LOCAL BRIEFS

The Fifty Lakes Foundation recently engaged fifth- and sixth-graders at Emily Charter School in an essay contest - "Why I want to go to Long Lake Conservation Center Camp."

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It was coordinated by Casey Amsden, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, and Tami Martin, director at Crosslake Community School. Emily Charter School and Crosslake Community School participated.

At Emily Charter School, Rachel Wiedell and Sarah Russell tied for first place, each earning a trip to the camp. At Crosslake Community School, Alexandra Stone was the winner.

Crosslake Community School students Ryann Franzen (left), Thomas Stattelman, Tristen Hulke, Kelsie Wiete and Alexandra Stone along with Fifty Lakes Foundation volunteer Ruth Strohmeier. The students were finalists in the FLF Essay Contest "Why I want to go to Long Lake Conservation Center Camp."

Garrison Lions to sponsor cleanup day

GARRISON - The Garrison Lions will sponsor the sixth annual community cleanup day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 6. This event will be at the VFW parking lot and will be held rain or shine.

They will take appliances, old computers, couches and chairs, mattresses, scrap metals, construction materials, batteries, tires and bikes. Nominal fees will be assessed according to the load. For questions, call 764-2237, (320) 692-4439 or 678-3727.

Operation Military Kids youth summer camp offered

MOTLEY - Young people currently impacted by a deployment or who have a loved one in the military will have an opportunity to participate in summer camping through Operation Military Kids.

Teen camp will be offered for youths ages 13-16. The focus of the camp will be team building and communication skills, which will be developed through participation in challenge activities such as a ropes course. The camp will be offered June 26-28 at Camp Shamineau near Motley.

Campers will enjoy traditional camp activities such as campfires, crafts, canoeing and cabin living. There will be no registration fee for participants to attend. Registration information is available at www.operationmilitarykids.org. Click on State Information then Minnesota. Information will be under the News/Events section.

DNR seeks comments on EAW for Paul Bunyan State Trail

The DNR is accepting public comments on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the proposes paving of a segment of the Paul Bunyan State Trail from Guthrie to Walker (16.5 miles), in Hubbard and Cass counties.

This segment of the multi-use, year-round recreational trail is located on an abandoned rail grade owned by DNR. The project would prepare the subgrade and pave a 10-foot-wide-by-3-inch-thick bituminous treadway with a 2-foot gravel/aggregate shoulders for a total trail width of 14 feet.

A copy of the EAW is available online at www.mndnr.gov. Click on "Public Input" then select "Paul Bunyan EAW" from the scroll-down list under "Environmental Review." Additional copies may be requested by calling (651) 259-5157.

Public comments on the EAW will be accepted through June 3. A copy of the EAW is available for public review at:

• Longville Public Library, P.O. Box 106, 5051 State Highway 84 NE, Longville, MN 56655.

• DNR Library, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN, 55155.

• DNR Northwest-Region 1, 2115 Birchmont Beach Road NE, Bemidji, MN 56601-8599.

• Minneapolis Public Library, Government Documents, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN, 55401.

• Bemidji Public Library, 509 American Ave. NW, Bemidji, MN 56601.

• Kitchigami Regional Library, 212 Park Ave., P.O. Box 14, Pine River, MN 56474.

The EAW was published in the May 4, EQB Monitor. Written comments on the EAW must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, to the attention of Ronald Wieland, DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025.

Electronic or e-mail comments may be sent to environmental.review@dnr.state. mn.us with "Paul Bunyan EAW" in the subject line. If submitting comments electronically, include your name and mailing address. Written comments may also be sent by fax to (651) 297-1500.

Pequot Lakes All-Class Reunion scheduled Aug. 2

PEQUOT LAKES - Members of the All-Class Reunion Association met recently to begin planning the 36th annual Pequot Lakes All-Class Reunion scheduled Aug. 2. The 50th anniversary class of 1959 will be the honored class.

An invitation is extended to all former students, graduates and faculty. The reunion, held at Pequot Lakes High School, begins at noon Aug. 2 with registration and socializing, followed by a potluck luncheon and business meeting.

The classes will hold their individual reunions Aug. 1, followed by an informal gathering at the Pequot Lakes Legion Club.

For more information, contact the officers - Shirley Robideaux, Linda Brandon, Don Tepfer or Kathleen Tusa.

Friends of the Dewey Radke House receive grant

LITTLE FALLS - The Friends of the Dewey Radke House recently received a grant from the Minnesota Beautiful! Picture It Painted project sponsored by Valspar Corporation and the Initiative Foundation.

Forty gallons of paint and primer have been awarded to The Friends of the Dewey Radke House for a barn painting project scheduled for fall 2009.

The Friends of the Dewey Radke House recently launched its first fundraising and volunteer/membership recruitment effort at the Little Falls Radio Home, Garden and Leisure Show at the Little Falls Exchange Arena. Two restoration projects are planned for 2009.

Those interested in volunteering for restoration efforts at the Dewey Radke House or those who would like to become a member of The Friends of the Dewey Radke House may contact Rosemary Finch at (320) 632-6250. Meetings are the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. at The Royal Cafe in Little Falls.

Teatime at Linden Hill scheduled May 23

Recapture the elegance of a bygone age at Teatime at Linden Hill. Listen to harp music, drink tea and enjoy a five-course afternoon repast in the elegant Musser mansion, absorbing the historic ambiance all around you.

Teatime will be 12:30-3 p.m. May 23 at Linden Hill in Little Falls.

Enjoy a stroll through the mansion's beautiful interiors before settling down for an afternoon of relaxation and laughter with friends and family. Prior to teatime, Linden Hill intern and history graduate student Alexander L. Ames will make a presentation on the history of afternoon tea and provide tips on how to host a similar event in your own drawing room.

Cost is $35 for members, $40 for non-members. Price includes a tour of both historic mansions. All proceeds are used for the preservation of Linden Hill.

Call (320) 616-5580 for reservations.

Outdoor festival planned in Cuyuna Country

Cuyuna SALT, the service-adventure-leadership team of students from Crosby-Ironton High School, will bring Leave No Trace traveling "e-tour" trainers from Boulder, Colo., to Cuyuna Country from 3-6 p.m. May 28.

SALT leaders and the e-tour will team up to provide an outdoor festival of hands-on, interactive learning activities for children and families at Cycle, Path and Paddle prior to Music in the Park in Crosby.

The free event is co-sponsored by Crosby-Ironton Community Education and Cycle, Path and Paddle.

Groups partnering to shore-up Elks Camp

The Pelican Lake Property Owners Association and the Elks are partnering to restore the border shoreline at the Minnesota Elks Camp on Pelican Lake.

Planting for the project is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. May 16 and finish May 17, if necessary. About 50 volunteers from the Elks camp along and members of the Pelican Lakes Property Owners association will participate. Instruction for planting will be provided by Bonnie Hiniker of Sunshine Gardens, Eleanor Burkett and Jackie Froemming from the University of Minnesota Extension Office and area Master Gardeners.

This project is funded by Minnesota Waters, the DNR and Thirty Lakes Watershed. Additional assistance has been provided by the University of Minnesota Extension Office, Crow Wing County Soil and Water, the Elks and the Pelican Lake Property Owners Association.

Lyme disease adult forum scheduled Sunday

CROSSLAKE - Tick season is in full swing again in Minnesota, which means potential exposure to Lyme disease.

Join local dentist, author and environmentalist Robert Uppgaard at 9 a.m. Sunday at Crosslake Presbyterian Church, 14444 Daggett Pine Rd., Crosslake, as he leads an adult education forum raising awareness about Lyme disease.

Cushing veteran receives Jefferson Award from KSAX

Geoffrey Steiner, a disabled Vietnam veteran, was one of six central Minnesota volunteers presented with the 2009 Jefferson Awards for Public Service.

The awards were presented by KSAX/KRWF Television in Alexandria. Other participating agencies were Bremer Bank, Alexandria Technical College and Otter Tail Power Co. The awards are designed to honor individuals for achievements through public and community service.

Steiner, who has planted thousands of trees in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Forest near his 100-acre home site in Cushing, plans to attend a June awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The veteran has done suicide counseling volunteer work for 33 years, calling upon his own experiences.

Other area winners presented with awards in Alexandria last month were Iras Chapin of Motley and Nancy Adams of Pequot Lakes.

Marketing Assistance Loans deadline is June 1

The deadline to request Marketing Assistance Loans for corn, soybeans and sunflowers is June 1.

Marketing assistance loans provide producers interim financing to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. Allowing producers to store production at harvest facilitates more orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year.

To be eligible for marketing assistance loans producers must:

• Comply with conservation and wetland protection requirements.

• Report how they use their cropland acreage on the farm.

• Have beneficial interest in the commodity on the date the loan is requested and, in the case of a loan, retain beneficial interest while the loan is outstanding.

• Ensure that the commodities meet CCC minimum grade and quality standards.

For more information on Marketing Assistance Loans or other farm programs, contact the Aitkin-Itasca Farm Service Agency at (218) 927-2912 or the Crow Wing-Cass Farm Service Agency at 829-5965 or visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov.

MILC payments on way to dairy farmers

Low dairy prices across the country have triggered dairy payments to producers participating in the USDA's Milk Income Loss Program.

The USDA makes MILC payments on a monthly basis when the Boston Class I milk price falls below $16.94 per hundred weights as adjusted for feed costs. The USDA determines the per-hundred-weight payment rate for the applicable month by subtracting the Boston Class I price for that month from the $16.94 MILC payment trigger price, established in the 2008 Farm Bill, as adjusted for feed costs, and multiplying the difference by 45 percent. The monthly Boston price along with the final MILC payment rates are posted online at www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA.

For more information about the MILC program, visit Crow Wing/Cass FSA county office at 7118 Clearwater Road in Baxter or call 829-5965.