The Yonder Calendar

The USDA will be conducting its inaugural Virtual Office Hours session with Secretary Vilsack. They will be focusing the discussion on energy and renewable technology, as well as government programs to help foster this technology. The Secretary will answer questions live from @USDA and will use the hashtag #AskUSDA. Please feel free to send out these pre-written teaser tweets below, or tailor them to fit your audience's specific interests.

Website: http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/04/02/energy-questions-ask-secretary-vilsack-using-askusda/

The City of Humble and the Humble Senior Activity Center are proud to present the 32nd Annual Good Oil Days Festival. This will be a fantastic event with Arts & Crafts, good food, and plenty of fun.Proceeds will benefit the Humble Area Seniors.  Plenty of things to look at, plenty of things to buy.

Website: http://www.goodoildays.com/

Pre-applications for the third round of the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program are due soon, and districts, groups of schools, and nonprofits are encouraged to apply.  The deadline is April 9th for the pre-application.

In this year’s competition, up to 20 “Development” grants of up to $3 million will be awarded for programs that improve student results through innovative practices. This year’s application has been simplified and requires fewer supporting documents than in previous rounds. A sixth absolute priority has also been added, “Parent and Family Engagement.” Organizations submitting the highest-rated pre-applications will be invited to submit a full application.

A link to the pre-application materials can be found here.

The Department is also seeking peer reviewers for the i3 grant competition, and interested applicants should submit their resume and application online, including those who have previously applied. Potential reviewers must have expertise in one of the i3 program’s absolute priorities, one of which is improving rural achievement. The original deadline of March 21st has been extended, and applicants should apply as soon as possible.

Website: http://www.ruraledu.org/articles.php?id=2859

U.S. Farm Land Values: Boom or Bust? is the topic for the next Farm Foundation Forum.

The Forum will open with presentations by Brent Gloy of Purdue University; Ken Keegan of Farm Credit Services of America; and Jason Henderson of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.   After their brief presentations, the floor will be opened for discussion.

There is no charge to participate in the April 11 Forum, but registration is requested by noon Monday, April 9.  Click here to send your e-mail registration.

Who should participate: People with an interest in agricultural, food and rural policy, including members of Congress, congressional staff, executive branch officials, industry representatives, NGO representatives, academics and members of the media.

The Forum: Farm Foundation, NFP organizes these public forums to engage all stakeholders in informed dialogue on food, agricultural and rural policies.  Participants examine current policies, explore and analyze alternative policy proposals, and give voice to new proposals. 

Website: http://www.farmfoundation.org/webcontent/Farm-Foundation-Forums-363.aspx?z=na&a=363

Spend an amazing weekend witnessing the spectacular spring migration in the Harney Basin of Southeast Oregon. View thousands of migratory birds as they rest and feed in the wide open spaces of Oregon's high desert. You will see waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, cranes, and much more. The festival offers non-stop birding activities for the whole family.

Website: http://www.migratorybirdfestival.com/

CALLING ALL WRITERS!   

Writers and their friends and families are invited to the Kentucky Writers Day Celebration on Sunday, April 22, 2012 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. at the Young Center on South Washington Street in Clinton. Writers of poetry, fiction, history, short stories, lyrics, newspapers and any and all other forms of the written word are urged to attend.

The celebration is sponsored by the Hickman County Arts Council. According to HCAC Chair Ivan Potter, the event is devoted to “recognizing all of our local writers who use words and language to advance the culture of Hickman County and West Kentucky.”

In addition to recognizing local writers at the celebration, the organization invites a state or regional author to come and share his or her work. In 2011, three authors were honored: Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Bill Cunningham, poet Dorothy Nell Harper and historian John Kelly Ross. 

This year, distinguished author, teacher and historian Dr. William E. Ellis will be the featured speaker.  Ellis is familiar to local readers for his columns in Kentucky Monthly magazine.  Ellis promises to speak on Kentucky education but adds that the bulk of the talk will be about Kentucky humor.

William E. Ellis graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Ph.D. in history in 1974.  He taught for four years in high school, three years in a junior college, and twenty-nine years at Eastern Kentucky University before retiring in 1999.  He is the author of over thirty journal articles, and the author of six books, the latest, A History of Education in Kentucky, published in 2011.  He received a Fulbright grant to Massey University in New Zealand in 1989.  He won the 1999 Governor’s Award for Robert Worth Bingham and the Southern Mystique.   His next major project is a history of humor with an emphasis on Kentucky as a crossroads of archetypal American humor. 

Ellis will bring copies of several of his books, including his newest, A History of Education in Kentucky, The Kentucky River, Dog Days and Other Stories, and A History of EKU .

The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact Ivan Potter at 270-653-3312, or email Mary Potter at marybpotter@bellsouth.net

Join us as we look for some early signs of spring in the refuge. Our hike will take place at the Bass Ponds. We will met in the parking lot and make our way down the hill and to the trails. This year spring will be a little unpredictable due to the dry fall, warm winter, and lack of snowfall. Regardless, there should be some interesting photo opportunities along the trails.

Sunset is at 7:58, so some sunset photography may also be possible depending upon conditions.
Equipment:

• Any type of camera
• Plan for some mud along the trails
• Appropriate clothing
• Tripod – optional
• Macro Lens, filters, or extension tubes – optional

Website: http://www.meetup.com/tcphotogroup/events/55914202/

Whether you’re on a farm, in a small town, or at home in your slippers, we’re inviting you to join us on Monday, April 30, from noon to 6 p.m. ET for the National Rural Education Technology Summit 2.0, as we use the power of technology to overcome distance, bring resources to rural schools, and engage administrators, teachers, and students in this free virtual conference.

visit ruraleducationtechsummit.org and register today. After registering, you will be able to view the program, which will include live STEM sessions ideal for classroom participation, afternoon professional development opportunities, and messages from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Smithsonian Institution Secretary G. Wayne Clough, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

You will also learn more about college and career-ready standards implementation, and utilizing the Department of Education’s online communities of practice.

n between sessions, visit the virtual resource hall for information on a variety of federal programs, loans, and grant funding opportunities. Most of all plan to participate with presenters and each other, chatting at the Summit and live on Twitter using hashtag #ruraled. See you at the Summit!

Website: http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/04/join-us-for-the-national-rural-education-technology-summit-2-0/

Website: http://www.ruralhealthweb.org/annual

Website: http://www.cltnetwork.org/Conferences/2012-Southeast-CLT-Conference-April-17-18

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and a panel of bike/pedestrian experts and regional community organizers will host a webinar discussing the prevalence of walking and biking in rural areas and small towns.

This free webinar, to be moderated by RTC’s Research Manager Tracy Hadden Loh, will examine the findings of RTC’s research report, "Active Transportation Beyond Urban Centers: Walking and Biking in Small Towns and Rural America.."

To register, visit the Dialogue4Health web forum page.

The webinar is hosted by RTC, Active Living Research, and the Public Health Institute's Dialogue4Health Web forum series.

Anyone wishing to take part in the webinar is encouraged to download and read the Beyond Urban Centers beforehand.

Website: https://publichealthinstitute.webex.com/mw0306ld/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=publichealthinstitute&service=6&rnd=0.3141355322654582&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublichealthinstitute.webex.com%2Fec0605ld%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAc

The National Alliance for Rural Policy (NARP) presents the first in a series of Investments in Rural America webinars – Where are the Foundations?  - on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 from 1:00 until 2:00 PM Eastern.  Moderated by David R. Dangler, from the National Alliance for Rural Policy network, the webinar will feature Jim “JR” Richardson who will speak from his ten year experience directing the National Rural Funders Collaborative. While the title acknowledges dramatic funding shifts away from rural America, the purpose of the webinar is to better understand historic commitments from foundations to rural, lessons learned along the way, and to assist rural communities today in attracting investments from within the emerging economy. The session will include ample time for listener participation.

This Webinar is provided by the National Consumer Law Center.

There is no charge for this webinar.
All time listings are in Eastern Standard Time
For more information email Jessica Hiemenz at Jhiemenz@nclc.org

Celebrating "tradition plus" music in the North Carolina mountains, this festival, honoring Merle Watson, began in 1988 and is going strong. On the campus of Wilkesboro Community College.

Website: http://merlefest.org/

The next Americans for the Arts Small Communities and Rural Arts Network call will be on Thursday, April 26 at 3:00pm Eastern Standard Time.  Guests include Michael Canales of USDA Rural Development and and Narric Rome, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Americans for the Arts.  They will discuss USDA Rural Development projects, programs and opportunities that are available along with some examples of organizations that have received funding. Please e-mail tcameron@artsusa.org to participate. The call will also be recorded.

Get ready to head down to the Freer/Duval Airport Grounds for the biggest snake party in the country featuring concerts with nationally known country western and Tejano artists. It’s going to be fun for the whole family including a carnival, parade, arts/crafts exhibit and show, stage shows, a dare devil snake show, fried rattlesnake meat, talent contest & much more.

Out on Hwy. 59, it’s way out in the middle of nowhere, say locals, but well worth a visit.

Website: http://www.freerrattlesnakeroundup.net/

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring this virtual conference designed to provide examples of how technology is being used to overcome the challenges of distance to increase learning for students and educators. Come and see demonstrations of technology that can be used in the classroom and ideas for professional development. To register, go here

Website: http://www.ruraleducationtechsummit.org/