on the test.
- Read, read, read. Most of the ACT is based on reading. The more you read, the better you’ll do.
- Take advantage of any free ACT prep courses offered by your school or by local colleges and libraries.
- Take practice tests online or buy practice tests for use at home.
- Familiarize yourself with the sections and directions.
- Get plenty of rest the night before, and eat a good breakfast that morning.
- Remember to take No. 2 pencils and a calculator if your school doesn’t provide them.
- Do the questions you can answer easily first, then come back to the harder questions, especially in the math portion.
- Guess if you have no idea what the answer should be. Guessing doesn’t hurt your score.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers KEES, need-based grants and other programs to help students pay for college.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
The Home, Garden & Remodeling Show opened this morning at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The show features home improvement and landscaping exhibitors from all over the nation, but the majority are from right here in Kentucky. The more than 300 exhibitors will showcase their products and services, which include everything from hot tubs and roofing materials to fire places, landscaping and deck furniture.
The show also features many information sessions that will cover gardening and landscaping tips, insect control (as well as what not to control), and cooking classes. L&N Federal Credit Union will be sponsoring a tree giveaway: 4,000 saplings of several varieties will be given to show guests who stop by their booth.
The Kids Craft Area for children up to 10 years of age provides the opportunity to take home a flower that they planted themselves, and a bug house that will feature tropical insects. If you need a break from all of the information, there will also be multiple performances each day that will feature performing Frisbee dogs.
The show exhibits occupy the Kentucky Exposition Centers’s south wing halls B & C all weekend. Show hours today and Saturday are from 10 AM to 9 PM and Sunday from 10 AM until 5 PM.
Pets, excluding service animals, will not be allowed into the show area. Admission is $10 per person (16 and older) with free admission for children accompanied by an adult. Those with a military ID will be admitted free and seniors will receive a discount. Credit cards will not be accepted at the Ticket Gate. Advanced tickets are available online through Facebook with a Buy 1, Get 1 Offer or through the show page with a $2 discount along with a one year subscription to one of four magazines. Kentucky Exposition Center parking is $8 per car.
Follow Louisville Dispatch on Facebook for more details and additional photos from the 2017 Louisville Home, Garden, and Remodeling Show. Continue reading