Rep. Tom Allen Announces $248,337 in Firefighter Grants to North Yarmouth, Yarmouth

Funds include $225,000 to the North Yarmouth Fire & Rescue Department for a new firefighting vehicle

Washington, D.C.---U.S. Representative Tom Allen last week announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has awarded a $225,000 Firefighting Vehicle grant to the North Yarmouth Fire Department and a $23,337 Operations & Firefighter Safety Program grant to the Yarmouth Fire Department. ODP grants enable communities to afford firefighter training and equipment, personal protective gear, fire station and facility modifications and firefighter health and fitness programs. Left, Rep. Tom Allen

"Both of these grants are good news for the communities because ODP grants enable hard-pressed local governments to acquire equipment and fund training that improves the protection and the safety of their firefighters," Representative Allen said. "The $225,000 grant to North Yarmouth Fire & Rescue is especially welcome as it will help fund a much-needed new vehicle. It provides an excellent example of how ODP grants can help meet a top local priority without adding to the local taxpayer burden."

Representative Allen cosponsored the legislation to establish the fire grants program as the first-ever federal financial support to fire departments in Maine and across America. For Fiscal Year 2004, Congress appropriated $750 million for direct assistance to firefighters nationally. ODP received more than 24,000 applications totaling over $2.664 billion for this current round of grants.

County Republican Committee elects officers for 2005-2006

Portland--The Cumberland County Republican Committee met last week at The Portland Club in Portland Maine to elect its leaders for the next two years. Elected as Co-Chairmen were Patrice Adler of Cape Elizabeth and Ruth Summers of Scarborough. Mrs. Adler has been active in Republican politics in various parts of the country and brings a wealth of experience to the role of leading the 60,000 Cumberland County Republicans. Mrs. Summers is the wife of 2004 congressional candidate Charles Summers.

Also elected were Steven Scharf of Portland as Secretary, State Representative Terrance McKenney of Cumberland as Treasurer, William Holmes of Westbrook as Finance Chairman and Carolyn Gilman of Westbrook as Program Chairman.

The Cumberland County Republican Committee coordinates the work of the 27 municipal committees to recruit and promote candidates for municipal, county and state offices. In 2004 the committee was successful in electing 16 candidates to the state legislature and Teri McRae as the County Register of Probate. Right, Representative Terrance McKenney of Cumberland

The Casco town municipal committee is headed up by Dick Soucy and the Cumberland town municipal committee is headed up by Joseph Loring.

"Transferring the Farm" workshop offered throughout New England

Burlington, VT--During March 2005, farm families will learn the ins and outs of transferring the farm in a day-long workshop offered in 4 locations throughout New England, thanks to a grant from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education.

The workshop will help farmers navigate the farm transfer process and will include presentations by farmers, extension specialists, attorneys, and land link and land trust personnel. Topics will include: elements to consider when transferring the farm to the next generation--whether they be related or not; communicating for success; goal setting with the family and farm in mind; keys to estate and retirement planning; tools to transfer labor, management and farm assets; and the roles that farm link programs and land trusts can play in farm transfers. The program will also include a panel of farmers who will share their personal experiences with farm transfers.

Transferring the Farm will be offered in four sites: Valley Laboratory--Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in Windsor, CT on March 16; Sheraton Hotel in Burlington, VT on March 17; Best Western Inn in Waterville, ME on March 22; and Glendon's Chowder House in Lancaster, NH on March 23.

Workshop registration will begin at 8 a.m. The program is scheduled from 8:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The workshop fee, which includes registration, a workshop packet and lunch, is $15 per person if postmarked before March 9. After March 9, the fee is $25 per person.

Checks should be made payable to: "UVM" and mailed to: Transferring the Farm Workshops, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405
For a workshop brochure, please visit the website
www.uvm.edu/landlinkvt/05TTFbrochure.pdf. Questions should be directed to Debra Heleba at (802) 656-0233 or debra.heleba@uvm.edu. Anyone requiring special accommodations or scholarship help to attend, should call (802) 656-0233.

Town of Topsham to host Forestry Workshop
At 6 p.m. on March 8 at the Topsham Public Library, the Topsham Conservation Committee will host a forestry workshop for private landowners, foresters, town officials and land trust staff and members interested in integrating timber management and biodiversity. Right, A pine marten, one of the focus species. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service/photo by: Erwin and Peggy Bauer.

Led by Robert Bryan, licensed forester and Maine Audubon forest ecologist, the workshop will review how landowners and foresters can improve or maintain wildlife habitat on their land while managing the land for recreation, timber or other personal goals.

The workshop is based on Maine Audubon's new guide, "Focus Species Forestry," which shows how to manage forest lands for the full range of Maine's wildlife while simultaneously providing other forest benefits such as wood, clean water, clean air and recreation.

Focus species forestry aims to help foresters and landowners develop management plans that support the goals of Beginning with Habitat, an award-winning collaborative program that helps communities plan growth to protect natural areas and, in so doing, prevent sprawl. Topsham received a Beginning with Habitat presentation in December 2002.

The new forestry management guide is published by Maine Audubon in cooperation with the Maine Department of Conservation, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, and the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine.

Workshop participants will receive a summary of the guide's recommendations; copies of the guide will be available for purchase at the workshop.

For more information on Focus Species Forestry, call (207) 781-2330 or visit www.maineaudubon.org.