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June 2, 2008

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 

·         Adopt a Feline Friend at the County Shelter

·         Jupiter Inlet Working Group Receives National Award

·         South Olive Elementary School Chorus Performs for Commissioners

·         West Atlantic Avenue Branch Library Moving

·         Celebrate “Home Safety” Month!

·         More Upcoming Events

 

 

For more information about Palm Beach County’s programs and services, visit us online at www.pbcgov.com. If you have any questions or to provide feedback, you can e-mail us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.

 

 

Adopt a Feline Friend at the County Shelter

 

 

Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control has too many cats and kittens at the main shelter.  Several spayed or neutered pets are ready for adoption at a special fee of only $20. 

Now is the time to find that adorable kitten or loving cat.  Some cats rescued from a cruel environment are in need of a good loving home.  To see pictures, take a look at the shelter Web site at www.pbcgov.com/snap.  Or, visit the shelter at 7100 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach.  For directions, call 561-233-1272.

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Jupiter Inlet Working Group Receives National Award

 

The Jupiter Inlet Working Group recently received a national award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 21. The team of local volunteers strives to preserve the Jupiter Inlet Natural Area’s wetland construction, river slope stabilization and habitat for endangered species.

 

 

Rich Walesky, director of Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) represented the county at the awards ceremony.  Town of Jupiter Mayor Karen Golonka accepted the award on behalf of the working group.  Pictured above are Walesky (far left) and Golonka (center) posing with representatives of the US Department of the Interior.

 

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recognized the Jupiter Inlet Working Group as one of 21 recipients nationwide of the Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award, which recognizes the group’s outstanding environmental work. The partnership has successfully involved the community in management of the area, including providing interpretive tours of the Jupiter Lighthouse to thousands of visitors each year.   

 

 “Over the last decade, the [working] group has made impressive progress towards conserving the Jupiter Inlet Natural Area,” the award noted.  “The dynamic partnership comprised of the Bureau of Land Management, the Town of Jupiter, the Village of Tequesta, Palm Beach County, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Jupiter High School Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy and the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, worked cooperatively to manage the area as a harmonized unit.” 

 

 

The 54-acre Jupiter Inlet Natural Area, located just north of the Jupiter Lighthouse within the Village of Tequesta, is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is jointly managed by the BLM and ERM.  The site contains high-quality examples of Florida scrub, low hammock, freshwater marsh, mangrove swamp and remnant maritime hammock ecosystems. ERM staff in cooperation with the BLM coordinated the restoration and enhancement of more than four acres of existing mangrove swamp and high-salt marsh habitat.  On-going site management activities include prescribed burning, invasive exotic plant removal and biological monitoring.  Hundreds of volunteers continue to play an active role in maintaining the site by planting native plants, collecting seeds, mulching and removing trash and exotics. 

For more information about the Jupiter Inlet Natural Area, visit ERM’s Web site at http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm/natural/ or call 233-2400.

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South Olive Elementary School Chorus Performs for Commissioners

Thirty-four students from South Olive Elementary School visited the County Governmental Center on May 20 to observe a board meeting and sing two songs for the commissioners and members of the public in attendance.  The third, fourth and fifth-graders are under the musical direction of their teacher, Miss Kristen DeLuca.

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West Atlantic Avenue Branch Library Moving

The Palm Beach County West Atlantic Avenue Branch Library, located at 7777 West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, will close at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2008, in preparation for the branch’s move to the new Hagen Ranch Road Branch Library. No materials will be due during this transition.

In the interim, patrons should visit either:

Southwest County Regional Branch
20701 95th Avenue South
Boca Raton 33434
Phone: 482-4554

or

West Boynton Branch
9451 Jog Road
Boynton Beach 33437
Phone: 734-5556

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Celebrate Home Safety Month

 

June is Home Safety Month. This year’s campaign theme is “Hands on Home Safety.”  Individuals and families are being asked to take some simple hands-on steps to avoid the five leading causes of injury in the home – falls, poisonings, fires and burns, choking/suffocation and drowning. According to the Home Safety Council, “each year, homes are where 21 million family members suffer injuries that could have been prevented.”

 

 Here are a few tips to help you avoid accidents in the home.

 

  • Store guns in a safe, locked place, well out of children’s reach.
  • Keep unused electrical outlets covered. Uncovered outlets are a temptation for younger children.
  • Avoid using too large, long-hanging table covers. Young children may grab onto these, thinking they are firm.
  • Supervise small children during bath time. If the water is too hot, they can get scalded easily. Remember, they can drown in less than two inches of water in seconds.
  • Remove all small items/objects from the floor.
  • Turn the handles of pots, during cooking, away from where they can be easily knocked over.
  • Wipe up spills on the floor as soon as they occur.
  • Make sure windows, in reach of children, are closed when no supervising adult is around.
  • Keep the National Poison Control Center number handy: 1-800-222-1222.
  • Store all cleaning supplies far out of reach of children and away from food.
  • Make sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (if you have them) are working properly.

 

Be “hands-on” with proper home safety. For more consumer information, visit the Cooperative Service Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences Division Web Site at http://www.pbcgov.com/coopext/FACS/.

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More Upcoming Events

  • Coconut Cove Recreation Center will be accepting registration for Summer Session the following programs through June 11.
     
    MARTIAL ARTS
    Wednesday evenings, 6:15 pm, ages 6 and up - $50
    This class is for individuals interested in learning about self defense, discipline, and gaining self-confidence. Classes are offered for boys, girls, men, and women of all ages.

GYMNASTICS
Wednesday evenings, 6:15 pm, ages 5 - 10 - $80
Have fun learning and practicing stretching, tumbling, rolls, cartwheels, handstands, balancing, and coordination exercises.

HIP HOP DANCE
Wednesday evenings, 7 pm, ages 6 - 12 - $80
Learn coordination moves, and perform routines to popular Radio Disney music, High School Musical 2, Hannah Montana, and Jump In!

Coconut Cove Recreation Center is operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and is located at 11200 Park Access Road at South County Regional Park in West Boca.  For more information or to register, contact Hugo Montenegro at (561) 274-1140
ext. 205 or visit www.pbcparks.com.

 

  • Highridge Family Center Summer Program
 

When:  Starts June 23
Where:  Highridge Family Center, 4200 Australian Ave., West PalmBeach
What:  The county’s Highridge Family Center is offering its first therapeutic, residential summer program for at-risk teens ages 11-16 who are experiencing problems at home, school or with their peers.  Call 625-2536 to schedule a screening.

 

 

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