Briefs: Dakota County Sheriff's Office to hold annual Citizen Academy

The annual Dakota County Sheriff's Citizen Academy will be held six consecutive Thursdays starting March 19. The workshops run from 6 to 9 p.m.

The program lets county residents learn about the issues facing law enforcers. Topics include use of force, traffic stops, searching and handcuffing, the DWI process, criminal charging procedures, the SWAT team, a Taser demonstration, a canine demonstration, an overview of the jail and others.

For more information or to apply, call Capt. Jim Rogers, at 651-438-4721 or e-mail him at jim.rogers@co.dakota.mn.us.

Burnsville residents are invited to attend a free workshop to learn to build and maintain native plants and rain gardens. Such gardens help filter stormwater runoff, stopping pollutants from flowing into lakes and streams through storm drains. They also provide a habitat for pollinating insects such as butterflies.

The workshops, taught by experts from the Dakota County Soil and Watershed Conservation District, will be held Feb. 25 and April 9 from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at Burnsville City Hall, 100 Civic Center Pkwy.

Registration is required. For more information, go to www.burnsville.org/bluethumb. To register, call 651-480-7777 or e-mail swcd@co.dakota.mn.us.

Registration is open for summer golf leagues at Birnamwood Golf Course; the leagues are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Wednesday Junior Golf Program, including a pre-league "Intro to Golf" clinic, from June 17 to Aug. 12.

• Monday evening Mixed Adult League, from May 11 to Aug. 24.

• Tuesday morning Mixed Women's League, from May 12 to Aug. 18.

• Tuesday evening Men's League, from May 12 to Aug. 18.

• Wednesday evening Women's League, from May 13 to Aug. 9.

Annual passes can also be purchased for individuals or families.

To register or buy passes, visit www.birnamwoodgolfcourse.com. For more information, call 952-641-1370.

Crews have been removing trees at Terrace Oaks Park in recent weeks as part of Burnsville's plan to restore 19 acres of natural habitat and oak savanna in the park.

The first phase of the project involves removing trees that are choking out the native species. The next will be continuing to remove buckthorn, more tree thinning and controlled burns. The final step will be seeding to increase native plant diversity.

The multiyear process is happening in the northwest corner of the park, which is one of the largest natural areas in the city's park system. The project is supported by a $76,000 grant from the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund.

The 30-day public comment period for the revised master plan for Lebanon Hills Regional Park ends Feb. 25.

The revised plan calls for more emphasis on natural resource stewardship and increased efforts to remove buckthorn; a shorter paved connector trail moved more toward the edge of the park; removal of the proposed Holland Lake paved loop, leaving a single paved loop around McDonough Lake; and scaling back new picnicking at Jensen Lake, with a new shelter and simple tables near the lake. The revised plan would save more than $3 million.

For a copy of the plan, go to http://tinyurl.com/pjv7x4x. Printed plans also are available at all Dakota County libraries and at the park's Visitor Center. Comments can be sent to planning@co.dakota.mn.us.

There will be music, an inflatable obstacle course, carnival games, ice skating and more at Rosemount's Family Fun Festival Feb. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Rosemount Community Center, 13885 S. Robert Trail.

The event is free and registration is not required. Ice skating will be available from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., but skate rental is not available.

Tom Rice, a board certified professional genealogist, researcher, lecturer and writer, will present ways people can improve how they use Internet sites such as Google, ancestry.com, heritagequestonline.com or familysearch.org to trace family members. He will also discuss the quality of information found on the web.

For more information, call Dick Thill at 651-248-9251.