Community briefs for Oct. 3, 2003

Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 9:11 a.m.

University Forum targets Antarctica

"Terra Antarctica" will be the topic of the University Forum lecture at 7:30 p.m. Monday in UNLV's Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History.

During the slide-illustrated lecture, William Fox of the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation will discuss how human beings have transformed the continent's barren land into landscape. Fox will show images that trace the manifestation of the change in the cartography, art, and history of the Antarctic.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Call 895-3401.

Firewood cutting season begins

Fuel woodcutting season in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area began Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service rangers said.

The cutting season for wood used in fireplaces and furnaces runs through Feb. 28 and includes the Mount Charleston area. Cutting can be done every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but a permit is required, rangers said.

The cost of a permit is $20 per cord and there is a limit of five cords per household. A cord is 4-by-4-by-8 feet and loads can be taken in quarter-cord increments.

Live trees cannot be cut down. A permit allows cords to be cut from downed wood only, rangers said. Area maps and collecting requirements are included with each permit.

Permits are sold weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the district office at 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive. Also, permits are sold at the Kyle Canyon Visitors Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at the Pahrump town office during weekdays.

Senior Friends learn meditation

Senior Friends will offer a program that teaches participants how to relax through meditation, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekly beginning Monday.

Students will learn active and passive forms of meditation, which are therapies for sleep disorders, high blood pressure, weight issues and overall well-being.

The class is open to anyone 50 or older, and participants need not be a member of Senior Friends.

Admission is $5.

Call 735-5510 to register.

Nutrition expert discusses health

Nutrition consultant Trudy Ekstrom will discuss the role of a nutritionist and how a changing diet can help achieve better health, 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Sunrise Senior Friends, 3101 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 314.

Ekstrom will also present information on how a simple urine nutritional test can actually provide information to help project the future of our health.

To register, call 735-5510.