Candidates night to be held March 21
In preparation for the town election on April 5, the League of Women Voters of Harvard and the Harvard Press will be cosponsoring a Candidates Night Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m., at Volunteers Hall in the public library.
All candidates running for office are being invited to attend. Those running unopposed may make a brief statement, if they wish. The bulk of the evening will be devoted to a debate among the candidates for selectman, where three candidates are running for two positions. Questions can be submitted in advance by e-mail to debate@harvardpress.com or can be sent by mail to LWV-Harvard, POB 405, Harvard, MA 01451. Following the discussion on questions received in advance, the candidates will take questions from the floor.
This event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.
For more information, see the League’s website at www.lwvharvard.org.
HCT seeks brush-burning help
The Land Stewardship Subcommittee of the Harvard Conservation Trust will hold an outdoor brush-burning event Saturday, March 26, starting at 10 a.m., weather permitting. This will take place at the site of the fall cleanup effort in a field located in the Holy Hill conservation land. All are welcome. Bring a pair of gloves to help load the fire. Feel the warmth after a long winter. Marshmallows and long sticks provided. For more detailed location information and to register interest, send e-mail to msevigny@charter.net. In case of snow, rain, or poor burning conditions, alternate date is Sunday, March 27.
Community Education offering new courses
Harvard Community Education will be offering new sessions of many popular classes, such as HOOPing for Fun and Fitness, yoga, ballroom dance, line dance, Getting Paid to Talk, Making Winning Photographs, and Healing Qigong. For more information visit www.ed2go.com/harvardaded. Payments for ed2go classes can now be done online at www.psharvard.org. Anyone interested in teaching a class for children or adults is invited to call Community Education at 978-456-4118, or e-mail jcavanaugh@psharvard.org.
Rotary Club offers scholarships for graduating seniors
The Ayer Rotary Club is accepting applications for college scholarships from graduating high school seniors of Ayer, Harvard, Shirley and Devens. The club will award up to $2,000 to the winning entrants who demonstrate their contributions to public service in the community.
To apply for the scholarship, a high school senior must send the following to the Ayer Rotary Club in an envelope postmarked no later than May 15:
- An official copy of his or her high school transcript.
- Contact information for two references who are adults and not related to the applicant.
- A 500-word-maximum essay explaining his or her role in contributing to the community, what he or she has accomplished in that regard, and what he or she sees for possibilities to contribute in the future.
Scholarship applications should be mailed to Scholarship Chairman, Ayer Rotary Club, P.O. Box 239, Ayer, MA 01432. At the discretion of the scholarship committee, one winner may be chosen from each of the four communities served by the Rotary Club.
NRWA to hold training for water-monitoring volunteers
The Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) will launch its 19th season of water quality monitoring in April. Monitoring will start on the morning of Saturday, April 16, and will continue on each third Saturday of the month through October at approximately 30 sites on rivers and streams throughout the watershed. Water samples taken in the field are delivered to labs in Pepperell or Devens for testing by lab volunteers.
To be ready for the season kickoff, the NRWA will hold two training sessions for new and returning volunteers at the NRWA Resource Center at 592 Main St. (Route. 119) in Groton:
- Tuesday, April 5: New volunteer orientation session. New volunteers are invited to drop in between 5:30 and 7 p.m. for about 30 minutes for training. Newly trained volunteers will have the option to sign up as an occasional team backup or accompany an existing team to observe and assist. To view a video about streamside monitoring, visit www.NashuaRiverWatershed.org and click on Water Quality Monitoring. Those interested in becoming volunteers, are asked to reply by April 1.
- Thursday, April 7: Returning volunteer refresher and kit pickup. Returning volunteers may stop in between 5:30 and 7 p.m. for a brief procedure refresher (if needed) and to pick up testing kits. (Reply requested.) Returning volunteers unable to attend either session, are asked to contact the NRWA to make arrangements for kit pickup.
To RSVP, contact Kathryn Nelson, NRWA Water Monitoring Coordinator, at 978-448-0299 or KathrynN@NashuaRiverWatershed.org.
Public comment wanted on Oxbow rescue training
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a draft compatibility determination that would allow the Shirley Fire Department to conduct water rescue training on the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge. The training would take place on the Nashua River and adjacent river banks in an area off of Walker Road. While this is not a traditional use of a refuge, having local emergency responders trained in water rescue would protect refuge visitors and other members of the public. Comments are due by Monday, March 28. It can be viewed at www.fws.gov/northeast/oxbow.
