Sponsors of lanarkweather.org!
Sponsors
Storm Internet
Now, through some strategic planning and partnership's, digital wireless Internet service is just about completed, and should give much of Beckwith if not all, wireless Internet capability. And this was brought to our community by Storm Internet.
Since then other companies have assisted us in continuing our goals however, we need some help in order to grow some more. By spring 2006, we would like to have installed and operating, a fully digital weather station in operation with the capability to provide near real-time weather information for the community as a whole and to the agricultural community as well by including soil temperature, soil moisture content, daylight hours, lightning detection and the UV Index as well as wind chill reports.
In order to achieve this goal we need to collect upwards of $3500 or more to cover the cost of the weather station. We have been trying for the last 2 years to make this happen but this is a must do item. It will tie in nicely with in-school classroom work and will also provide real data to work with at school. Additionally, the main function of the weather station will be to provide accurate data and create local forecasts with good accuracy.
Any company who may be willing to work toward this goal with us should contact Stephen Mayne at (613) 253-2215 or by E-mail.
There are many things we need to help improve our service to the community and the must be a number of companies out there with surplus equipment they could donate to a good cause. A PC Projector would be a great addition to our equipment as would a Pentium laptop to run it with.
One other important item we need as soon as possible is a good quality outdoor camera that could be rigged as a web cam with pan/tilt and zoom capabilities for storm watching. Ideally a system that could be put together including an all-weather camera as noted above, connected to a laptop PC with an uplink to the website would be awesome for 'storm chasing in the classroom!'
Anyone with an offer of equipment or funding and those who have suggestions and ideas for us, please send us an E-mail with a description of your ideas or offer and a time that may be good to meet or talk. Lanarkweather.org is a serious endeavour however has turned out to be much more costlier than anticipated however, the growth is an indication that what we are doing is well worth doing.
This website was designed as a community service to provide weather information and education to everyone but now I need some help to make it strong. Weather affects everyone and because of that, the more information we have the better off we are. The farmer in the field to the golfer on the links needs to know what to expect as does the resort owner and those who use them. No matter who you are or what you do, weather will have some impact on your daily lives.
There is a lot that is needed as yet to bring our service fully on-line but I expect that once things start to roll along we'll get some help along the way, I hope, I hope, I hope. We do have a wish list so that if anyone is interested in sponsoring us or in providing any of the much needed equipment you can get an idea of what is needed. Our wish list is looks big because of the fine details but in fact, it wouldn't take much to get it all. Click on Wish List for a listing of all the items were are in need of. Your help is most appreciated.
Storm Internet
Storm Internet
Storm Internet of Ottawa is now the official sponsor of the lanarkweather.org website and are providing assistance with our web related costs thereby relieving some of the financial burden. Storm Internet has effectively reduced the website operating costs by 50% and has been very supportive of our community minded efforts. Their support team is an awesome collection of talent and they have been very helpful to me (and patient too).
Storm Internet provides urban and rural community Internet services with many different offerings from basic dial-up and web hosting to wireless Internet access and webcasting solutions. Storm Internet does this all and more while providing a "No Hassle" guarantee. They understand the needs of our communities, both big and small, and are constantly looking for ways to improve. Storm Internet can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.storm.ca or by picking up your phone and calling (613) 567-6585 or if your are outside the Ottawa calling area their toll free number is 1-866-257-8676.
A special thank you goes out to Barry Williams and his team at Storm Internet and Andre for helping me get set up. Keep up the great work!
Nature Lover's Bookshop
Nature Lover's Bookshop
The Nature Lover's Bookshop located in Lanark Village, Ontario, 15 minutes north of Perth, Ontario on highway 511 has become my greatest single source for books on weather, meteorology and astronomy. Of all the stores I have been to, including the big guys, Mary at Nature Lover's Bookshop has the best selection.
From children's books through to detailed field guides and higher, they have in stock some of the best books I have seen on the subject here in eastern Ontario and dare I say elsewhere. Added to this is the realm of the natural sciences which are well covered.
So, whether you are looking for a serious book on the weather, a childs eye view of thunder and lightning or even if you are an avid outdoors explorer, this is the shop to go to. If they don't have what you are looking for they will endeavour to find it for you and quickly at that.
Did I mention their pricing? To say that they are a one-of-a-kind shop in the region, to say that they have such a large selection of books and gifts, and not to be ignored, the ambiance of this little shop is amazing. However they have a wonderfully small town attitiude with the low overhead that you'd come to expect in a small town, therefore their pricing is more than reasonable. Enough so that I was actually taken by surprise.
So, if you find yourself within a driving distance from the store, it is well worth the visit. And if you can't get there, you can get in touch with them via the Internet and place an order that way. The store is located at 62 George Street, P.O. Box 160, Lanark, Ontario, K0G 1K0 and their phone number is (613) 259-5654 or you can email them at natureloversbookshop@bellnet.ca. Tell them I sent you!
Mary, I must say thank you once again for all your help, your excellent suggestions and continued support for my efforts at bringing weather to the classroom. I also look forward to another visit to the store for another great afternoon "talking weather".