Rod White, board member, said that the drive is the result not only of his belief that candidates to the board should be elected by districts but also that of a number of others who have expressed a similar interest.

"Currently," White said, "of the 13 board members, 10 are from Lincoln."

The other three include White, who is from New Holland, Lloyd Hellman from Emden and Roger Bock from Elkhart.

A recent decision by the board to change zoning requirements on "Lazy Row" in rural Atlanta to accommodate plans to operate a low-level radio station with a 16-mile broadcast radius was met with disapproval by a number of Atlanta residents. Currently, however, no board member lives east of the city of Lincoln, leaving the eastern section of the county as the only area without a board member living there.

Those supporting a change to election by districts see this as a solution to the problem of equal access to board members, according to White.

The referendum is bipartisan and only seeks the opinion of the voters as to which form the election process should take. The referendum does not dictate the process.

The drive requires 2,000 signatures in order for the court to have the question placed before the voters in the spring election.

"Right now is a crucial time for small birds," says Don Hellman, ranger at Kickapoo Creek Park. "We got our first significant snow on Dec. 11, about six inches. We haven’t had bare ground since then. And most of the bushes in the park that have berries birds will eat are pretty well stripped.

"A Peoria TV station says it’s the most snow in December since they’ve been keeping records, and November and December were two of the coldest months," Hellman continues. "We’ve fed about 400 pounds of birdseed since this started."

Deanna Frautche, a member of the John Wesley Powell Audubon Society of Bloomington, who has been feeding birds on her five-acre rural homesite for many years, agrees with Hellman.

"At this time, with the snow cover and the extreme cold, it’s very difficult for birds to find natural sources of food. Also, it takes a lot more energy for birds to stay warm in very cold weather.

"Since we have had milder winters in the last few years, more birds that might otherwise migrate have stayed. To survive here, they need people to help them out."

And many people in Lincoln are doing just that, according to employees of three local businesses who regularly stock birdseed.

At R & H Farm Supply, the cupboards were nearly bare on Friday afternoon. Two 50-pound bags of a general birdseed mix sat on a bottom shelf, but the space reserved for a special mix was empty.

"We’re selling birdseed faster than we can get it in," employee Ron Tucker told the Lincoln Daily News. "Some things we’re out of, the suppliers can’t even send us. They’re out, too, and the recent storms have affected the transportation."

Another employee, Jim Billington, is one of his store’s best customers. He and his wife keep two finch feeders and one regular feeder filled and put out ear corn for squirrels at their Angel Valley home.

"We’re feeding hundreds of birds a day. The finch feeders will be empty in about three days, and the birds will empty the regular feeder every day," Jim reports. He’s feeding house finches, goldfinches, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and of course English sparrows and grackles.

"We sell quite a bit of birdseed. It’s one of the bigger parts of our business," says Aaron Johnston of Animal Nutrition Warehouse. Friday afternoon the store was well-stocked with a variety of seed, but Johnston said some special seed mixes still hadn’t come in.

"As soon as the snow flies, sales of birdseed jump. This past week, we had trouble keeping up our stock."

He reports that people are buying a lot of squirrel food, too: corn and shelled and unshelled peanuts.

"Our shelves have been literally bare," says an employee of Big R. "We just got a truck in Tuesday, and our seed is almost gone. I do not remember us being totally out of wild bird food as often as we have been this year. There’s a huge demand."

He says he’s also noticed "an immense increase" in sales of products to keep domestic animals and their food and water warm -- heating pads, electric pet bowls, and de-icers for tanks and pails. On Friday the store was completely out of electric heaters to keep bird baths from freezing.

"We’re doing out best to keep stocked up. Supply is coming in as quick as we can get it. We’ve even delivered bags of birdseed to shut-ins who want to feed the birds," the employee added.

Another customer, who lives in a rural area, agrees that it’s hard times for birds. She said she is seeing birds in her yard who have never before come to her feeders, such as horned larks and Lapland longspurs.

At Kickapoo Park, Hellman not only feeds birds, he puts out ear corn for the squirrels and shelled corn for the deer. Whatever goes out, it will be gone by morning.

"The deer are having a hard time finding food, but there’s not much purpose in putting out hay," Hellman advises. "Deer normally don’t eat it. They’d rather eat weeds or the bark on trees."
A retired Lincoln couple are helping Hellman keep the deer fed. They come most days and put shelled corn under the bird-feeding stations, where they know deer will come morning and evening to get it.

Hellman says deer keep warm in winter because their hair is hollow and provides good insulation. "Right now their hair sticks out like the spines on a porcupine," he said. "They’re not sleek like they are in summer."

Don Butler, site superintendent at Edward R. Madigan State Park, says deer come to that park in winter because they can find food and shelter. "We farm some fields adjacent to the park, and we leave many rows of standing corn in those fields for the deer."

Instead of maintaining bird feeders at the park, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources plants special food plots to provide food for birds, such as millet and other grains, Butler said.

Hellman advises people who have started feeding birds to keep it up, because the birds come to depend on the food people provide. "We will continue feeding through the first of April We feed heaviest when the snow in on the ground."

Frautche agrees that birds become dependent, and it is best if people can continue feeding. It is also important to provide water, she points out. Electric heaters can keep water in bird baths open in most weather. Whatever container you use should be shallow, she advises. "Birds don’t like to go into anything over their heads."

Also, you can help the birds keep warm. The Christmas tree you are about to throw out can provide shelter for birds at night. "Birds fluff up their feathers to keep warm, and they do a lot of roosting together to share their body heat. Some birds fly from the country into town and roost under the eaves of buildings, where it is warmer," Frautche explains.

She advises feeding first thing in the morning, so birds can "fuel up" after a long cold night, and before sunset, so they can stoke up again before roosting. She also advises scattering feed on the ground or on a feeding table, because many birds who winter here, like the "snowbirds" (gray-and-white juncos), are ground feeders.

Birdseed is available in all kinds of mixes, employees of R & H, Animal Nutrition, and Big R point out, depending on the birds you have and the birds you want to attract to your yard, and bird feeders are available there as well.

Birds play an important part in creating a healthy and beautiful environment. They control insects, pollinate flowers and disperse seed. Feeding them in winter means they will be here to provide color and song when spring comes.

Those who have wood-burning fireplaces do have an extra heat source but should use it with care. First of all, fireplaces should be shielded by a protective screen so that live coals don’t pop out and start a carpet or piece of furniture on fire. Furniture, rugs, wood and paper should be kept well away from a fireplace, Dahm says, and young children should be watched carefully.

Also, he warns, never burn trash in your fireplace. Keep the ash pit clean and always put the ashes outside the house in a metal container. Choose hardwood for burning, such as oak, apple, maple, ash or elm that has been seasoned for at least a year. Softwood, such as pine or the wood of other cone-bearing trees, should be used only for kindling. Burning softwood can leave soot and moist tar that can coat the inside of your chimney, making it more likely that the chimney can catch fire.

If a chimney or flue ever does catch fire, Dahm says to close the draft control and call the fire department immediately. Chimneys and flues should be cleaned at least once a year by a professional chimney sweep.

Electric space heaters and wood- or coal-burning stoves should be surrounded by plenty of air space. Dahm recommends keeping heaters of this type at least three feet from any wall. If they are closer than three feet, the wall should be protected with a sheet of asbestos board or metal.

Wood, cloth and paper should be kept well away from any space heaters, and heaters should be positioned away from exits or high traffic areas. Never leave children alone in a room with an operating space heater, Dahm warns.

To sleep safely, turn off any space heaters, check any fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, double-check stoves and ovens to be sure they are turned off, and shut off coffee makers and any other electric appliances. Fire can be started by a space heater left on overnight too close to some combustible material, he says.

The fire department also recommends sleeping with the bedroom doors closed. "It’s amazing how a closed door will stop the spread of fire and heat," Dahm says. "If there is a fire in your house, when you wake up you will not be jumping into an oven."

Another point to remember is that the primary source of heat in your home is also a major cause of fire. Dahm recommends that furnace filters be checked and replaced at least once a month during the heating season. Also, the furnace and any automatic controls should be checked and cleaned by a professional every year.

The best thing to do during a long power outage is to call someone you know who has power and go to their home, Dahm says, because most stopgap methods of keeping warm can be dangerous.

He doesn’t recommend using kerosene or camping-type heaters or cookers, such as Coleman stoves, inside the home. These heaters, when not vented, can give off dangerous byproducts such as carbon monoxide, a gas which is colorless, odorless, tasteless and highly poisonous. Children can also trip over these heaters and burn themselves or start fires, he points out.

Turning gas stove burners on high or using candles is also dangerous, as is any open flame. "When the power is out, your options are really limited," he notes.

To prevent a house fire from becoming a tragedy, E.D.I.T.H. is the name to remember -- Exit Drills In The Home. This means planning ahead of time what you and your family will do in case of fire.

"In the middle of the night when the smoke alarm goes off, that is not the time to try to decide what to do," Dahm says. "Every home is different, so you have to make a plan that works in your individual home."

Chances are great that the fire will start in the kitchen or living room and that someone will have to go out a bedroom window, he says, so make sure all bedroom windows can be opened and everyone knows how to open them. If you live in a two-story house, ladders or other means of exiting an upstairs room are something to consider.

Another important part of E.D.I.T.H. is to have a meeting place where all family members will gather. This might be on your own property or at a neighbor’s home. A prearranged meeting place will assure that people know all family members are safe and no one risks harm by going back into a burning building to look for someone who is already safely outside.

Dahm warns that family members should not risk going back into a burning building to rescue prized possessions or even pets.

"Pets usually know there’s a problem before you do. Think of yourself and your children before you think of your pets, but probably they will be waiting somewhere close to you to be let out." He says he knows of occasions when pets, especially dogs, have awakened their owners and let them know something was wrong.

Dahm points out that each October during Fire Prevention Week, members of the fire department visit all Lincoln elementary schools and teach children through third grade the E.D.I.T.H. drill. In case of fire, they are taught to stay low, roll out of bed and crawl to the door. If the door is cool, they can crawl out to escape and signal others. If the door is hot, they should plug the space under the door with a cloth to keep out the smoke and crawl to a window.

If they can safely exit through a window, they should and then go to the prearranged family meeting place. If they can’t exit, they should shout for help and wave a cloth for a signal. If the window won’t open, they should break it, while protecting the face.

One of the best safety precautions, in any kind of weather, is to keep the smoke alarm in good working order, Dahm says. "In many houses we go into because of fire, we find smoke alarms with no batteries. People burn something in the kitchen, the smoke alarm goes off, and they take out the batteries and don’t put them back. This happens far too often."

Don’t let it happen to you.