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Laurel Oaks

Official Publication Of The

Laurel Oaks

Neighborhood Association June 2010 • Volume III, Issue IV

SUMMER HEAT CAUTIONS

Stay Safe This Summer

How dangerous is overheating in the summer months? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1973 – 2003, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. “Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet annually many people succumb to extreme heat,” says Dr.George Luber, extreme heat expert for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Summertime activity, whether on the playing field, running, boating, or just enjoying the great outdoors, must be balanced with measures that aid the body’s cooling mechanisms and prevent heat-related illness. Know the symptoms of heat disorders and overexposure to the sun, and be ready to give first aid treatment. Heat Cramps- are strong muscle contractions and usually affect the abdomen and legs. The condition usually improves with rest, water and cooler conditions. Heat Exhaustion- caused by heat and dehydration but the effects are more serious than cramps. Symptoms may include paleness, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting, and an increase in body temperature. Rest, water and cool compresses (ice water on the back of the neck, etc) can help. For more sever heat exhaustion, IV fluids may be required. Heat Stroke- The most serious of the heat related conditions. Heat stroke is most commonly brought on by strenuous exercise in hot conditions. However, it can also affect non-active individuals if the temperature is high enough. Visual signs include flushed, red look to the skin, the person often stops sweating**. This is one key sign that an individual is in an over heated condition. Also, a person with heat stroke might become delirious, unconscious, or have seizures. Lowering the body temperature and getting fluids into the person as quickly as possible is imperative.Don’t get caught off guard this summer drink plenty of water, wear plenty of sun-screen, and exercise early in the morning. Enjoy the summer season and stay safe. - Submitted by Valerie Salinas

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Austin Currents

The Travis County Greenprint Report was published with little fanfare in 2006 and it contains a wealth of information about where we live and play. In partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), the idea behind the Travis County Greenprint Report is that communities in Central Texas are growing rapidly and many find themselves behind the curve in terms of addressing the growing parks and recreational needs of the population. In Travis County and the City of Austin, cherished recreational areas and parks like Zilker Park and the Town Lake trail are very heavily used, while additional parks and recreational capacity are not being added at the same rate. Investment in maintenance has not kept pace with the needs and many recreational facilities are in severe disrepair. The report covers water quality, recreational opportunities, protection of rare / environmentally sensitive features, and protection of cultural resources, green space and land-use issues. The goal of a comprehensive Travis County Greenprint is to create a unified vision—led by the community with TPL’s help—that identifies the (Continued on Page 2)

Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010



Laurel Oaks board of directors President........................................president @laurel-oaks.org 1st VP................................................................... Tim Kelley 2nd VP....................................................................VACANT Secretary...........................................................Sarah Clawson Treasurer, Sue [email protected] [email protected] There has been new domain e-mail addresses created for the webmaster and selected LONA officers. The officers’ appear as mailto links on the Officers page, and the new ones for the webmaster and the LONA Board are mailto links at the bottom of every page, as well as at other relevant spots on the LONA Yahoo! Website.

Currents- (Continued from Cover Page) critical parks, recreation, and natural lands protection needs in the county. It is the goal of this effort to assist the City, the County, and the various parks and recreation and natural area conservation organizations to apply the limited resources available to this common vision. The Travis County Greenprint is aimed at helping the Central Texas community leverage available resources more effectively, resulting in a better parks, recreation, and natural areas system in the region. You can download the Travis County Greenprint Report here: http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/tx_travis_greenprint.pdf For more information contact Rich Keith [email protected] (512) 266-8498. - Submitted by Rich Keith

newsletter info editor Editor.............................................laureloaks@peelinc.com Publisher Peel, Inc........................ www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 [email protected], 512-263-9181

Go Green

Sign up to receive theLaural Oaks Neighborhood Association newsletter in your inbox.Visit PEELinc.com for details.

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Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010

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Laurel Oaks Austin Newcomers Club

June Luncheon

Austin Newcomers is a social organization dedicated to introducing residents to the Austin Community and giving them the opportunity to meet and make new friends. Join us at our monthly luncheon as well as take the opportunity to learn about and become involved in many of the varied fun Interest groups. Time: 11:00 AM Social - 12 Noon Luncheon Date: June 16, 2010 (Reservations required by Thursday, June 10th) Location: Green Pastures Restaurant 811 W Live Oak Street, Austin, 78704 Luncheon Cost: $20 per person For Luncheon Reservations email: LuncheonDirector@ AustinNewcomers.com or contact Marilyn Amey, 473-0118 For other Newcomers information visit www.austinnewcomers.com or call 512-314-5100 June Program: Wild Women of the Old West - originally scheduled for January The Old West was difficult for women. Not all had brave husbands

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who provided for them and made the family living. Frontier women without the protection of a husband or parents were left to do whatever they could to survive. Many of the men who were outlaws have become legends with heroic stature. The women outlaws are not well known, but many had fascinating lives. These are not the pioneer women with the sunbonnets who organized our churches, but women who made up their own rules and did what they had to do to live in a tough and lonely world. Martha McLain will tell us the stories of these women. Marti’s family has ranched in Sutton Country, Texas for over 100 years. She is a graduate of the University of Texas, did her graduate work in American Studies at the University of Texas Permian Basin, and studied Spanish and archeology in Mexico City and Guadalajara. She has held various offices in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and was named a Honorary Regent for Life in the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is the author of Love Letter of the Old West and April 1, 1902, a columnist, play director (won Best Direction of a Drama award), and speaker.

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Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010



Laurel Oaks Nature Watch

In the Water & On the Land Rio Grande Leopard Frog

Many people are surprised to learn that the popular distinction between frogs and toads is artificial, as toads are actually a particular group of frogs. When using common names, the term ‘frog’ generally refers to species that have smooth and/or moist skins and are aquatic or semi-aquatic, and the term ‘toad’ usually refers to species that have dry, warty, skin and are largely terrestrial. Both are amphibians, which means they change from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form as they mature. Of the nines species of toads in Texas, all have dry, warty skin, and obvious parotoids or shoulder glands. These glands secrete a toxin that can vary (if you are the predator) from simply distasteful to potentially lethal.

Toads lay their eggs in long strings in the water, as opposed to clumps on vegetation like most frogs. To mate, the smaller male embraces the larger female by clasping her from behind, underneath her forelimbs. Widespread in the southeastern part of Texas is the Gulf coast toad (Bufo valliceps valliceps). Since it is not as well-adapted to the dry areas like some toad species, this toad is often found near water, whether it be a natural feature or where irrigation is frequently used. With females measuring up to 5 inches in length (not including their legs), this is one of the largest common toads in our area. Yellowish- or reddish-brown to rich brown, the Gulf coast toad’s skin (Continued on Page 5)

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Laurel Oaks Nature Watch - (Continued from Page 4) may also show highlights of orange, gold, or white. This toad is best identified by its extensive cranial ridge, a crest that runs from its nose over and past each eye to the back of its head, with a branch that wraps around the back side of each eye. Active from dusk until well after nightfall, the males call from the edge or near the edge of the water with a short and low but loud trill that is repeated every few seconds. Like most all other toads in Texas, the female Gulf coast toad usually lays her many thousands of eggs in long double strings from March to late summer, with breeding triggered by rains. In drier periods, these toads can be seen under street lamps and porch lights, searching for insects before returning to the same hiding spot to wait out the day. Abundant near water, the Rio Grande leopard frog (Rana berlandieri) is one of the most commonly seen frogs in central Texas. During wet periods, it is primarily diurnal

(active both during the day and at night) and while in a drought it is mostly nocturnal. Like most leopard frogs, this species has a smooth, sandy-tan to greenish-beige skin, with darker olive oval or rounded spots and light-colored ridges down either side of the back. It occurs throughout central and west Texas, north to New Mexico, and south to central Mexico, where it is also known as the Mexican leopard frog. Like all frogs, this frog has a large, circular spot behind each eye, called a tympanic membrane or eardrum. Located on the sides of the head, they are typically larger in males than in females, and allow the frogs to locate one another through vocalizations. In central Texas, calls resembling a short, rapidly pulsed snore, interspersed with chuckling notes, are most frequently heard in late winter or early spring. Send your nature-related questions to [email protected] and we’ll do

our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, look for our book, NatureWatch Austin, to be published by Texas A&M University Press in 2011. - by Jim and Lynne Weber

Gulf Coast Toad

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Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010



Laurel Oaks FINANCIAL FOCUS In life, you can’t avoid all risks — and you shouldn’t try, because endeavors that carry risk also bring the prospect of reward. And it’s certainly the same in the investment world. So instead of trying to invest risk-free, which is impossible, learn to recognize the different types of investment risk while becoming familiar with your own risk tolerance. To start with, let’s quickly look at some of the most common forms of investment risk: • Risk of losing principal — This is the type of risk most commonly associated with investing. You could lose some, or even all, of your principal if you sell an investment, such as a stock, whose value has dropped lower than the purchase price. You can’t eliminate the risk of losing principal, but you may be able to reduce it by buying quality stocks and holding them long enough to overcome short-term market drops. • Inflation risk — With an investment that pays a fixed rate of return, such as a certificate of deposit (CD), you run the risk of not keeping up with inflation, which means you could lose purchasing power over time. Consequently, it’s a good idea not to “overload” on these types of investments.

• Interest-rate risk — When you own a bond, your investment is somewhat at the mercy of changing market interest rates. For example, if you buy a bond that pays four percent interest, and market rates rise so that newly issued bonds pay five percent, the relative value of your bond will go down; no one will pay you face value of your bond when they can get new ones that pay higher rates. Of course, if you hold your bonds until maturity, which is often a good idea, you can avoid being victimized by interest-rate risk. • Concentration risk — This type of risk occurs when you have too much of your money concentrated in one area, such as in a particular stock or in one industry. If a downturn strikes that stock or industry, your portfolio could take a big hit. To combat this type of risk, you need to diversify your holdings among stocks, bonds, government securities and other investments. While diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee a profit or protect against a loss, it can help reduce the effect of volatility. In addition to understanding the above types of risk, you also need to be familiar with your own risk tolerance and how it affects (Continued on Page 7)

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Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010

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Laurel Oaks Financial Focus - (Continued from Page 6) your investment strategy. If you are constantly worried about “the market,” you’ve probably got too many investments that are at risk of losing principal. At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re always concerned that your portfolio won’t grow enough to generate the income you’ll eventually need for retirement, you may be investing too conservatively — and, as a result, you’re inviting inflation risk. Ultimately, you need to match your own risk tolerance with a strategy that allows you to achieve your goals. This will require selfawareness, patience, discipline — and, at times, a willingness to move outside your own “comfort zone.” By learning to balance and manage risk, you can ultimately put yourself in a position to pursue your investment strategy.

At no time will any source be allowed to use The Sendera Newsletter's contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in the Pine Brook Periodical is exclusively for the private use of the Pine Brook HOA and Peel, Inc. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

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Laurel Oaks Neighborhood Association Newsletter - June 2010



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