Thursday, January 31, 2008

World Peace Wetland Prairie shows winter beauty under snow canopy on Jan. 31, 2008


Please click on photo to see closeup of Symphoricarpos orbiculatus or coral berry on World Peace Wetland Prairie.
For more photos of World Peace Wetland Prairie native plants during the January 31, 2008, snowfall, please see

World Peace Wetland Prairie blog spot


For the same plants in other seasons and other native plants and animals, please go to

World Peace Wetland Prairie
and click on the button bush photo to go to the Wildflowers of World Peace Wetland Prairie link on Flickr.com

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Cat Channel to broadcast video of Jan. 12 Ward 1/Town Branch neighbors/Aspen Ridge developers at 6:45 a.m. today, four more times this week

TOWN BRANCH NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING RERUNS
on CAT Channel 18 on Cox Cable in Fayetteville, Arkansas



Tuesday Jan. 29, 2008
6:45 am Ward 1/Town Branch-Neighborhood Meeting

Wednesday Jan. 30, 2008
7:30 am Ward 1/Town Branch-Neighborhood Meeting
9:00 pm Telecom Board Meeting: 1/17/08

Thursday Jan.31, 2008
12:45 am Ward 1/Town Branch-Neighborhood Meeting

Friday Feb. 1, 2008
7:00 am Water Conservation & Protection (LWV
1:35 pm Ward 1/Town Branch-Neighborhood Meeting

Saturday Feb. 2, 2008
2 a.m. Ward 1/Town Branch-Neighborhood Meeting
6:00 am Water Conservation & Protection (LWV)

Sunday, January 27, 2008

WARD 4 meeting at City Hall at 7 p.m. Monday

Ward 4 residents will meet tomorrow night (Monday) January 28 at 7:00 p.m in Room 111, City Hall, with Council members Shirley Lucas and Lioneld Jordan presiding.

Discussion will include;
City staff presentations regarding the design and rennovations of Red Oak Park, as well as other parks in Ward 4.
the Monthly Street Improvement Report,
Neighborhood Reports
All Wards Welcome!

_____________________________________
Ward 4, Position 1

Name: Shirley Lucas --2139 Ora Dr. -- Fayetteville, AR 72701;

Phone (479) 442-4612
Email: ward4_pos1@ci.fayetteville.ar.us



Ward 4, Position 2
Name: Lioneld Jordan -- 1600 Arrowhead St. -- Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: (479) 442-5415
Email: lljordan7@hotmail.com

Friday, January 25, 2008

OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology's annual dinner TONIGHT

2008 Annual
Omni Members Meeting

6-7 Join or Renew Membership
Visit “Pitch Pit” for volunteer opportunities
Enjoy Dinner!
7:00 Still on the Hill
7:15 Introductions
7:30 Workshops
8:30 Report Back from Workshops
Announcements
Revisit “Pitch Pit”
Group Sing - We Shall Overcome

Workshops
Sustainable Farming – the gentle way to feed the planet, one community at a time
A discussion of farming practices which can change the way food is grown, and how it can save our families, our communities, and our planet. Presented by noted sustainable food systems presenter Patrice Gros. Patrice has been a full time organic farmer for 10 years. He is the cofounder of 2 area Farmers Markets (Berryville & Eureka Springs, AR) and sits on the board of the Eureka Market. Patrice runs Foundation Farm and its associated Farm School. For more info visit http://www.foundationfarm.com SANCTUARY

Sensible Fayayetteville – A positive shift away from draconian drug laws
Ryan Denham talks about a suggested city code that places marijuana possession as the least important priority for law enforcement officials, (similar to the ordinance passed by Eureka Springs last year.) Federal drug laws have driven our prison system to crisis, and into the hands of private corporations. At the same time it has created class and human-rights dilemmas on a wide scale. A sensible step for Fayetteville is a major step for American human rights. Deep End

Nonviolence in the Face of Fascism
America appears to be moving toward a more fascist government, and many people are becoming anxious about it. People who believe in nonviolence need to know what powerful tools of nonviolence are available to them in tense and uncertain situations. Gladys Tiffany and Shelley Buonaiuto lead discussion on some remarkable and already-available options. There are more then you might think. Omni office

5th Anniversary of the Iraq War
Oh No! Not Again!
We hoped it would never come to this, but we’ve been a-honking for a long time now. Would you like to help Omni plan and organize a fitting remembrance for the national imbroglio? Kelly Mulhollan will organize this session to begin planning a commemoration for the month of March. upstairs chapel

Media Reform In Our Own Backyard
Big Media has taken over mainstream forums for discussion of public issues, and left dissenting opinion without a public voice. Omni Center is working with others to create forums where open discussion is encouraged. Some of those attempts are with our great, long-time Video Underground series, working with Fayetteville Cable Access TV (CAT) to develop Omni Month in Review, and creating Omni Free Radio - our own community radio station. This group also includes Rapid Responders – writer/researchers ready to counter the uninformed perspectives in the local letters to the editor pages. And we have a hankering to take up our own editorial-writing board. There may a place for you in the media corner of the Culture of Peace. Presented by four Omni Media Group members: Gerry Sloan for Video Underground, Claire Detels for Omni Month in Review, Joe Newman for Omni Free Radio, and Larry Woodall for Rapid Response Network. fire pit upstairs

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology's annual dinner coming Friday

Greetings Omni folk...
The Omni Annual Meeting happens this Friday at United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple, at 6:00 pm. Omni members and friends are all invited. If you've been there before you know they're really interesting meetings where Omni people connect and issues get discussed. The evening starts with a delicious, free meal prepared by Omni volunteers. You'll have a chance to hear about other people's great programs, and join or renew your Omni membership. The program features workshops that try to address issues Omni members and friends find compelling. There's a really good lineup of presenters listed below. Check them out.

If the weather gets bad Friday evening, check your email again to see if we have to cancel. Right now the reports say "rain" after noon, so we're hopeful all will happen as planned. If you have questions, please reply.

Look forward to seeing you there,
Gladys and Melanie

A few assumptions that should not be made

The Jan. 24, 2008, editorial in the Northwest Arkansas Times guided by experts but lacks input from a generalist.
In the
Times editorial on controlled forest burning
experts in several fields had their way with the editorial writer and he has stated their case for them, but appears to accept their assumptions without bringing up questions.
For instance:
Does a forest fire contribute to the rise in carbon in the atmosphere?
Is the forest a monoculture so uniform that large parcels can be treated identically?
Will such fires reduce the diversity of species and create a less healthy environment?
Can controlled burns really be controlled?
Will controlled burns reduce the carrying capacity of the land for many species?
Does erosion result when burning occurs near streams and on steep slopes?
Does the Ozark National Forest offer the acute danger of wildfires developing in the dry western states where the controlled burn has shown a potential to prevent highly destructive fires in areas where homes and even cities have been buillt in inappropriate places?
What species of wildlife will be harmed?
What would the ideal forest imagined by the experts actually be like? What good things would be missing?

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Town Branch neighborhood meeting with developers on Cox 16 at 9 a.m. and 7:30 or 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008

Please read about the
Town Branch/Ward One Aspen Ridge/Hill Place meeting in The Northwest Arkansas Times
and watch video of the meeting on Cox Cable channel 16 at 9 a.m. and again at about or slightly after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, soon after the telecom board meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Will there be a place for parades to start in March 2009?


Please click on photo to see the gathering of residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the annual OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology peace parade on March 11, 2007.

Will the hotel and parking deck discussed below leave room for such events as this and the Springfest activities in the third photo of the previous post? Does everyone have to park in front of the WAC to participate in public events on Dickson Street or to enjoy the nightlife on Dickson Street?
Plenty of people believe Dickson Street has already been filled in to perfection. Do we need more "infilling."

How would using the currently underground spring at the site to power a "water feature" affect the quality and amount of flow of Tanglewood Branch of the Town Branch of the West Fork of the White River? See Dec. 14, 2007, and Sept. 19, 2007, posts on this Web log for photos of more threats to the Tanglewood Branch.


NWA TIMES story on Dickson Street Hotel, Parking for WAC

Before the lot was paved, the spring was among Fayetteville's historic spots that was as good as any man-made water feature could ever be to the children of the city's finest citizens, who grew up "hanging out on Dickson" long before they were old enough to be allowed into Dickson Street's adult watering holes.

Parking building, hotel project on parking lot south/southwest of George's Majestic Lounge




What is there to say about the
NWA TIMES story on West Dickson Street Hotel, Parking for WAC
?

PLEASE click on Images to enlarge view of Springfest 2007 on the lot in question during Springfest 2007 and of March 11, 2007, Peace Parade beginning on March 11, 2007, on the same lot. Where will space be for these kinds of gatherings? Do we have to destroy a few more very much usable, even historic, buildings to have a public gathering place on Dickson?

Mark Douglas Thompson's column in the Morning News for January 20, 2008

I've talked to nurses and doctors who work at the veterans' hospital in Fayetteville in past months as well as a retired worker from the VA and several aging current patients.
All say our local VA does a great job. I had been asking the question with the idea of commenting. So now that something to balance the perfect reports has become available I can offer something fair.
A popular columnist for the Morning News has featured a story about how the parking rules at the VA appear to be giving one aging veteran a difficult time. Please read
Mark Douglas Thompson's column on local VA victim
for the rest of the story. It isn't the kind of horror story we read about from other parts of the nation about vets newly brought from the battlefield who are being slighted, but it is outrageous to imagine an 87-year-old getting a $50 ticket if he had parked in the middle of North College Avenue or North Street.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Stephan Pollard comments on wind power in Arkansas


PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE to ENLARGE photo of Stephan Pollard addressing a meeting in Fayetteville on Wednesday.

The Arkansas Democrat/Gazette's Jan. 18, 2008, Northwest edition included a story on the
Potential of wind power in Arkansas
in its Business section. Among those quoted was Dr. Stephan Pollard of Fayetteville, whose first name was mispelled in the story, but whose message was clear.

"Stephen (Stephan) Pollard, an engineer with Environmental Dynamics in Fayetteville, said certain areas of Arkansas, including Northwest Arkansas, are in wind currents considered fair to good for operating wind turbines.
He’s counted only six wind turbines in or near Benton and Washington counties. One in Eureka Springs and two in West Fork are residential-size turbines. A larger, 75-foot tower turbine in Prairie Grove is operated more as a hobby than an energy source, he said.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has a 12-foot rotor diameter turbine on a light pole in the parking lot of its Pleasant Crossing store in south Rogers.
Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., is building a 125-foot tower to hold a turbine with a 54-foot-diameter rotor as a teaching tool, he said.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Springdale has ordered three small turbines it will install near Interstate 540 and within sight of the minor league baseball stadium now under construction. The church hopes to influence others to seek alternative energy sources, he said."
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Business/214075

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Fayetteville environmentalists share message with Japanese journalist, Kei Izawa





Please click on images to enlarge.
Top Photo: Kei Izawa, a Japanese journalist interested in sustainability efforts by Wal-Mart and by Fayetteville, Arkansas, after meeting with a large group of Northwest Arkansas conservationists and environmentalists.
Second photo: Amy Wilson of the Beaver Water District, Frou Gallager of Fayetteville's Government Channel and Paul Justus of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission discuss visit with Kei Izawa.
Third Photo: Paul Justus, a planner for the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, explains his agency's mission in the area.
Fourth photo: Sarah Lewis of the Springline Consulting Group, shares enthusiasm of local environmentalists and business interests promoting a sustainable economic element for Northwest Arkansas.

Northwest Arkansas Times story on
Writer visiting from Japan



According to Steve Rust, Executive Director, Fayetteville Economic Development Commission, Kei Izawa is a correspondent for a high-end Japanese lifestyle monthly magazine called Sotokoto. He and his photographer wife (Mariquita…I think from Brazil) will be in town the 15th and 16th of January to do a story on Wal-Mart’s Sustainability efforts and Fayetteville/NWA Green Valley.
He is very interested in sustainability, eating natural food, and learning what individuals and organizations are doing here in Fayetteville. So, in coordination with Mayor Coody we would like to have a reception for Kei and his wife so they can meet a hundred people or more and the organizations from the local area that have similar interests.
Would each of you help me by using your networks to get the word out regarding an informal reception for Kei Izawa at Blair Fayetteville Library, 6-8 pm on January 16th (Wednesday)? I would like one person from each organization to take a couple of minutes to highlight their organization and goals. Then you can exchange business cards for potential follow-on interviews.
This is a great opportunity to continue branding Green Valley.
Steve Rust, Executive Director, Fayetteville Economic Development Commission

World Clock documents population growth, climate change, war cost


World Clock shows moment-by-moment changes

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Paralympics need, deserve attention

www.usparalympics.org
Please visit this link and the websites connected to it. You’ll be amazed. We are trying to increase awareness of the Paralympic experience. Did you know that there are 21 million Americans with a physical disability? Shockingly, less than 10-percent of them participate in daily physical activity. Nike and U.S. Paralympics want to identify and increase the number of persons with physical disabilities active in sport by making them aware of Paralympic organizations in their community. Pass the word and this website as you see fit.

Paralympics deserve support

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Aspen Ridge/Town Branch Neighborhood meeting dialogue good



Please Click on Photos to Enlarge.
Alderman Brenda Thiel (from left), environmental conservationist and Northwest Arkansas Times columnist Fran Alexander, good-government advocate Jim Bemis, Alderman Adella Gray and developer Hank Broyles share a light moment after the Town Branch/Ward I meeting at which neighbors saw a concept drawing for a student-apartment development proposed for the site of the stalled Aspen Ridge Townhome land in south Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Please read about the
Town Branch/Ward One Aspen Ridge in The Northwest Arkansas Times
and watch video of meeting on Cox Cable channel 16 at 9 a.m. and about or slightly after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Frosty morning on World Peace Wetland Prairie



PLEASE CLICK on photo to ENLARGE Jan. 9, 2008, photo from World Peace Wetland Prairie in the Town Branch neighborhood of south Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Guess what frosted plant (looks like a white candelabra here but is much brighter in summer when in bloom) is blurry in front of the little cedar tree. Hint: It is just before the path across the central flow way where the path turns northwest for those who have walked the land with me. Hint 2: Some of the critters that ate the leaves off are in Mexico by now.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Old Aspen Ridge photos on Flickr reveal affordable-housing dilemma


PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE.
For more south Fayetteville photos sorted into numerous ever-growing sets, please visit
Flickr.com

A family whose mobile home in the Anderson Street Mobile Home Park had its utilities turned off as developers began clearing away trees and buildings, camped in despair under a big tree for weeks in 2004 as the Town Creek Builders prepared the land to be bulldozed for the Aspen Ridge site. They had most of their belongings with them at least for a time, while most other residents took what they could haul and disappeared.

Aspen Ridge set of old photos on Flickr grows daily

Please view the

Aspen Ridge set of photos
before attending the Town Branch neighborhood meeting with the new Aspen Ridge developers at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Christ near Eleventh Street and South Hill Avenue.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Religion and Evolution seen from unique perspective

Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville
901 W Cleveland St Fayetteville, AR 72701
Wednesday January 9, 2008
Connie at 6-6:45pm; Michael at 7-9pm

Fayetteville will have the honor of hosting these inspired speakers for a one-evening appearance on Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at the UUFF Sanctuary. Connie Barlow, who has a special interest in children's education, will speak and lead a sing-along that adults and children alike will enjoy from 6pm-6:45pm. Michael will speak at 7p.m. Childcare is provided. The entire community is invited to attend one or both presentations. Light refreshments will be provided. Dowd and Barlow will have books and DVDs available.

-----------------------------------

I already know about evolution. Why would I want to attend this?” you may be asking yourself....

"It matters what we think about evolution. Indeed, for many issues - personal, political, and planetary - nothing matters more. Until we take into our lives insights born of evolutionary psychology and brain science, for example, we’ll fail to appreciate why we and our loved ones have such a hard time breaking free from habits and behaviors that don’t serve us, whether we’re religious or not, and why our intimate relationships can be so challenging.

Until we recognize billions - not just thousands - of years of grace and guidance, we’ll remain stuck with abstract and trivial notions of God and unnatural and competitive understandings of religion.

And until we learn to see through what I call “sacred deep-time eyes”, atheists and fundamentalists will continue to blame each other for the world’s ills, liberals and conservatives will keep trashing one another, believers will keep trying to convert or kill those of differing belief, and, collectively, we will fail to see that enormous global challenges are calling us to greatness."
--Michael Dowd (on talking about his work in 30 seconds or less...)

-----------------------------------

Most writers would be thrilled to have a Nobel laureate endorse their new book. For author Michael Dowd, no less than five Nobel laureates — most in the sciences — have written glowing reviews of praise for Dowd's unique take on evolution. But add in the fact that Reverend Michael Dowd was once a conservative evangelical who protested the teaching of evolution and things get interesting!

Dowd and Barlow have spoken in more than 500 churches, convents, monasteries and spiritual centers, to groups of Roman Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Unitarians, Quakers, Mennonites, Buddhists, and more. Visiting a new town every week or two, the husband-and-wife team are frequently invited to present the discoveries of science in inspiring ways in secular settings, such as public schools, colleges, universities, libraries, nature centers, and even an occasional zoo. Their websites are overflowing with praise from literally hundreds of community leaders, from every shade of the religious and secular rainbow.

This event is cosponsored by the UUFF Social Justice Committee, The Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology’s Environmental Committee and Limbertwig Press of Fayetteville.
-----------------------------------
A personal invitation from Leigh:

In my years of being fascinated with the natural world, I have never seen teachers illuminate the beauty of evolution and the natural world like Barlow and Dowd. For Dowd personally, it all is a celebration of what he calls God, for Barlow a celebration of what she calls the Universe. What is remarkable, and truly unique, is that their ideas CELEBRATE the diversity of beliefs (one of which would be a lack of any particular belief) as having the capacity to make our society more healthy, the way a healthy ecosystem is characterized by a diversity of life.

Being exposed to Dowd and Barlow helped me recognize some of my own narrow-mindedness -- I believed for the world to change, more people would have to think as I do. After years spent in progressive, liberal and creative circles I am amazed that one of the most diversity-celebrating worldviews I’ve ever come across is from a former evangelical Christian minister -- a worldview that does not merely tolerate differences in thought, cultures and beliefs but sees those differences as gifts we’ll need to move into a culture that truly embodies peace, justice and ecology.

I see Dowd and Barlow as doing tremendously important work. Dowd’s brand new book (and website) Thank God for Evolution! (Council Oak Books) is angled as exploration of a science-based worldview to American religious community in a way that is unifying rather than divisive; in a way that unites all in the common goal of a livable planet. Not to mention that a science-based understanding of the planet’s systems is absolute prerequisite to action to reduce disastrous climate change.

More than 85% of the world’s population count themselves as religious (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion) Given those numbers, any worldview that enhances cooperation toward environmental sustainability is one worth seriously examining. A worldview such as Dowd’s and Barlow’s could go a long way in creating a culture of peace, promoting social justice, and preserving the earth as a viable ecosystem for us and our fellow creatures. I support their work because I love and work on behalf of the natural world.

I heartily invite you to come out on a winter night to a presentation that will be lively, thought provoking, and above all, truly inspiring for those who are working for peace, justice and ecology.

sincerely,
Leigh Wilkerson -- Poet, Activist and Gardener (Leigh@herwords.org)

Aspen Ridge information expected at Jan. 12 Town Branch neighborhood meeting

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Hit-and-run driver leaves red bumper next to downed motorcyclist


The red plastic small-car bumper (left of the motorcycle in the photo) was taken in as evidence by Fayetteville police slightly after 9 p.m. Saturday at S. Hill Ave. and Sixth Street. Interrogation expected! Motorcylist and passenger transported by ambulance to Washington Regional.

Please click on image to enlarge.

No helmets were in the street. Does anyone actually need the lecture on the need for requiring helmets on all motorcyclists?

Does anyone need the lecture on not drinking and driving? Plenty need the lecture on staying home on Saturday nights!

Everyone welcome to Jan. 12 Town Branch neighborhood meeting



Please click on image to Enlarge.

Burning biofuel worse than burning coal and oil, say experts

Burning Biofuels May Be Worse Than Coal and Oil, Say Experts
By Alok Jha
The Guardian UK

Friday 04 January 2008
Scientists point to cost in biodiversity and farmland. Razing tropical forests "will increase carbon."

Using biofuels made from corn, sugar cane and soy could have a greater environmental impact than burning fossil fuel, according to experts. Although the fuel itself emits less greenhouse gas, it has higher costs in terms of biodiversity loss and destruction of farmland.

The problems of climate change and the rising cost of oil have led to a race to develop environmentally-friendly biofuels, such as palm oil or ethanol derived from corn and sugar cane. The EU has proposed that 10% of all fuel used in transport should come from biofuels by 2020 and the emerging global market is expected to be worth billions of dollars a year.
But the new fuels have attracted controversy. "Regardless of how effective sugar cane is for producing ethanol, its benefits quickly diminish if carbon-rich tropical forests are being razed to make the sugar cane fields, thereby causing vast greenhouse-gas emission increases," Jörn Scharlemann and William Laurance, of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, write in Science today.
"Such comparisons become even more lopsided if the full environmental benefits of tropical forests - for example, for biodiversity conservation, hydrological functioning, and soil protection - are included."
Efforts to work out which crops are most environmentally friendly have, until now, focused only on the amount of greenhouse gases a fuel emits when it is burned. Scharlemann and Laurance highlighted a more comprehensive method, developed by Rainer Zah of the Empa Research Institute in Switzerland, that can take total environmental impacts - such as loss of forests and farmland and effects on biodiversity - into account.
In a study of 26 biofuels the Swiss method showed that 21 fuels reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 30% compared with gasoline when burned. But almost half of the biofuels, a total of 12, had greater total environmental impacts than fossil fuels. These included economically-significant fuels such as US corn ethanol, Brazilian sugar cane ethanol and soy diesel, and Malaysian palm-oil diesel. Biofuels that fared best were those produced from waste products such as recycled cooking oil, as well as ethanol from grass or wood.
Scharlemann and Laurance also pointed to "perverse" government initiatives that had resulted in unintended environmental impacts. In the US, for example, farmers have been offered incentives to shift from growing soy to growing corn for biofuels. "This is helping to drive up global soy prices, which in turn amplifies economic incentives to destroy Amazonian forests and Brazilian tropical savannas for soy production."
They added: "The findings highlight the enormous differences in costs and benefits among different biofuels. There is a clear need to consider more than just energy and greenhouse gas emissions when evaluating different biofuels and to pursue new biofuel crops and technologies."
Andy Tait, campaign manager at Greenpeace, said: "We're already bought into mandatory targets for the use of biofuels with very little thought of what the environmental impacts will be. This study further confirms that there are serious risks associated with first generation biofuels, particularly from corn, soya and palm oil."
He said that the biofuel technology had been oversold by industry and politicians. "It's clear that what government and industry are trying to do is find a neat, drop-in solution that allows people to continue business as usual.
"If you're looking at the emissions from the transport sector, the first thing you need to look at is fuel efficiency and massively increasing it. That needs to come before you even get to the point of discussing which biofuels might be good or bad."

Friday, January 4, 2008

New director of Fayetteville Senior Center energetic, enthusiastic



PLEASE CLICK ON Photos TO ENLARGE
Sherrie Napier (top photo)
Jackie Lonon (bottom photo) is a former director of Fayetteville Senior activities center. Charles Heathco (right) is a new volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels.

Sherrie Napier, the new director of the Fayetteville Senior Center highlighted in a
Northwest Arkansas Times article on Senior Center plans
on Friday, understands what is needed to increase participation and utilization of the center.
The simple fact is that volunteers are always needed, and new ones seem to sign on just in time to fill the gaps and keep things moving properly. There are never too many, it seems, unless you consider the occasions when students appear to help at lunch and such.
As wonderful as those days are with the glow of youthful energy brightening everyone's day, the need is for more people to come every day or at least dependably on one or two days a week.
A surpising number of the most faithful volunteers are themselves older than the average person who comes for lunch or to exercise or socialize. The habit of working that some developed during the Great Depression simply makes them unable to sit and watch. So they provide much help to others and to the few paid staff members.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Green Drinks tonight!


YOU'RE INVITED TO GREENDRINKS!

What: GreenDrinks happy hour --- this month with a BONUS!: an organic wine tasting sponsored by Barb Willett from Liquor Mart

When: Wednesday, January 2nd from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm (the 1st Wednesday of every month)

Where: Smilin' Jack's (262 N. School Ave. in Fayetteville)

Details:
---GreenDrinks is a casual social opportunity for people from different professional and personal walks of life who are interested in participating in creating a "greener" local environment and economy to get together to meet one another, talk about ideas and see what comes out of it. This is a community event that is open to anyone interested in participating and takes place on the 1st Wednesday of every month.

---If you haven't been there yet, Smilin' Jack's is great! It is an organic & natural food sandwich shop right off Dickson on School (behind Dickson St. Book Shop; across School from the WAC Rose Garden). As far as drinks go, he serves organic beer and wine (and other beer choices) as well as organic smoothies, water, coffee and sodas. He is committed to developing and running a sustainable business and promoting it to his customers and is happy to offer up his place as a "home" for our GreenDrinks event.

Sponsors:
University of Arkansas Net Impact
Green Valley Net Impact
Bentonville/Rogers Net Impact
Ozark Headwaters Group Sierra Club
Western Arkansas Chapter U.S. Green Building Council
Sustainable NWA
NWA Sustainability Center
Audubon Arkansas

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments. Also, if you already get this message from your organization, let me know and I'll take you off my list so you won't get double messages. Hope to see you on the 2nd!

Karen

Karen McSpadden
University of Arkansas Net Impact
479.225.2077 cell
kmcspadd@uark.edu
This email was sent by
NWASC
PO Box 4796
Fayetteville, 727201

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

FEMA maps didn't include wetland overflow area along Town Branch when Aspen Ridge approved



PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE view of Aspen Ridge from southeast corner.

The floodplain maps available to developers and planning officials during the time Aspen Ridge plans were being considered in 2003 and 2004 didn't show any floodplain between 11th and 6th streets on the Town Branch. That was their excuse for ignoring information offered by long-time residents of the Town Branch neighborhood. Even after the heavy flooding of April and July 2004, the neighbors' pleas were ignored. Flash floods in the dark leave debris and property damage and erosion but not good photo opportunities.
A story about levees in the Arkansas Democrat/Gazette doesn't mention problems in Northwest Arkansas but FEMA's out-of-date information was the same everywhere. See the story at the following link.

Revising FEMA maps too late for fast-developing areas

Even though the wetland overflow area has been filled, neighbors will get another chance to bring up old but now better documented concerns. See

Last chance to question wetland development in Town Branch Watershed three years ago
for a reminder.