Clean up your community!

The first Earth Day was held in 1970, and this year is the 42nd anniversary. While many people don’t care about the activist part of Earth Day environmentalism, they do recognize the importance of taking care of our planet and its resources.

The fourth graders at Liberty Elementary School in Big Lake celebrated Earth Day on Friday, April 20, 2012. They learned about ocean pollution from Oprah and NBC news specials and then each wrote a paragraph on what Earth Day means to them.

Probably the most-favorite activity of the day was designing paper t-shirts with their own slogans, such as “The earth needs our help” or “Save the earth and it will save you!” Those t-shirts are hanging in the halls for parents and students to remind them to take care of the planet.

Mothers should be honored year-round and not just in May. The same holds true for Earth Day. Everyone can help and even the small things add up over time.

Here are some things your family can do for Earth Day, and every day:

1. Turn off lights and electronics when not in use.
2. Lower the thermostat in winter and raise it in summer – even one degree can make a difference!
3. Begin or continue to recycle – cans, milk jugs, bottles, boxes, old mail, newspapers and magazines.
4. Take advantage of the Sherburne area Hazardous Waste days for items that require special disposal such as: batteries, old electronics, used oil, paint, fluorescent light bulbs.
5. Use less water – shorter showers, full laundry and dishwasher loads, don’t water lawns and gardens on rainy days (seems obvious, but people do it all the time!)
6. Make or buy a compost bin and add yard clippings and appropriate kitchen and table scrap items – cuts down on trash and helps grow a healthier garden.
7. Visit the great outdoors with your family – there are lots of resources in the Sherburne area, including: parks, lakes, Sand Dunes National Forest, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.
8. Start a garden, grow some flowers, make an herb box, plant some trees, landscape your yard, put up birdhouses and feeders, get a rain barrel – and then enjoy your work!
9. Give away things you no longer want or need – Sherburne County Freecycle  is a great way to share, as well as Goodwill and the Salvation Army.
10. Gather with family, friends, or neighbors and volunteer in a local clean-up day.

Enjoy these activities instead of just thinking of them as chores. Teach your children to respect the earth and spend time with them in the process. That way everyone can benefit!

I’m always happy to see new construction in our neck of the woods. As inconvenient as it has been to fight construction traffic, I look at it as a sign that our local economy is thriving in these rough economic times.  I love the new Big Lake community sign on the corner of Hwy 10 and 25, complete with the new sidewalks and landscaping. It sure seems the Northstar Rail Station has helped keep Big Lake an active and vibrant community.

It appears the new station will be larger, according to the Big Lake Planning Commision, as it will involve the demolition of some adjacent property. It looks as if the new station will have a car wash. Perhaps it will be similar to the new Holiday station in Rogers? Let’s hope so! I like stopping there on the way to the Rogers Library, then hopping on 81 to take the back way to go to SAMS in Maple Grove. Dave like to take me there on “sample day” for a cheap date. Ha ha!

Stearns County Emergency Management Planner, Erin Hausauer taught the 20-hour course over a period of eight sessions. For more information on the CERT program is, see my  CERT Training Week 1 post from January.

We were asked to attend Wednesday’s final session on July 27, 2011 and act as victims in the aftermath of their simulated tornado emergency. The fire station training room was transformed into a disaster area with overturned chairs and tables, pieces of wood and debris, and victims, including one “dead body.” Extension cords were draped throughout the room to represent fallen electrical wires. Once the victims were in place, rescuers were given the scenario details, divided into groups and began implementing their training by searching for victims and removing them from danger. Once the victims were located, they were taken outside to a triage area and checked for any medical needs. Team members had to identify conditions and perform emergency first aid as necessary.

Victims included a pregnant woman, an unconscious man, and people with various wounds, a broken leg, and a sprained ankle. Some were just plain confused, like me. No, seriously – my role was to breathe 25 respirations per minute, be confused, and be able to follow instructions. I was also invited to take photographs of the event by my CERT leader, but the dedicated Big Lake disaster relief team kept trying to get me to sit down for observation. One of the things we are taught to do in an emergency is to have the walking wounded victims help out, so I told them that I was asked to record the disaster for posterity. Dave played a man with a serious deep cut in his arm. He also lost his wallet in the debris and kept trying to go back and get it.

One of the funniest comments I heard was a member who was examining the pregnant woman after she “fainted.” The member checked for pulse and respirations and said, “I’m beginning to think this pregnancy is not real.” The deadpan way she said that just made me laugh!

After the simulation, CERT members gathered together for a debriefing session. Leaders asked about items that were lost including a couple of CERT bags and a set of keys. From the back of the room, Dave called out and said that he was still missing his wallet – such a crack-up! Overall, the team did a great job finding and rescuing drill victims. The group discussed things that went well and areas that need improvement such as making a plan before initially starting out and communicating more effectively. Unfortunately, there were a few mishaps. Within the first two minutes of the exercise, CERT team members walked in to the disaster area and were “electrocuted” by an hanging electrical wire. They were pronounced dead, but after a time out they were allowed back in to participate.

Observing Big Lake’s exercise from the vantage point of a victim/photographer gave me a good opportunity to review the things we covered in our classes earlier this year. As Sam Olsen pointed out, the reason we continually practice our skills is to get better each time and identify weak spots in our methodology. Working together as a team is very important as well and the way we learn to do that is by taking as many opportunities to do so as possible.

Sam Olson and Cindy Finch, Big Lake Mayor Lori Kampa, Police Chief Sean Rifenberick, Fire Chief Randy Miller and EMT Chief Gordon Vosberg all participated in handing out certificates and pins to the seventeen graduates.

They also each received a phone tree list and very nice laminated maps of the Big Lake and Big Lake Township to help them locate the areas they may be called to serve one day. Three more people will be part of the graduating class as soon as they complete their remaining requirements.

Here is the first Graduating Class of 2011:

Beautiful congratulatory CERT cake was served to all present.

Chief Rifenberick served cake to the graduates.

Big Lake CERT members will participate in ongoing training, including a CPR class at some point. There will also be joint training sessions with both Big Lake and Sherburne County CERT groups. Even though I am a member of the Sherburne County CERT group, I also live in the outer fringes of Big Lake, so I’m glad that I had the chance to meet some wonderful people and I look forward to training (and hopefully not working) with them.

The group picture includes:

Police Officers Sam Olson and Cindy Finch, and Erin Hausauer, CERT Instructor from Stearns County.

The graduates are (in alphabetical order) Aaron Aanerud, Susan Bauer, Justin Boie, Julie Davis, Marie Ebert, Nikki Gruber, Tricia Hedstrom, John Krohn, Mark Lindula, Pamela Lindula, Theresa Littmann, Brian Olene, Betsy Roberts, Daniel Robertson, Alex Shinnick, Janae Stern, Joan Schneider, Ned Schneider, Justin Thooft and Rebecca Vaughn.

I will update this post when I learn what name belongs to which person!

For additional photos, see the second Big Lake CERT post.

Here are some additional photographs of the first Big Lake CERT Graduating Class of 2011:

Four youth hurt in snowmobile crash

by Jim Boyle, Editor

A collision between two snowmobiles on Big Lake Sunday resulted in four juveniles being transported to the hospital.

One of the injured individuals, who suffered facial injuries and was considered to be in critical condition, was transported by helicopter.

The accident happened at 5:45 p.m., according to Sheriff Joel Brott.

All four juveniles were from Big Lake. Three of them suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Big Lake Fire, New River Ambulance, North Memorial Air Care and the Big Lake Police Department responded. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, Brott stated.

Aimee knows two of the boys from Big Lake Middle School and she is especially worried about the boy who is in critical condition. She heard that he broke his arm, collarbone, and most of the bones in his face. He is apparently in a coma at this time and his prognosis is unknown.

I feel badly for Justice and his family – please pray for them and the other people involved in the accident.

Here is Aimee’s choir performing “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

Jared is rockin’ out with the Swing Choir, taking advantage of dancing with some cute girls!

Princeton Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
Saturday, March 6, 2010
9a – 2p
Princeton High School
http://www.princetonmnchamber.org/
25th Annual Expo

Big Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Expo
Saturday, March 6, 2010
11a – 3p
Big Lake High School
http://www.biglakechamber.com/

Hope to see you there!

• 102.7 temperature
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Coughing
• Stuffy nose
• Achy muscles

Any guesses as to what she has? Classic influenza symptoms, wouldn’t you say?

I called the school to let them know. I also asked the nurse what the percentage of children out sick is. She told me that she wasn’t sure that she was allowed to give me that information and she forwarded me to the district nurse, who was not at her desk.

I would like to get an idea of how prevalent the disease is in the schools my children attend. I personally wish the school districts would post their numbers on their websites.

I would prefer that we were given more details about the local area and our current pandemic situation. The hospitals do not even test unless the patient is hospitalized, so we have know clue what the real numbers of affected people are. I know that there was a student in my son’s class who was hospitalized for Swine flu and another on the children’s bus that was.

Remember–cough in your sleeve and wash your hands!

I can’t wait to see which child is next.

Addendum:

Nadynne Dzuira, the District Nurse returned my call. She was very helpful in explaining the procedures the schools go by. She said that there are definitely H1N1 cases in our schools as well as in all of the surrounding areas, but they have been told by the epidemiologists that they do not recommend closing schools as a disease-preventing measure. Schools should function if they can, but close if there are too many students and faculty out sick.

The schools are asking parents to keep their children home until they have been symptom-free, not just fever-free, for at least 24 hours.

(Click on the picture to see a larger version)

(Click on the picture to see a larger version)

Trains transport much of America’s goods. Take a few moments to remember the people behind this industry!

Here are a couple of photos from the railroad crossing on County Road 15:

County Road 15 Railroad Crossing in Big Lake, Minnesota