The Dallas Post SIS SAVAINCRIN = SHOI@L\V/\V/ ISI NIB RI SISHO] =i No | = 5 VA BARS SWAN =H Sp | VAN RS] e] g [06] DISTRICTS Vol. 109 No. 48 Dallas, Pennsylvania 50 Cen December 2.thru December 8, 1998 They rise early, rain or shine, to keep track of avian population By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - How many of us could identify a Herring Gull, Sparrow Hawk, Bitted Kingfisher or Pileated Woodpecker as they flew over our heads? Could we distinguish the hoo hoo call of a Screech Owl and Great Horned Owl? Probably not, but not to worry. Members of the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society prove that the art of serious bird watching is not dead with its annual Christ- mas Bird Count. On Dec. 19 members of the Audubon Society will meet at 5:30 a.m. at the Jersey Shore restau- rant in Dallas. Those who shy away from cold, dark mornings can sleep in and meet up with the group at 7:30 a.m. at the PA Game Commission boat lodge at Harveys Lake. ‘q ; | The New Life Drama Troupe will present "I'll Be Home For Christmas," a nostalgic musical comedy about a family and hope in the golden days of radio. The show will take place at Back Mountain » Campus recycling program celebrates 10 'green’ years By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff LEHMAN - The success of Penn State Wilkes-Barre Campus re- cycling program proves that one person can make a difference. It also shows that if that one person has some help, together they can ¢) make a huge difference. vJ) Now in its 10th year, the local recycling program has reached a new record with recyclables up 59 percent over last year. This year also marks the first time on-cam- pus recyclables have exceeded 50 tons, tons of stuff that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill. It all started with a simple idea thought up by Dr. Tom Winter, a physics professor at the campus. A committee was formed to re- search ‘what could be recycled. where ‘it could be taken, how it could be.collected and who would take it.to'the recycling centers. Winter did not want to waste any tine getting the school’s feet wet. In ‘September of 1988 Penn State latinched an all out collec- tion of paper, cans, plastics, news- paper and metals. “We. started out recycling as much-as possible. I didn’t want to start out small,” said Winter, who feared -.that starting small might be detrimental to the program's growth. Every Friday from 11 a.m. to around 2 p.m., student volun- teers and Winter meet in an un- heated garage on campus to sort 'D) all of ‘the recyclables. It's not a glamorous job, especially when it comes to sorting the sticky soda “It’s interest nteresting. The people are nice and. ~ _yougetoulinio the freshair.” Sandy Goodwin Beaumont The national count will cel- ebrate its 100th anniversary next year. The counts provide statisti- cal information concerning which birds are where, if certain popula- tions are on a decline or on the increase, and different species response to certain conditions. For example, the deadly effect of DDT on hawks was detected through the counts back in the 1950s. POST PHOTO/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Harvest Assembly of God, Carverton Rd. Dec. 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. each day. Shown above during rehearsal, from left, Darnel Palmer, Denise Warner and Shannon Palmer. More photos on page 13. POST PHOTO/KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Wojciech Maziarz, left, and Helene Solovey gleefully tossed paper into the recycling bin at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, where the recycling program is in its: 10th year. bottles. Between three and 12 students show up every week. Some are there on their own accord and some are there to get extra credit for Brooke Yager's Biology class. Yet regardless of what brought them to help, they are all learning about recycling and are working towards a solution to overflowing landfills and energy conservation. “It’svery important (torecycle),” said Helene Solovey, who is in the campus Circle K service organiza- tion. “A lot of people don't care about the community. They don't See RECYCLING, pg 7 “We send all of our information to the National Audubon Society, which in turn publishes a book of all the counts,” explained Ed Johnson, who has been the com- piler for the local bird count for 40 years. American Birds not only records the species found, but the tem- perature of the day, wind velocity, number of people counting and moving or frozen water. Back Mountain bird counters countina 7 1/2 mile radius of the Huntsville Dam. Among the birds sighted last year were the North- ern Harrier, Red-Tailed Hawk, Barred Owl and Downy Wood- pecker. There are approximately 15 members of the group who. par- ticipate in the count. Five bird counters are from the Back Moun- tain. See BIRD COUNT, pg 7 Program helps farmers preserve, improve land By MEIRA ZUCKER Post Staff BACK MOUNTAIN - Farmers in the Back Mountain are about to reach the end of their most recent opportunity to get paid to leave their land alone. From now until December 1 1th, farmers may enroll in a federally-funded pro- gram that sets aside farmland in order to create a more healthy environment. The Conservation Reserve Pro- gram (CRP) provides annual rental payments and assistance to land- owners in exchange for long-term conservation practices. The CRP is the federal government's larg- est environmental improvement program. Contracts last from 10 to 15 years, although provisions exist to release land under certain conditions. \ Farmers are encouraged to sub- mit requests to enroll their land in the CRP so that sensitive land- scapes, such as wetlands and ero- sion-sensitive croplands, can be preserved. All land offers are ranked according to an Environ- mental Benefits Index so that the most vulnerable lands are se- lected. According to Pamela Fedak, of the Luzerne County Farm Service Agency, three Luzerne County farmers are among 70 who are already participating in the pro- gram. One is John Manzoni, of the Manzoni Brothers Dairy Farm on Follies Road in Huntsville. “The reason we're doing this is to control the storm water in the fields,” says Manzoni. Erosion remains a large problem through- out Luzerne County, and the CRP program is designed to aid in ero- See FARMLAND, pg 7 Local trainer cops top prize in national championship By KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Post Staff DALLAS - Nikki Banfield has realized a dream 15 years in the making. The Dallas dog trainer and future veterinarian is very proud to say that her German Shepard, Loki, was named top scoring bitch at the Schultzhund [II National Championship in Den- ver. : The Schultzhund originated in Germany as a temperament test for German Shepards. For a dog trainer, placing at the competi- tion is much the same as placing at the Olympics. “It’s nice to know I have a dog that can do the work she was bred to do,” said Banfield of her four- year-old dog. She had never en- See BEST DOG, pg 7 POST PHOTO/KYLIE SHAFFERKOETTER Nikki Banfield and Loki, her champion German Shepard, which won first place in a national championship judging. HM Check it out Back Mountain Business & Professional Ass'n. members offer holiday specials. Pgs 4-5. HB Shining bright Girl Scouts and Daisy Scouts dress up the Dallas Boro tree. Pg 3. 18 Pages 2 Sections CANA... .oviiecineni 18 Classified.............. 16-17 Crossword, ......i huis 18 Editorials........... L.A 6 Obituaries.................. 16 School... 14-15 SPOS... Lk 9-10 The Dallas Post LABEL- Please enclose this label with any address changes, al ¥ CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@aol.com and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612-0366 MAILINC
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