PLEASE NOTE: DATE CHANGE TO THE 15th!

Everything is moving forward with our Adopt a Trail program! After our regular meeting August 15, we’ll go to Hazel Ruby Park together and clean up the trail for the first time. If you can’t make the regular meeting but want to help out, I suggest calling one of us ahead of time to figure out when we’re heading over. (Rough guess? Around 7pm-ish)

We have adopted the first half mile of the Decker’s Creek Rail Trail.

Please comment below if you plan on coming along to help out. The trail is relatively clean so it won’t be hard. It would be great if you could wear your Good Without God shirts, too. We’ll get a group picture.

Don’t forget to bring gloves!

Any questions, just email me.

If the weather is poor, we’ll reschedule. Stay tuned to this post for any change of plans, email me, or call me (Neece)

at 304-449-4664 for last minute information. This is my home number. If someone can volunteer their cell for people to call at the meeting, please let me know! Butch and I don’t really have a cell phone. (I know, we’re Luddites)

We’d love your support and help!

Related posts

• Our Adopt a Trail (0)
• Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot (0)
• Good Without God (0)
• Adopt a Spot or Adopt a Trail (0)
• Teaming Up, Doing Good (0)

Once our application is approved (it’s been sent in), we’ll schedule our first cleanup for right after a meeting. I’ll keep you posted as to when that will be.

Here’s a Map:

View Larger Map

This is Hazel Ruby Park, basically behind Wings Ole’ and under the Westover Bridge. This is close to where the trail head is.

Decker’s Creek Trail head. This is where we’ll start. We are adopting 1/2 mile

Along the trail. It’s quite level and relatively clean.

There’s a dog park along the way.

Another view.

The guys at the end of our One Mile.

It was hot out!

Related posts

• Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning (0)
• Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot (0)
• Good Without God (0)
• Adopt a Spot or Adopt a Trail (0)
• Teaming Up, Doing Good (0)

~UPDATE: See full post for an update on the trail that is available in the city, on Decker Creek trail.
~Update 2: Let’s go check out the trail on Sunday. If you want to bike the trail with Butch and I, that would be great. It will be a leisurely bike ride (or maybe a walk if everyone wants to do that instead), around 11 am. Here is a Facebook Event for it. We need a meeting place (someone in Motown needs to decide the best place to meet). Email me for details or join the FB event.

Yesterday we went to Gerald’s 4 spots on Rte 7 (Earl Core Rd) and verified that the stretch of road the spots are in are already adopted. So Butch and I went a bit further (past Greer) and found 2 other spots, one which we prefer (because it’s a bit bigger and looks nicer, ie: better view and safer looking with more room for us to be on the side).

Here are 4 pictures of the one we liked, along with a map and Google Map street view. As you can see in one of the pictures, there’s trash there, so it needs a bit of attention. The image of the grass just shows, from the spot, the creek within easy walking distance:

Here’s the Google Map:

View My Saved Places in a larger map

Now, as I mentioned at our meeting last night, Butch noticed a sign on the Rail Trail down at Prickett’s Fort that there is an Adopt a Trail program! I am in contact with someone from Mon River Trails Conservancy and will hopefully have more details to add here soon. It’s the same basic program as Adopting a Road or Spot, but we’d be doing a trail instead.

~Update: There is a 2.5 mile stretch available in city limits, which would be ideal. We don’t have to take the whole thing. We can take just a mile if we want. The stretch available is on the Decker Creek Trail from Hazel Ruby Park to Marilla Park. Here is the updated map:

View Larger Map

Pros of the Adopt a Trail program: (feel free to contribute to the pros and cons list of either the Spot or the Trail)

• It’s longer than a Spot so we’d probably get 2 signs, one at each end.
• The signs are quite noticeable to people on the trail because they are on bikes or on foot, hence not going extremely fast like on the road.
• Probably less litter than a state road.
• Our audience would be more into fitness and nature, both things I think a lot of us care about (especially nature)
• The rail trails get a lot of foot and bike traffic, even in Marion County. I imagine they get even more in Mon County.

Cons of the Adopt a Trail program:

• We’ll have to adopt about a mile of trail

Pros of the Adopt a Spot program:

• It’s small so shouldn’t take long to clean

Cons of the Adopt a Spot program:

• It’s small and we have no idea how many people will even notice the sign off the road at the spot, or how many people in a year actually ever stop there

Related posts

• Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning (0)
• Our Adopt a Trail (0)
• Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot (0)
• Teaming Up, Doing Good (0)
• Talk To An Atheist on Atheist Hotline (0)

Here are Gerald’s directions: Pioneer Rocks is along Earl Core Rd. Earl Core Rd. is the road that goes through Sabraton, but this is going along it in the other direction. Instead of going through Sabraton, go towards where the Comcast office is (along Earl Core Rd and Summer School Rd, which is the one going up the hill next to the Comcast office). Continue along Earl Core Rd., through Dellslow, for about a mile. After about a mile, you will cross a two lane bridge that goes over Decker’s Creek. The first left after you cross the bride is Tyrone Rd, where the Botanical Gardens are located. Stay on Earl Core Rd. and continue going up the hill to the first spot. They are all on your right.

Gerald tried to pick wide places, since people speed on that road. All these spots along Decker’s Creek are between the entrance to Tyrone Rd. and Greer Limestone.

SPOT 1: The first spot is the fourth pull over spot. I like it because there is a path down to the creek:

SPOT 2: The second spot is at the top of the hill. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but there is a large rock on the hillside that you can see when coming up the hill. You can’t really see much of it in the picture or when you are standing at the spot, but it does have a nice view looking down the hill at the creek:

SPOT 3: The third spot is near address 4371 Earl Core Rd. There is a bit of a washed out path leading down to the creek and there are some nice large boulders to look at from there:

SPOT 4: The fourth spot is on very close to the creek. It is across from a gravel road with a cattle gate on it. There are a couple more spots similar to this one:

Hopefully this helps us to determine if we want to chose one of these. One good thing about them is that Gerald saw no litter, so they are pretty clean. Also, being along the creek and the hillside, it is cool in some of the spots.

Here’s a link to a map that shows Earl Core Rd from Tyrone to the third spot, just to give you a rough idea of where things are.

The next step is to get GPS locations for the spots and to choose which one we like. Please vote in the sidebar and leave comments here with any thoughts or ideas about the spots. Also, if you have other spots that you think are better or worth looking at, comment or email Neece with pictures, GPS locations, directions, etc.

Related posts

• Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning (0)
• Our Adopt a Trail (0)
• Good Without God (0)
• Adopt a Spot or Adopt a Trail (0)
• Teaming Up, Doing Good (0)

A full schedule of events:

Saturday, April 24th:

- Social Gathering at the CFI DC Center with Pizza and Salad in the evening; Welcome to DC by Matt Separa, OPP Policy Analyst

Sunday, April 25th:

- AM: Policy briefings on legislative issues and lobby training

- PM: Two Exhibits at the Smithsonian: One on Charles Darwin and one on Human Evolution; Coffee and Dessert with Doug Crandall

Monday, April 26th:

- AM: A walking tour of Robert G. Ingersoll’s life in Washington DC led by Steve Lowe; lobby training; briefing by an invited member of Congress on current legislative priorities

- PM: Tour of Capitol Visitor Center including a visit to the House of Representatives’ Gallery

Tuesday, April 27th:

- All Day: Lobbying visits on Capitol Hill, debriefing, and departures.

Cost: $100.00 per Person, $ 25.00 per Student, $90 for Friends of the Center.

We are holding a block of rooms at the Donovan House Hotel for $119 single or double per night. For reservations, contact The Donovan House at 800-383-6900, Monday through Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm Eastern Time. Reservations must be guaranteed with a credit card. An email confirmation will be provided.

The rate is only guaranteed until the cut-off date, March 31, 2010 under the code “Center for Inquiry,” so hurry!

Participants are encouraged to book before the cut-off date because April is a busy month. There is a 24-hour cancellation policy in order to avoid cancellation fees for the hotel reservation. The Donovan House is located at 1155 14th Street NW in downtown Washington—just blocks from the White House—and has easy access to the Metro system.

To register for Civic Days, please visit CFI’s online registration page. For more information, contact Matt Separa at 202-546-2330 or msepara@centerforinquiry.net.

New Info for Students: Hostelling International Washington DC!

For our student participants, we are pleased to offer the option of staying at a hostel that is close to both the Donovan House and the Metro – Hostelling International Washington DC. Room prices range based on selections and reservation timing, but will generally be less than $40 per night. Students wishing to book accommodations are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. To make a reservation, contact the Hostel at 202-737-2333, or reserve online.

Not included: transportation to or from Washington or accommodations, meals, or transportation while in the city. Everything, including all times, agenda, and pricing are subject to change.

Cancellation Policy: All funds are non-refundable for any reason. Cancellation policy is strictly enforced.

Related posts

• Haitian Earthquake Relief Through CFI (0)
• The Demography of Unbelief (0)
• Monthly Meeting June 6: Founding Fathers and Great Scientists (0)
• “In God We Trust” Engraving To Be Added To Capitol Visitor Center (0)
• Tell your Senator to Stop the Federal Funding of Religious Schools (2)

By design, voucher programs aid struggling Christian schools. A July 2009 report by Rutgers University on the D.C. voucher program concluded that the way the voucher program is structured “essentially push[es] students into Christian Association and Catholic schools, pricing out independent (non-religious) schools and Hebrew schools.”

By continuing this program, those of us who do not wish to subsidize someone else’s church will continue to be forced to do so through our federal tax dollars.

The vote will occur sometime today. Please take five minutes and email your Senators below and tell them to vote against this amendment that would re-authorize this program.

The Secular Coalition for America opposes the use of government funds for religious purposes, including vouchers for religious schools. We agree with the founders of the United States that no individual taxpayer should be required to pay for someone else’s religion. We agree with James Madison. Senator Lieberman wants us to go in a different direction.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship, with your tax money, funds and enables proselytizing and religious discrimination. Recipients of the vouchers who attend religious schools are not even allowed to opt out of religious activities at their school—a direct affront to religious freedom.

It is critical that you write your Senators today and ask them to oppose Sen. Lieberman’s amendment that would re-authorize this program and spend your taxes to fund the religious education of children in D.C.

Go to Secular Coalition for America to send a letter today.

Related posts

• “In God We Trust” Engraving To Be Added To Capitol Visitor Center (0)
• Rediscovering Secular America (0)
• West Virginia Gets An F In Science (2)
• Dan Barker on Fox News Explains the National Day of Prayer (0)
• CFI Civic Days in Washington DC (0)

The Center for Inquiry is accepting disaster-relief donations through its S.H.A.R.E. program to support those providing care to the survivors of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Jan. 12 near the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

All donations—100 percent with no operating costs retained—will be sent directly to the secular aid group Doctors Without Borders , which suffered the loss of all three of its medical facilities and is working against difficulties to provide the basics of first-aid care and stabilization.

The needs of those who’ve lost their family members, their homes, and their livelihoods will be very great. Your assistance will make a huge difference for the victims of this tragic disaster. Please join us and other humanists and skeptics as we help those in need in this time of crisis.

A contribution of any amount would be greatly appreciated by everyone at the Center for Inquiry. Thank you for your continued support of our work, and please consider a donation to S.H.A.R.E. in honor of those in Haiti who need help.

Please make your contribution to S.H.A.R.E. directly by clicking here or on the button above. All funds sent to S.H.A.R.E. are tax exempt in the United States.

S.H.A.R.E. has been recently renamed the Skeptics and Humanist Aid and Relief Effort and has now become a program of the wider-reaching Center for Inquiry, responding to the need to continue providing an alternative for those who wish to contribute to charitable efforts without the intermediary of a religious organization in this time of great need.

Go here to donate through CFI.

Related posts

• CFI Civic Days in Washington DC (0)
• Donation Drive For Thanksgiving (8)
• The Demography of Unbelief (0)
• Panel Discussion of Secular Society, Center for Inquiry (0)
• Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning (0)

One of our missions as Morgantown Atheists is to help others and offer public service, and we are looking forward to participating next year. Unfortunately we found out about it a bit too late this year to organize anything for today.

The NSSD offers suggestions for Service Ideas:

Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Work in a local soup kitchen.

Bake cookies for a firehouse

Help build houses in weather damaged areas.

Help with construction at a local park or other public area.

Clean up a park or other part of the community.

Start or participate in a mentoring program (i.e. Big Brother, Big Sister)

Pick up trash on a highway.

Restore trails or habitats in a National, State, or County park.

Tutor underprivileged students.

Help at an after-school enrichment program.

Hold or attend a blood drive.

Read to children at the library.

Participate in a fundraising walk for a cause (i.e. Walk Now for Autism)

Make get well cards for hospital patients.

Volunteer at a hospital pushing wheelchairs or keeping patients company.

Organize a fundraiser (i.e. concert, dinner, show, etc.) for a charity of your choice.

Help cook, package, or deliver for a local food bank.

Volunteer at a safe home for battered women.

Walk dogs at a shelter

Volunteer at a Nursing Home

Plant trees

Establish a Helping Hands Committee

Participate in Highway cleanup or the Highway garden project

Volunteer for the following worthy organizations:

• Rebuilding Together: helps fix homes for low income families (http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/section/about/)
• Twilight Wish Foundation: provides service and comfort for aging Americans (http://www.twilightwishfoundation.org/)
• National Parks Service: helps preserve and protect America’s national treasures (http://www.nps.gov/gettinginvolved)
• Share our Strength: fights childhood hunger (http://strength.org/)
• Citizen Schools: provides inspiring after-school education for young people (http://www.citizenschools.org/whatwedo/index.cfm)
• CARE: fights global poverty (http://www.care.org/about/index.asp)
• International Rescue Committee: provides safety and sanctuary for victims of violence and disaster (http://www.theirc.org/about)
• Pink Heart Funds: provides hair for wigs for children with cancer (http://www.pinkheartfunds.com/page/page/4228856.htm)

Fun fact: In the spring of 2009, Congress passed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which is a $5.7 billion bill that expands volunteer opportunities for Americans and helps nonprofit groups manage volunteers. Groups should look into this opportunity.

While we are missing the opportunity to participate today, please give your feedback of ideas of how we can help our community through public service in the very near future. If you have any information or suggestions that would help us, please leave comments or email Neece. This is our opportunity to show that secular groups like Morgantown Atheists are full of ethical, compassionate people who are good for goodness sake.

Related posts

• Teaming Up, Doing Good (0)
• Our Rail Trail! August 15: First Cleaning (0)
• Our Adopt a Trail (0)
• May 6: National Day of Reason (1)
• Help Pick Our Adopt-A-Spot (0)

The billboard is up and making the news! You can see all the press we’ve gotten so far here: http://morgantown.unitedcor.org/press . Some of the comments at the different articles are fun and interesting. The Charleston Gazette has 100 comments, the most popular story at the moment. It appears that there are about 3 or 4 positive to each negative comment! Here is the link: http://wvgazette.com/News/200909290601

Rachel has done a great job as our spokesperson. She even got on TV: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=67641 Watch the video too!

So, MorgantownCoR comprises the Morgantown Atheists, the Morgantown Brights, the Freethinkers Morgantown Book Club and the Morgantown Thomas Paine Society. One thing we all want to do is make a positive difference in our community. Through our actions, we can show the traditionally religious people in our area that we are good, moral people too. Together we can make even more of a difference.

As Rachel said earlier today, “Right now, we have the attention of not just our neighbors, but our state. Let’s show them that we are a valuable force in the community. Let’s have a strong showing for our Habitat for Humanity Build this Saturday.”

You can get all the information you need at the Morgantown Brights page: http://www.morgantownbrights.com/2009/09/27/habitatoct3/

Another project we’re looking into is Adopt A Road. Rachel has already started this process rolling. Please let us know if you will be willing to help clean a road with us. We need to show the Brights that the Atheists, Freethinkers and Thomas Paine lovers are also interested in this great endeavor.

We’ll send out more details of what is involved in the Adopt a Road project, but give us an idea if you are interested in helping by commenting below.

So let’s keep the momentum from the billboard going! Please consider showing up for the Habitat for Humanity Build, and let us know we can count on you for the Adopt a Road project.

Also, we will be happy to meet new faces at our upcoming meetings! We’ll keep you posted in the following locations on what events are coming up with our different groups:

Morgantown CoR (includes all events)
Morgantown Atheists (includes the Freethinkers Morgantown Schedule and will also include any Thomas Paine Society Meetings)
Morgantown Brights

We hope to see you soon. You can follow the events by getting our email updates from the Atheists and Brights sites.

Related posts

• Godless WV Groups Organize around Morgantown Billboard (7)
• Ideas About Atheist Groups (2)
• Winter Solstice Party December 20 (3)
• We Need Your Happy Face! (0)
• Monthly Meeting April 11: Earth Day and Open Topic (4)

As you can see, West Virginia got an F. There was a review in 2000 by another group (see the review for links) where we also got an F. So over 9 years, we have made barely any improvements in science standards regarding evolution. Apparently there is no mention of human evolution at all, but a reference to some biological evolution. Unfortunately the F grade means there is either creationist jargon included and/or disclaimers.

Unfortunately the information on West Virginia in this review is sparse. But in their appendix, is a table that shows the grade for various aspects of evolution in state science standards. Here is the part for West Virginia in 2009:

Notes for the table columns:

• 2: The E-word is used, but not often. It may well appear more frequently in earth science or astronomy sections than in life-science sections.
• 3: Biological Evolution is mentioned, but not in a way that encourages clarification of its role in the life sciences
• 4: Human Evolution: No treatment of human evolution
• 5: Geological Evolution: Words such as “plate tectonics” and “continental drift” are used, but in a limited way and/or at the high school level only
• 6: Cosmological Evolution: There is a brief treatment, usually only at the high school level
• 7: Historical Sciences: Connections among the historical sciences treated?” No Treatment
• 8: Creationist Jargon: No use
• 9: Disclaimers: No use
• 10: Raw Score
• 11: Percentage
• 12: Grade

The book they used for this review: 21st Century Science 9-12 Content Standards and Objectives for West Virginia Schools, adopted in 2008.

PZ Myers said a few things that I think are important:

First thing you have to keep in mind is that state science standards just say what should be taught, not necessarily what is taught. States with great standards can still have many teachers who are doing a poor job and not meeting those standards; similarly, there are great teachers in those failing states that go above and beyond to teach evolution well. The standards merely represent what direction the educational authorities in that state want their schools to take. A state with an A standard is declaring that they are aiming high for their students; the F states have essentially announced that they are giving up and diving for the basement.

If your standards are good, don’t be complacent: keep them that way, and also work locally to make sure your school districts actually implement them. If your state is shading into the dark grays…look for a state citizens for science group, or if you don’t have one, create one. Write to your representatives and let them know what’s going on; maybe send them a copy of the Mead and Mates paper and shame them a little bit.

Do something, though. It would be nice to see the United States get straight As someday.

Well, our standards are not very good at all. I don’t know what we can do, but I figure the first step is awareness of the problem.

Your thoughts are welcome.

Related posts

• Understanding Evolution – Livestock Kick A Drug Habit (0)
• The Origin of Life (0)
• Tell your Senator to Stop the Federal Funding of Religious Schools (2)
• Smart Biology to the Rescue – Evolution in Action (1)
• Liquid Glass Is Groovy! (0)