This photo submitted to Down East Magazine for their 7th annual reader photo contest by Darcy Baird of Winthrop, ME, won the grand prize in the wildlife category. Darcy’s description: Each spring, a pair of red foxes takes shelter under a shed behind my friend’s home, to give birth to their kits and raise them. Last April, the mother returned alone and gave birth to four adorable kits. I was blessed to capture this special moment from my ground blind, expressing the natural beauty, simple patience, and quiet curiosity of Maine’s nature and wildlife.
Happy Wednesday!
New this week:
Last Call for Genogram Virtual Brown Bag Lunch
There’s still time to register for Elin MacKinnon’s free, virtual “brown bag lunch” on using Genograms to diagram a family and explore behaviors and patterns between generations. Join us during lunchtime, 11:00 am to 12 Noon, on January 24th. Register for this free virtual info session.
Ethics Panel Discussion
Save the date of February 7th from 11 am to 1 pm for a facilitated panel discussion with Q & A on Practicing in a fishbowl: the ethics of confidentiality in a small community. Marjorie Withers, founding director of the CCC, will present the keynote. Corey Schwinn, Clinical Director for Sunrise Opportunities, will join the panel. More details about the agenda and panelists will be provided as this event takes shape. Zoom registration coming soon.
Stimulants 2022
Healthy Acadia and Power of Prevention are hosting a FREE CME provider education workshop on Thursday, February 10, 2022 from 12-1 pm via zoom. This presentation focuses on Stimulants 2022: Epidemiology, Effects, Clinical Challenges and Treatments. Please follow this LINK for more information about the session, presenter bio and to register for this event. Please share this flyer with anyone that you think would find this useful.
Advancing Family Caregiving Research Across the Lifespan
The National Center on Family Support (NCFS) is excited to host their second biennial conference on caregiving research in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Building Bridges: Advancing Family Caregiving Research Across the Lifespan, March 3-4, 2022. This conference will bring together a multidisciplinary group of national leaders in caregiving research, policy, and practice across the lifespan. Sessions will showcase innovations in research and build bridges across disciplines and conditions to address the urgent community, clinical and policy needs of family caregivers. General Registration: $250, Post-Doctoral and Clinical Trainees: $100, Students: $25. Register here.
Peer Workforce Navigator Pilot Program
The Mills Administration announced a workforce development pilot program to connect Maine people to good-paying jobs and meet the hiring needs of Maine employers. The two-year “peer workforce navigator” pilot program, which was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Mills earlier this year, is backed by $1 million in American Rescue Plan funding from the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. The pilot program from the Maine Department of Labor will engage with organizations that work closely with underserved populations who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic to connect them to employment, skills development, and resources for needs such as child care and transportation. The Maine Department of Labor is requesting applications from interested organizations, which may include community organizations, worker groups, labor unions, or other non-profit organizations with close ties to underserved and under-represented communities within the workforce. Proposal submissions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 4, 2022. Learn more here.
The 3G Disconnect
3G wireless connections are soon to be discontinued in 2022. Although many people have devices on 4G or 5G networks, the shutdown will likely disproportionately impact older adults and low-income individuals, who may be using older phones, life alert systems, and other devices still on 3G. Below are a few resources and FAQs that may help:
- FCC Consumer Guide: Plan Ahead for Phase Out of 3G Cellular Networks and Service: Click Here for More
- National Law & Center on Elder Rights: Helping Older Adults Prepare for 3G Network Shutdowns: Click Here for More
- Washington Post: 3G shutdowns could leave most vulnerable without a connection: Click Here for the Article
Two Advanced Beekeeping Webinars
University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer two advanced beekeeping webinars, two sessions each, beginning with “Honey Bee Diseases and Pests” 6–8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 and 17. The $50 fee includes the required textbook. Registration is required on the event webpage to receive the links. The next course, “Swarming and Swarm Management,” will be held 6–8:30 p.m. March 3 and 10. The fee is $35. Registration is required on the event webpage to receive the links. Both courses will be taught by EAS-certified master beekeeper Erin MacGregor Forbes. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207-781-6099; rebecca.gray@maine.edu.
Extending the Gardening Season in New England
University of Maine Cooperative Extension and University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension will offer a webinar for home gardeners about how to extend the growing season from 6–7:15 p.m. on Feb 7. “Extending the Gardening Season in New England” includes season-extension strategies ranging from targeted use of mulches and row covers to the use of small high tunnels, with in-depth guidance for how to build and implement these tools in home gardens. Frank Wertheim, UMaine Extension educator, and Becky Sideman, UNH Extension sustainable horticulture specialist, will lead the workshop. Registration is required; a sliding scale program fee is optional. Register on the event webpage to attend live or receive a link to the recording. This is the fifth in a six-part winter gardening webinar series offered monthly through March for Maine and New Hampshire gardeners. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Pamela Hargest, 207-781-6099; extension.gardening@maine.edu.
Best Practices for Winter Care of Equines
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering an online workshop about best practices for winter care of equines from noon–2 p.m. on Feb. 1. Workshop topics include winter health issues and options for fresh water, as well as mud management around the farmstead. Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension professor, and Dr. Beth McAvoy, consulting veterinarian and chief financial officer of Foxcroft Large Animal Veterinary Associates in Dover-Foxcroft, will lead the workshop. The fee is on a sliding scale, up to $10; registration is required to receive the link. Register on the event webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Becky Gray, 207-781-6099; extension.agcumberland@maine.edu.
DCP Seeks Evening Coordinator
Downeast Community Partners is seeking an Evening Coordinator for Family Futures Downeast. This position is responsible for coordinating services with other FFD agencies/staff, quality care services with children and parents, and ensuring the health and safety of children in our care. Download a full job description.
What You Need to Know about the Child Tax Credit
Ann Danforth of Maine Equal Justice lists what what you need to know about the child tax credit (payments of up to $3,600 for families with kids, even if you don’t usually file a tax return).
- #1 If you are a parent or caregiver, be sure you file a tax return to claim your full child tax credit!
- #2. Don’t let this lifeline of a tax credit go away. Speak up with us NOW!
- #3 Last but not least, please congratulate our story contest $250 drawing winner, Sarah Shinkman from Brunswick!
Learn more at Maine Equal Justice.
4 free test kits
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:
- Limit of one order per residential address
- One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
- Orders will ship free starting in late January