Wood burning season in Connecticut is underway and to protect air quality the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) wants to remind residents to burn only clean, dry, seasoned firewood that has been split and dried for at least 6 months, and avoid allowing fires to smolder.

“Many Connecticut residents burn wood to heat their homes, but it also creates air pollution,” said DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee, in a written statement. “Burning wood efficiently saves money and will let you and your neighbors breathe a little easier. On windy days, wood smoke pollution from your wood burning device can also negatively impact your neighbors without your knowledge so please be a good neighbor and be Air Aware.”

Wood burning in fireplaces and woodstoves is the largest source of particle pollution generated by residential sources during the winter. The cold and still winter weather conditions can cause wood smoke pollution to become trapped close to the ground and build up to unhealthy air quality levels, making it difficult for those with respiratory conditions to breathe.

Wood smoke affects everyone, but children, teenagers, older adults, people with lung disease, including asthma and COPD and/or people with heart diseases are the most vulnerable. The smoke from wood-burning stoves and fireplaces contain tiny particles that can linger in the air and are so small that the bodies’ natural defenses cannot filter them out. Breathing these small particles can cause asthma attacks and severe bronchitis, aggravate heart and lung disease, and may increase the likelihood of respiratory illnesses. Some studies also suggest that long-term exposure to particle pollution can be linked to cancer, and harmful developmental and reproductive effects such as infant mortality and low birth weights.

Residents should check that their wood stoves and fireplaces are EPA-certified and be aware that burning wet wood is an inefficient means of heating your home because most of the energy goes towards drying the wood, not heating your home. Quality, well-seasoned firewood will also help your wood stove or fireplace burn cleaner and more efficiently, while green or wet wood can cause smoking problems, odor problems, rapid creosote buildup and possibly even dangerous chimney fires. Burning hardwoods rather than softwoods is also recommended because hardwoods provide more heat energy and burn more slowly and evenly, which produces less smoke. Visit DEEP’s Woodstove webpage to find additional tips for cleaner wood burning.

Adult education classes available

LITCHFIELD — Foothills Adult and Continuing Education, a program of EdAdvance in Litchfield, covering Litchfield County, offers classes in computers, arts & crafts, self-improvement, recreation, finance, cooking, world languages, excursions. Classes are held in several locations.

EdAdvance also offers opportunities for adults to earn their high school diploma. Register online www.edadvance.org, Adult Learners tab FOOTHILLS, or call 800-300-4781.

Submissions sought for library art show

FALLS VILLAGE — The David M. Hunt Library Art Wall in Falls Village, invites artists to participate in the spring 2018 exhibit, KITES: Flights of Fancy.

Inclusive of professional and talented non-professional artists, the exhibit will be entirely focused on kites, whether actual or conceptual, in any media including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography or mixed media. This show focuses on the kite as an artistic vehicle and encourages us to expand our thinking and reconsider the humble kite as an artistic expression...they don't have to be "flyable".

The intent to participate is due Feb. 2. For more information, contact garthpkobal@gmail.com or call 860-824-7572.

High-res jpg images including draft drawings, if available, are requested by Friday, February 23. Work needs to be delivered by Friday, April 6. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, April 21 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Salisbury Forum to feature documentary

MILLERTON, N.Y. — The Salisbury Forum will present the documentary, “A Plastic Ocean,” which explores the issue of how plastics in our oceans effect the marine ecosystems and human health. The movie will be shown on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 11:30 am at The Moviehouse on Main Street in Millerton, NY. Admission is free.

In the center of the Pacific Ocean gyre, a large system of circular ocean currents, researchers found more plastic than plankton. Instead of an anticipated solid mass that could be contained, the expedition discovered free-floating microplastics which enter the food chain where they attract toxins like a magnet. These toxins are stored in seafood’s fatty tissues and eventually consumed by us.

Producer Jo Ruxton joined an expedition to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, 1500 miles off the coast of San Francisco, and learned she had to develop a film about the problem. She brought on Craig Leeson, a director and journalist, and Dr. Lindsay Porter, an expert on whales and dolphins. Come and learn how a four-year global odyssey discovered the negative effects on human health from the plastic pollution in our oceans.

Students can apply for scholarships

The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation is awarding scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic year. Scholarship applications are now available for the more than $150,000 available to area students. Scholarship guidelines, requirements and applications are available on the Community Foundation website.

Scholarship applications for the 2018-19 academic year must be submitted by April 1, 2018. The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation serves Litchfield County with a collection of more than 270 funds from local donors. These funds support nonprofit organizations and provide scholarships to area students throughout the Northwest Corner.

Most scholarships are awarded to residents of the Foundation’s 20-town service area. The Foundation serves the towns of Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Canaan/Falls Village, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, Warren, Washington and Winsted/Winchester. For a complete list of scholarships, visit northwestcf.org/scholarships.

Established in 1969, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation serves 20 towns in Northwest Connecticut. Its total endowment, comprised of more than 250 funds, has grown from initial assets of $15,000 to more than $94 million. Last year, combined grants and scholarships totaled more than $3 million.