Pilot, Michael Solomon; Calhoun County Airport Manager, Dianna Stanger; and Chyrl Burris of Great Escape Rescued K9s preparing to take Sista to her new home.

Being a pilot is much more than about having a passion for flight. True aviators and aviatrixes enjoy utilizing their passion to help others. In this case, local pilots are taking flight to complete a very special mission and help two organizations, Pilots N Paws and Great Escape Rescued K9s.

Each year, the volunteers of Pilots N Paws save thousands of lives. Those lives come in the form of any animal that can be transported using a plane. Dogs, cats, pigs, reptiles and rabbits are just a few who have taken one of their flights.

The flight began at Calhoun County Airport (KPKV) with pilots, Dianna Stanger and Mike Solomon departing into a clear beautiful sky on an IFR (Instrument flight rules) flight plan. The mission — to transport a German Shepherd that was four years old named Sista to Cleborne Regional Airport (south of Fort Worth) and transport a second dog, Buddy, who was rescued from a kill shelter in Arlington on the return flight.

Pet overpopulation is a disturbing problem in the United States. More than 4 million no-longer-wanted pets are euthanized each year. While spay/neuter programs have worked to decrease domestic animal populations in some parts of the country, other areas are considered high-kill. A staggering 70% of dogs that enter shelters in the southern part of the country are euthanized. Until now, there have been few options for these innocent victims. Pilots N Paws is helping to change that.

Chyrl Burris of Great Escape Rescued K9s brought the German Shepherd to the Calhoun County Airport (KPKV). Chyrl is the co-founder/co-director of Great Escape Rescued K9s, which is currently in the process of obtaining a 501c(3) non profit status. “We started Great Escape last summer when we were made aware of the plight of hundreds of German Shepherds being killed in “kill” shelters in Los Angeles California. We decided we were going to try to help save some,” Chyrl said. They rescue other breeds as well, and as well and since last summer to date, have rescued 50 Texan and 39 Californian dogs!

Their objective is to save “last call” dogs with no other options (about to be euthanized) from “high kill” shelters with a focus on German Shepherds. They bring awareness to the general public of the millions of animals killed each year as well as educate them so that they will not turn their dogs into “kill” shelters to be someone else’s problem. They also rehabilitate the rescue dogs to save in order to help them find a great forever home — in addition they want to help reform high kill shelters into “NO KILL’ shelters.

Stanger said, “Sista was a very sweet girl who seemed to sense that any journey she was on was taking her to a better place than the list she had been on to be euthanized. The little girl, Kylie Delafuentes, who got Sista will have a friend for life as Sista touched everyone the day we moved her, she could’ve easily been adopted four times just while we had her.”

The pilots and pup arrived at Cleborne Regional Airport in just under an hour.

“It was great from the very beginning when we met our young German Shepherd passenger for the flight,” Solomon commented, “with the aircraft doors wide open, the dog jumped right in just like she’s been riding in airplanes for years. She was calm and relaxed the whole flight, I didn’t much notice she was there, except to pose for the occasional in flight pictures with her.”

There is a whole underground rescue railroad if you will, Chryl said further, consisting of rescues and transport coordinators trying to save dogs and transport them all across the country. There are several transport groups on Facebook.

By simply looking at the request board on the Pilots N Paws web site will give you an idea of the hundreds of dogs a day that need to get somewhere. The site provides a location where private pilots willing to provide free transport, and people and organizations who rescue, shelter or foster animals, could connect to save lives. Today the organization, Pilots N Paws, has 2466 pilot volunteers and 8281 volunteers.

Great Escape Rescued K9s are constantly transporting dogs to their destinations. Normally the organization tries to have volunteer drivers, but for longer distances, Chyrl says, “I love to use Pilots N Paws. They are awesome!”

“Buddy, a sweet little guy, took the back seat over and then insisted on trying to join us in the cockpit while flying to his new family back in Victoria,” Dianna said with a smile.

At the moment, Chyrl has rescues in Los Angeles, California which need transportation to Texas, and local rescues that need transit to and from Austin, Hutto, Cleburne, Wharton and Houston, Texas.

“It’s something I hope to do often. It’s doing something I love, and at the same time helping bring a deserving animal who would otherwise face euthanasia, to a loving family.” Mike said, “Who wouldn’t want to do that?”

Mike has flown over 160 hours total. He has a high performance endorsement and around 15 hours in a high performance airplane. “As for IFR I’m about 10 hours into my training. My goal is to progress through my training to the point where aviation becomes my chosen career.”

As this was the first time for both pilots to fly for Paws N Pilots it is easy to see that it will become de rigor at Calhoun County. Pets touch peoples lives and the gift of getting a pet to a forever home is a very special ability that makes pilots better pilots and people. For students it is an opportunity to travel with a seasoned pilot mentor and reach their ultimate goal while completing a very worthwhile mission.

Buddy, relaxed and at ease, ready to arrive at his new home in Victoria.

Buddy, happy to be home.

Sista sitting comfortably in the Cirrus says, "are we ready?"

Pilots Michael and Dianna with Sista preparing for take-off.

Kylie Delafuentes of Cleburne, Texas with her new friend, Sista.

Local farmer gives $2,500 through America’s Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM

(left to right): Pastor Gerry Wiley; Tara Sanders, winning farmer; Kyler Sanders and Cayson Sanders, children of winning farmer; Austin Sanders, husband of winning farmer; Tommy Bertling, Monsanto representative; Taegan Sanders, child of winning farmer.

SEADRIFT, Texas (March 21, 2012) – Every week, more than 70 children from the community gather at First Baptist Church of Seadrift Texas on Wednesday night for a free meal and fun and games. Providing meals and learning materials each week for any child who wants to attend the program can be expensive, especially for a program funded by community donations. Tara Sanders, a farmer in Calhoun County, recognized this need and recently designated $2,500 to the youth program at First Baptist Church of Seadrift Texas through America’s Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM.

“This program is reaching out to the youth of the community, and it is important because it’s the only one of its kind in Seadrift,” Sanders said.

The church will use the $2,500 to purchase audio-visual equipment and kitchen supplies.

“Our program draws in a lot of kids from the community because we live in an impoverished area and this may be the best meal these kids will get all week,” said Carol Wiley, secretary at the church.

In a ceremony held on March 21 at the church, Sanders got the chance to present the youth program with the $2,500 donation.

Through America’s Farmers Grow Communities:

Farmers in 1,245 eligible counties have the chance to win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit organizations.

The Monsanto Fund has invested more than $3.1 million to rural communities this year alone.

More than $352,500 in total has been donated to nonprofits in Texas.

A list of all winners and more information can be found at www.growcommunities.com.

Grow Communities is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to invest in farm communities such as Calhoun County. It aims to highlight the important contributions farmers such as Sanders make every day to our society.

About the Monsanto Fund:

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

We have been having rain and even a big wind storm shortly after April Fools day. Is it possible that Mother Nature is getting a trifle cantankerous and making her jokes slow? Rain is desirable after that long hot and dry spell we had in 2011.

Rain means water in the ditches. Water in the ditches leads to mosquitoes in the air. And that leads to bites. This sort of thing has been a rather troublesome occurrence here in the Coastal Area. They tell us the Karankawa Indians smeared alligator grease on their bodies to help ward off the mosquitoes. Now we have “Off” to spray or rub on and it is a little less obnoxious than the A grease.

Here in coastal Texas, especially in the 1800s, we had quite a bit of trouble with Yellow fever. That is a very dangerous disease. The fatality rate is on the order of 85%. There are many stories about Yellow fever death among the good folks who landed at Indianola and even some about folks who lived here in Calhoun County. Then in 1867 there was a real Yellow fever epidemic. While we don’t have official records It is thought that several thousand folks along the Coast from Galveston to Corpus died in that one.

In those days they thought it might be caused by the air particle from stagnant water in the ditches and the swamps. They almost had it right; however, the real cause was not established until the United States began to build the Panama Canal. Dr. Walter Reed during that time proved the Cuban Dr. Finlay’s hypothesis that the real cause was Mosquitoes. When they controlled the mosquito the canal that the French had given up on was finished.

Yellow fever isn’t the only thing mosquitoes can cause. They do a lot of harm with causing Malaria, and Dengue fever killing millions around the world… It is easy to agree with those who say that they are the most dangerous animal on earth.

They do serve as the bottom of the food chain. The Larvae are good food for fish. Once the rascals get born they can be food for birds and bats and dragon fly nymphs. We should all encourage those to eat more.

One of the most effective methods is to remove any source of stagnant water. This could be from ditches (those folks in 1899 were on the right track) old tires laying around and any other source of stagnant water. With constant control we, here in the US, have pretty much eliminated the epidemics of Yellow fever. A vaccine was developed in the 1920’s. There are still over 400 places in the state of Texas where you can get Yellow Fever vaccine.

Out of sight is not out of mind where those devil mosquitoes come in. So every time you slap and kill one it is OK to say ‘another blow for good health”.

First place winner, Brianna Salinas, and Calhoun High School art teacher, Nick McIntyre, at the 30th Annual Texas Aviation Conference.

AUSTIN—Brianna Salinas, a student at Calhoun High School in Port Lavaca, was the first place winner in the statewide competition for an entry in the 2012 International Aviation Art Contest. She competed in the 14- to 18-year-old category.

Brianna, age 15, received a certificate and was recognized for artist talent during the 30th Annual Texas Aviation conference held in Galveston recently.

“The Calhoun County Independent School District (CCISD) consistently is able to have their students compete on a Texas State level and excel. It is with great pride that Calhoun County Airport is able to announce the winner of this year’s annual contest in a field of over 1200 entries this year,” airport manager, Dianna Stanger proudly stated.

Brianna is a second year art student at CHS and this is her first time entering the annual contest. Her artwork utilized acrylic paint and portrays an autumn scene, which she chose because of the yellow and orange color combination. “I wanted to feature a little girl who aspires to be a pilot and is always watching planes while holding a balloon,” Brianna explained. She says she has always loved to draw, and has enjoyed drawing more and more realistic scenes. Her piece was submitted as an assignment for class, which she earned an A on, and then submitted to the state for judging.

The theme was “Silent Flight.” Entries were judged in one of three age groups, 6-9 years, 10-13 years, and 14-17 years. This year, 1,440 students and 109 schools participated in the art contest statewide.

The annual International Aviation Art contest is sponsored by National Aeronautic Association, supported by the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in association with the National Association of State Aviation Officials, National Coalition for Aviation Education, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the Ken Cook Company and the National Business Aviation Association, Inc. (NBAA.)

The art contest is designed to motivate and encourage young people of FAI-member nations to become more familiar with and participate in aeronautics, engineering and science.

The 30th Annual Aviation conference was co-hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Airports Council and Texas Aviation Association. Participants included airport managers, city and county officials, the FAA and others interested in aviation in Texas.

Brianna hopes to pursue art in college and specialize in digital graphic design. Her winning piece will be featured in the 2013 TxDOT Aviation Art Calendar which is distributed to all of the CCISD schools. Calendars are due to arrive in late September. She is the fourth student from Calhoun County to be featured in the annual calendar. Calhoun County Airport has submitted over 800 pieces of artwork in the past three years to TxDOT’s annual aviation art calendar contest. For more, visit www.calhounaircenter.com.

Calhoun Air Center is dedicated to make your experience at the Calhoun County Airport an enjoyable one. The staff is dedicated to assist pilots with accommodations, transportation or repair services. Calhoun Air Center soars above and beyond hospitality with the recent completion of T-hangars; private hangars are available as well as community space for an overnight or extended stay. In addition, short term ramp space is available for free. At Calhoun County Airport there is no landing fee, just one more convenience to prove they want your business.
    To schedule an interview or for more information about this event please contact, Jasmine Gordon at 361-746-8846 or via email at jasmine@calhounaircenter.com.

Steve Hadley of the National Business Aviation Association presents contest winner, Brianna Salinas, with a certificate and ribbon.