Precautions urged for wildfire season

CHILLICOTHE — Ohioans are urged to be aware of the state’s outdoor burning regulations and take necessary precautions if they are planning to burn debris, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry.

“About 500 wildfires are reported during spring wildfire season burning about 3,000 acres,” said David Lytle, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry. “Almost every wildfire in Ohio is caused by human factors, and they can be easily avoided by understanding outdoor burning regulations and safe burning practices.”

Ohio law states that outdoor burning is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during March, April and May. Burning is limited in the spring due to the abundance of dry fuel on the ground before small, grassy fuels green up with moisture.

The Ohio Division of Forestry, through its FireWise program, provides rural homeowners with tips on protecting rural homes and communities. Information can be found at www.ohiodnr.com/forestry and www.firewise.org.

Teaching, learning expo scheduled

PORTSMOUTH — Shawnee State University will be hosting a Teaching and Learning Center Expo from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday, March 26 in the Flohr Lecture Hall.

“During the past year, many of our faculty and staff have been expanding their approaches to teaching and learning and developing technical skills to better address the needs of 21st century learners at Shawnee State University,” Barbara Kunkle, professor of English, said.

The expo will showcase 21st century knowledge and skills in both exhibits and short presentations geared to the entire university community.

Exhibits and demonstrations by SSU faculty about their research and exploration of Web 2.0 technologies — including Elluminate, Screencast-O-Matic, Jing, YouTube, Yammer, microfilms and more, as well as reports from faculty who are presenting their work at the expo.

Kunkle will give a presentation on Quality Matters, a certification process for quality in online instruction at 11:30 a.m.

For more information, call Mary Cummings at (740) 351-3461 or e-mail mcummings@shawnee.edu or call Kunkle at (740) 351-3739 or e-mail bkunkle@shawnee.edu.

The keynote speaker for the expo will be head of the Health Sciences Copyright Office at The Ohio State University Medical Center, Anne Gilliland.