News You Can Use

July 27, 2007

Grant Writing Workshops

Spend an autumn afternoon learning how to access grant dollars through upcoming workshops offered in four convenient locations by the PA Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC). Mark your calendar now to participate in one of four workshops to assist with the preparation of PHMC grant applications.

The workshops will provide an overview of the grant program, upcoming changes to the program, eGrant instructions, and the opportunity to meet with all of the PHMC grant program managers. Four breakout sessions will focus on: (1) historic preservation; (2) archives and record management; (3) general operating support, including organizational development, collections management, and technical assistance, and (4) public education, local history, and historical markers.

Dates, locations and deadlines to register:

September 20 in Morrisville at Pennsbury Manor

September 26 in Harrisburg at Temple University

October 4 in Ambridge at Old Economy Village

October 18 in Boalsburg at the Military Museum

Grant workshops are free and open to the public. For complete details click here. Reservations are encouraged and should be made through Lindora MacPherson at 717-783-0395 or lmacpherso@state.pa.us.

Pennsylvania is home to over 2,000 foundations with assets totaling more than $16 billion and is ranked third in terms of foundation assets behind only New York and California. Community, corporate, and private foundations along with state and federal programs accept applications requesting support for the conservation of historical collections, cultural preservation, library services, and so much more. For more funding opportunities on the internet, click here. Highlight All under Databases and click on Search to access the complete list.

New Firewood Quarantine in PA

Whether you are planning for a camp fire or the winter ahead, think "kiln-dried" and/or "USDA Certified" when selecting firewood. The PA Department of Agriculture is expanding the recently announced quarantine originating in Western PA that targeted ash to avoid the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer.

The potential spread of exotic invasive pests has prompted a statewide ban on the importation of out-of-state firewood. Officials are working to protect Pennsylvania's hardwoods and nursery industries. The ban includes processed, unprocessed, coniferous and hard woods.

For questions related to the quarantine, call 717-772-5205. See the Department's quarantine announcement and access details on the Emerald Ash Borer and related links.

Hantavirus Precautions

It has only happened three other times in the last ten years but a recent case of Hantavirus is prompting the PA Department of Health to issue a list of precautions for avoiding the serious illness and possible hospitalization associated with the virus.

The Hantavirus is spread by a virus carried by deer mice and other wild rodents. Avoid dust contaminated with rodent urine, saliva, and droppings or handling rodents, or touching other contaminated materials, and then touching your nose or mouth.

Exercise caution in and around cabins, sheds, barns, and woodpiles providing rodent nesting sites. Before cleaning a cabin, shed or barn, open the doors and windows for 30 to 60 minutes to provide good ventilation. Wear gloves and use a mixture of bleach and water to spray down mouse-infested areas to avoid stirring up dust.

Additional precautions against the Hantavirus include:

Seal cracks, plug holes and eliminate other possible entryways for mice.
In rural areas, conduct year-round rodent control or hire an exterminator.
Keep indoor areas, especially kitchen and food storage areas, clean.
Store food in rodent-proof containers. This includes pet, livestock and bird food.
Properly dispose of garbage in sealed containers away from buildings.
Store firewood away from the structure.
Keep plants and grasses around structures short and well-trimmed.

Average time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms is two weeks but may occur within three days or not for six weeks. High fever, severe body aches, headache, and vomiting are the first symptoms to appear. Within one to five days after the initial symptoms appear, serious respiratory problems emerge. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome causes the lungs to fill with fluid, making breathing difficult.

Click here for a Fact Sheet on the Hantavirus or here for more on the recent incidence of the infection requiring hospitalization of a 40-year-old employed at a Boy Scout Camp in Clearfield County.

Understanding Oil & Gas Rights

If you have been approached by an oil and gas firm or speculators regarding the sale or lease of the oil and gas rights on your property, the PA Office of Attorney General offers a few tips and words of caution, including the need to consult with an attorney before purchasing or leasing mineral rights.

Pennsylvania allows for the separate ownership of the surface (real) estate and the minerals—oil, gas, coal, hard rock minerals, etc. Both the surface and mineral owners have property rights under the law. The mineral owners have a right to recover the mineral while the landowners reserve the right from unreasonable encroachment or damage.

Get started with the lists of dos and don'ts from the AG's Office and then consult the Department of Environmental Protection's Fact Sheet on mineral leases and related topics.

Farmers Reporting Crop Damage

Crops damaged by the current dry weather should be reported to your crop insurance agent before harvesting, according to the Pa Department of Agriculture.

The Department recommends reporting the damage at least 15 days before harvesting or within 72 hours of discovering the damage. An adjuster must determine the amount of the loss. Written permission must be granted for farmers to leave sample areas of the damaged fields for yield appraisals to be conducted later.

Tap into the Department's resources for an understanding of crop insurance and how to file a claim.

Dump It, Drain It, Treat It

While Pennsylvania is attacking the state's mosquito population from the sky to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is reminding us to take action in our backyards.

The "Dump It, Drain It, Treat It" method is promoted by DEP for controlling mosquitoes. Dump it if has water in it. Drain it if it can be drained. Treat it if it has standing water.

DEP outlines a series of actions to eliminate mosquito-breeding sites around your home:

Identify and eliminate all sources of standing water that collect on your property. Mosquitoes will breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days.
Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have collected on your property. Do not overlook containers that have become overgrown by aquatic vegetation.
Pay special attention to discarded tires that may have collected water on your property. They can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors.
Have clogged roof gutters cleaned on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to block drains.
Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use. A wading pool becomes a place for mosquitoes to breed if it is not used on a regular basis.
Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths.
Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito breeding grounds if they are allowed to stagnate.
Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated. A swimming pool that is left untended for a month becomes a source of mosquito breeding. Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.

Visit DEP's West Nile Surveillance Program for more on how you can help prevent its spread. For more information, call 1-877-PA-HEALTH or your local West Nile Coordinator.