The Aberdeen School Board will conduct a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 8, to hear proposals from superintendent search consultants. The meeting will take place in the board room of the Administration Building, 216 North G St., in Aberdeen.

OLYMPIA ¾ More than a million doses of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine have now been shipped to Washington since early October. The state’s supply is up to nearly 1.4 million doses. Vaccine is being ordered and shipped daily.

As the vaccine supply grows, high-risk groups remain the first priority until vaccine is widely available. Vaccine eligibility will then expand. Federal health leaders say there will eventually be enough vaccine for anyone who wants it. Supplies vary by community.

“Vaccination is the best protection against flu,” says Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “Check with your health care provider to find out if they have the vaccine for you and your family. As supply catches up with demand, the challenge will be to make sure everyone gets vaccinated.”

Portland, Ore. - Rare and endangered Willamette Valley wildlife have gained nearly 500 acres of newly protected habitat, including some of the best remaining slices of native wetlands, prairies and oak woodlands, through four recent purchases of land and conservation easements funded by the Bonneville Power Administration.

      

Sensitive species from the endangered Fender’s blue butterfly to the western meadowlark, Oregon’s state bird, depend on the habitat, which is some of the most imperiled in the Pacific Northwest and faces pressure from development. Less than 2 percent of the Willamette Valley’s native upland prairie remains. Only 5 percent of original prairie and oak woodlands remain. 

      

“We’re taking advantage of a rare and important opportunity to protect critical habitat that will only become more valuable and important to Oregon and its wildlife,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director for The Nature Conservancy, which purchased one parcel and an easement on another with BPA funds.