Desert Messenger

September 17, 2014

Desert Messenger is your local connection for news, events, and entertainment!

Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/382072

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 3 of 23

4 www.DesertMessenger.com September 17, 2014 Watch for burros while driving to Yuma We have great lunch menus, serving at 12 noon sharp! Suggested donation is only $3.50. There's cards, books, games, puzzles, pool table, Wi-Fi available. Community Services, Volunteers Needed! Come join the fun at Quartzsite SENIOR Center 40 Moon Mountain Ave. For more information call 928-927-6496 Senior Center open all year! Monday - Friday, 10am – 2pm JAM (Jesus and Me) Ministries, of Quartzsite First Assembly of God Church, will hold their annual Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, October 4th, from 5pm - 7pm at Quartzsite First Assembly of God Church. You can purchase tick- ets from any of the JAM Ministry lead- ers or the children. Tickets will also be sold at the door. $6 per plate includes spaghetti, salad, bread, drink and a dessert. The church is located at 665 W. Tyson St., Quartzsite. Your donations supporting this event will help children attend summer camp, and the Annual Fall Festival being held October 25th at the Community Center. JAM also has various activities for children and fami- lies to attend throughout the year. Call 928-916-2266 for more information. Spaghetti dinner planned for Oct. 4 The Quartzsite Woman's Club will be having their annual Harvest Festival Beer and Wine Tasting on Saturday, October 18, 2014. It will be held at Ty- son's Show Grounds on West Keuhn. There will be raffl es and a fi fty-fi fty drawing. You need not be present to win. There will be tables available for showing and or selling your merchan- dise (no raffl es). To reserve a table (donation $20.00) please call Anita Carlson at 928-927-4410. All reserved tables must be paid for by the 15th. The funds from this event permit the Woman's Club to give scholarships to Quartzsite Students. Thanks, Audrey Beer & Wine Tasting planned for Oct. 18 READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) 928-927-6551 BLM encourages motorists to be especially cautious while driving along Highway 95 between mile posts 40 and 70 "During the last few weeks, there have been numerous traffi c acci- dents associated with wild burros in that area," said Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Yuma Field Manager John MacDonald. Last week, four burros were struck and killed on Highway 95 between mile markers 51 and 65. There have been no reports of serious injuries to the motorists involved in the collisions so far, but crashing into burros can be fatal if the animals come through the vehicle's windshield. The stretch of highway where the burros are gathering passes through Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) where thousands of employ- ees and contractors travel to and from each day. Recent rains have left water near the road, and the horses and bur- ros are staying in the area to enjoy the water and vegetation. These animals didn't evolve with motor vehicles and don't know to get out of the way. Because horses' and burros' eyes are on the sides of their heads, they have poor binocu- lar vision and can't judge the speed of an oncoming vehicle. Striking an equine with a vehicle can cause tremendous damage to the vehicle and injury or death to the driver and passengers. The horses and burros on YPG are protected under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Most of YPG is within the animals' herd area. Under the law, the animals have a right to be here. According to the act, "wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West … and are to be considered in the area where presently found as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands." YPG offi cials said, "Until funds are available to fence the stretch of the Highway 95 through YPG, drivers need to be specially alert at times of the year when water and forage bring horses and burros to the vicinity of the highway." Burros are especially problematic on roads because they evaluate a situation before they fi ght or fl ee. Faced with a speeding vehicle, a burro is completely bemused. Horses are much fl ightier by nature and deal with unknowns by run- ning away. MacDonald said, "We are very concerned about the safety of the traveling public and also the burros that roam in the area. Please be ex- tra careful when you drive through that stretch of the road." Quartzsite - Frank E. Anner, 91, of Quartzsite is responding well to treatment following a rattle- snake bite Wednesday, Sept. 10th. Anner encountered the snake upon entering the Gen- eral Store on Main Street. "I opened the door and got bit when I walked in," Anner said Thursday from his hospital room in Phoenix. "I didn't see it, but I felt it." Anner said he should be getting back to normal soon, after spend- ing a few days in Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center where he was undergoing treatment for the bite just above his ankle. Quartzsite Fire and Rescue has responded to multiple snake abatement calls this summer. Remember the myth about rat- tlers traveling in pairs? Well, this time, it's true. The snake which bit Anner was just inside the door, and friends found another one outside in the parking lot. The peak season for snakebites is July through September, and the weather in Quartzsite lately has been idealA rattlesnake can generally strike its body length, so keeping a good distance away from it is key. Anyone bitten by a snake should seek immediate medical attention. Twenty percent of the time, the bite is considered a dry bite, where no venom enters the victim. Death from a rattle- snake bite is very rare. Hospital offi cials said Anner is the oldest snakebite victim doc- tors could remember. Anner advises folks if you those snake holes with water, "they'll come up. When they see you, then you better be careful!" 91 year-old recovering well after rattlesnake bite

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Desert Messenger - September 17, 2014