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Bethel is hosting its annual Community Health Fair this Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Bethel United Methodist Church, 35500 Hardesty Road. It will be held in the church’s Christian Life Center beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m.
It’s free and open to the public.
Those coordinating the event say that flu and pneumonia injections will be offered. A blood drive is also being held as part of the activities with blood pressure checks, diabetes education with blood sugar screening also available.
Project Safe will provide information to educate people on abuse prevention. Heart and Alzheimer’s Disease education information will be offered.
Representatives from nursing homes (long term care), assisted living, home health and Hospice and other services will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
Coordinators say that Indian tacos will be available from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, call 273-2873 or 760-5006.
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One final reminder about Shawnee’s annual “Tasty Affair” scheduled for Thursday (tomorrow) evening, at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center. This is the Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce’s annual auction and it begins at 5 p.m. with the wine reception and silent auction.
The cafes open at 6 with live auction beginning at 7 p.m. Chamber staff says it is all sold out.
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Shawnee’s Trick or Treat night has been set for Saturday night, Oct. 31. Police Chief Russell Frantz says it will be from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., same as last year.
That is considered Halloween night. However, occasionally, in previous years, Trick or Treat has been set for a different evening.
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State Game Warden Mike France says he will conduct a hunter education safety education course Oct. 10 at Gordon Cooper Technology Center. It will begin 9 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. and pre-registration is encouraged for the class he said.
He said to pre-register for the free course to call 405-521-3855. That is headquarters of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in Oklahoma City.
According to the new state 2009-10 hunting guide, people are exempt from hunter education requirements if they are: 36 years of age or older; honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces; currently on active duty; or a member of the National Guard.
Hunters 9 or younger must be hunter education certified to hunt deer or any kind of big game.
My suggestion is that someone interested in hunting should pick up a copy of the state hunting guide. It’s free, and most outlets that sell hunting and fishing licenses have copies.
The guide is full of information related to hunting.
It contains a list of hunter education courses around the state scheduled prior to its printing, and the answer to most any question can be found regarding seasons, regulations, requirements, public lands and other pertinent topics.
•••
Thousands of Oklahoma deer hunters have Thursday’s deer archery season opener in their sights as they kick off another deer season.
Last year, state bowhunters set a new archery season harvest record by taking 17,784 deer, helping to push the annual combined season deer harvest to the second highest level in state history. Sportsmen checked in a total of 111,427 deer overall, a 16 percent increase over the previous year and only 7,922 deer shy of the state’s all-time annual harvest record of 119,349 deer in 2006.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s recently published “Big Game Report” — available now in the September/October issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine — an estimated 83,335 hunters participated in archery season last year. Jerry Shaw, big game biologist for the Wildlife Department, says that high number could be the result of the added challenge and extra time in the woods the archery season offers.
To hunt deer during archery season, resident hunters must have an appropriate hunting license and, if their hunting license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit. Additionally, all deer hunters must possess a deer archery license for each deer hunted or proof of exemption. Nonresident deer hunters are exempt from a hunting license while hunting deer, but they must possess a nonresident deer archery license for each deer hunted, or proof of exemption. Holders of nonresident lifetime hunting and lifetime combination licenses are not exempt from purchasing deer licenses. All hunters who harvest a deer must check in their animal at the nearest open hunter check station, with an authorized Wildlife Department employee or online at wildlifedepartment.com. A county-by-county listing of hunter check stations is available in the “2009-10 Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or at wildlifedepartment.com.
•••
There has been a change in a public meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m. (that is tomorrow evening). It has been rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is holding the meeting at its Oklahoma City office, located at 707 N. Robinson, to receive comments on a document aimed at improving water quality in the North Canadian River as it flows through the Oklahoma City metro area.
The federal Clean Water Act requires DEQ to develop plans for improving water quality where standards are not met by establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for each pollutant that exceeds the standards. TMDLs set levels for pollutants that allow water bodies to achieve their beneficial uses.
The North Canadian River study area included in this TMDL is in Pottawatomie, Oklahoma and Canadian counties. Samples collected from 1998 to 2008 from 12 stream segments were analyzed for fecal coliform bacteria, E. coli, and Enterococci.
The study indicates the North Canadian River study area is in violation of Oklahoma Water Quality Standards for pathogens, with the exception of Airport Heights Creek.
All comments for the record must be submitted either in writing or email before the end of the public comment period on Nov. 2 or orally at the public meeting. DEQ will prepare a response to all formal comments received.
For more information on how to submit a comment, contact Dr. Karen Miles via email at Karen.miles@deq.ok.gov.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, call 214-3922 or e-mail michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Include name and phone number for contact purposes.
Bethel is hosting its annual Community Health Fair this Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Bethel United Methodist Church, 35500 Hardesty Road. It will be held in the church’s Christian Life Center beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m.
It’s free and open to the public.
Those coordinating the event say that flu and pneumonia injections will be offered. A blood drive is also being held as part of the activities with blood pressure checks, diabetes education with blood sugar screening also available.
Project Safe will provide information to educate people on abuse prevention. Heart and Alzheimer’s Disease education information will be offered.
Representatives from nursing homes (long term care), assisted living, home health and Hospice and other services will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
Coordinators say that Indian tacos will be available from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, call 273-2873 or 760-5006.
•••
One final reminder about Shawnee’s annual “Tasty Affair” scheduled for Thursday (tomorrow) evening, at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center. This is the Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce’s annual auction and it begins at 5 p.m. with the wine reception and silent auction.
The cafes open at 6 with live auction beginning at 7 p.m. Chamber staff says it is all sold out.
•••
Shawnee’s Trick or Treat night has been set for Saturday night, Oct. 31. Police Chief Russell Frantz says it will be from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., same as last year.
That is considered Halloween night. However, occasionally, in previous years, Trick or Treat has been set for a different evening.
•••
State Game Warden Mike France says he will conduct a hunter education safety education course Oct. 10 at Gordon Cooper Technology Center. It will begin 9 a.m. and last until 6 p.m. and pre-registration is encouraged for the class he said.
He said to pre-register for the free course to call 405-521-3855. That is headquarters of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation in Oklahoma City.
According to the new state 2009-10 hunting guide, people are exempt from hunter education requirements if they are: 36 years of age or older; honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces; currently on active duty; or a member of the National Guard.
Hunters 9 or younger must be hunter education certified to hunt deer or any kind of big game.
My suggestion is that someone interested in hunting should pick up a copy of the state hunting guide. It’s free, and most outlets that sell hunting and fishing licenses have copies.
The guide is full of information related to hunting.
It contains a list of hunter education courses around the state scheduled prior to its printing, and the answer to most any question can be found regarding seasons, regulations, requirements, public lands and other pertinent topics.
•••
Thousands of Oklahoma deer hunters have Thursday’s deer archery season opener in their sights as they kick off another deer season.
Last year, state bowhunters set a new archery season harvest record by taking 17,784 deer, helping to push the annual combined season deer harvest to the second highest level in state history. Sportsmen checked in a total of 111,427 deer overall, a 16 percent increase over the previous year and only 7,922 deer shy of the state’s all-time annual harvest record of 119,349 deer in 2006.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s recently published “Big Game Report” — available now in the September/October issue of Outdoor Oklahoma magazine — an estimated 83,335 hunters participated in archery season last year. Jerry Shaw, big game biologist for the Wildlife Department, says that high number could be the result of the added challenge and extra time in the woods the archery season offers.
To hunt deer during archery season, resident hunters must have an appropriate hunting license and, if their hunting license was purchased prior to July 1, a fishing and hunting legacy permit. Additionally, all deer hunters must possess a deer archery license for each deer hunted or proof of exemption. Nonresident deer hunters are exempt from a hunting license while hunting deer, but they must possess a nonresident deer archery license for each deer hunted, or proof of exemption. Holders of nonresident lifetime hunting and lifetime combination licenses are not exempt from purchasing deer licenses. All hunters who harvest a deer must check in their animal at the nearest open hunter check station, with an authorized Wildlife Department employee or online at wildlifedepartment.com. A county-by-county listing of hunter check stations is available in the “2009-10 Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or at wildlifedepartment.com.
•••
There has been a change in a public meeting that was scheduled for this Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 p.m. (that is tomorrow evening). It has been rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is holding the meeting at its Oklahoma City office, located at 707 N. Robinson, to receive comments on a document aimed at improving water quality in the North Canadian River as it flows through the Oklahoma City metro area.
The federal Clean Water Act requires DEQ to develop plans for improving water quality where standards are not met by establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for each pollutant that exceeds the standards. TMDLs set levels for pollutants that allow water bodies to achieve their beneficial uses.
The North Canadian River study area included in this TMDL is in Pottawatomie, Oklahoma and Canadian counties. Samples collected from 1998 to 2008 from 12 stream segments were analyzed for fecal coliform bacteria, E. coli, and Enterococci.
The study indicates the North Canadian River study area is in violation of Oklahoma Water Quality Standards for pathogens, with the exception of Airport Heights Creek.
All comments for the record must be submitted either in writing or email before the end of the public comment period on Nov. 2 or orally at the public meeting. DEQ will prepare a response to all formal comments received.
For more information on how to submit a comment, contact Dr. Karen Miles via email at Karen.miles@deq.ok.gov.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, call 214-3922 or e-mail michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Include name and phone number for contact purposes.
