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News You Can Use August 24, 2007 Obtaining Free Risk & Vulnerability Assessments for Our Institutions Schools, water treatment facilities, recreational venues, historic sites, power plants, commercial buildings, courthouses, bridges and tunnels are among the types of facilities that may be vulnerable to threats, security breaches, and terrorism. The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) has developed a specially-trained team of troopers to identify potential threats and security vulnerabilities among our institutions. The Risk & Vulnerability Assessment Team (RVAT) was created in 2003 by PSP to evaluate public and private entities and provide a free confidential written report to the site owner detailing recommendations for addressing specific concerns. RVAT members are specially trained to conduct the assessments. For additional information or to schedule a risk and vulnerability assessment by the RVAT Team, email your request to ra-pspoffdomesticsecurity@state.pa.us or call 717-346-4085 or 717-346-2634. Members of the public are encouraged to email or call-in reports of suspicious individuals or actions that may be directly or indirectly associated with terrorists or terroristic activity. For immediate help call 911. You may contact the PA Terrorism Tip Line at 1-888-292-1919 or submit information through the Homeland Security Tip Submission Page. For more on the State Police Domestic Security Office, go to or go directly to the PSP Homeland Security Tip Submission Entry Form. Ag Curriculum Designed for Students in Preschool to High School Educators planning to teach agriculture to students are getting a helping hand from the PA Department of Agriculture and Marketplace for the Mind. Teaching tools are available to facilitate instruction through curriculum aligned with Pennsylvania's "science & technology" and "environment & ecology" teaching standards, according to the Departments of Agriculture and Education. Information is offered in the form of articles, brochures, CDs, educational games, fact sheets, kits, labs, lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, workbooks, videos, charts, and websites, among others. Go to Marketplace for the Mind. Link to grant sources such as Adopt-a-Classroom, where teachers can register to be adopted by an individual, a business, or a foundation and receive $500 worth of credit to purchase educational items. Click here to find this and other grant opportunities. Wildlife Art Supports Conservation White-tail deer scatter in one and male wood ducks compete for the attention of a female in the other as two of the latest prints selected for reproduction by the PA Game Commission (PGC) go on sale. The collectible art series, including the framed and unframed prints from the PGC, raises dollars to support wildlife conservation. No room for more art, order a copy of the Ned Smith Book of Game News Covers . The beautiful outdoors is brought indoors each month when the subscribers of Pennsylvania Game News receive their monthly edition in the mail. Gracing each cover is a work of art depicting wildlife throughout the Commonwealth. Frequently, the work of artist Ned Smith covers the front of that publication. His work is captured in the 144-page book of Game News Covers. The PGC Outdoor Shop is stocked with more than art. Purchase your hunting and furtaker licenses on-line; subscribe to or renew your subscription to PA Game News; acquire educational and informational publications, and buy award-winning wildlife videos. You can find these along with the collectible art. The PGC announces the latest prints and products offered. State Park and Forest Lands Enter DMAP Over 941,000 acres of Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests are being added to the PA Game Commission's Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) to manage the white-tailed deer population and reduce crop and forestland damage. The PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources' (DCNR) request increases from 12 to 16 the number of participating State Parks. Nearly 1,600 permits will be granted for approximately 80,300 acres situated within State Parks. In addition, 67 state forest sites will be allotted more than 17,500 permits for a little over 861,400 acres. State parks participating in DMAP include: Bald Eagle, Canoe Creek, Codorus, Cook Forest, Hickory Run, Kings Gap, Moraine, Nescopeck, Ohiopyle, Oil Creek, Presque Isle, Prince Gallitzin, Ricketts Glen, Ryerson Station, Shawnee and Tobyhanna. Applications for a DMAP permit can be submitted by mail, phone, and online. Applicants are also being accepted on a walk-in basis at parks or the forest district. For more DMAP details contact Merlin Benner, Wildlife Specialist, Bureau of Forestry at 570-724-8140 or jobenner@state.pa.us. Access application procedures, maps, and more. See the DCNR Announcement. Find helpful DMAP links for landowners and hunters. Home Mortgage Smarts If you are considering buying a home and are looking for a little help with the procedures associated with mortgages, the PA Office of Attorney General offers Home Mortgage Smarts, an online resource to get you started. Find explanations of terms like the loan to value ratio of your property and tips on how to shop for the best mortgage rates and options. Balloon payments, the right to rescind, and more are covered on the OAG's webpage. Access Home Mortgage Smarts. If you are considering refinancing or borrowing against your home's equity, the OAG recommends Loan Smarts—What Every Borrower Should Know. The 2-page brochure looks at topics such as avoiding equity stripping and understanding loan flipping and the types of loans being made available. See the OAG's Bureau of Consumer Protection's full list of brochures on an assortment of subjects. PA Department of Aging Offers Online Resources Older Pennsylvanians and their loved ones will find the state's Department of Aging website loaded with useful information presented under a series of topics. Click on a subsection to locate a vast array of facts and services. The following is a sample of the Department's covered topics:
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