Will use state-of-the-art voting machine, part of EPPC display

Contact: Jennifer Parks 502-564-5525 and Mary Jean Eddins 502-573-3080

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 17, 2006) – Visitors to the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet (EPPC) display at the Kentucky State Fair will be invited to help select the next design for a “Nature’s Finest” license plate.

Fairgoers can use a state-of-the-art, touch-screen voting machine to choose from among 11 prospective designs for the special plates, sales of which contribute $10 each to the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. The plates have featured a butterfly, wildcat, cardinal and Kentucky warbler.

“The state fair is a celebration of our beloved commonwealth and its heritage,” said EPPC Secretary LaJuana S. Wilcher. “Fundamental to that heritage is the acquisition and preservation of natural areas for our children and the generations to come. The Heritage Land Conservation Fund enables us to do that.

“So, we invite everyone at the fair to visit the EPPC displays, vote for a new nature plate design and learn what the cabinet is doing to protect the environment and help grow Kentucky’s economy,” Wilcher said.

Voting on nature plate designs – also featured at the Secretary of State display – is just one of the enjoyable and informative activities awaiting visitors to EPPC booths, which are in the South Wing, on “Main Street Kentucky,” at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.

On Friday, Aug. 18, Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day will be signing autographs at the booth of the Department of Public Protection, an EPPC agency. The department includes the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority.

Among other EPPC displays:

• A booth that includes firefighters from the Kentucky Division of Forestry. Most wildland fires in Kentucky – 55 percent – are set by arsonists. Find out how many occur in your county, along with acreage burned and cost to taxpayers. Learn about the Target Arson hotline and how to make your own property more fire resistant through the Kentucky Firewise Program. Smokey Bear will be stopping by with a reminder that “Only you can prevent wildfires.”
• Golf, anyone? Test your putting skills on the “Green Green,” an attraction offered by the Department for Environmental Protection – and learn about eco-friendly lawn care in the process.
• A Division for Air Quality display, where boys and girls can register to win a new bike by correctly answering three questions about how they can help keep the air clean. Winners will be announced at the end of the fair.
• Division of Water mascot Ollie Otter, who will be reminding visitors that “You otter care about water!”  The division’s display also features a water conservation house, which illustrates the amount of water we use and provides simple ways to reduce consumption and protect the commonwealth’s rivers, streams and water supply.