Join Garland County Audubon Society for its monthly meeting, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Westminister Presbyterian Church (3819 Central Avenue) in Hot Springs.

Jerry Butler will give a presentation titled “Arkansas Birder Looks at Hawaii Birds.” The program will highlight some of the island birds and their similarities to and differences from our native birds here on the mainland.

Jerry Butler is a retired Professor Emeritus with the University of Arkansas. He has written and published more than fifty articles about birds for magazines and newspapers, many of them published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. He has presented programs to the Hot Springs Audubon Society on Birds of the Yucatan.

Visit the Garland County Audubon Society website for more information.

Join Audubon Society of Central Arkansas (ASCA) for its monthly meeting, tonight at 7 p.m. at John Gould Fletcher Library (823 North Buchanan) in Little Rock.

Bruce Shackleford will give a presentation on the Woolsey Wet Prairie in Fayetteville.

Woolsey Wet Prairie is an excellent birding site for numerous wetland and open country birds. Its growing list includes: Least Bittern, Shorteared Owl, Sedge Wren, Spotted Towhee, Nelson’s Sparrow, and even extreme rarities – Cassin’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Northern Shrike. It began as a wetland mitigation site constructed to offset wetlands lost from construction of the City of Fayetteville’s West Side Wastewater Treatment Facility. Bruce Shackleford, co-designer of the restoration, will describe how he turned a fescue pasture into a tallgrass prairie and a birding hotspot.

Bruce Shackleford is president and principal project director of Environmental Consulting Operations, Inc., of Benton, Arkansas. He has over 30 years of experience as an environmental professional with expertise in NPDES and Section 404 permitting, endangered species, wetland delineations and mitigation, ecological restoration, bioassay/toxicity reduction evaluation consulting, storm water Best Management Practices, environmental site assessments, NEPA regulations, and aquatic biological assessments. He has served as the environmental consultant for the City of Fayetteville’s Wastewater system Improvements Project, and developed environmental regulatory compliance programs for multiple construction contracts.

Visit the group’s website for more information.

The Bernice Garden Farmers Market  will open for the season, this Sunday, April 14 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the corner of 15th and Main streets in downtown Little Rock.

Shop for fresh locally-produced veggies, fruits, meats, eggs, cheese, and more. Travis McConnell, chef and butcher with the Capitol Bar and Grill, will be cooking up local sausage and sides on his outdoor grill.

Click here for more information about the market and its opening day.

Are you interested in energy conservation, national service, and making a difference in your community?

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is accepting applications for Energy Corps Arkansas AmeriCorps positions.

Energy Corps AmeriCorps members provide hands-on energy assistance, energy education, and community energy strategic planning and development activities to disadvantaged populations through partnerships with a variety of community volunteers and entities including non-profit organizations, energy agencies, local governments, and public institutions.

The NCAT is looking for individuals 18 and older who work well in a team environment, can relate to individuals from diverse backgrounds, have sound organizational skills, and act in a professional manner, as well as have a strong interest in energy conservation and community development.

Energy Corps members will be eligible for a modest living allowance, an education award for college, health insurance, child care assistance, and the opportunity for professional development in green-collar career pathways, providing essential elements for good and secure jobs in the growing clean energy economy.

Currently, two Arkansas organizations are seeking Energy Corps members:

University of Arkansas, Applied Sustainability Center (Fayetteville, AR)
This Energy Corps member will work on the Applied Sustainability Center’s Sustainable Energy Scorecards and Education for Municipalities program. The member will work with 8 cities in Arkansas to assist with strategic energy planning as well as energy outreach and education.

• Term of service: June 3, 2013 – April 30, 2014
• Anticipated service schedule: 1700 hours over course of service term. Roughly 40 hours per week. Occasional evening/weekend hours may be necessary.
• Download the full description
• Apply at Americorps.gov

Illinois River Watershed Partnership (Cave Springs, AR)
This Energy Corps member will be working closely with the Project Manager to provide public education and outreach on water and energy conservation practices, provide technical assistance to current project grant recipients, document public knowledge gain through surveys, and build capacity for the Illinois River Watershed Partnership.

• Term of service: June 3, 2013 – April 30, 2014
• Anticipated service schedule: Members serve 900 hours over the term of service, averaging 20 hours per week, which may include some evening and weekend hours.
• Download the full description
• Apply at Americorps.gov

Deadline to apply is Monday, April 22, 2013.

For more information about the Energy Corps program, visit http://energycorps.org.

Photo courtesy of NWA Transit Alternatives Analysis, a project of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.

Interested in transit and rail?

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is hosting a public meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2013, to gather information from northwest Arkansas citizens who have an interest in an urbanized area north-south corridor “fixed guideway” transit system.

The meeting will be an informal drop-in session between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the conference room of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission Office located at 1311 Clayton Street in Springdale, AR 72762.

The Northwest Arkansas Transportation Alternatives Analysis is examining the need for and feasibility of a north-south fixed-guideway transit system in Washington and Benton counties. The final objective of an Alternatives Analysis study is to determine a locally preferred option. This locally preferred option should include both the mode and location of a fixed guideway transit system. These mode options might include light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, or automated personal rapid transit. The north-south study corridor extends approximately 40 miles from south from Bella Vista to Greenland.

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC), an agency that provides planning for the region’s counties and cities, is the coordinator of the study. The Commission is working with the consulting engineering firm to carry out the study. The study is estimated to take twelve more months.

Interested citizens are encouraged to attend the meeting and examine maps, aerial photographs and study displays, as well as fill out survey forms to record suggestions and concerns that relate to a fixed guideway transit system. The planners and engineers who are developing the study will be available during the meeting to answer questions and discuss ideas and suggestions that the public may have regarding the proposed guideway.

For more information, contact NWARPC at (479) 751-7125

Happy hour with a “green” twist! Little Rock Green Drinks meets once a month to discuss earth-friendly ideas and goals. The event is held 2nd Tuesday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The House Gastropub (722 N. Palm) in Little Rock. Come out and socialize with others iterested in sustainability and the environment! Contact Chris Franke for more information.

Join the Bernice Garden for the 3rd Annual Plant and Poultry Swap, this Saturday April 13 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Bernice Garden (corner of 15th and Main streets) in downtown Little Rock.

Bring your plants, seeds, pots, books, gardening tools, hens, roosters, chicks, ducks, eggs, and any other feathered friends to swap with fellow neighbors.

Don’t forget your appetite! Boulevard Bread Company will be cooking up ribs, chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, BBQ beans, and banana pie.

There will be gardening tips, demos, kids’ activities, and live music by Handmade Moments Jazz. Get ready to do your best chicken dance!

Click here for more information.

Are you a central Arkansas resident between the age of 16 and 26? Looking for a meaningful summer work?

Apply to join the Little Rock Summer of Solutions!

During the Summer of Solutions, you will receive training in community organizing and sustainable community development techniques. You will use these skills to demonstrate the promise of energy efficiency, community-based energy, green industry, local food production, and/or smart design. Beyond the concrete skills you learn, Summer of Solutions will be a really fun community-based experience. It is a great chance to grow with, learn from, and work with other incredible young people and community leaders who are building a better future.

You can participate in the Summer of Solutions at two different levels, both of which use the online application:

1. Full-time participant – If Summer of Solutions will be your focus for the summer, and you’ll work intensively day-to-day with a team of other leaders. Full-time participants are accountable for regular participation and mutually-defined responsibilities and leadership roles. You’ll live near other participants and participate in mentorship, project management, and team innovation.
2. Part-time participant – If you’ll also have another commitment that will take up a lot of your time this summer- either you’ll only be in central Arkansas for part of the summer or you’ll only be available on a part-time basis throughout the summer.

Apply by clicking here.

Deadline to apply is April 14, 2013.

Visit www.lryouthaction.org for more information about the Little Rock Summer of Solutions.