News for Boaters Red Cross appeals for blood Late in January, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross announced that severe winter weather in the heartland of North America had caused cancellation of more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations.
Photo courtesy American Red Cross "We have not seen the January supply drop this dramatically in a decade and we need to reverse this now", said Scott L. Caswell, CEO of the Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region. "You don't wait to refuel once you've run out of gas." All blood types are needed, especially type O negative, to ensure a reliable supply for patients. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate. The Red Cross urges all eligible donors in unaffected areas to make an appointment to give blood or platelets in the coming days, and those in affected areas to donate as soon as travel is deemed safe, by visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). ORSANCO River Sweep Poster Contest winners named The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) has announced its winners in the 17th annual River Sweep Poster Contest. The River Sweep is an annual riverbank cleanup held each year along the Ohio River and its major tributaries. The Grand Prize Winner is Sarah Moinuddean, of Vienna, W.Va. She is an eighth-grader at Jackson Middle School, Vienna. She will receive a $500 US Savings Bond and her artwork will be used in promoting the 2011 River Sweep. In addition the art department at Jackson Middle School will receive $100 for art supplies. 
Moinuddean's prize-winning poster Courtesy ORSANCO The T-shirt design winner is Haven Carter, Evansville, Ind. Haven is a sophomore at Benjamin Bosse High School, Evansville, Ind. She will receive a $500 US Savings Bond and her poster design will be used as the T-shirt design for all River Sweep shirts. Each person participating in the River Sweep receives a free T-shirt. Out of a total of 2,000 entries, Jeanne Ison, project director, said 15 other young people won first place, at least one in each grade level kindergarten through 12th grade. They each will receive a $50 US Savings Bond. The 2011 River Sweep will be conducted Saturday, June 18. Persons interested in more information about the Sweep can contact Jeanne Ison at (513) 231-7719 or 1-800-359-3977. Eat more lionfish--"The Lionfish Cookbook" published Reuters recently reported that the Key Largo-based REEF conservation organization has released "The Lionfish Cookbook," a collection of 45 recipes. Members of the group hope it will help counter an invasion of the non-native reddish brown-striped fish in Florida waters. The cookbook sells for $16.95. "It's absolutely good eating -- a delicacy. It's white meat, very buttery," Lad Akins, director of special projects for Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), told Reuters. He wrote the cookbook along with professional chef Tricia Ferguson. Red lionfish, a prickly predator armed with flaring venomous spines like a lion's mane that give them their name, are native to the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.U.S. government researchers believe the fish was introduced into Florida waters during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 when an aquarium broke, and a few fish entered Miami's Biscayne Bay. With few natural predators, they have been rapidly expanding in Caribbean and Atlantic waters. Akins says the fish, which lives among coral, can be netted, speared or caught by rod and reel, but he recommends handling them with puncture-proof gloves to avoid a painful prick from the venomous spines. Lionfish meat is safe to eat and contains no venom. "The venom is only in the spines. Cooking the fish would denature the venom, even if you left the spines on. It's simple enough just to cut the spines off," he said. Order the cookbook here. | 
