Committee Members Sought
The US Forest Service is conducting a recruitment for a federal advisory board that will provide input on modernizing the landscape management for national forests in Oregon, California and Washington. The 20 member committee would serve for two years. The forest service will represent a diverse cross section of the public including scientists, public and tribal groups and organizations with an interest in promoting sustainability for the forests. The committee would advise and plan for proactive wildfire risk reduction, work with ecosystem management and provide feedback on how to protect and promote conservation of mature and old growth forest land. Information on the committee can be found at federalregister.gov. deadline for applying for the committee is January 17th. Link to site
Beware of Scams
As the holiday season kicks into full gear the threat of scams looms heavy. A national survey recently conducted says that nearly half of the population polled says they can recognize a scam when it presents itself, yet studies show that 73% of individuals regularly respond to questionably inquiries that are scams. There are three popular types of scams that people use to try to separate you from your money. Gift Card payment scams where criminals convince consumers to purchase card as a form of payment for some made up fine, charity scams that create fake charities luring victims to donate to bogue enterprises and non-delivery/non-payment scams where individuals purchase items that are never delivered. These last two types of scams allotted to 337 million dollar in 2021. Banks recommend that you review your account regularly, don’t click email links, protect your personal information and do not fall prey to terms like “Act Now”, “click here”, “urgent”, “free or giveaway”. Keep abreast of delivery schedules for items purchased and don’t clink on ads that pop up. Another thing that they warn of is not to use wifi in public spaces and use cards when making payments rather than apps such as Venmo, Zelle, or CashApp that process payments immediately.
LCOG Needs Volunteers
The Lane Council of Governments is seeking volunteers to help distribute senior meals. Currently in Florence 9 volunteers are needed to help pass out meals to the elderly. The Senior Meal Program is offered by Senior & Disability Services a division of the Lane Council of Governments. The service provides lunches and safety checks to the elderly. They currently need help portioning, packing and delivering meals. Interested individuals should contact the LCOG at 541-682-1366.