The Homestead Trail is a 63-mile trail connecting Jamaica Nebraska to Marietta, Kansas, which is just outside of Marysville, Kansas. The Homestead Trail would connect with Wilderness Park in Lincoln, the Beatrice City trail system and then extend west to the Homestead Monument. The abandoned UP line is one of the most scenic and historical corridors in the Southeast Nebraska area. 

Two grants totaling around $900.000 have been applied for by the City of Beatrice, Lancaster County, the Lower Platte South NRD, the Nemaha Valley NRD and the City of Beatrice and Lincoln are all supporting coalition members.

The trails organization is called the Homestead Conservation and Trail Association (HCTA). It has an active board and committee members that are fund raising in our community. Purchasing the land is the most difficult task of this project. HCTA is responsible for supplying matching funds of $123,000 and the community support necessary to buy the property. The organization needs to have at least $50.000 By May 31st of this year.  The current rail banking extension expires in June 2001 and UP wants to see serious commitment and support from the community.

 Now is the time for nature lovers, bird watchers, hiking/biking enthusiasts, wildlife habitat supporters, economic developers and all political officials to join together in our resolve to raise enough money to make this trail a reality.  Remember once this opportunity is lost, the trail possibility is lost forever.                                                                                                                   

              Your tax-deductible donations can be made to the "Nebraska Trails Foundation"                                                    

Send To:

The Homestead Trail, c/o The Great Plains Trails Network

The best path to fitness, by far, is regular physical activity. Active people have an easier time maintaining their weight. They also tend to be healthier and to have a better attitude toward life in general.

 To become more active, you can join a health club – or just start a walking routine in your neighborhood. To get the benefits, all you need is a total of 30 to 45 minutes of moderate activity for at least 5 days a week. For example, three brisk 10-minute walks will do the trick. 

The bottom line is very simple: get off the couch, get moving, and keep moving. And; while you’re up, change the “E” word from Exercise to Enjoyment. You’ll be much more likely to make activity part of your daily routine if you are having a good time. Here are ten easy, fun ways to move more and to enhance your flexibility, your strength, and your overall fitness at any age.

Walk around the house, around the neighborhood, or around the mall. Walk to the grocery store, the post office or the park. Walk alone or with a friend. Just walk…every day.

The idea is to get people moving! According to the Surgeon General’s Report On Physical Activity and Health, moving means just that: From washing the car to scrubbing the floor, and everything in between. At work, moving can mean taking the stairs, walking, stretching during a break and just about anything that gets your employees up and moving around. This day is observed on May 17^th of this year. Encourage your worksite to become involved. It is simple and fun to do…just log on to www.physicalfitness.org and get all the information you need to get an activity started. We at PATCH want to hear from you. Let us know what your worksite did on that day. Take pictures and send the information to us. We’ll publicize your efforts and who knows…maybe you’ll win a prize.

Send your information to: GAGE COUNTY PATCH at 1200 South 9^th Street - Parkview Center -  Beatrice, NE 68310.

WALKING IN BEATRICE

National Suicide Awareness Week

 May 6-12, 2001 

Gage County Suicide Prevention Task Force began in July 2000 in answer to the concerns of suicide and its risks in our county and state. The group meets monthly and is beginning plans toward prevention activities in conjunction with the national observance of suicide prevention week. These events included a proclamation by Mayor Bartels and a remembrance ceremony on Sunday, May 6^th. The week included a youth event at Chautauqua Park on Tuesday, church participation, and ended with a Race for Life at the fairgrounds on racing Saturday. All to promote the awareness of depression and suicide in addition to helping people recognize the warning signs and get help. If you are a survivor, volunteer, professional, community member, youth or anyone interested in being involved with this group, just contact Sharon Langvardt at 402-223-5544, Cindy Riekenberg at 402-223-2777, or Cindy Crone at 402-645-3906 or Gage County Task Force, P.O. Box 403, Beatrice, NE 68310 - SuicideTaskForce@aol.com

BE AWARE OF THE FACTS:

·        Over 30,000 people in the United States kill themselves every year

·        Suicide is the 8^th leading cause of death

·        Suicide is the 3^rd leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds

·        There are four male suicides for every female one

·        Every 41 seconds someone in this country attempts suicide

·        Every 16.7 minutes, someone completes suicide

·        Over 85 people a day die by suicide

·        Firearms are now used in more suicides than homicides

·        Death by firearms is the fastest growing method of suicide

·        7 PEOPLE KILLED THEMSELVES IN GAGE COUNTY IN 1998

DIABETES - HEART DISEASE - ASTHMA - DEPRESSION

What do these illnesses have in common?

DEPRESSION

Treat it as if your life depended on it!

For information call 1-888-511-SAVE or visit www.save.org

SYMPTOMS  OF  DEPRESSION  IN  ADULTS

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW EXPERIENCES THESE FEELINGS

GET HELP!

Talk to someone…you are not alone.

Contact:

Build a Healthy

Lifestyle

• Take aerobic classes at a local gym or community college.
• Form a walking club with your co-workers or neighbors.
• Be more active around your house and yard.
• Walk to the store a few times per week.

Make it a SAFE KIDS SUMMER!

Don't take a vacation from safety.

33% of all adults and 11% of today’s children are overweight, raising their risk of illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer. The cause of this obesity epidemic: inactivity and high-calorie diet. And a primary reason is excessive television watching. For example, in March 1998 the Journal of the American Medical Association confirmed that children who watch four or more hours of television per day are significantly heavier than children who watch less than two hours per day.

 The 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health showed that 60% of Americans don’t get enough physical exercise to stay healthy, and 25% engage in no physical activity whatsoever. Television commercials tend to promote a high fat, high sugar and high salt diet.

 Excessive TV watching promotes eating disorders. Television promotes a stereotypical ultra-slender female body image while subjecting viewers to commercials for high-fat, high sugar foods. The result is a mix of “thin is in” and “eat, eat, eat”. An adaptive response to this contradiction may be the practice of bingeing and purging known as bulimia. An estimated 3 – 10% of adolescent and college-age women are bulimic.

 On April 23-29, 2001 millions of children and adults around the country voluntarily turned off their TV sets for seven days and rediscovered that life can be more constructive, rewarding, healthy, fun – even more informed – when they do more and watch less. You can do your part today. Provide better alternatives to TV, develop strict limits with your children, discuss with your children regarding the types of programs they watch and what is an appropriate amount of time to spend watching TV. Hide the remote control. Don’t use TV as a reward. Listen to your favorite music or the radio instead of TV. Don’t let TV replace what is important: family conversation, exercise, play, reading, creating, thinking and doing.