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CoCoRaHS came about as a result of a devastating flash flood that hit Fort Collins, Colorado, in July 1997. A local severe thunderstorm dumped over a foot of rain in several hours while other portions of the city had only modest rainfall. The ensuing flood caught many by surprise and caused $200 million in damages. CoCoRaHS was born in 1998 with the intent of doing a better job of mapping and reporting intense storms. As more volunteers participated, rain, hail, and snow maps were produced for every storm showing fascinating local patterns that were of great interest to scientists and the public.

Maine and New Hampshire joined the CoCoRaHS program in 2009. By 2010, the CoCoRaHS network had reached all 50 states with eight to ten thousand observations being reported each day. Through CoCoRaHS, thousands of volunteers, young and old, document the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail and snow by taking simple measurements in their own backyards.

Volunteers may obtain an official rain gauge through the CoCoRaHS website ( http://www.cocorahs.org ) for about $27 plus shipping. Besides the need for an official 4 inch plastic rain gauge, volunteers are required to take a simple training module online and use the CoCoRaHS website to submit their reports. Observations are immediately available on maps and reports for the public to view. The process takes only five minutes a day, but the impact to the community is tenfold: By providing high quality, accurate measurements, the observers are able to supplement existing networks and provide useful results to scientists, resource managers, decision makers and other users.

“By entering their data, CoCoRaHS volunteers can keep an online database of their weather records, and can compare their precipitation totals with their neighbors,” says Stacie Hanes, CoCoRaHS State Coordinator and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

How does one become a CoCoRaHS observer? Go to the CoCoRaHS website above and click on the “Join CoCoRaHS” emblem on the upper right side of the main website. After registering, take the simple online training, order your 4 inch rain gauge and start reporting!

“Egypt” will be on display in the Co-op’s Cafe Gallery for the month of September. Marsanskis’ desire to see the pyramids of Egypt began at age 8 on a trip to see the ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Boston Museum of Art. Last year, she spent two weeks in Egypt, fulfilling her lifelong dream and capturing scenes of both ancient and modern-day Egypt. She has been taking photographs since high school with a 35mm Nikon camera passed on to her by her mother, who received her first camera from her father. All photographs are taken with Ilford HP5+ 35mm film and printed in a darkroom on Ilford Pearl RC paper.

The Belfast Co-op, open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., is located downtown at 123 High St. For more information, call 338-2532 or visit belfast.coop.

Participants will learn how to make use of recyclable, organic school waste materials and plant school gardens. The workshop provides an opportunity to learn how to close the circle between food and waste in schools, according to UMaine Extension Professor Mark Hutchinson, who will lead the course.

The program will challenge participants to think critically about waste reduction, develop an integrated waste-recycling program and learn how it fits into the current school curriculum. The program integrates math, science, language arts and reading into a real life problem-solving, money-saving endeavor.

The workshop will provide ample opportunities for participants to network and learn from each other. They’ll learn how to turn recyclable organic material into compost and help create a sustainable environment and have fun with the Maine Compost team.

Pre-registration is required to attend the workshop. The cost is $200 per person and includes lunch both days, plus educational materials. The registration deadline is June 17.

For more information, directions, accommodations, tentative program schedule or to register online, please visit the Extension website (www.composting.org) or contact the Knox-Lincoln Cooperative Extension at 207-832-0343. Anyone with a disability who needs accommodations for this program should contact Mark Hutchinson to discuss their needs at least 10 days in advance.

Drop off times for goods: Thursday from 10-6, Friday from 10-6, Saturday from 8-3, Sunday from 8-3.

They need toiletry items, dry pet food, can-openers, non-perishables, charcoal, moving boxes and packing tape, and bottled water. Oakhurst Dairy and Hannaford are supporting this trip and we would welcome any donation you are able to afford! Please check back and call if you have any questions. I am leaving Tuesday night and need to be completely loaded by Monday night.

The “Maine Jobs Now Agenda” identifies the root causes of the recession, proposes three major principles for job creation, and highlights the policies that will either create or destroy jobs in Maine. The gutting of the Informed Growth Act, which mandates that big box stores par for comprehensive impact studies of their effects on local economies before permitting decisions are made, is featured as one of the largest threats to small businesses in Maine.

LD 322 as amended would make compliance with the Act optional. It is scheduled for a vote in the House Thursday morning.

During the winter season, electric and gas utilities may not disconnect utility service without express permission from the Commission’s Consumer Assistance Division. During the summer period, utilities are not required to receive permission from the Consumer Assistance Division prior to disconnecting customers. They must still, however, follow Commission rules which govern the timely issuance of disconnection notices and other procedures before a utility service may be terminated.

The Commission encourages consumers who have not paid their entire amounts-due over the winter and are unable to bring their accounts current (or, pay the full amount due) immediately, to contact their electric or gas utility to ensure that payment arrangements are either established or are up to date and fully understood by both parties. If there is a disagreement, consumers should contact the Commission’s Consumer Assistance Division at 1-800-452-4699.

The Consumer Assistance Division can assist consumers in their efforts to negotiate a payment plan with their utility. In addition, customers can also call 2-1-1, which can direct them to federal, state and local resources available to help them pay utility bills.