News You Can Use

May 6, 2007

Get Your 2007 Pennsylvania Fair Guide

The finest in food, fun, festivals and farmer's markets can be found in the 2007 Pennsylvania Fair Guide just released by the PA Department of Agriculture. Let the publication guide you, by region, to 115 county and community fairs and more than 1,000 markets across the state.

PA is peppered with everything from individual produce stands erected along our country roads to those large markets boasting specialty foods. Their names, locations, dates, hours, types of food sold, and contact information are provided to help you find a local source for produce. You’ll even find a list of popular Pennsylvania produce with the month each is in-season to ensure you are able to purchase PA Preferred fruits and vegetables.

Don’t stop there. Let the guide direct you to affordable family fun with the Blue Ribbon Passport (BRP), a cooperative effort between the PA Department of Agriculture and the state’s tourism office. It's your all-in-one pass to agritourism adventure, including maps, driving directions, and discounts – all yours for the downloading.

Find wineries, farm tours, B & Bs and more summer entertainment through the BRP. VisitPA.com is your guide to spring road trips, weekend getaways, and outdoor adventures.

What is PA Preferred?

Feed the Birds Not the Bears

Along with those budding flowers and trees in spring comes the awakening and return of wildlife from hummingbirds to black bears. The PA Game Commission has a few tips for feeding spring birds without attracting hungry bears.

If you live in bear country, the PGC recommends avoiding black-oil sunflower seeds and suet. If you have had a bear on your property, consider removing your feeder for a month or so. When it is time to return to feeding the birds, opt for an inexpensive feeder to avoid costly damage in case the bears return.

Bears are not the only interlopers at the bird feeders this time of year. If you find your bird feeder is over run with grackles, red-wing blackbirds, starlings and cowbirds, the PGC recommends shutting down your feeding operation for approximately 2 weeks until they move on or switch seeds. Avoid the use of black-oil sunflowers seeds, millet and shelled or cracked corn and switch to thistle and safflower. Along with denying them their favorite seed, suspend your suet cake holder so starlings and grackles cannot land on it to eat. Migrating songbirds will soon return.

Do you know which birds enjoy orange halves and peeled bananas? Which ones have a penchant for popcorn? Do you know how to keep ants from reaching your hummingbird feeder? Find more answers and tips on attracting migrating songbirds to your backyard.

Check out more bear safety precautions.

Be a Smart Insurance Shopper

The Bureau of Consumer Services for the PA Insurance Department assists annually with over 150,000 complaints and questions regarding insurance policies. The Bureau wants to help you avoid problems and to be a smart insurance shopper.

A few basic guidelines for insurance shopping include:

Ask questions. An insurance policy is a legal contract. If you don't understand something – ask questions before you sign on the bottom line.
Shop around. Pennsylvania has a very competitive marketplace. You should get a quote from at least three companies and compare. Don't assume that your neighbor’s insurance company is the best one for you.
Understand your coverage. Your insurance policy is very specific. Read it and know what’s covered and what's excluded.
Review your policies. Keep all of your policies in a safe place. Once a year you should review your coverages to make sure last year's policy will cover your needs today.
Take notes. If you suffer a loss and need to submit a claim, keep detailed records of who you spoke to, when and the nature of your call.

Take one more step and download "Insurance Tips for PA Consumers" for information specific to life, health, and property and casualty insurance, as well as general consumer tips. The brochure includes the mailing addresses and phone and fax numbers for the state's regional offices. Also find the toll-free number and web address for the PA Insurance Department. Obtain a copy of the PA Insurance Department Complaint Submission Form.

Spring Lawn Care Service

If spring landscaping chores are getting ahead of you and you decide to enlist the assistance of a lawn care service this season, the PA Office of Attorney General (OAG) wants to help. The OAG's Bureau of Consumer Protection has put together 12 points to ensure you get what you pay for in lawn care services.

Locating a dependable service can begin with your neighbors' experiences and recommendations. The Bureau recommends you shop around and get estimates from several companies before selecting the service for your family's lawn. Finding companies that offer a free lawn analysis can help you determine if you can expect personalized service. Verify that the company and employees are covered by liability insurance.

When looking for a lawn care service, be aware of the company's use of pesticides and understand any contract you sign. Find more tips on hiring a lawn care service.

Grants Available to Protect Non-game Species

If you or an organization with which you are affiliated is interested in protecting PA's non-game animals, native plants, and their habitat, a recent grant announcement may be just the answer. Grant recipients will share in $1 million from the Wild Resource Conservation Program distributed through the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR).

Selected projects will fit into one of three categories.

Status of biota -- Includes inventory, monitoring and trend analysis for landscapes, communities, habitats, and species. These projects will be favored when they emphasize a relationship to habitats, communities and landscapes. Most of the studies funded in this category will include some focus on species of concern and the health of their habitats.
Conservation -- Includes projects that contribute directly to the preservation or restoration of habitats and/or species, including species recovery and reintroductions of extirpated native species. It can also include projects that set up future applied conservation practices, for example, through development of pilot approaches or management recommendations.
Education and Outreach -- Projects that promote conservation, restoration and better understanding of the wild flora and non-game fauna of Pennsylvania through various media or efforts that educate key audiences, including the general public. Past projects funded in this category have included K-12 curricula, guide books, videos, biodiversity "events" and website development.

From the application to the selection process, access the Wild Resource Conservation Program manual and necessary forms.

Learn more about the WRCP.

Hiking Week Set for PA

Over 100 hikes will take place on PA's thousands of miles of hiking trails during a 9-day observance of Hiking Week. The PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Keystone Trails Association (KTA) will coordinate the sixth annual recognition from May 26 to June 3, 2007.

Choose from hikes set in parks and forests or opt for exploring cities and towns by foot. You will find a variety of lengths and difficulties to choose the challenge that best suits you. Whatever you choose, all hikes have leaders.

DCNR is providing a tool to assist you in locating a local hike, or one scheduled for another region of the state you are eager to explore. Enter the region and the date, click on Search and you are on your way to participating in Hiking Week.

Organized in 1956, KTA is a 1,100-member umbrella organization made up of 50 hiking and outdoors organizations in and around Pennsylvania. For more on the Keystone Trails Association.