Trash day at my house got a whole lot easier about two years ago when Waste Connections delivered “Big Blue”. The new, clean, HUGE recycling bin can hold a bunch of stuff! That’s good news, and bad news. If you like to talk trash, or actually, less trash, read on…

“Ever wondered why only certain items are collected for recycling or whether you really need to take the label off that can before recycling it? Well, the good news is, there will be an informational class to answer all your burning questions about recycling.

This 2 hour class includes a tour of the newly updated processing facility on Saturday, October 22, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.at West Van Materials Recovery Center. Space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible.

City-recognized neighborhood associations who send a representative to this class and publish an approved recycling article in their neighborhood newsletter can earn money for their neighborhood association treasury.

For more information or to pre-register, please call 360-619-4122, and provide your name, neighborhood association and phone number. Your pre-registration will help insure we have enough materials and room for everyone.

If you would like to just attend the class (not representing a neighborhood) you’re welcome to do that. The class is open to the public.” ~ Terra, The ReUser

Clark County Fire District 6 and Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center are challenging the community to become a life- saving one by seeing how many members of our community can be trained in CPR in a single evening. The training is free and open to the public of all ages. It will be held at Salmon Creek Elementary School Thursday, May 19th from 6:30-8 p.m.

Participants will learn hands-only CPR, which is CPR without rescue breathing. “People often hesitate to start CPR because they’re uncomfortable giving mouth-to-mouth,” said Dawn Johnson, Public Information Officer for Fire District 6. “Hands-only takes away that stigma, and still saves lives.” The training can be learned in as little as 22 minutes.

Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. At the CPR Community Challenge, in just a single evening, you can learn how to save a life.

“Twenty-two minutes to learn something that can save a life,” added Brian Willoughby, spokesperson for Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. “There’s not much better return on investment than that.”

CPR with rescue breaths is recommended for infants and children; and victims of drowning, drug overdose, and breathing problems.

Please join us, and encourage your friends and family to attend, this life-saving event. Please pre-register online at Clark County Fire District 6. CPR manikins kindly donated by Fire District 6, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, Vancouver Fire Department, Camas Fire Department, and North County Fire.

Come learn how to save a life.

So maybe the next Iron Chef is already running around “helping” you in the Kitchen… but before they get their own TV show, you’d like them to know that Baking Soda is not a new flavor of pop. The Kids Cooking Corner was formed to help create a new generation of capable cooks! They focus on nutrition, kitchen safety, proper food preparation, etiquette, cleanliness and FUN!

Kids will learn everything from the rules of kitchen safety and adding ingredients to reading recipes and how to use various cooking tools. They offer classes from holiday cookie and gingerbread house workshops, all the way to creative cooking of meals that – get this – you’d actually eat. And viola, with no mess to clean up in YOUR Kitchen.

Right now (December 14-15) the Kids Cooking Corner is featured as the Clark County Live! Daily Deal. Whether you have an aspiring Asst. Chef (age 3-6) or a Sr. Chef (age 12 up) or a Chef-in-Training in between, you’ll get two classes – normally up to $37 each (a $74 value) – for only $32.

Kids Cooking Corner is located at 5206 NE 78th Street in Vancouver. We visited with Heidi, the mastermind behind KCC, and were able to take a tour and see (and taste) what’s cooking! Click here to check out the fun pictures!

For more information, visit their website, or call 360-433-9114.

To help support families who have children with special needs, Sacajawea Elementary School is holding a series of “Parent Nights”, with different speakers and topics each meeting. These are from 6-7:00 pm and are free to families and community members, please RSVP by calling 313-2750.

November 2: Kristina Montgomery presenting Social Thinking and Helping Children with Behavior.

December 7: Audra Jensen presenting Social Thinking Strategies for Home.

January 4: Dr. Leslie Carter presenting Fears and Compulsions: Helping Anxious Children with School and Home Challenges.

February 1: Dr. Sheryl Wagner presenting Helping Your Child with Hidden Pain.

March 1: Jennie E. and Advanced Pediatrics presenting Sensory Processing in the Home.

April 12: Dr. Marie McMahon presenting Fostering Play Skills and Friendships.

This post: “Sacajawea Helps Parents Learn Too” was originally featured at Hazel Dell Live!

For more detailed neighborhood coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events in your Hazel Dell neighborhood, please visit Hazel Dell Live!

I know, with the blustery November weather, Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas not far behind, planning for summer fun seems a little, well, soon.

But the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Marine Patrol Unit, is offering two Adventures in Boating education courses; November 21, 2009 and December 12, 2009.  Why are they offering these classes?  “Beginning Jan. 1, 2010, boat operators ages 12 to 30 years old will be required to carry a boater education card when operating a boat 15 horsepower or greater on Washington’s waterways. The card requirement will be phased in through 2014, when all boaters born on or after Jan. 1, 1955, will be required to have a card. Boaters born before Jan. 1, 1955, are exempt from this law. Cards cost $10 and are good for a lifetime.”

For more information, call 360.397.2106 or click here.

Bats turn into Vampires at night.  If you get bit by a bat, you’ll get rabies. Bats are just flying mice.  Actually, none of these myths about bats are true.  You can find out more about bats at WSU Vancouver in Salmon Creek on Halloween (I don’t think they could have picked a better day for a class about vampires…er, I mean, bats!)

“VANCOUVER, Wash. – Christine Portfors, associate professor of biology at Washington State University Vancouver, and Peter Ritson, instructor of chemistry at Clark College will give their seventh annual presentation on bats Oct. 31, from 2 – 4 p.m. in Administration building, room 110. The event is free and open to the public. It’s an ideal activity for families with children 4 to 12 years old.

At a time of year when bats are often portrayed as blood-sucking, vicious animals, local families have an opportunity to see live bats up close, and learn why bats are largely misunderstood. In addition to teaching the visitors about bats, Portfors and Ritson will read a short story and lead the group in making bat crafts.

In the presentation, Portfors dispels popular folklore and teaches about the beneficial role bats play in nature managing insect pests, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. She shows pictures of different bats, as well as a few of her captive tropical fruit bats.

“Many people want to get rid of bats and consequently, certain species are becoming endangered,” she said. “These misunderstood animals need to be understood in order to protect them. My role as a scientist is to help educate the public about their importance, and kids especially have a lot of fun coming to see the live bats.”

Portfors is a biologist and neurobiologist who has studied bats in the wild and in the lab for more than 15 years. For more information about her research, visit her website, “The Bat Lab,” at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/portfors/portfors_home.html

WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor’s degrees, 10 master’s degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at www.vancouver.wsu.edu “

via Discover the Unspooky Side of Bats on Halloween at WSU Vancouver – WSU Vancouver Press Releases.

Do you have diabetes? Has your doctor told you that your sugars may be a little high? If the answer is “Yes”, then you may benefit from this free program.

This series of five classes will discuss the 5 important test all diabetics should be doing regularly and what the numbers mean, how to select the correct foods and portion sizes that keep your diabetes in control, the importance of exercise, how to eat out successfully and general tips for preventing serious complications.

Classes will begin Monday, September 14 at the Memorial Health Center.  The classes are free, but registration is required.  To register or for more information, call (360) 397-6060, visit the WSU Clark County Extension website, or view the Living with Diabetes flyer .

Got Acreage? Want to reduce mud? Control weeds?  Grow more grass?  Reduce chore time?  Save money? If you answered YES! to any of these questions, this Living on the Land class is for you…and it’s FREE!

Classes start Wednesday, September 2, 2009 from 6:30 to 9:30 for the twelve week Living on the Land – Stewardship for Small Acreages class series sponsored by WSU Clark County Extension, the Clark County Clean Water Program, and the Clark Conservation District.  The series provides a basic, overview understanding of soil, water, plant and animal interactions on small acreage properties.

The class is free, but pre-registration is required as class size is limited.  Call (360) 397-6060 x7720 or email erin.harwood@clark.wa.gov to register or for more information.

“Green acres is the place for me
Farm livin’ is the life for me
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.”

- Green Acres by Vic Mizzy  (Does anyone else remember that TV Show?)