PRESCRIBED BURN PLANNED AT GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER.

Superintendent James Heaney announced that George Washington Carver National Monument will be conducting a prescribed burn in the park sometime between August 1, thru mid September 2011. Because prescribed burns are so dependent on weather conditions, a 20-day block of time has been identified.

Approximately 100 acres of forest and grassland will be burned at the park. The burn will be conducted under the guidance of National Park Service fire personnel. The objective of the controlled burn is to reduce wildfire risk and enhance the tallgrass prairie and woodland habitats through the reduction of fuel loads and woody species. Most of the park will remain open to visitors during the burn, although temporary closure of portions of the trails will be necessary to ensure visitor safety. The burn is expected to last one day.

Tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States. Nearly all of it is gone, plowed under for agriculture. Prairies respond to their environment, which include soil type, water availability, and natural processes such as grazing and fire. Most ecologists agree that for the last 5,000 years, prairie vegetation would have mostly disappeared if it had not been for the burning of these grasslands. Areas of restored tallgrass prairie can be found at George Washington Carver National Monument. With prescribed fire, these fragile ecosystems will be preserved for generations to come.

Administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, scientist, educator, and humanitarian. All activities and events are free to the public.

The monument is located two miles west of Diamond, Missouri on Highway V.

Jasper County Jail Count

187 August 2, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Got another one a those letters from Nigeria the other day. I suppose I could get into real trouble, ‘cause the letter says the "deal" is confidential. The letter looks like it was run on a copy machine.

After readin’ it several times I still don’t know for sure what it says or means.

I do understand that they want me to fax ‘em my bank account number and this has somethin’ to do with some $31.5 million created by the "over costing of job/services done to our ministry by foreign companies."

The letter also assures me that this "deal is 100% covered from any form of probe. Thus this transaction is a hitch free one, now or in future."

I think I’ll pass on this one. I’m still gettin’ those vitamins I committed to when I ordered a "free" pen set as a kid.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Weekly Column

HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

• Get the extra lotion out of the bottom of a pump bottle by setting the bottle in hot water and pouring it into a small bowl. Dip your fingers in and apply.

• "To get the dust off of a bunch of silk or artificial flowers, try placing them in a medium-size paper bag to which you add a quarter cup of salt. Close up the bag, then shake vigorously. The salt will attack the dust!" -- I.K. in Montana

• Try covering windows with thicker, denser material for curtains in the summer. It can block the sunlight from coming in and heating up your home. In the winter, do the reverse and have a nice set of sheers that will let the warming sunlight in.

• If you need only a small piece of lemon or lime for a recipe, cut the rest into smaller pieces and freeze. It’s a great addition to your iced tea -- right out of the icebox.

• "When I have bananas that are getting too ripe, I peel them, mash them and mix with a little lemon juice. Then I portion them out into an ice-cube tray. When frozen, they can be popped out into a zipper-top bag. They are easy to use in morning smoothies. The lemon juice helps keep them from browning." -- E.A. in Kentucky

• "I use my clothes washer as my mop bucket when mopping the kitchen floor. (It’s next to the kitchen.) When finished, the water spins out. I refill it, add some bleach to disinfect it, and spin that out. Done! There’s no bucket to fall over or empty out or push around." -- W.T. in North Carolina