The La Crosse Tribune from La Crosse, Wisconsin • 7

LA CROSSE TRIBUNE To retrain your brain, shake it up! Hometo A-7 wn Monday, November 5, 2007 City desk: (608) 791-8343 Local and regional news Conservation grou Coalition of faith communities kicks off justice work celebrates 10 years By JOE 0RS0 La Crosse Tribune Imagine if people knew By SAMANTHA MARCUS La Crosse Tribune The Mississippi Valley Conservancy has had a number of large land conservation success stories in its short life, said Executive Director Tim Jacobson. And at its 10th anniversary, the regional land trust will celebrate those and more than 5,300 acres of scenic or ecologically significant lands preserved. A banquet at 5 p.m. Thursday at the La Crosse Radisson Hotel Ballroom will be aware of the value in ensuring their kids and grandkids will be able to enjoy the land as they have." For all its successes, Jacobson said, the group really needs public support. Of the more than 290,000 residents in the seven southwestern Wisconsin counties, only 830 are members of the conservancy, Jacobson said.

Still, he said, it's an impressive jump from just 575 members at the start of 2006. See GROUP, A-8 mark the occasion. The nonprofit group formed in 1997 to coordinate private, voluntary conservation efforts in the Coulee Region. The conservancy serves a seven-county territory, including Buffalo, La Crosse, Trempealeau, Monroe, Vernon, Crawford and Grant. In September, the group announced its largest conservation agreement to date, protecting more than 750 acres in Buffalo County.

"We're reaching a point of exponential growth," Jacobson said. "A lot more people seem to LARRY OLSON La Crosse Tribune Sharpen your mind by shaking up the way you do things. This is called retraining the brain. It seems to be good advice not only for senior citizens, but for everyone. Terry Fleming's Successful Aging Program presentation, "Memory Enhancing Exercises," enthused many, gave hope to some and diminished anxiety for others in an overflow crowd at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center's Marycrest Auditorium on Oct.

23. Fleming, Franciscan Skemp dementia care program coordinator, said some attendees indicated they're fearful of memory issues. "They were somewhat relieved to hear most older people do not get Alzheimer's disease," and that there are things they can do to conquer fairly common memory lapses resulting from stress, fatigue, inactivity, medication, etc. Avoid day-to-day routines by doing various brain exercises, Fleming encouraged. Use your non-dominant hand, read aloud with a partner, get to your destination by traveling a different route.

Simply put, change what is familiar in your life. For example, use your non-dominant hand when brushing your teeth, said Fleming. "I Immm. That's easy," on-one conversations, through which AMOS members gather information about needs in the community make congregation-based organizing effective. AMOS is a local chapter of WISDOM an umbrella for congregation-based organizing in Wisconsin.

Bishop April Ulring Larson, head of the La Crosse Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, gave a sermon at the ceremony. "It is not enough to feed the hungry," she said. "Amos said you must go further. You must go further. You must have a just society." Amos was a Hebrew prophet who spoke these famous words in the Old Testament's Book of Amos: "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." One of AMOS's stated purposes is to address economic and social disparities in the region.

It makes good sense to form the group, said Rabbi Saul Prombaum of Congregation Sons of Abraham, after the event. Prombaum read verses from Amos in Hebrew while about 70 gathered repeated them in English. "AMOS reflects a serious attempt by area congregations 74 La Crosse not only as the place where rivers flow, said the Rev. Curtis Miller on Sunday, but where justice flows. Miller was speaking at the Cathedral of St.

Joseph the Workman during a covenant celebration that publicly kicked off the work of AMOS a coalition of faith communities working for justice. The eight congregations that now initially form AMOS are Christ Episcopal Church, English Lutheran Church, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Hope United Church, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral, Congregation Sons of Abraham and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of La Crosse. Miller, a United Church of Christ minister, is president of AMOS, which stands for "Advocating, Mobilizing, and Organizing for Solidarity." Other congregations will likely join the organization. "When we don't work together, we're not as efficient and effective as we could be," said Bishop Keith Whitmore, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire.

Sitting on the altar with Whitmore were Lutheran, i fern. "1 to join together and to listen to each other speak." he said. "There's so much that we share, and we recognize how difficult it is to go it alone." Catholic, lewish and United Church of Christ leaders. The Rev. Kent Johnson, treasurer for AMOS, said one- thought this right-handed guy.

Already, three or four times I've put my left MATTHEW PERENCHtOlEE NEWSPAPERS The Overhead Truss Bridge, located on Old Hwy. is believed to date back before the turn of the century. However, the bridge is not designated as a historical site. Without designation, historic bridge might be dismantled hand to work cleaning my Community-building at work (luring Thanksgiving Dinner ivories. Easy? No.

I have no idea if I've retrained my brain, but I know I've shaken things up. With my left-out right IF YOU GO WHAT: La Crosse Community Thanksgiving Dinner WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 10.30 a.m. ecumenical service Nov. 22 WHERE: La Crosse Center's Exhibition Hall, 300 Harborvicw Plaza COST: Free and open to the public CONTACT: (COS) 782 4483 By RYAN ST0TTS La Crosse Tribune The 26th annual La Crosse Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be served on Thanksgiving Day.

Nov. 22, at the La Crosse Center. "It's a community-building dinner," spokesman Joe Chilsen said. "It's not need based. We want everybody lo come on down." Organizers anticipate serving between 3.000 lo 4.000 people, and the meal wilt Include popular Thanksgiving dishes such as turkey, dressing and pumpkin pic.

An ecumenical service will be al 10:30 presided over by the Rev. Scott Skogrn of the North Prrslniriian Church In la Crosse, before ihc meal al II am. Oulsrn said the dinner I made possible by private donations and volunteer workers, and organlm have By MATTHEW PERENCHI0 Lee Newspapers The preservation of the Overhead Truss Bridge in Hamilton Township may be treated differently after its historical registration was found to be nonexistent. Up until about a year ago, the bridge was designated as one of 25 official La Crosse County historical sites. Then the county's Historic Sites Preservation Commission discovered thai a resolution designating (he bridge as historic was never passed.

Now, reservations by the Hamilton Town Board mlghl keep the bridge off the list of historic sites. Historic Sites Preservation Commission Chairwoman VU TWindeJavnrr said the bridge was one of four sites thai tacked proper resolutions. While mailer with ihc othrf sites have was held in November 1999 and the commission later approved its status, but it never reached the La Crosse County Board. In July, Kooiman brought before the town board a resolution to designate the bridge as a historic site, but the board did not pass it Hamilton Town Board Chairman Richard Schomburg said the issue really came down to how much the town wanted to continue investing in a dilapidated bridge. The bridge spans the la Crosse River on Old I lwy.

and is closed 10 vehicular traffic Schomburg said the town spent alraut $10,000 a few years ago to repair it and keep it open to btkes and pedestrians. 'The biggest thing Is thai eventually the bridge is going to have 10 be taken out, he said. You can't use vehicle traffic urn ll. and it absolutely doesn't do much good lo keen putting money In it." been resolved, the bridge is still without the historic resolution that was believed to have been issued in 1999. In order to be listed as a la Crosse County historical site, the site must first be nominated to the Historic Sites Preservation Commission.

If the commission accepts the nomination, a public hearing Is held, after which the commission reconvenes and votes on whether the site should be designated as historic If the site is approved, an official resolution is passed on lo the county's executive committee. If approved at that level, ihc resolution nerds lo pass the county board before being filed. In (he case of the bridge, it pilars the county board new nirt on the matter, according to Historic Sites Preservation Commission Vke Chairwoman P-whara fcooiman. She Mid the public hearing on the bridge been planning the event for almost a year, "The whole heart In-hind this has Int lo celebrate la Crosse and be thankful for ihe thai we have." he said. lor those who cannot attend, the meal can te delivered lo Iheir homes, Oulsrn said.

Organizers art looking for more voluntrrts lo hrlp prepare, serve and drltvrr dinners, and those iniru tnl tan tall lm 7R2HR.1 hand keeping cadence to each stroke of the brush, 1 was a little embarrassed hearing my wife chuckle at the sight of such futility. That aside, here arc thoughts that have stayed with lleming listeners since Oct. 23: Jean Troyanek. 77, la Crosse, a retired Information specialist: Today she's doing more puzzles, and keeping active by exercising more and eating property. "I am learning not to gel upset If I canl rrmrmber something righl at that moment, and to le more understanding of other who may be a bit confused.

When she's shopping for groceries, "I spike my memory lry worm beting minor things like what aisle certain itrtm are In." Julian I I lolmrn. A retired chemistry Irathrr; He ha Ukmihe adt'tellul healthy but radsloa healthy mimL They go together, says Julian, who rnving nwre walk In Ue malt, conversations tvtihhis shUI group, playing computet gmrs iiu as vuliUifr, anl trading Ve svrte told to tvrvrt give tf that rvrt ciing mil mind is tmpnManl. We wrte fcH-rn a (4 il hope." Starts Marsarrl. Vt. inj May onnitijrhsm.

W. J. MmorM and rrhk dTlp mrftt cmpisT Kai hern trmifvll thai V(t5OY A REVIEW Hot Club sizzles with gypsy swing TMi li a group of vlrtuoio muslclani ho bring pattion to this great gnro of muilc. Clini fUkrr and two rhythm gul laiisK Price a phrnnmmal vkitinui with a gtral tj. rar and bowlnjt, and lukrt plays a boom 104 brautihil I lol (Job plaml srrrt al twl pld Hjatifp tones with pftrou interplay The nrnMe also jtuve wnn.lrtful trndiikm ut 'the SUn I love and "All iH Me.

the Rop rpesuny bad a of fun adding a pp lo a fau tme, Wait. this I a Mtinjt ththn jjimip sirlHnw mu4rian wfwi Nioj a riio, sratmth and a to IW pntj of m. OyUmHINOritlSCH Cross Tobyoa The music rould have cme fmm a small, mkry dub In Paris In Ihe liK flu! was it omtng so atul swrrt Sunday mgbt futt the ll.it CJuh of San liafKiwH on the Vltrtlwi University I in A1 Ootrf Main The pPV ts. strip rpiintrl and Ift Pistil Nut Vn rvrruog nw (Might the tJtih of San lurxiwn ratify rnirttaitu and krrps ihe rnoMC nf t'jrii P-rinhahlt alive and lumping with lead pniiatil Paul rd rnorr thArt ftOO pc. lr In the r'wi on a imry rl tfipn lie jli.J tMrf with Awtw f.

Me Wnn i a MmlmHn mi3H piitttiel, lmp-M'-tA with NUHarwe fethct ft a 4iv a dct with vMiniM I PtHf rr pUving with tMii li urn i. le tt mm. citf f'" i r'l ''U FROM TRIBUNE HIES Nov. 5, 1947 t- re VvM -y 4 in tntntm in tetrad (: tfsr in pt tx ti as St p.j-"..-.; -n tvt 't 10.41, 1 t-: '(. Croup coOccU 5,100 load items ec U4 1 tit.

'n a i rs l-' J-vi kr i -l tf Crosse curbslde leaf collection IV (a rm "4 mv.j a N't'isiral J-t t- M.B gil htm fi5'fi-i fmj f1 1.l,aicicrn ori WlfrSmjl it- ty-fti rt tit I'lj rn tj twa i fH HIS101T Thousands celebrate first concrete-paired block In la Crosse mm a i.