2006 COVNA BOARD
Floyd Clark Greg Estes Lisa Lyons Hal Ferguson Doug Tabony Doug DuBois Doug DuBois	President (282-8245) Vice President (282-2782) Secretary (266-3379) Treasurer (282-0601) Newsletter (280-4080) ANC Delegate (292-9323) Past President (292-9323)

2006 COVNA CALENDAR Monthly meetings are held on the third Monday of the month.
January 16th February 20th March 20th April 17th May 15th	June Picnic 17th September 18th October 16th November 20th Dec Party 18th

The mid-term elections will take place November 7th. Early voting will be from Oct 23 through November 3rd. Precinct 355’s polling place will be the same room where our neighborhood association meets. Please be sure to vote.

There have been quite a few coyote sightings in our area. Unfortunately, some of our neighbors have lost pets to what has been probable coyote activity. If you think you have seen a coyote, or the results of coyote activity, please call 311 and report it.

There have been news reports about the resurgence of some contagious diseases in the United States which had been virtually eliminated here. However, with world travel and the uncontrolled population entrances into the United States these diseases are reappearing. Some of them are deadly and resistant to normal medicines. We will have a guest speaker at our next neighborhood association meeting (October 16) who is qualified to discuss this situation here in Travis County. Her focus will be preparedness for a flu pandemic. Plan to attend.

Floyd Clark

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  Man's Best Friend? Not Always

Several dogs on leashes have been injured and walkers have felt threatened by a loose dog or dogs along Castlewood and Monarch at Roxanna. Below is the Austin code concerning vicious dogs and the Humane Society’s advice on dealing with threatening dogs. If you see a dog that is loose, especially if aggressive, call 311 to reach animal control.

An owner or handler shall take reasonable measures to protect the public from accidental contact with a dog that, by nature or by training, is dangerous to people or other animals.
An owner or handler may not keep or permit a dog to be in the city if the dog has: on at least three separate occasions bitten or scratched a person in the city; on at least one occasion bitten or scratched a person to an extent that the attending physician has presented an affidavit to the health authority stating that the person’s life may have been endangered by the dog; or on at least one occasion: killed another dog, cat, or other domestic pet, fowl, or livestock; or seriously injured another animal to an extent that an attending veterinarian has presented an affidavit to the health authority stating that the injured animal's life was seriously endangered or taken by the dog, or that the dog caused a significant permanent impairment of the injured animal’s basic bodily functions or mobility; provided, however, that when the incident occurred, the injured animal was not in violation of a provision of this title relating to the confinement or physical control of animals in the City.

Humane Society Advice

Q: How can I avoid being bitten by a dog?
A: Never turn your back to a dog and run away. A dog's natural instinct will be to chase and catch you. Be cautious around strange dogs. Always assume that a dog who doesn't know you may see you as an intruder or a threat.

Q: What should I do if I think a dog may attack?
A: If you are approached by a dog who may attack you, follow these steps: Never scream and run. Remain motionless, hands at your sides, and avoid eye contact with the dog. Once the dog loses interest in you, slowly back away until he is out of sight. If the dog does attack, "feed" him your jacket, purse, bicycle, or anything that you can put between yourself and the dog. If you fall or are knocked to the ground, curl into a ball with your hands over your ears and remain motionless. Try not to scream or roll around.

Q: What should I do if I am bitten by a dog?
A: If you are bitten or attacked by a dog, try not to panic. Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and warm water. Contact your physician for additional care and advice. Report the bite to your local animal care and control agency. Tell the animal control official everything you know about the dog, including his owner's name and the address where he lives. If the dog is a stray, tell the animal control official what the dog looks like, where you saw him, whether you've seen him before, and in which direction he went.

Incidents in COVNA 5/1/2006-10/30/2006

Abandoned Vehicle - 1
Amplified Music/Vehicle -3
Burglary Of Residence - 7
Burglary Of Vehicle - 1
Criminal Mischief - 2
Custody Arrest Traffic Warrant - 1
Family Disturbance - 2
Found Property - 1
Lost Property - 1
Possession Marijuana - 1
Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia - 1
Suspicious Person - 1
Terroristic Threat - 1
Theft - 2

A number of months go I wrote a short article (How Timely Swifts Fly) about Chimney Swifts nesting in our chimney bringing a bit of nature into our house. Swifts do good work eating many mosquitoes and other flying insects. But nature cuts both ways. The swifts had only made their presence known in our house by their twittering until last week when things suddenly went wrong. Jo and I heard a noise—a commotion in the fireplace. Jo carefully removed a piece of wood covering the fireplace opening and we saw two swifts that had somehow managed to get past the closed flue and were flapping wildly against the screen that fortunately was closed. Armed with garden gloves and a basket, Jo stuck her hand through the split in the screen, reached up, and opened the flue. Surprisingly, all went well. The swifts flew up the chimney and Jo emerged unscathed. All’s well that ends well, except the story continues. Several days later Jo noticed the unmistakable odor of a dead animal. She thought, at first, that it emanated from under the couch but discovered that the actual source was the fireplace. We suspect a bird died just above the flue or in a nest. She opened the flue and felt around as well as possible. No luck. She had a brilliant idea—start a fire. Amazingly this worked at least pretty well. Three fires later and the smell is virtually undetectable and life (and death) goes on.

I still plan to produce an article on xeriscaping. I have contacted a local nursery and have been rounding up material. A great start to those interested can be found at www.ci.austin.tx.us/growgreen/