NW Arkansas today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s kind of like having 10 volunteers show up at the county shop every day. I don’t know

of any county judge who would turn that down.”

David Guntharp,

director of the Department of Community Correction, on a program that allows nonviolent offenders to work to avoid jail time Article, 1B

Today’s meetings

Fayetteville City Council agenda session, 4:30 p.m.

Fayetteville Street Committee, 5:15 p.m.

Today’s happenings

Holiday Movie Marathon: Aliens in the Attic, 2 p.m., Fayetteville Public Library Looking ahead

Holiday Movie Marathon: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Fayetteville Public Library

“Let’s Go All the Way in Devil’s Den Cave,” 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Devil’s Den State Park, West ForkVolunteers needed to help agency

The Area Agency on Aging’s Office of Long Term Care is looking for volunteers for its volunteer ombudsman program.

Volunteer ombudsmen work with nursing home residents, particularly those with no local family, to make sure they know their rights and how to exercise those rights.

The group has 10 regional ombudsmen who investigate concerns about patient care, advocate for patients and work to resolve problems. A larger group of more than 350 volunteer ombudsmen visit nursing homes around the state, talking to residents and making sure they receive adequate care.

Volunteer ombudsmen must complete eight hours of classroom training that covers the basics of resident rights, communication skills and the process of surveying patients about standards of care. After that, volunteers complete a 12-hour practicum, spending time with the regional ombudsmen and completing the certification process for volunteer ombudsmen.

Volunteers are then assigned to a nursing home and are expected to meet with residents weekly. Volunteers should expect to spend two hours a week at their nursing home.

More information is available by calling Kathleen Fitzsimmons at (479) 273-9424 or Mary Askew at (870) 741-1144.

- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Conservation funding deadline nears

Farmers and landowners throughout the state have until Jan. 15 to apply for funding to improve cropland, pastureland and forestland or to provide a habitat for wildlife, fish and other aquatic species.

The grants are part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The program is designed to address water quality concerns related to animal manure management and sediment, improved irrigation management and the reduction of groundwater use, reduction of erosion or improvement of wildlife habitats.

The program provides cost-share assistance to farmers who wish to improve their water quality through methods such as prescribed grazing, fencing livestock out of streams or creating herbaceous buffers. Farmers can expect to receive grants totaling 60- to 75-percent of the cost of to implement these practices.

Similar funding to help wildlife habitats in riparian areas, wetlands, uplands and caves is also available through the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program at a similar cost-share rate.

More information is available by calling (877) 972-5438 or by visiting your local U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service field center.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 13 on 12/29/2009

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