March 30, 2024 Issue, Page 6 of 30

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6 - The Elk City News News March 30, 2024 OSDE Child Nutrition Phenology Network tracks spring’s Programs Seeks Summer variable timing Food Service Sponsors Natural observations set Oklahoma City - Sponsor- gram (established for the men- orientation), disability, age, or calling (866) 632-9992, or by spring’s arrival earlier this year ing organizations for the 2024 tally or physically disabled) is reprisal or retaliation for prior writing a letter addressed to Summer Food Service Program also eligible to receive meals. civil rights activity. USDA. ‘he letter must contain (SESP) are now being sought Needy areas are defined as Program information may the complainant's name, ad- by the Oklahoma State De- those in which half of the chil- be made available in languages dress, telephone number, and partment of Education (OSDE) dren are eligible for free- and other than English. Persons a written description of the al- Child Nutrition programs. reduced-price meals in school. with disabilities who require leged discriminatory action in Eligible sponsors include pub- Eligibility may also be deter- alternative means of commu- sufficient detail to inform the lic or governmental agencies, mined by census information nication to obtain program Assistant Secretary for Civil private, nonprofit residential or individual eligibility of chil- information (e.g., Braille, large Rights (ASCR) about the na- summer camps and private, dren. Financial assistance is print, audiotape, American ture and date of an alleged civil non-profit organizations. given to approved sponsors to Sign Language), should con- rights violation. The completed ‘The program provides nu- assist with the cost of obtain- tact the responsible state or AD-3027 form or letter must tritious meals at no charge to ing, preparing, and serving local agency that administers be submitted to USDA by: children during the summer, food under the program, in- the program or USDA's TAR- mail: when school is not in session. cluding administrative costs. GET Center at (202) 720-2600 ‘The focus is on children from For information on the (voice and TTY) or contact U.S. Department of Agri- needy areas who participate SESP program and to learn USDA through the Federal Re- culture Office of the Assistant Sec- in summer educational or rec- more about the program, con- lay Service at (800) 877-8339. retary for Civil Rights reational programs and for eli- tact Dee Houston at (405) 522- To file a program discrimi- gible children enrolled in sum- 4943, (405) 420-9367, or dee. nation complaint, a Complain- 1400 Independence Av- By Kelly Bostian mer camps. Children age 18 houstonesde.ok.gov. ant should complete a Form enue, SW and under may receive meals In accordance with fed- AD-3027, USDA Program Washington, D.C. 20250- Spring has officially sprung, according to the astronomical through SESP. A person 19 eral civil rights law and U.S. Discrimination Complaint 9410; or calendar, which marked the Northern Hemisphere’s equinox on Tuesday at 11:06 EDT, but its actual arrival may be more in the years of age and over who has Department of Agriculture Form which can be obtained fax: eye of the beholder. ‘a mental or physical disabil- (USDA) civil rights regulations online at: https://www.usda. (833) 256-1665 or (202) In fact, spring's arrival might be old news to those who con- ity (as determined by a state and policies, this institution is gov/sites/default/files/docu- 690-7442; or sider its arrival with the blooming of a specific type of flower, the or local educational agency) prohibited from discriminat- ments/USDA-OASCR%20 email: arrival of a favorite songbird, or the emergence of mushrooms or and who participates during ing on the basis of race, color, P-Complaint-Form-0508- [email protected] butterflies; observances fall into the category of phenology. the school year in a public or national origin, sex (includ- 0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail. ‘This institution is an equal National Phenology Week, March 18-22, comes on the tails of private non-profit school pro- ing gender identity and sexual pdf, from any USDA office, by opportunity provider. some areas in the nation reporting the earliest signs of spring in 30 years, especially in Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. According to USA National Phenology Network maps, portions of Oklahoma Untitled Pop Up Theatre Takes Center Stage at saw springtime events up to eight and ten days earlier than usual. Further, the maps indicate some parts of the state see early arriv- als every four to five years. AACT Regional Competition Ecological phenomena my If “phenology” is not a part of your regular vocabulary, you're Little Rock, Arkansas April 4-6, 202 not alone. “People think it is a funny word. We, honestly, sometimes MM think we'd like to change it to ‘seasonology, which might be a little more intuitive,” joked Erin Posthumus, partnerships and projects manager for the Phenology Network at the University of Arizona. With the world’s climate changes growing more impactful, the timing of things like bird and insect migrations and the leaf-out and blooming oftrees and plants is of heightened importance for habitat reclamation projects, agriculture, and biologists world- wide. She said the Phenology Network pulls together scientific data to understand those changes better and predict trends. While phenology’s origins date back to the 1800s, the first long-term data set comes from Montana State University, which tracked dates of lilac leaf-out and blooms from 1956 to 1992. As that effort expired, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukie geogra- pher enlisted nationwide volunteers to observe lilacs of a single genetic strain. “It is a little bit odd because lilacs are not a native species, but they were very popular and early bloomers,” Posthumus said. “Removing genetic differences just removed that factor from the equation.” Posthumus said current trends are gauged against the latest 30-year trend of leaf-out and bloom dates for lilac, honeysuckle, and other early-season bloomers. ‘The Network produces maps and statistical data that reflect differences, year-to-year, and the long-term data trends allow the Network to predict when leaf-out and bloom are most likely to occur in the future. While commonly referred to as “spring,” Posthumus said the records essentially reflect a combination of local climates. Citizen science projects “What it tells you is the amount of warmth that has accumu- lated, say, ten days ahead of schedule, which might have conse- quences for other things,” she said In addition to producing trend maps and gathering official data, the Network coordinates citizen-science projects open to the public. Volunteers with Nature's Notebook observe and note Elk City - Western Oklahoma theatre tions. derson, Director of Untitled Pop Up ‘The- changes in plant and animal seasonal activity timing and can group, Untitled Pop Up Theatre, is thrilled Their latest production, “Sheepdog” atre. “ ‘Sheepdog” is a play that explores participate in campaigns targeting specific species, such as red- to announce their opportunity to perform by Kevin Artigue, directed by Doobie Pot- themes that are relevant to today’s society at the regional competition at the South ter of Oklahoma City, is a story of Amina, and we feel it is a story everyone should buds, of oaks, birds, and flowers for pollinators and the emergence mayflies. West Theatre Conference in Little Rock, portrayed by Jasmine Glass, and Ryan, see.” The network also works with groups like Tribal Alliance for Arkansas. The event is scheduled to take played by Nick Solomon, who are both of- To help with fundraising for the trip, Pollinators and Okies for Monarchs in Oklahoma on the Time To place from April 4-6, 2024. ficers on the Cleveland police force. Amina Untitled Pop Up Theatre will be perform- South West Theatre Conference is black, Ryan is white, and they are falling ing the show “Sheepdog” Saturday, March Restore project. Climate and plant-life information can help wildland rehabili- (SWTC) will take place in Little Rock, Ar- deeply and passionately in love. When an 30, 2024 at the Broadway Center, 210 N tators understand which species to plant to provide nectar during kansas ~ April 4 - 6, 2024. Theatres from officer-involved shooting roils the depart- Broadway, Sayre, OK. Doors open at 7:00 critical periods. Knowing how certain species will adapt to chang- Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Okla- ment, small cracks in their relationship homa and Texas will gather at The Studio widen into a chasm of confusion and self- pm, Performance at 7:30 pm, Tickets are ing conditions can help with long-term planning, Theatre to present plays that will be adju- doubt. A mystery and a love story with “Pay what you can” at the door. We just Gary McManus, Oklahoma Climatological Survey state cli- dicated by theatre professionals. high stakes and no easy answers, SHEEP- want to share this show with western matologist, said temperatures in some regions of Oklahoma this Founded in 2017, Untitled Pop Up DOG fearlessly examines police violence, Oklahoma, and hope you join us March year have regularly shot up above normal since January, some- ‘Theatre shares their love of the Arts with a interracial love, and class in the 21st cen- 30. times 25 to 35 degrees statewide, which likely helped “spring” variety of audiences across Western Okla~ tury. For more information about Untitled arrive earlier. homa. The group has been recognized for “We are honored to work with Doobie Pop Up Theatre and their upcoming pro- “The cold air has been bottled up farther to the north,” he said. their innovative approach to theatre, in- and her amazing cast and have them rep- ductions, visit _www.UntitledPopUpThe- ‘There just have not been a lot of dips in the jet stream from the corporating unconventional spaces and resent UPUT and Oklahoma at the SWTC atre.com or follow them on Facebook and polar regions, and when we did have cold periods, it has not re~ immersive experiences into their produc- regional competition,” said Tiphani Hen- Instagram. ally been true arctic air. We just did not have a typical February.” While a “false spring” that can yield to a period of extreme cold or even snow is always possible, the later in March the calen- dar rolls, the less likely that becomes, he said. He said it’s rare, but we have had some “big-time snow” the last week of March. Send to [email protected] “You can’t always count that out, but eventually, it’s just spring,” he said. with a description! The Oklahoma Ecology Project is a nonprofit dedicated to in- depth reporting on Oklahoma's conservation and environmental issues. Learn more at okecology.org