West metro town briefs: Fresh Energy's science policy director to speak in Bloomington

J. Drake Hamilton, science policy director at Fresh Energy, will speak at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 8400 France Av. S.

Fresh Energy is a Minnesota nonprofit focused on clean energy and climate policy. Hamilton's work focuses on carbon reduction and maximizing economic opportunities through clean energy development.

In honor of National Poetry Month, poet and professor Elizabeth Johnson McGarry will talk about the enigma that is Emily Dickinson on Tuesday, April 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Edina Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Square.

Dickinson is a 19th-century American poet who continues to captivate readers with her words and biographers with her life.

The city of Plymouth is offering grants of up to $500 to help community members with landscaping practices that protect water quality and conserve water.

The deadline to apply for a 2014 "Low Maintenance Landscaping Grant" is 4:30 p.m. April 25. Property owners, community associations, businesses, schools, nonprofits and other community organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible activities include replacing portions of a lawn with native or other plants that require less irrigation, fertilizer or chemicals, or reducing impervious surfaces such as concrete, rock, asphalt and buildings. For more details, contact the water resources tech at 763-509-5527.

The Plymouth Rockers, a seniors' chorus, will present its spring concert, "Celebrate America," at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 18, in the Wayzata Central Middle School auditorium. The school is located at 305 Vicksburg Lane N.

The League of Women Voters South Tonka, the League of Women Voters Eastern Carver County and the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce are hosting a free public presentation on community designs in the South Lake Minnetonka area that will encourage walking, biking and other active transportation.

The event will be held on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, at the Southshore Community Center, 5735 Country Club Road, Shorewood. It will take place from 7-8:30 p.m.

Presenters will include Three Rivers Park District Commissioner John Gunyou, Nadine Chal­mers and Laura Fredrick Wang of Hennepin County Active Living, Shorewood Mayor Scott Zerby and Excelsior Mayor Mark Gaylord. They will discuss local projects related to sidewalks, trails and other connections.

Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital's Hospice program is seeking volunteers this spring.

Volunteers visit terminally ill patients in their homes and provide them with care and comfort. The maximum time commitment is four hours per week and volunteers are needed primarily during weekday business hours.

The horse trail along the Luce Line State Trail, from Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth westward to the city of Winsted, will be closed until May 15.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the closure will prevent damage to the treadway because of the wet conditions and frost coming out of the ground.

Signs will be posted on the horse trail about the closure and, the DNR says, conservation officers and local law enforcement officials will be monitoring it.

The main treadway will remain open for permitted uses. Horseback riding is not permitted on the main treadway at any time.

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