MARCH/APRIL 2014
T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E A R K A N S A S W I L D L I F E F E D E R AT I O N A F F I L I AT E D W I T H T H E N AT I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R AT I O N
Joseph Gomez “Common Beauty” - 1st Place & Best of Show (Jacksonville High School) - 12th Grade
•
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit 128 Russellville, Ark. 72801
VOL 42
NO 2
2 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
Arkansas Wildlife Federation Mission Statement
To advocate for the sustainable use of Arkansas’ wildlife habitats and natural resources for future generations. I’m sure most of you know about Arbor Day. It is a very important time to plant a tree to help our environment. It was all started April 10, 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. He proposed a national holiday he called “Arbor Day.” His ideal was to encourage others to plant trees to help the environment in Nebraska, where there were very few trees. It is estimated that over one million trees were planted on the first Arbor Day in Nebraska in 1872. Arbor Day was officially proclaimed by Nebraska Governor Robert W. Furnas on March 12, 1874. In 1882 schools nationwide started celebrating Arbor Day. The legal day was changed in 1885 to April 22 each year to honor Mr. J. Sterling Morton’s birthday. According to Nebraska City News (1885) the city celebrated with a parade and Mr. Morton made a speech. School students met and planted at least
one tree in the school yard. Each tree planted was labeled with the date and the school’s grade that planted the tree. Today, Arbor Day is set for the last Friday in April each year nationwide. However, some states celebrate it in February or March because it is a better time to plant trees in the South. No matter when you decide to plant a tree it can be a good event to include young people; to show them and to teach them the importance of trees and what they do for our environment. I want to thank Clint Lusk, owner of Cloud Mountain Forestry LLC, Natural Resource Services of Hector, Arkansas. I have been working with Cloud Mountain Forestry and Arkansas Forestry Commission each spring for six years to celebrate Arbor Day in my community. The Dardanelle Elementary School and principal Terry Laughinghouse, along with
Dardanelle Mayor Carolyn McGee, has allowed me to work with the Dardanelle Schools to plant trees in front of the elementary school for the past four years and to pass out tree seedlings to all 650+ students each year. Mr. Laughinghouse, Arkansas Forestry Commission employees, Mayor McGee and I address the students and talk about trees and what they mean to our environment. Teachers will talk about the importance of trees in the classrooms all week and, through a process, a few students will be selected to actually plant the trees in front of the school. As a matter of fact there are one or more teachers currently in the Dardanelle School system who helped plant some of the trees in front of the Elementary School that was opened in 1994. Last year Cloud Mountain Forestry planted over 18 million trees from their business. They gave Arkansas Wildlife
Federation their leftovers, 16,000 native hardwood seedlings that we gave away to most anyone who would plant them. So far this year through partnerships with AWF, Cloud Mountain Forestry, and Arkansas Forestry Commission, over 12,000 native hardwood trees have been planted to help our environment and the Natural State. I ask each of you to take time to show a young person how to plant a tree, then encourage them to name it and care for it. They will never forget it and the special time you shared together planting it. One grown tree can produce enough oxygen for a family of four each year. For more information: Cloud Mountain Forestry 479-858-2053 or cloudmtforestry@yahoo.com Wayne Shewmake President AWF
Arkansas Wildlife Membership Registration Form Date _________________________________________________________________________________________ Name ________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________________ State __________________ ZIpCode ___________________ Phone # _____________________________Email _____________________________________________________ Receive your copy of Arkansas Out-of-Doors (Check One):
(
) USPS
(
) E-mail (email address required above)
Visa/MasterCard #__________________________________________ Exp. _________________ CVV#__________ Signature ___________________________________________________ Date_____________________________
President - Wayne Shewmake 1st VP - Ellen McNulty 2nd VP - Jerry Crowe Treasurer - Gary Bush Secretary - Clay Spikes Arkansas Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization and AWF (tax# 71-6059226) IRS Requirements: You are receiving $10 in goods for your membership, through AWF bi-monthly newspaper
Arkansas Wildlife Federation P.O. Box 56380 Little Rock, AR 72215 (501) 888-4770 arkwf@sbcglobal.net www.arkansaswildlifefederation.org
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 3
One Year and Dragging Through the Sludge by Ethan Nahté The one-year anniversary of the ExxonMobil Pegasus Pipeline fiasco in Mayflower has come and gone. Most of the houses in the Northwoods subdivision still stand empty. Some of the houses were sold to Exxon and promptly destroyed. Officials say the area is safe to live in but many people are still claiming to have headaches, dizziness, nausea, and other maladies. Some people are moving away… and Mayflower doesn’t have that many residents to begin with. There’s no telling how many animals that once called this area home that have moved on. Over 200 were found dead. That doesn’t count the ones that were never found. It doesn’t count the 10,000 bees that one lady claimed died from her hives in the adjoining subdivision. If you’re not familiar with the area, Lake Conway is a large lake surrounded by a lot of trees and lowlands, so the number of aquatics, birds, and small mammals is quite vast. Residents of the neighborhood just behind ground zero are still seeing oil pooling up above ground in their yards, enough oil that they can take a spoon and skim it as if they had poured it straight from a bottle of 10W-30 they had just purchased in the store. One of these neighbors has health issues and has to use an inhaler. Ironically, according to the promotional material in his doctor’s office, his inhaler is sponsored, in part, by Exxon. He took a photo with his camera phone for proof. Karen Tyrone, vice president and operations manager of ExxonMobil Pipeline Corporation, said that the remediation plan that Exxon plans to submit to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) outlining why the Pegasus pipeline ruptured and how Exxon will ensure that it doesn’t break again will take at least a year to execute. That means a minimum of two years before they can even give an answer on why the pipe burst. There’s been no word on whether or not ExxonMobil plans on moving the Pegasus line over so it no longer runs through the Maumelle watershed, which supplies water to much of central Arkansas. Meanwhile, the 2013 Mayflower oil spill, approximately 210,000 gallons, is only a fraction of annual pipeline leaks. It is estimated that between 2008 and 2012, US pipelines spilled an average of more than 3.1 million gallons of hazardous liquids per year, according to PHMSA. Yet, while oil was still leaking out of the ground in April, 2013, Congressman Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) stood in the middle of the catastrophe and claimed that the highly debated Keystone XL oil pipeline wouldn’t have the same issues. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) signed on to a letter with 10 other Democrats April, 2014 to show their support for Keystone. Congressman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has been for Keystone from the start. If you’re an Arkansan and you’re against Keystone XL it doesn’t leave you a whole lot of choices on someone to vote for this election season. Griffin’s not running, but it seems there are plenty of politicians on both sides of the major parties that have no problems gambling Arkansas’ collective health and natural beauty.
In all fairness, the slough/cove does look much better and the number of booms to collect the oil floating across the water has decreased. The town is not nearly as “fragrant” as it was when the event first occurred, in which a person could be driving two or three miles on either side of the city limits and smell the overwhelming stench of oil. According to ExxonMobil’s site, no free oil made it to Lake Conway and ADEQ seems to agree with that as they continue to monitor the air, water and soil. The potential problem could be what isn’t being seen. There are still large tar balls rolling up on the shore from the BP disaster (April 20, 2010). It’s been 25 years since the Valdez, AK spill (March 24, 1989) and the people there are still finding pockets of fresh oil according to an article in a recent issue of the Anchorage Daily News (March 21, 2014). ExxonMobil’s senior media relations adviser, Richard Kell, states in that article, “The [Prince William] Sound is thriving environmentally and we’ve had a very solid, complete recovery.” That same article gives a very different viewpoint from the government scientists’ point-of-view. The scientists say some animals have finally made a rough comeback after a long struggle, not everything is flourishing and the accident has definitely taken its toll. Not to mention that Exxon’s payments were too late and too little. ExxonMobil claims on its site that it is paying the damages for what happened in Mayflower. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel levied $2.6 million in civil fines at the world’s most valuable company. Only time will tell to see how much they end up paying when it goes to trial sometime in 2015. And as if there was something in the spring air that causes oil to bloom... an oil tanker collision (no mention of a specific oil company name associated with the tanker) with a barge in Galveston Bay on March 22, 2014 possibly released up to 168,000 gallons of fuel oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It has killed birds and marine life. Rescuers have found live oilsoaked birds and marine life which they have captured to clean and rescue. Over 15.5 miles of shoreline are affected and 750 people are working around the clock on the situation. The spill happened approximately eight miles from Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, which attracts 50,000-70,000 shorebirds each year. Being March, it is in the midst of the spring migration for wintering birds returning north. The purpose of this article isn’t to say that we don’t need one source of energy over another. That’s another article and argument all together. The purpose is to say that we need people to quit thinking with their pocketbook and banking accounts; to quit letting guidelines and safety measures slide; to quit looking the other way and allowing money, good-ol’ boy support, bullying tactics, or whatever behind-the-scenes practices which may be taking place which are hindering the common good of the general public and nature for the benefit of a few. There is no excuse for all of these accidents followed by the lengthy disclosure of results and corrections to make the world a better and healthier place for all forms of life.
Tagged catfish are being stocked around the state
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program is continuing their efforts to get families involved in fishing with a tagged catfish campaign. Thousands of channel catfish from the AGFC’s warm-water hatchery facilities are currently being stocked at several locations around the state. Each of Arkansas’s Family and Community Fishing Program catfish stocking locations have 10 catfish tagged with special Family and Community tags. Anyone that catches a tagged fish will receive prizes. Winners also will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a canoe, two life jackets and paddles. Second prize will be a catfish rod and reel, tackle box loaded with catfishing gear and an assortment of fishing tools. Third prize will be a tackle box with fishing gear and fishing tools. Family and Community Fisheries Program Coordinator Ben Batten said a similar effort was first organized during spring break of 2012 and was a huge success. “This is the third year for this promotion, and it keeps getting bigger and better every year. The chance at a canoe certainly takes it up a notch,” he noted. A new canoe will significantly enhance angling opportunities at many of the small to medium-sized lakes, which are rather prevalent near several cities. Anyone catching a tagged fish from Family and Community locations should send the tags to the AGFC Family and Community Fishing Program, 2 Natural Resources Dr., Little Rock, AR 72205. Include your name, address, phone number, location and date of catch. Only one entry per person. Tag returns must be postmarked by July 3, 2014. Incomplete or illegible information will not be accepted. For more information on the Family and Community Fishing Program, go to www.agfc.com/familyfishing.
4 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
Trail Tales By Johnny Sain, Jr.
Conserving the outdoor lifestyle: Public land is the answer
The untamed regions of this country are those least hospitable to people. During a time when natural resources and land were thought unlimited, the saw and the plow were hampered in these places, and that is the only reason they were spared. It was just too difficult to squeeze a living out of them. Luckily those wild places were brought under protection for various reasons – some noble, some not so much – before technology could catch up to its shortcomings, and today we can explore and enjoy these untamable landscapes. Looking across the Natural State it’s easy to see where Mother Nature drew her lines in the sand, so to speak. Two opposite but equally rugged terrains resisted the march of progress in Arkansas: the mountains and the swamps. Growing up in the River Valley region of Arkansas has been a privilege in that I’ve never been far from either of these two habitats. Family heritage has led to more time in the mountains, but swamps call to me. Creatures and vegetation quite different from the uplands make the swamp exotic. That might seem a bit hyperbolic, but the bars holding my inner child aren’t very stout. And, frankly speaking, I don’t think you can truly savor all the outdoors has to offer with only a practical eye. You need a sense of wonder. Trips into different terrain are an excuse to let the inner kid run rampant. My recent trip to White River National Wildlife Refuge was just such an excuse. We were on the refuge for three days, and folks, three days is too short by a factor of at least 10. I’d really like to have about two months. The place is huge, over 160,000 acres, and one of the largest bottomland hardwood forests remaining in the United States. The size and difficulty in traveling the refuge means that many areas see limited human visitors throughout most of the year. This a good thing for many species of fauna. Inaccessibility is why the White River bottoms were the last stand for native Arkansas black bears. It’s why mature white-
tail bucks regularly leave the bottoms in a truck bed during deer season. It’s also why a report of the thought extinct ivory-billed woodpecker drew more than a few serious looks from professional naturalists and biologists. Can you think of a better hiding place than 250 square miles of swamp? There might be a hadrosaur back in there for all we know. This brand of mystique is found only on land that is vast and primal. To be honest I did not think there was a place in Arkansas that could match the wildness of the Ozarks, particularly the Boston Mountain region I like to roam. I was wrong. Nights in White River NWR during my early spring stay were deliciously silent except for the barred owls and a few frogs. Days were punctuated with screams from red-shouldered hawks, a variety of songbirds and the occasional splash of a bass, gar or bowfin in the numerous lakes. I fell in love with the place quickly. I’m sure it will generate another level of adoration when I return this summer. And I can’t imagine the rapturous emotions reached when I’m perched in a tree, bow in hand, on a future cold winter morning in the swamp. The love I’m talking about is real. It’s deep rooted and it’s shared by many other wilderness lovers. If you’re reading this publication you’re probably one. Don’t be afraid to admit your affection because your affection is what ensures these places will be around for you, your kids and their kids. Protection of public land to fish, hunt or just listen to the owls is vital to conservation; access to wild public land lies at the heart of the North American Conservation model. The sprawling tentacles of civilization and its trappings are squeezing the life out of this model, and public land is one deterrent to this threat. It seems like we’re always trying to conserve this and that, but when it comes to the White River NWR I’ve got good news. There are plans to add to the acreage. The proposed expansion would add over 125,000 acres to the White River NWR. All land would be purchased from WILLING SELLERS. This is not a case of imminent domain or a coerced land grab. It’s a golden opportunity for wildlife enthusiasts to conserver another chunk of majestic wilderness and protect it for their outdoor enjoyment as well as that of generations to come. The expansion proposal needs your help, though. A grass roots organization called “White River National Wildlife Refuge – Friends” is spearheading the move to get outdoors folks behind the expansion. You can find the group on Facebook. Join the group, learn about the expansion and understand that more public land is a win for wildlife and it’s a win for those of us that love the wildlife.
Lake Ouachita Volunteers in the Park Day Come out and be a VIP for the day on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Stephens Park and Avery Park Recreation Areas near Blakely Mountain Dam! The Lake Ouachita Citizens Focus Committee, Friends of Lake Ouachita, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites you to participate in the 2014 Volunteer in the Park (VIP) Day! The Corps of Engineers manages over 1100 campsites and 20 day- use areas on Lake Ouachita and with over 60,000 acres of land and water, the Corps must rely heavily on volunteer service to maintain these recreation areas. Activities scheduled during the VIP Day will include: interpretive/hiking trail maintenance, painting signs and fences, playground maintenance, and litter removal in Stephens and Avery Park Recreation Areas. Volunteers are asked to report to the day- use pavilion at Avery Park to sign up for the VIP activities and to receive supplies. Registration will begin at 9:00 A.M. and the event will end at 12:00 P.M. Hot dogs, drinks, and snacks will be provided for all volunteers following the activities. Come out and help us keep Lake Ouachita a premier recreation destination in Arkansas! For more information, please contact Lake Ouachita Field Office @ 501-7672101 or amy.j.shultz@usace.army.mil.
Angler’s Expo a Success by Al Wolff Anyone who has ever been to a first year convention will generally tell you that the show was easy to get around because there weren’t a lot of people around. That doesn’t necessarily mean it was a bad show, it’s just that like anything, be it a person or a locomotive, it takes a little momentum to really build up some steam and really show the world what you have to offer. As the organization putting on a convention, a first year show, or even the first three years, can make or break you. A first year show, in particular, if done the wrong way, can bankrupt you, ruin your name, and, as the old saying goes, “You’ll never work in this town again.” But the folks from the Rotary Club of Cleburne County Arkansas seemed to have done their homework, as should be expected from a group of business-oriented people, and put on a show that was moderately attended for a first-year event. Held at the new Community Center in Heber Springs, the two-day Angler’s Expo show primarily featured vendors carrying items related to fishing and boating or fishing guide services, agencies such as AGFC with the mobile aquarium and USFWS talking boating safety, other vendors with hunting, cooking, wildlife, outdoor activities, and taxidermy gear, jewelry
and clothing vendors, tourism in the Greers Ferry region, and organizations such as National Wild Turkey Federation, Trout Unlimited, and Arkansas Wildlife Federation. AWF’s Ethan Nahté, Ellen & Phillip McNulty, and Patti Dell-Duchene were in attendance. The family event had plenty of outdoor activities, including a rock-climbing wall that the National Guard supplied, chainsaw carving demonstrations, and plenty of other demonstrations on fly casting techniques and other classes and lectures on everything from bass to crappie. AGFC’s Steve “Wildman” Wilson from Talkin’ Outdoors was on hand all day Saturday as the special emcee to announce the events and to mingle with the crowd. In addition, Junior and Willie Edwards from The History Channel’s The Swamp People were in attendance to sign autographs and take photos with the audience. Fortunately the audience didn’t have to wait too long as the lines were broken up into blocks of time, so event goers stood in line starting at a certain time for their block instead of having to wait all day, which made things a lot easier. Event organizers were satisfied with the outcome of the first Angler’s Expo and were already signing vendor’s up for a second expo next year.
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 5
Nominations Still Being Accepted by Ethan Nahté There’s still to get your conservation awards nominations in for this year’s event. The nomination form is in this issue of the paper or you can download the form from our website. You don’t have to nominate someone for every category. You can nominate as few as one or you can nominate someone for every category available to the public. (Some categories awarded are nominated by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and presented at our event.) When nominating, remember to supply some documentation for the person, company, or organization you are nominating. It doesn’t have to be anything formal or fancy. It can be a clipping from a newspaper, a printout from a website, copies of their brochure/promotional material, etc. We simply need something to show why you believe they deserve recognition in the category you are nominating them for; otherwise we have no idea why you think John Doe should be Forester of the Year. If you would like to write a letter or your own biography or statement of what your nominee has done to make them worthy of being nominated, that works just as well. Nominating takes just a little of your time, but it’s easy. It also takes a little of our time. Here’s how the process works: When AWF receives your nomination, via snail mail or email, I scan all the material into a folder for that nominee and place them in another folder for the category they have been nominated for. It’s very time consuming, but a necessity. By the time June 16th rolls around I have all of the folders uploaded to Dropbox and share it with the AWF judging committee. The judges then all have the exact same material to look at and share their thoughts and ideas via phone and email over the next few days until they come up with the winners. They provide me and AWF’s executive board with the list of the winners. Then begins the sometimes lengthy process of trying to contact the winners. We have to gather biographies and other information to place in the banquet program along with the sponsors’ ads in time to have it printed before the night of the event. But it all boils down to having your nominations of people worth recognizing. All the categories are listed as well as descriptions for each category. As a reminder, for the student and educator categories, it can be a group of students, and the educator doesn’t necessarily have to be a teacher or a traditional school. So get your votes in by June 15th, and we hope to see you at the banquet.
6 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
10 Years & 45 Miles of Love by Jerry Shields
The White Rock Death March
Traildogs and Friends of the LOViT, after twelve years of planning and ten years of construction we have completed forty-five miles of trail and spurs creating what is becoming one of Arkansas’ premier multiuse hiking and mountain biking trails, the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT). We could not have completed this project without the support of our coalition members who have supported us through thick and thin. The Traildog Volunteers have exceeded 12,000 hours of volunteer work on the trail and we have raised over two million dollars in grants, donations, in-kind work and land transfers; all necessary to create the LOViT. We had a large group of volunteers on Friday, April 11th, who completed the last 2/10’s of-a- mile of handfinish work on the newly constructed link that takes the trail down to the Corp of Engineers’ Avery Recreation Area just below the base of the Blakely Mountain Dam. In celebration of the completion we had a noon cookout for all the volunteers that day and several visitors from the Corp of Engineers, US Forest Service, Arkansas Wildlife Federation, as well as several reporters. The Corp of Engineers provided a beautiful cake with the hiking sign symbol decorating the top. After enjoying some fire roasted hot dogs and brats the volunteers fell on the cake like… well a pack of starving dogs. The final construction of section eight of the trail has been completed, extending the trail from Brady Mountain Road, 6.8 miles up and over both Brady and Blakely Mountains. This includes a new vista just above the Blakely Mountain Dam with spectacular views of the dam and the lake as well as a stunning view of the Ouachita River Valley south of the dam. The trail then utilizes several switchbacks to traverse down the mountain to the Avery Recreation Area. Avery will become the eastern terminus point of the trail and the ADA Trail the western Terminus. Both will provide a large Day Use area with ample parking, restrooms at the Avery location which also offers a large group pavilion. These recreation areas will be excellent
It was 7:58 a.m. Sunday morning when I drove my red truck into the parking lot of the Visitor’s Center at Hobbs State Park. I pulled my hiking boots out of the back seat, sat down on the tailgate and started lacing them up. These boots are old friends. For the last 10 years they have carried me to lots of interesting places. The leather is starting to crack just like me, but they still have sole. (I couldn’t help myself on that one!) Our goal for the day was simple, to put in some mileage! With 31 miles of hiking trails, Hobbs is a perfect place to do just that. Several years ago, a group of us were training for a climb on Mt. Rainier in Washington. Rainier is roughly 14,500 feet above sea level. The “standard route” up Rainier starts at the Paradise Lodge at roughly 5,000 feet. Climbing crews leave late morning and hike up to Camp Muir at just above 10,000 feet. The first half mile or so of the climb is on a developed trail. Beyond that, it’s uphill through deep snow, even in late July. Once crews reach Camp Muir, they find a spot in the snow and make camp. Then they spend the night and lounge around the next day acclimating to the altitude and waiting on evening. Around midnight the crew puts on the alpine gear, ropes up and heads out across the glacier toward the summit. If you climb steadily, you reach the summit right at sunrise. The view is spectacular. Then you descend all 9,500 feet back to Paradise picking up your camping gear along the way. Training for Rainier in Arkansas is difficult. A person could run five miles a day and lift weights every night and still not be fit for Rainier. Alpine mountaineering just uses a different set of muscles than anything else. With your share of the crew gear, your crampons, carabiners, ice screws, helmet, storm gear, food, ice axe etc., it is nearly impossible to get your pack down below 65 lbs. Then you walk uphill. After reaching the summit, you walk downhill, a long way down. Each step pounds your knees. The only way to train is to put a bunch of heavy stuff on your back and then walk up and down hills. A difficulty of training for Rainier in the Ozarks was finding hikes that replicated the 4,500-foot daily climbs that we would be doing on Rainier. One approach was to climb Pinnacle Mountain seven times in one day. That does get kind of boring after around the fourth climb. So we looked for other alternatives. One of us figured out that if you counted all the climbs on the 20 miles of the Ozark High-
by Bob Morgan
Trailheads for any planned trail events, including foot races and bike races. We have begun installing trail directional signs and trail use signs on the new section to assist new users in staying on the trail. We will be installing new trailhead maps along the trail at each official trailhead to assist users in planning their hikes or rides. While the basic trail has now been completed, we still have a number of tasks to complete to make this the premier trail in Arkansas. We will be installing additional benches along the new section as well as building and installing trailhead signs at Avery and for the Spillway Recreation Area. We are also developing several trail interpretive signs along the length of the trail to provide information on the history of the Ouachita Forest, the geology of the area as well as the flora and fauna found along the trail. A special word of thanks to all the dedicated Traildogs who have so faithfully supported this ten-year construction through all kinds of difficult terrain, weather conditions and a host of other issues that challenged our effort to complete the trail. We look forward to finding Traildog volunteers who adopt a section for the trail and assist in the ongoing maintenance and enhancement plans we have planned in the coming months. We are planning an official opening of the entire trail system for early October 2014 with the intent of having all the signage and benches installed for that special day. So mark your calendars. [Editor’s Note: AWF would also like to thank the AWF members and volunteers as well as our affiliates who have helped work on the trail alongside the Traildogs over the past four years: ATU Fisheries & Wildlife Society, University of the Ozarks O2 Planet Club, and the Little Rock Air Force Base.]
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 7 land Trail (OHT) between the Cherry Bend trailhead on Highway 23 and White Rock Mountain, the total elevation gain was just over 4,000 feet. Hence, the White Rock Death March was born. The first death march occurred in late January 2001. Days are short in January so we planned on meeting at Cherry Bend at eight in the morning. There were 10 of us in the crew. The guys that had camped the night before at White Rock were late so we were on the trail promptly at 9:30. Snow had fallen earlier in the week and some was still on the ground. The temperature was just below freezing. It was a grueling day. We placed cars at intermediate trailheads in case someone came up lame. By the time we left from Potato Knob for the last decent into Salt Fork Creek and the final climb up White Rock Mountain, there were only three of us left -- Charlie, David and me. It was pitch dark when we forded Salt Fork. Then we started the climb. We were cold, tired and out of snacks. David swore that I spoke in tongues during the climb. He was right. Charlie and David had walked me into the ground. Since 2001, occasionally one or the other of us will challenge the others to a repeat of the Death March. Last January David, who is semi-retired, was lounging around in Florida. Every few days I would get an email with a photo of a different fish that he had caught. One afternoon I got to thinking that David would be getting soft after all that lounging around. I on the other hand was dealing with the rigors of a hard Arkansas winter. My chance to get even had arrived. I issued the
challenge. To my surprise, David accepted. The death march was on for the first weekend of spring. There was no backing out. And that explains why I was sitting on my red truck pulling on my boots Sunday morning. Going into woods alone, you never know what you will find. But it is almost guaranteed that you will find something interesting. On this trip it was fire! Before Europeans “settled” the Ozarks in the early 1800s, forest fires were a regular event. A little bit less often than once per decade, low intensity fires burned through the forest. Mature, resilient trees survived the fire but underbrush tended to be killed back. The result of the fire was a forest that was much more open than the one we have today. During the 1820s and ‘30s, the General Land Office surveyed the country. The surveyors marked all of the section and township lines and described the landscape. The description that you see most often in North Arkansas is “open forest.” Some references speak of being able to see a quarter of a mile through the forest. Many of these fires were ignited by Native Americans who were managing the land for game. The idea was simple. Burn off the underbrush, let lush grasses and bushes grow up, and soon deer and elk move to eat the grass and you live fat and happy for years. White Oak, Hickory and Shortleaf Pine are also more resistant to fire than other native trees so their shoots survived while the others were suppressed by the fire. This additional resistance to fire led to the Oak-Hickory forest that we have become accustomed to in the Ozark mountains. The fires, along with other occasional disturbances such as blow downs or tornados, led to multi-aged stands. The multi-aged forest was more resistant to infestations and thus was very resilient. On the forest floor, the thick duff of leaves and twigs was controlled to a much thinner layer, allowing the emergence of grasses, forbs and herbs. Biodiversity actually increased. As Europeans moved in, they continued the practice of burning through the 1800s. Then starting in the 1920s and ‘30s forest managers, using the best science they had at the time, started suppressing fire. It took about 50 years for managers to realize that the increase of understory and deadfall caused by the suppression of fire was actually increasing the potential for a catastrophic fire. During the 1970s and 1980s, experi-
mentation with prescribed burns started. Today, prescribed burn is a standard practice for forest management. The crew out at Hobbs has implemented an aggressive prescribed fire program. That is what I walked into on Sunday morning. It wasn’t entirely a surprise, since on Friday afternoon, smoke was billowing up on the east side of Beaver Lake indicating a large fire in the area. As I walked into Van Hollow, smoke was in the air, the ground became charred, and small fires continued to burn here and there. It was a surreal experience walking through miles of burnt forest. The Hobbs crew has been at this for several years; in Van Hollow the open forest is actually starting to become a reality. Some controversy still remains regarding the environmental impact of prescribed burn. Obviously, burning releases tons of carbon into the atmosphere. But the consensus of the science seems to be that the luxuriant growth that occurs after the burn more than compensates for the carbon released during the burn. Similarly, the impact of water quality is a mix. An intense storm occurring shortly after the burn would cause excessive erosion. But the impact is short-lived. Within a few weeks new growth covers the landscape reducing the potential for erosion. All in all, it seems the short-term impact of a prescribed burn is more than made up for by the long-term improvements. I walked on through Van Hollow and around the Bashore loop. At the far end of Bashore loop there is an overlook with a view of Blackburn Hollow on Beaver Lake. I made a vow to come back in my kayak later in the spring. Then I returned to the Visitor’s Center via the south side of the Clifty Creek loop. Along the way I met a young man headed the opposite direction. He greeted me with “Hello, Sir.” It’s a horrible thing to be called “Sir” on the trail. What he really meant was, “Look at this old coot, he must be older than my father-in-law’s uncle.” The next thing you know, I will meet some girl who took one of my classes and she will greet me with “Dr. Morgan, you sure are looking good!” Oh well, it is what it is. At least I am still out on the trail. The death march came off without a hitch. OK, there was that episode of head-to-toe cramps during the return shuttle from White Rock. But that only lasted 10 minutes or so. The challenge has been issued for next year, first weekend of spring.
Two rehabilitated eagles take wing on Little Red River
HEBER SPRINGS – After serious injury, surgery and months of rehabilitation, two adult bald eagles were released Saturday, March 29, near the Little Red River just downstream from Greers Ferry Dam. Their recovery and release was the result of work by Rodney Paul, who operates Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas at El Paso (White County). Several dozen spectators were on hand for the release. The birds immediately took flight and headed in a general downstream direction. Paul said one of the eagles had a major chest injury and the other had a leg broken in two places. Surgery was performed by Dr. Marilyn Baeyens, a veterinarian in Sherwood. The rehabilitation took place at Paul’s facility which includes large flight cages. One of the injured birds was found near Des Arc and the other near Crocketts Bluff. They were transported to Paul by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission personnel. Bald eagles had dwindled in number and were rarely seen in Arkansas until the 1980s – after the ban of the pesticide DDT. Today, many eagles are year-round residents of the state, nesting and producing young. Many others come to Arkansas in cold months. Most of the eagles are seen around water – lakes, rivers and streams. Paul is one of a handful of Arkansas wildlife rehabilitators who are licensed to work with federally protected birds of prey like eagles, hawks, owls and vultures. They receive no public funding for their activities but depend on donations and help from volunteers.
8 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
This is article #2 in a series of interviews that is examining turkey decline and habitat changes in Arkansas. by Kevin Tuckfield Director Mike Knoedl started with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) in 1985 as a wildlife officer in Perryville (Perry County). He then moved on to Saline, Pulaski and Dallas counties. He eventually became chief of law enforcement and currently is the director of the AGFC. He says turkey hunting is his passion and he likes to bow hunt with his sons. The following is our interview. Kevin: The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) says turkey numbers are declining in Arkansas. Is this a true statement for Arkansas and AGFC lands? Mike: Numbers are declining regionally. It is not necessarily an accurate statement statewide today. The last couple of years have had good hatches in south Arkansas. Expect to see two year old gobblers there this year. Kevin: Have numbers declined statewide since 2000? Mike: Absolutely. I was in Dallas County in the 1990’s. It was not unusual to hear 20 + turkeys gobble in a morning. We’ve had some bad hatches there, and also timber management practices have changed since then. Much of the habitat is not there like it used to be. It doesn’t look like the same place. Kevin: What are the issues of turkey decline? Mike: Number one on my list is the poor hatch survival. Examples like the flooding events in ‘08 and ‘11 have increased the mortality rate. In south Arkansas, if a turkey nests in a cutover area, some large rain events will put the nest under water. Also,
“On the Turkey Trail”
(Part Two) wet springs and other weather events affect new poult survival. Number two is predation. We don’t have the same numbers of people trapping fur bearing animals near like we had when I was growing up. [We have] coons, bobcats and foxes galore. It is a combination of them all and it hurts the population. I monitor the fur prices some, and they went up this year. It appears we now might have some more people interested in trapping. Number three is habitat. Kevin: What are the habitat concerns for Arkansas and on AGFC lands? Is there an issue of quality habitat out there? Mike: I do believe the AGFC is doing a good job on our wildlife management areas of setting the turkeys up for success with food plots and CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) ground, timber cutting and reforesting. AGFC has one of the best foresters around named Martin Blaney. We also do some control burns on AGFC lands. There are some people out there that would argue that this is not good for turkeys, but controlled burning will help to reforest and bring everything back to life that is under the leaves. That equates to good food for our turkeys and many other game animals that are out there. We also do a lot of cooperative work with the USFS who have been hit with bad hatches like the rest of the state. Kevin: Is there good habitat modification happening on non-state lands as well? Mike: Not so much. I wish I could tell you that there are a lot of positive things going on out there on private lands. The big pine forests, as they were, are gone. Business is business, but some areas have had everything cut. Kevin: The NWTF says the reason the turkey have declined is quality habitat. Mike: I would not disagree with that, but
you have to look at the total circumstances. I just don’t think you can blame it all on habitat. Kevin: Haven’t habitat changes like timber cutting, woodland/farmland conversion, and population expansion conversions always been occurring on the landscape of Arkansas? Mike: It has, but not at the rate that it is occurring today. The economy drives a lot of that. There has been a lot of cutting in south Arkansas. Down in Fordyce, when I first went there, you couldn’t drive on the road without seeing a log truck. There aren’t many loggers there now because the timber is just not there. The plantation pine is good for producing deer, but turkeys are not going to get in the thickets. Northern Arkansas has not experienced the large scale cutting like south Arkansas, mostly because north Arkansas is mostly hardwood. In the 90’s timber companies left wide Streamside Management Zones (SMZ’s) on their lands, but now there is cutting to the edge of the creek. At the end of the day a turkey needs a tree to fly up in. Kevin: If north Arkansas has not experienced the large scale cutting like south Arkansas, but turkey numbers are still declining there, then decline can’t be due to loss of habitat because of cutting in north Arkansas. What are the issues for habitat in north Arkansas? Mike: Hatches are still the number one concern there. A lot of the northern part of the state is US Forest lands, and they do a lot of select cutting there. We have also had some years of bad weather affecting the hatch. Question from a reader: Does the practice of large landscape prescribed burning in the late spring, during the hatch season in north Arkansas, affect population numbers? Mike: I would defer to our biologists knowledge on prescribed burning. It is my feeling that we lose some nests but the good outweighs the bad. Kevin: What is the balance of habitat for all kinds of wildlife?
Mike: I think you have to look at your objectives. If I had that answer I would be making more money than I am today. But SMZ’s, wildlife corridors, and differing timber types are part of the solution. A hardwood tree in south Arkansas is hard to come by these days. A good forest for turkey is a good bottomland hardwood, mast producing forest, along with some open areas. As the director, though, I have the responsibility to the taxpayers, to manage for all kinds of wildlife, not just turkeys. Number four (on the list) rests with the AGFC. In the 90s we should have done more due diligence and looked at other states with high turkey populations to find what they were doing. In the good ol’ days we (AGFC) added days to the season. We didn’t increase the limits, but we did add days to the season which increased the kill numbers. If we would have been a little more conservative during the high number days, we would not be facing what we are now. One of the things we need to do better is making conservative seasons. What also happened in the mid-80’s was a huge increase in the number of turkey hunters. I think this also had an impact on the populations due to hunting pressure. Well folks to sum up, Mike agrees turkey numbers have declined in Arkansas and gives his top reasons why. He also believes “more habitat” is not occurring in south Arkansas. We will examine this more in my next interview with Joe Fox the director of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, concerning forest habitat changes and the current state of Arkansas forests. Keep reading my future interviews, because they will include The Arkansas Forestry Association, The Nature Conservancy and US Forest Service cooperative efforts, two former AGFC wildlife biologists and, finally, NWTF spokespersons in “On the Turkey Trail.” If you have questions you want to ask regarding habitat or someone you would like interviewed, please email kevintuckfield@ gmail.com and we’ll get answers together.
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 9
2nd Annual Bass Fishing Event to Support Wounded Warrior Project The Wounded Warrior Project, in cooperation with the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, Yell County Wildlife Federation, Russellville Advertising & Promotion Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Lake Dardanelle State Park are pleased and proud to announce the forthcoming: WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT LAKE DARDANELLE BASS FISHING TOURNAMENT June 7, 2014 • 8:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. This Fishing Tournament, held at the Lake Dardanelle State Park, 100 State Park Drive, Russellville, Weigh-in Pavilion, on Saturday, June 7, 2014, in honor of our nations Wounded Warriors, who have served our country in the Iraq and Afghanistan military operations. Wounded Warriors will be paired with local volunteer Boat Captains and spend a day on the waters of Lake Dardanelle enjoying the beauty, outdoor experience and hopefully succeed in catching fish. It is expected that the River Valley will be host to Wounded Warriors from all across the nation, who have journeyed to Russellville and Lake Dardanelle to enjoy the great outdoors! The event did so well last year, bringing in 34 Wounded Warriors from various states besides Arkansas, and was one of the largest Wounded Warrior Project events the organization has had that they requested that the event be repeated. On the evening of Friday, June 6 at 6 P.M. under the Big Tent at Lake Dardanelle State Park, the Wounded Warriors will meet and greet fellow Warriors, local volunteers and Boat Captains, where they will get acquainted, partnered or teamed together for the Fishing Tournament on Saturday. Saturday morning, starting at 7:00 A.M., the Wound-
ed Warriors and Boat Captains will be treated to coffee & donuts, as well as join with their teams. Please note that there will be no walk-up/day-of entries. All entrants must pre-register through the Wounded Warrior Project number provided below. There will be a Color presentation and the Pledge of Allegiance by a local Color Guard, prior to the start of the tournament. Boats weigh anchor at 8:00 A.M. and return for the official weigh-in at 1:00 P.M. Although the name states this is a bass tournament, the fishing tournament format is strictly wide open with all fish species qualifying. There will be Wounded Warrior awards in all categories. At 2 P.M., after the weigh-in, the Yell County Wildlife Federation will be providing a catfish dinner and drinks for the Wounded Warriors, Boat Captains and volunteers. Boat Captains & Bass Clubs with boats and equipment from throughout the River Valley & state are volunteering for this very worthwhile and rewarding project. If you have a boat and would like to volunteer your time as a captain, or if you don’t have a boat and would simply like to volunteer, feel free to contact us at the appropriate numbers below. There are numerous Local Partners and National Sponsors, but sponsorships are still open. WOUNDED WARRIOR APPLICATION: Michael Records - mrecords@woundedwarriorproject. org or 832-536-3265 SPONSORS & CONTACT INFO: Wayne Shewmake - wayne093@centurytel.net or 479-229-2298; or Andy Thomas - andy.thomas@arkansas.gov or 479-890-7474 VOLUNTEER BOAT CAPTAIN - SIGN-UP INFORMATION: Andy Thomas - andy.thomas@arkansas.gov or 479-890-7474; or George Rowland – rowlandg66@ yahoo.com or 479-857-5709
Historic duck hunting lodge at Casscoe on Arkansas Register of Historic Places
CASSCOE – The historic Lion Oil Company duck hunting lodge located on the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation’s property at Cook’s Lake near Casscoe has been included in this year’s selection of properties for the state register of historic places. The addition was announced at the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s April 2 meeting held in Little Rock. A state board review committee of distinguished scholars viewed the program presentation by the AHPP staff. AHPP Director Frances McSwain said the register was created to provide formal recognition of the state’s historic properties that are of documentable significance but do not meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. “We feel that Arkansas can be proud to have a large and growing representation in both registers. As a tangible link between our past and our present, these historic properties play an important role in portraying Arkansas’s heritage,” McSwain explained. The 1955 lodge has stood the test of time and is considered to retain 85% of its original historical and cultural integrity. The lodge today follows the conservation-minded guidelines set forth by the AGFF and carried out by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff that works at the property. The lodge is one of three historic properties recognized for its contributions to the legendary Arkansas duck hunting heritage and the legacy shared by thousands in the state. The other two properties are Wingmead near DeValls Bluff and the Crockett’s Bluff Hunting Lodge, located in that community. AGFC Education Specialist Marlon Mowdy said past noteworthy personalities who’ve stayed at the Lion Oil Company lodge were actor John Wayne and President George H.W. Bush. “We welcome the public to the property and engage in various activities offered at the education center,” Mowdy said. For more information, contact Marlon Mowdy, AGFC Education Specialist at 870- 241-3373. The Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook’s Lake is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Information on the education center also is available at: www.agfc.com and www.cookslakecec.com.
Forestry Consulting/ Real Estate Sales FOREST CONSULTANT
(Timberland Specialist/ AR Registered Forester)
12 YRS EXPERIENCE
Chief Forester with AR based timber co; managing 225,000 acres.
25+ YRS EXPERIENCE Forest Management/ Timber Buying REAL ESTATE SALES Timberland and Farm /Residential Free 1st time Consultation. Call: 479-264-9281 Residential at www.tmoorerealtors.com • Moore and Co., Realtors Land Listings at www.landwatch.com/tuckfield Kevin Tuckfield ~ kevintuckfield@gmail.com A-1 Forestry Consultants/ Forest Maintenance CO LLC
10 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
2014 Art Winners Announced by Ethan Nahté The judges have made their decisions and the votes are in for this year’s “Wildlife of Arkansas” Student Art Contest co-sponsored by Arkansas Wildlife Federation and Creative Ideas. The competition awards 1st-3rd place and honorable mention for kindergarten – twelfth grade for a total of 52 awards. Though it sounds like a cliché, the judges, Bryan Winfred Massey, Sr., Professor of Art, UCA; Sandra Luckett, Asst. Professor of Art, UCA, and Alison Swanson, Co-Director: The Black Box Gallery, UCA Dept. of Art definitely had their work cut out for them as there were many more than 52 pieces that were very deserving and the final decisions had to be quite difficult to determine. In addition, the judges had many more pieces of work to judge from this year than previous years. Only two years ago the contest had approximately 350 entries. The number of entries almost doubled last year and nearly doubled again this year with a total of 1,110 entries coming in from 90 schools (and a few home schools). According to Sharon Hacker, President of Creative Ideas and organizer of the contest, reports that’s nearly 57% of Arkansas schools. It’s nice to see so many schools participating in the arts and so many students paying attention to the outdoors. The winners will be presented their prizes and awards at a ceremony open to the public on Friday, May 2, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock. The winning art will be on display for the opening night of a month-long showing before moving on to the other AGFC Nature Centers. (See Schedule Below) KINDERGARTEN: 1st Zaylee Warden
Bunny (Pea Ridge Elementary)
3rd Tate Dixon
Lady Bug in the Flowers (Bergman Elementary)
2nd Leyna Black
HM Samya Smith 1ST GRADE:
Owl with Patterns (Woodland Heights Elementary) Wildflowers under Bridge (Yocum Elementary)
1st Jasmine Navarre
Baby Birds (Pea Ridge Elementary)
3rd Emory Bowlin
Possum (Pea Ridge Elementary)
2nd Shylo Whitmore HM Alex Holiday 2ND GRADE:
Raccoon (Pea Ridge Elementary)
Fox Family (Westside Elementary)
1st Matthew Salazar
The Chirping Yellow Bird (Otter Creek Elementary)
3rd Luke Baker
Squirrel (Pea Ridge Elementary)
2nd Donovan Oxford HM Ellie Feng 3RD GRADE:
Deer (Pea Ridge Elementary)
Bird of Spring (The Art School of Conway)
1st Chloe Jennings
Baby Deer (Pea Ridge Elementary)
3rd Makyla Pirtle
Humming Birds (Florence Mattison Elementary)
2nd Madalyn Prince HM HayLee Peterson 4TH GRADE: 1st Jerry Li
2nd Clayton Marshall 3rd Landon Perry
HM George Boswell
A Spring Stroll (The Art School of Conway) Ducks (Oaklawn Magnet Elementary)
Longpincered Crayfish (Williams Magnet School) Frog on a Lily Pad (Pine Haven Elementary) Gobbler (Flippin Middle School)
Arkansas Hawk (The Art School of Conway)
5TH GRADE:
1st Carter Sain
Naughty Bunny (Bergman Elementary)
3rd Skyelar Vickers
Gyotaku Style Fish in River (Harrison Middle School)
2nd Savannah Spradlin HM Tyler Bunting 6TH GRADE:
Groundhog (The Art School of Conway) Owl at Night (Harrison Middle School)
1st Kayla Keng
Arkansas Bliss (The Art School of Conway)
3rd Josie Cleghorn
Mocking Bird (Benton Middle School)
2nd Justice DeFour HM Aliza Borja 7TH GRADE:
The Red Fox (Bright Field Middle School) Summer Day (Harrison Middle School)
1st Clay Crew
Color Burst (Cabot Junior High North)
3rd Gabe Lusk
Spring has Sprung (The Art School of Conway)
2nd Ivy Westmoreland HM Stuart Fletcher 8TH GRADE:
Night Thief (Cabot Junior High North)
Bubbling Trout (Little Rock Christian Academy)
1st Syd Pack
Awesome Possum (Cabot Junior High North)
3rd Katie Nelson
Gray Squirrel (Wynne Junior High School)
2nd Lashanda Barnes HM Sydney Acosta 9TH GRADE:
Red Fox (Wynne Junior High School)
Arkansas Sunset (Jacksonville Middle School)
1st Erica Vanhaute
Arkansas Mockingbird (Mount Saint Mary Academy)
3rd Chloe Burrous
Mother & Child (Cabot Junior High North)
2nd Nikolle Knight HM Nathan Cain 10TH GRADE:
Sunset Squirrel (Sheridan Freshman Academy) Eagle (Bauxite High School)
1st Michelle Peck
Our Little Place (Cabot High School)
3rd Savana Kuhn
Wye Mountain (Little Rock Christian Academy)
2nd Elinore Noyes HM James Ayers 11TH GRADE:
Once Upon a Butterfly (The Art School of Conway) White Tail (Jacksonville High School)
1st Olivia Fredericks
Xeromphalina Campanella (Cabot High School)
3rd Mary Buchner
Arkansas Gator (Mount Saint Mary Academy)
2nd Haley Johnson HM Jessica Perez 12TH GRADE:
The Ring-Necked Pheasant (Bauxite High School) Night Owl (Little Rock Christian Academy)
1st and Best Of Show Joseph Gomez
Common Beauty (Jacksonville High School)
3rd Ashley Gragg
Spread Your Wings (Pine Bluff High School)
2nd Kerrigan Cook
Box Turtle in Spring (Calico Rock High School)
HM Miranda Whittaker
American Gold Finch (Calico Rock High School)
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 11
Springs Showers Bring Animal Baby Showers by Al Wolff
Spring has sprung and it’s that time of year when AWF, AGFC and many other organizations, rehab specialists, veterinarians, and agencies get inundated with calls about baby animals that humans try to help. Granted, sometimes… and that’s a very rare sometimes, the little critters do need our help. When a defenseless animal has been dropped on your front doorstep, still alive, by your cat or dog; when a vicious spring thunderstorm has blown a nest out of the tree and done a reinterpretation of the song “Rockabye Baby” and the bough has broken; or when young rabbits are nesting in the yard and you haven’t checked before pulling out the lawnmower, then giving someone a call for help is understandable. But most of the times you may be doing more harm than good, even if you mean well. We get many calls here with people who see a young bird that is on the ground, or a young deer or rabbit all alone and the first thing we generally hear is, “The mother was nowhere around.” Odds are the mother was around, at least until the human stepped into the picture. The mother will normally stay just out of sight, watching as her young learn the ropes, keeping an eye out for predators that she can run off and other dangers that she can help avert. When it comes to people, though, most times the mother is going to stay hidden and watch her young basically be kidnapped before her very eyes… unless it’s a bear cub, then that will probably be an entirely different phone call coming through with lots of screaming and possibly some bone crunching. Sometimes, if a nest has been blown out of a tree but the branch is still solid, place the nest and the birds back up there if it’s a safe place and there are no predators, such as cats, nearby. The momma bird will more than likely still come around even though you’ve touched them. But if the birds are on the ground and the nest is nearby, odds are they are learning to fly. Remember, animals are good at hiding and they are naturally adept at camouflaging themselves within their surroundings. So not only might you be affecting the natural
order of things just because you don’t see the mother around, but you are also putting yourself and the young animal at risk. Despite all the animal knowledge you may possess, odds are you will never be as equipped or skilled to raise an animal as its natural parent. Not to mention that there are certain diseases that you or your own pets could be passing on to the animal, or it could be passing on to you and your pets. In addition, there are certain laws that prevent you from owning wild animals, including deer. Yes, up until a couple of years ago it was still legal, even if it wasn’t really the right thing to do, to have possession of a fawn. But unless the animal is orphaned or injured, and unless you are a certified wildlife rehabilitator, it is no longer legal for you to possess a deer, nor many other wild animals. Check with AGFC about the laws in regards to that. As a matter of fact, if you do find an animal that is in need of an actual rehabilitation specialist, visit the AGFC website at AGFC.com. The list on their site is the same list that AWF utilizes. In the top right hand corner is a Search
bar. Type in the word “Rehab” and it will bring up a page with options including a link for Rehab Specialists for Birds and a link for non-Birds. Then it lists the specialists in order by county. You may not find someone in your county so you may have to find a county nearby, especially with birds because there are less than a dozen or so rehabbers in the state. Not to mention, some rehabbers only deal with specific animals. Plus, keep in mind; these people do this out of their own pocket, in addition to other jobs or they rehab full time. So give them a break and try to meet them halfway at the very least if you can’t meet them all the way. Donations are always accepted.
Don’t think you can take care of a sick or injured animal on your own. It rarely goes right which means it causes more harm, distress and pain for the sick or injured animal. So if you do find an animal that is really in need of help, then really help it by finding the right person for the job. But make certain the animal is really in need of help first before embarking on a crusade and separating a baby from its mother. If you have the time (and a camera), just watch the animal for a little while and see what it does. You might be surprised to see mom and maybe brothers and sisters join in, or maybe a bird taking its first successful flight.
2014 WILDLIFE OF A ART CONTEST ~ FIR
“WILDLIFE OF ARKANSA
Zaylee Warden - Bunny (Pea Ridge Elementary) - Kindergarten
May 2 – May 29: Witt Stephens Jr. Cen June 1 - June 26: Forrest L. Wood Cro Jun 29 - July 25: Janet Huckabee Arkans July 27 - August 22: Governor Mike Huck August 23: AWF Conservation Achievement A
Erica Vanhaute Arkansas Mockingbird (Mount Saint Mary Academy) - 9th Grade
Jerry Li - Long Pincered Crayfish (Williams Magnet School) - 4th Grade
Syd Pack Awesome Possum (Cabot Junior High North) - 8th Grade
Jasmine Navarre - Baby Birds (Pea Ridge Elementary) - 1st Grade
Olivia Fredericks Xerom (Cabot High School) - 1
Clay Crew Color Burst (Cabot J
ARKANSAS STUDENT RST PLACE WINNERS
AS” TRAVELING EXHIBIT
ntral Arkansas Nature Center, Little Rock owley’s Ridge Nature Center, Jonesboro sas River Valley Nature Center, Fort Smith kabee Delta Rivers Nature Center, Pine Bluff Awards Banquet, The Center of Bryant, Bryant
mphalina Campanella 11th Grade
Junior High North) - 7th Grade
Carter Sain Naughty Bunny (Bergman Elementary) - 5th Grade
Kayla Keng Arkansas Bliss (The Art School of Conway) - 6th Grade Chloe Jennings - Baby Deer (Pea Ridge Elementary) - 3rd Grade
Michelle Peck Our Little Place (Cabot High School) - 10th Grade
Matthew Salazar - The Chirping Yellow Bird (Otter Creek Elementary) - 2nd Grade
14 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
Gardening for Butterflies: More to It Than Nectar by Dr. Rita Littrell “You can garden for butterflies?” “Oh yes, I have one of those plants that the butterflies like!” These are comments I hear when I tell people that I butterfly garden. Attracting butterflies to your garden is the first step, but if you really want to see a lot of butterflies, you must include host plants. These are the plants that support the metamorphosis of the butterfly. The host plants are critical to a butterfly garden. This article will explain the basics of butterfly gardening. This is a remarkably rewarding yet easy hobby that anyone in Arkansas can do. You can either create a designated butterfly garden or integrate it into your existing landscape. Or even help Mother Nature out a bit. Creating a butterfly garden is really quite simple. Just follow the following steps. • Select a sunny location – preferably with space for small trees or bushes. • Include nectar plants. • Include host plants. • Create a space for puddling with water. • DO NOT use pesticides. There is no chemical that kills only bad insects. Location: So let’s get started! First of all, select your location if you are creating a designated butterfly garden. Some plants will grow in partial shade, but the majority of butterfly plants are sun lovers. So find a
Photo by Jack Bardwell
sunny spot. Determine how much space you wish to care for and which butterflies you want to invite to your garden. The species of butterflies will determine which plants you should include. I would suggest starting small and then expanding as you learn to care for the perennials. This is preferred to starting large and getting burned out! If you can select a location with a fence, evergreen trees or wall that can provide a wind block, it provides some protection from the elements as well as a place to roost at night. Some host plants are small trees or large shrubs so include space for them. Many are perennials that are native to Arkansas. Nectar Plants: Since butterflies are on a liquid diet, it is necessary to include the nectar plants that keep them fueled. Butterflies carry a straw with them at all times called a proboscis. This is essentially their tongue. They land on a flower, uncurl their proboscis and sip the nectar. Different butterfly species prefer different flowers for their color and shape. One of the favorites in my garden is tall garden phlox. This perennial is a favorite of the swallowtail family. Tall zinnias (Zinnia elegans) are also a swallowtail favorite. Many butterflies nectar on coneflowers (Echinacea). This perennial is native to Arkansas. There are many new varieties but the more common coneflower with the orange center and the pink petals is favored by the butterflies over the newly developed hybrids in every color under the sun. Several varieties of milkweed (Asclepias spp.) are native perennials in Arkansas. The orange variety known as butterfly weed by old timers is a great nectar plant as well as necessary host plant. Swamp milkweed and common milkweed are two more native varieties. Bloodflower is an annual milkweed that sometimes reseeds. It blooms all summer and is favored by many butterfly species. When traveling in rural or Southern regions of the state, I enjoyed the butterflies along the roadsides nectaring on liatris, coneflower and milkweed. Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is favored by smaller butterflies and adds a nice shape and texture to your garden. Lantana is a favorite annual. Sedum is a great fall bloomer that extends the season for our fluttering friends. Use
Photo by Lisa Taylor varied colors, shapes and textures to make your garden attractive and to invite more butterflies. My favorite list follows. Host Plants: This is the key to successful butterfly gardening! Each butterfly lays eggs on only one or two varieties of plants. These plants are called host plants because without them, the butterfly metamorphosis cannot occur. It is exciting to watch a butterfly buzz your garden and start hovering around a specific vine or plant that may not have a bloom. This is a sure sign that the butterfly is looking for a host plant. Monarchs time their arrival as the milkweed emerges for both the spring and fall migrations. One of my favorite butterflies to watch is the pipevine swallowtail. As she finds the pipevine plant, she looks for the delicate ends of the vine. She lands on it and deposits five to ten eggs side by side. She is one of the few who lays eggs in clusters. Most lay individual eggs. The butterfly glues the eggs, usually to the underside of a leaf. Most people can’t see the eggs unless you know where to look for them. In about four days the caterpillar, who is a very picky eater, will emerge, eat the shell, and then start eating the plant. A caterpillar will starve before it will eat a non-host plant. The mother butterfly is very careful to put the egg on the plant that it will eat --- except for the day she laid an egg on my thumb. At the Butterfly House at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, we had some butterflies laying eggs in strange places when we would carry host plants into the house. They were desperate for new host plants and occasionally misjudged their spot. We were amazed at their desperation to lay the eggs! Most caterpillars will remain on the host plant
until they are ready to turn into a chrysalis. At that time the caterpillar often leaves the plant to find a high spot where it will attach and transform into a chrysalis. Since host plants are butterfly specific, I will share a few of my favorites. For beginning butterfly gardening, I would suggest bronze fennel. This hosts the Eastern black swallowtail. This is one of the easiest to attract. You can feed it washed parsley from the store if you run out of the host plant. Fennel is an attractive airy plant in the garden and is easy to grow. The caterpillar is one of the easiest to care for. My second favorite would be milkweed it is a host and nectar plant and is needed to sustain the diminishing number of monarchs. Puddling: Include a sandy place with wet soil and salt. This allows the butterflies to drink and provides minerals needed by the males. It is spectacular to see assorted butterflies puddling along river banks. Try to recreate this in your butterfly garden. Pesticide Free Yard: If you want butterflies, you cannot use pesticides. These chemicals don’t distinguish the good guys from the bad ones. They kill all insects. Butterflies are very sensitive. If they land on a plant that has been sprayed with a pesticide, the spray will be ingested through their feet. The caterpillars too will die from exposure to the chemical. One day, at a garden show, I found a caterpillar on a rose that had just been sprayed. We tried washing the chemical off but to no avail. My son and I held the caterpillar and watch it wriggle until its death. So, if you spray to kill any type of insect, you will jeopardize your butterflies. Continued on next page...
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 15
Conservation license plates continue to grow in popularity LITTLE ROCK – You see ‘em daily on streets and highways. You may have one on your own car or pickup. Yes, those conservation license plates are highly popular in Arkansas. Now in their 15th year, the specialty plates administered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission continue to serve their primary purpose – to generate scholarship funds for college students pursuing degrees in the broad field of conservation. Well over a thousand students have been aided by these funds generated by the sale of more than 70,000 license plates over the years. The plates cost $35 a year, and this is in addition to regular vehicle license fees. Of
the money paid, $25 goes to the Game and Fish Commission’s conservation scholarship fund and $10 to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration for handling the sales. All right, can you guess which has been the most popular in terms of sales of the 15 conservation license plates? It is the ruby-throated hummingbird. Sales of the popular plate have totaled 8,010 over several years. Runnerup is the first plate issued which depicted a white-tailed deer with 7,482 sales. Purchasers of these conservation license plates can choose which one they want, al-
though supplies of all may not be available in every revenue office. The other plates and their sales to date: 3. Black Labrador retriever, 6,544. 4. Mallard duck, 5,867. 5. Butterfly, 5,271. 6. Elk, 4,723. 7. Second white-tailed deer, 4,586. 8. Black bear, 4,552. 9. Largemouth bass, 4,364. 10. Rainbow trout, 4,317. 11. Turkey, 4,306. 12. Ivory-billed woodpecker, 4,225. 13. Crappie, 3,470. 14. Bald eagle, 2,914.
“Gardening for Butterflies” continued... Protecting the Caterpillar: One additional step some of us choose to provide to increase our number of butterflies is to shelter the caterpillars. In nature, 95% of the caterpillars are eaten by other animals. The list of caterpillar predators is lengthy. The caterpillars tend to be docile and tasty – except for the ones that eat plants which make them bitter. To give Mother Nature a hand, we put caterpillars in a protected container when they are very young and feed them the host plant. This requires what we call ‘nanny’ services – cleaning and feeding – until it becomes a chrysalis. We release our butterflies to the garden when they emerge from the chrysalis. Learning to care for the caterpillars takes some education that we call nanny training. But that will be a future article. To learn more, there are many fabulous books on this topic. But, the first book I would recommend is The Life Cycle of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity, a Visual Guide to 23 Common Garden Butterflies by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards; a brother and sister research team. Below are a few that have proven successful for our Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Butterfly mentors and nannies.
NECTAR PICKS
HOST PLANTS & BUTTERFLY
1. Tall garden phlox
1. Fennel – Easter Black Swallowtail
2. Milkweed
2. Milkweed – Monarch
3. Coneflowers
3. Passion vines – Gulf & Variegated Fritillary
4. Tall verbena
4. Pawpaw tree – Zebra Swallowtail
5. Lantana
5. Pipevine – Pipevine Swallowtail
6. Zinnia
6. Rue – Giant Swallowtail
7. Butterfly bush
7. Spicebush – Spicebush Swallowtail
8. Sweet William
8. Willow – Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy
Once established you may want to certify your garden through the North American Butterfly Association or make it a Monarch Way Station certified by Monarch Watch. These programs can be found with a quick internet search. Dr. Rita Littrell is a board member of the Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks. One of her favorite hobbies is butterfly gardening and helping others to experience the miracle of metamorphosis. She hopes you will make a trip to the Butterfly House at the BGO in Fayetteville.
The totals do not include the current conservation plate which depicts a fox squirrel. The conservation plates are sold through the revenue offices of the Department of Finance and Administration, not through the AGFC. Gift certificates are available, however, from the AGFC. Students studying wildlife management, natural resources and educational career paths may apply for the conservation scholarships. Applicants must be full-time students and Arkansas residents with a 2.5 grade-point average. Applications must be submitted by June 1 for fall semesters. For more information on the scholarship, go to http://www.agfc.com/ education/Pages/EducationConservationScholarship.aspx.
Teen Sells Diamond for $20K by Ethan Nahté
Last year, after hearing about 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff from Apex, North Carolina finding a 5.16 carat, honey-brown diamond at Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park, 14-yearold Tana Clymer and her family traveled from Oklahoma City to try their luck back in mid-October of 2013. It was their first trip to the park, the only public diamond producing site in the world open to the public, and it paid off with a 3.85 canary yellow diamond. According to Tana, she’d been digging and sifting in the dirt for about two hours, then surface searching for 10 minutes, when she noticed the diamond on the surface of the search field. “I thought it was a piece of paper or foil from a candy wrapper,” she said. “Then, when I touched it, I thought it was a marble.” Tana told park officials, “I think God pointed me to it. I was about to sprint to join my family, and God told me to slow down and look. Then, I found the diamond!” Tana said a prayer of thanks, and in His grace, named her beautiful canary gem the God’s Jewel diamond. Clymer has now sold the diamond for a whopping $20,000! The teardrop-shaped diamond is about the size of a jellybean. She says that she plans on using the money to help pay for college. This is right about the same time as the recent Jax diamond find at the park by Brandon Kalenda of Maurepas, Louisiana (see accompanying story). The Jax diamond is 2.89 carats and was named after Kalenda’s son, Jackson. But there are many factors that determine whether Kalenda’s diamond is worth more or less that Clymer’s diamond. See Waymon Cox’s accompanying article about the difficult process of determining value.
16 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
ADEQ WORKSHOPS 2014 TYPE OF WORKSHOP
LOCATION
DATE
TIME
TO REGISTER:
Pharmaceuticals, Water Quality and Project WET
Harding University
Thursday, June 5
8:30 AM – 4 PM
Register through ECS Works Wilbur D. Mills Co-Op Workshop number #209491
Project WET/WOW
Cook’s Lake
Wednesday, June 11 (canoe float second day)
9 AM – 4 PM
Cook’s Lake Call 870.241.3373 Give the following information Name, organization, email, phone, workshop name
Project WET(WOW) and Lake Smart
Beaver Lake Water District Lowell, AR
Tuesday, June 17
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Project WET/WOW
Cook’s Lake
Wednesday,25 June (canoe float second day)
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cook’s Lake Call 870.241.3373 Give the following information Name, organization, email, phone, workshop name
hisTOURy workshop
Touring workshop REGISTRATION and paperwork required Leaves from Rogers to points in NW AR
Monday, June 30 Tuesday, July 1 Wednesday, July 2
Varies -- call for information
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Special focus Project WET/ WOW/Conserve Water workshop – Language Arts, History, Geography, GPS mapping
Toltec Mounds State Park Scott, AR
Wednesday, July 9
9 AM – 4:00 PM Limit to 25
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Project WET/WOW
Devil’s Den State Park
Thursday, July 17
9 AM – 3:30 PM
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Ramsar Wetlands Workshop Project WET special focus Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners in Growth
Grand Prairie Conference Center
Wednesday, July 23
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Project WET/WOW/Flying WILD
Mississippi River State Park Marianna, AR Includes guided bird walk by park interpreter
Thursday, June 19
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
millerb@adeq.state.ar.us 501.683.5407
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 17
Arkansas Wildlife Federation P.O. Box 56380, Little Rock, AR 72215
Environmentally Ellie May Are you a bird watcher? Are you planning a wedding or involved in the planning of a wedding? Or do you just like feeding birds…at weddings? I have to say, it’s been awhile since I took a hike down the aisle, but I do wish I had done something just like this as a party favor for my guests. Let’s face it, no one needs another dust catcher on the shelf, but everybody loves birdseed cakes… sans 12-year-olds with BB guns, but that is another topic for another day. This recipe is superfast and super easy, and can be a great diversionary tactic for a nervous bride’s nerves. (Don’t forget to include a bottle of wine.) To get started, you will need these ingredients for 18 cakes: • 3/4 cup flour • 1/2 cup water • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin • 3 tbsp corn syrup • 4 cups of birdseed Other helpful items: • heart or round shaped cookie cutter (for each person assisting) • nonstick spray • wax paper • pencil for making your string hole • twine or natural string • cardstock paper for tags First mix the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup. Add the birdseed and stir. Place your
cookie cutter on wax paper and press birdseed mixture in, making a hole in the top for your string and tag. Place in a dry spot overnight to dry. Once dry, attach your string with your tag. You can hand write on each tag or print out your design from Microsoft Word or other program. I am honestly pretty easy as to which method you choose. Be sure to use these quickly – within a week or so, as birdseed can quickly go rancid. (And, never ever feed alcohol to bird. The wine is for the bride to be.) Then hang on your favorite bush or tree and see what kinds of birds come to enjoy it. My bush was filled with Chickadees, and they are a favorite of mine, as they always seem so grateful and excited for little gifts. This is a great grandparent activity, also. Who better than to teach our kids the beauty of bird watching than a grandparent? I hope you enjoy this activity, as Arkansas has so many beautiful birds to be proud of. God bless.
Telephone: (501) 888-4770
“Your voice for hunting, fishing and conservation since 1936”
Arkansas Out-Of-Doors Advertising Agreement Arkansas Out-Of-Doors is the official publication of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation established in 1936, a non-profit, hunting, fishing, and conservation organization dedicated to promoting the wise stewardship of our natural resources. It is a newsprint tabloid publication that is published 6 times per year for the following issues: Jan.-Feb., March-April, May-June, July-Aug., Sept.-Oct., Nov.-Dec. The publication contains information about hunting, fishing and other outdoororiented activities. It also contains articles about conservation. It is mailed near the end of the first month of each issue date to approximately 4500 AWF members and it has an estimated readership of 13,500 to 17,500 people each issue. Those who read this publication enjoy the great outdoor, and they are interested in conservation. Circle the issue in which the ad is to run: JANUARY – FEBRUARY ISSUE, reserve space by Jan. 1. Camera-ready art due Jan. 5. Mailing date near the end of January. MARCH – APRIL ISSUE, reserve space by March 1, Camera-ready due by
Size
Centerfold Full pg 1/2 pg Horizontal 1/2 pg Vertical 1/3 pg Horizontal 1/3 pg Vertical 1/4 pg 1/8 pg
Dimensions
21.5"x11" 10.25"x10.125" 10.25"x4.75" 5.0556"x9.5625" 10.25"x3.125" 3.375"x9.5625" 5.0621"x4.75" 5.0621"x2.3125"
March 5. Mailing date near the end of March. MAYJUNE ISSUE, reserve space by May 1. Cameraready art due by May 5. Mailing date near the end of May. JULY-AUGUST ISSUE, reserve space by July 1. Camera-ready art due by July 5. Mailing date near the end of July. SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER ISSUE, reserve space by Sept. 1, Camera-ready are due by Sept. 5. Mailing date near the end of September. NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ISSUE, reserve space by Nov. 1. Camera-ready art due by November 5. Mailing date near the end of November. Advertising layout and space: Advertising may send a slick or a black and white copy of a previous ad, a negative for black and white ads, a color key and four-color separations for color ads, or ads may be sent on a disk on CD (PDF, JPEG or EPS) to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. We utilize 90-line screen, right reading, emulsion down. The AWF can assist in making the ad for the client. Depending on amount of time to layout ad, there may be additional fees for this.
1-2 ads
3-5 ads (5% off)
6 ads (10%off)
-$400 $225 $225 $165 $165 $145 $35
-$380 $215 $215 $156.75 $156.75 $137.75 $33.25
-$360 $205 $205 $148.50 $148.50 $130.50 $31.50
Color Include One spot color, additional Four color, additional
$$50 $100
$47.50 $95
$45 $90
Charges for covers: Inside front, additional Inside back, additional Back cover, additional
$75 $50 $100
$71.25 $47.50 $95
$67.50 $45 $90
(all sizes listed as Width x Height)
Name of business ���������������������������������������������������������������� Mailing address ������������������������������������������������������������������ Ad confirmed by (print and signature) ������������������������������������������������� Telephone_________________________________Fax �����������������������������������
18 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
SPRING/SUMMER 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT BASS TOURNAMENT Friday - Saturday, June 6-7, 2014 Lake Dardanelle State Park, Russellville, AR
The 2nd annual Wounded Warrior Project Bass Tournament happens once again on the Free Fishing weekend in Arkansas, which means wounded warriors from anywhere in the country can participate (Must contact WWP to qualify & pre-register). See ad this issue, or visit arkansaswildlifefederation.org or facebook.com/arkansaswildlifefederation for details on being a volunteer boat captain, a sponsor, or, if you are a wounded warrior, how you can sign up and participate. Actual tournament is Saturday, June 7th. Some events and a meet-and-greet will occur Friday evening, June 6th.
AWF ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, June 21, 2014 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Witt Stephens, Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center 602 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, AR 72201
AWF’s quarterly meeting. Items on the agenda will include AWF’s strategic planning report & summary, 2014 Banquet, Wounded Warrior Project Bass Tournament follow-up, Bearcat Hollow Volunteer event, and more. A working lunch will be served. Meeting open to the public. Please R.S.V.P. so we can provide enough food and drinks. If you have an item that you would like to have placed on the Agenda please contact the AWF office by June 21, 2014: arkwf@sbcglobal.net or 501-888-4770.
Crappie jig colors are a never-ending debate LITTLE ROCK – A long-running argument among Arkansas crappie fishermen is whether live minnows or artificial jigs are best for catching crappie. They both work, one better than the other at times, although some devout jig users won’t admit it. They also work well when combined – a jig tipped with a minnow. But what type and color of jig is the most productive? There are hair jigs, chicken feather jigs, plastic jigs, tube jigs, mylar jigs. And that’s just for starters. In bygone times, a frequently heard bit of advice for crappie anglers was “use any color jig as long as it’s white or chartreuse.” Then yellow came into popular use, and to-
day other colors are also taking crappie. Somewhere along the line, fishermen started painting the heads of jigs various colors instead of the familiar lead or silver tones. One time, a red-head jig with a chartreuse skirt brought in the crappie. Next time, it might be a black-head jig with a white skirt. White-head jigs with chartreuse skirts could catch crappie some days, but a chartreuse-head jig with white skirt would work the next time out. Today, there are more jig types and color combinations than you can shake a stick at. Blue and green skirts on crappie jigs have worked – at times – on many lakes and rivers. Pink is popular – sometimes. Curlytailed jigs are favored sometimes over straight tail models. Sparkle came into the picture a few years back and is still popular. This is a jig skirt
17TH ANNUAL BUFFALO RIVER ELK FESTIVAL
Friday, June 27, 2014 - Saturday, June 28, 2014 Jasper’s Historic Courthouse Square 204 N Spring St, Jasper, AR 72641 Contact: Newton County Chamber of Commerce, 870-446-2455 Email: chamber@ritternet.com Website: theozarkmountains.com
This major event celebrates Newton County’s title of “Elk Capital of Arkansas.” You will find artists, crafters, and other vendors showcasing their wares as well as Elk Permit drawings, the Arkansas State Championship Elk Calling Contest, Arkansas’ Premier Dutch Oven Cook-off, live entertainment, a fishing derby and other kid’s activities.
AWF ANNUAL CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS BANQUET
Saturday, August 23, 2014 Doors open 4:00 PM Dinner begins @ 6:00 PM The Center of Bryant, 6401 Boone Road, Bryant, AR
Awards Program, Student Art Show Display, Silent Auction, Door Prizes, Live Auction, Youth Elk Tag, African Safari Hunt, Argentina Dove Hunt, and more. Tickets $40 Couple/$25 Single Contact: AWF- (501) 888-4770 or arkwf@sbcglobal.net PresidentWayne Shewmake – (479) 229-2298
or body made with tiny flecks of reflective material imbedded. It came along behind metal flake, which may have followed salt and pepper in jig body colors. Past the issue of jig colors, there are jig sizes – their weights. Quarter-ounce jigs sometimes are too big for crappie, so anglers go to oneeighth-ounce jigs. Then somebody switches to 1/16-ounce and catches a boatload. Next time around, it’s 1/32-ounce that’s working. Rarely, somebody might use a 1/64-ounce jig on crappie, but these are more commonly worked for trout. Some crappie specialists make use of model airplane paints from a hobby store to color the heads of bare lead jigs. One Arkansas crappie veteran advises that if you have doubts about jig head colors, go with red. Do the crappie really know the difference in all this? Crappie fishermen
think they do. Not nearly as well known is that so-called crappie jigs work on other fish too. Many a largemouth bass chaser has snatched an outing from a washout to one of some success by use of small jigs in his or her tackle box. The bass professionals do it, although they may not trumpet this technique. There are limits here. A small jig, especially something like 1/16th-ounce or 1/32ndounce, won’t cast a long distance. The bass experts, meaning professionals and experienced non-professionals, use spinner gear with 6-pound line or even 4-pound line to get the small jigs a reasonable distance out from their boats. And a final bit of advice received from a long-time crappie jig user: Don’t forget black. Keep a few black jig bodies handy just in case nothing else works.
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 19
2.89 Carat Diamond Unearthed (MURFREESBORO, Ark.)– Brandon Kalenda’s mother-in-law watched the segment of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” where the Jim Bob Duggar family visited the Crater of Diamonds State Park. She decided that her family also needed to experience Arkansas’s diamond site, and talked them all into it. So during their travels through Arkansas, from Louisiana to Minnesota to visit family, they stopped to enjoy the park (March 6, 2014). While they searched in the park’s 37 ½-acre search area, Kalenda, who lives in Maurepas, Louisiana, unearthed a 2.89-carat white diamond. He named his stone the Jax Diamond after his infant son, Jackson. Kalenda told park staff he plans to keep the diamond. According to Park Interpreter Margi Jenks, “No two diamonds in the rough are alike. This is a triangular-shaped diamond with a metallic appearance, and it’s about the size of an English pea.” She noted that this was Brandon Kalenda’s first time to visit the park. He’d watched the Discovery Channel’s “Gold Rush” and figured diamond hunting was like looking for gold, and that a diamond would be in a pocket of little rocks. “Sure enough, Brandon found his diamond after searching for about 20 minutes in the Fugitt’s Bank area of the park’s search area,” Jenks said. “We encourage park visitors to look for pockets or layers on the surface of gravel, and search there. That’s exactly what Brandon was doing.” Jenks noted that the Jax Diamond is the 47th diamond registered by a park visitor this year, and the fourth diamond weighing over a carat found at the park since the middle of February. She emphasized, “Conditions are perfect for diamond hunting right now. The park staff plowed the diamond search field at the end of January, and the park received about one and a quarter inch of rain on Sunday—a good, hard washing rain.” Jenks continued, “Diamonds are a bit heavy for their size, and they lack static electricity, so rainfall slides the dirt off diamonds that are on the surface of the search field leaving them exposed. When the sun comes out, they’ll shine and be noticeable.” The search area at the Crater of Diamonds is a 37 ½-acre plowed field that is the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world, in surface area. It is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public. In addition to diamonds, semi-precious gems and minerals are found in the park’s search area including amethyst, garnet, peridot, jasper, agate, calcite, barite, and quartz. Over 40 different rocks and minerals are unearthed at the Crater making it a rock hound’s delight. The park’s policy is finder-keepers. What park visitors find is theirs to keep. The park staff provides free identification and registration of diamonds. Park interpretive programs and exhibits explain the site’s geology and history, and offer tips on recognizing diamonds in the rough. Crater of Diamonds State Park is on Ark. 301 at Murfreesboro. It is one of the 52 state parks administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. For more information, contact: Margi Jenks, park interpreter, Crater of Diamonds State Park, 209 State Park Road, Murfreesboro, AR 71958. Phone: 870-285-3113. Email: margaret.jenks@arkansas.gov, or visit CraterofDiamondsStatePark.com.
What are they worth? by Waymon Cox Greetings from Crater of Diamonds State Park! One of the most common questions we hear from our visitors is, “Are diamonds found here worth anything?” The answer depends on your definition of the word. As employees at a state park, we are not trained to appraise the monetary value of diamonds or any other rock or mineral. However, for those seeking answers we offer information about Crater diamonds of known value, including those that have been sold to collectors or appraised by gemologists. It was recently revealed in the news, for instance, that 14-year-old Oklahoman Tana Clymer sold the 3.85-carat yellow diamond that she found here last October for $20,000. Like many Crater diamonds, Tana’s gem was sold as an uncut stone. Many collectors have an eye for the beautiful facets and metallic shine of our rough diamonds and will often pay more for a nicelyshaped natural crystal than for a cut diamond. However, a diamond’s value is usually determined by what are known as the 4 C’s: Color, Carat weight, Clarity, and Cut. Though most of our diamonds remain in their rough form, there have been a few instances over the years in which our diamonds have been cut, officially graded, and appraised. For example, the 2.44-carat white Silver Moon Diamond, discovered here in March 2011, was later cut into a 1.06-carat pear brilliant shape, graded as an “F” color and VVS2 clarity, and appraised at more than $21,000. The 2.09-carat white Dream Angel Diamond, found here in November 2008, was cut into a 1.04-carat cushion brilliant shape, graded as a “D” color and VVS2 clarity, and appraised at around $22,000. The Strawn-Wagner Diamond, a 3.03-carat white gem found in 1990, was eventually cut into a 1.09-carat round
brilliant shape, graded as a “D” color and VVS1 clarity (the only “perfect” diamond ever graded by the American Gemological Society), mounted in a gold and platinum ring, and sold to the State of Arkansas in 1998 for $36,000. These are just a few notable examples of Crater diamonds that have been given monetary value. However, most visitors who find diamonds here never sell them or have them appraised. Fortunately, the ideas of “worth” and “value” reach far beyond the monetary aspect. We have a tendency to assign value to a variety of subjects, from the places we go (a worthwhile destination) to the people we meet (a valuable employee). The same goes for all diamonds and other rocks and minerals found at the Crater, regardless of their size or what you do with them: if they are important to you, then they have enormous value! Most recent significant precipitation: April 6, 2014 Diamond finds for the week of April 6, 2014 (100 points = one carat): April 6 – Keith Goodwin, Tulsa, OK, 3 pt. yellow; Al Fling, Leadville, CO, 69 pt. brown April 7 – Perry Stone, Allegan, MI, 42 pt. white; Adam Hardin, Norton, OH, 2 pt. white, 4 pt. brown, 4 pt. white April 8 – Thomas Jerele Jr., Millstadt, IL, 16 pt. brown; Mike Ellison, Kings Mountain, NC, 3 pt. white; Perry Stone, Allegan, MI, 2 pt. white, 5 pt. yellow April 9 – Nora Ross, North Pole, AK, 3 pt. white; Bobby Jones, Plain Dealing, LA, 17 pt. brown April 10 – Vance Turner, Millstadt, IL, 2 pt. white; Adam Hardin, Norton, OH, 2 pt. white April 11 – The Casey Family, Chambersburg, PA, 2 pt. white, 9 pt. brown April 12 – Raymond Tucker, Meridian, MS, 3 pt. yellow; Sandra Kwiathowski, Tomball, TX, 5 pt. white
20 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
AWF ANNUAL CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS NOMINATIONS For more than 50 years the Arkansas Wildlife Federation has honored Arkansas’ greatest conservationists and most passionate wildlife advocates at its annual Conservation Achievement Awards program. These Conservation Awards are presented to individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to protecting wildlife through education, advocacy, communication and on-the-ground conservation. The categories listed below are open for nomination by the general public. Please note that AWF, along with AGFC, presents some awards at the annual banquet that are not open to public nominations. Not all categories may be awarded each year.
HAROLD ALEXANDER CONSERVATION of the YEAR AWARD The highest conservation achievement award presented by the Arkansas Wildlife Federation is given in memory of Harold Alexander - one of the foremost authorities and experts in Arkansas on conservation activities. Requirements for nominees to be considered: • A conservationist, professional or volunteer, whose contribution to an environmental field has been sustained over a period of several years • A person whose contribution to conservation is of such significance as to be known statewide, or nationally • A conservationist whose contributions are not necessarily related to a single issue or effort, but who has, over a period of time become known as a person whose activities and influence bring about positive changes in matters affecting the environment • A conservationist who, by this recognition, would serve to create a broader interest in conservation and by example, encourage others to outstanding accomplishments on behalf of our state’s natural resources REX HANCOCK WILDLIFE CONSERVATIONIST of the YEAR AWARD Rex Hancock was one of Arkansas’s premier wildlife conservationists who worked tirelessly on behalf of wildlife and wildlife habitats in the White River and Grand Prairie region of Eastern Arkansas. The Arkansas Wildlife Federation has named this special award in memory of Dr. Rex Hancock for his outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation in Arkansas. This award is for outstanding contributions to the management, enhancement and restoration of wildlife resources in Arkansas. Dr. JOHN L. GRAY FORESTRY CONSERVATIONIST of the YEAR AWARD In June 2007, Arkansas lost a giant in the forestry field with the death of Dr. John L. Gray. Dr. Gray served on the Arkansas Wildlife Federation Board of Directors for many years and chaired the Forestry Committee. At the July 2007 AWF Board meeting, the Forestry of the Year Award was renamed in memory of Dr. Gray. This award is for demonstrating outstanding leadership in the management of our state’s forest resources. Fish and wildlife management and best management practices must be a major component.
CAROL GRIFFEE CONSERVATION COMMUNICATOR of the YEAR AWARD Any environmental conservation organization understands the importance of publicity and media support to educate the general public about important issues regarding the environment. This award was renamed in 2011 in honor of Carol Griffee for all of her remarkable work as a journalist and conservationist. The Arkansas Wildlife Federation selects annually an individual or organization that has provided outstanding media news articles or programs that keep the general public informed of environmental issues and needs that impact The Natural State. This may include radio, TV, social media/internet, or print – including cartoonists. CORPORATE CONSERVATIONIST of the YEAR AWARD This is awarded for significant efforts by an Arkansas business or corporation toward environmental restoration/habitat stewardship, including providing lands for wildlife conservation and public recreation; conservation education/awareness; wildlife and fisheries management or other natural resource programs; or pollution abatement. Efforts must be voluntary, involve employees and go above and beyond compliance with mandatory programs. For significant achievement by a business in (This category is to honor a company, not an individual person.) CONSERVATIONIST ORGANIZATION of the YEAR AWARD This award is for outstanding conservation achievement by a state or local organization, including but not limited to civic organizations, environmental groups, sportsmen’s clubs, garden clubs, etc., in addressing significant natural resource management and environmental quality challenges. Arkansas Wildlife Federation affiliates and nonaffiliates are both eligible. CONSERVATION EDUCATOR of the YEAR AWARD This award is for outstanding performance in conservation education by a professional or volunteer. Those eligible in this category include individual teachers of the natural sciences; schools with a class or focus dedicated to science, nature or conservation; instructors on fish and wildlife management or environmental design and management; facilities/museums with a focus on various aspects of environmental education. Emphasis should be on teaching and working with students or the public rather than on research or administration. Instructors of boating or hunter safety are not eligible for this award as they are recognized by the AGFC at this event.
WATER CONSERVATIONIST of the YEAR AWARD This award is for outstanding contributions to the management, enhancement and restoration of fisheries resources; or for outstanding efforts toward improvement of water quality or conservation in Arkansas.
STUDENT CONSERVATIONIST of the YEAR AWARD This award is for a young Arkansan who has demonstrated a personal commitment to conserving the state’s resources and protecting the environment and by demonstrating leadership and accomplishment in conservation. The nominee must have been enrolled in a school (including university or college, or home-school), as recognized by the state of Arkansas within the nomination time period. Youth groups qualify.
AWF AWARDS PROGRAM RULES AND PROCEDURES 1) Winners may not be named in every category. Recognition will be based primarily on accomplishments from July 2013 – June 2014. Prior records may be considered, but this will be left up to the judges. Immediate past winners are not eligible to succeed themselves in the same category of accomplishment for which they were recognized the previous year. 2) Nominations may be hand-delivered, sent by USPS mail or other delivery service, or via e-mail to the Ar-
and worthy of recognition. The essay is required and should not exceed 3 single-spaced typed pages. Information such as past recognition, organization memberships, etc. may be appended to the essay. Documentation of accomplishments such as newspaper clippings, letters of support, photos, etc. should be included as a supplement to the essay. If a nomination is submitted for more than one category, a separate nomination form and complete essay must be submitted for each category entered. Non-electronically submitted essays and supporting documentation can be delivered as a
kansas Wildlife Federation at the address on the nomination form or to arkwf@sbcglobal.net. They must be postmarked on or before midnight June 15, 2014 or received electronically by 11:59 PM CST on June 15, 2014. Any nominations not meeting the deadline will not be considered. 3) Attach the Nomination Form to the nominee's essay of achievements. The essay should be a narrative description of the nominee's accomplishments, including an explanation of their significance or impact and why the nominee's accomplishments are important
paper hard copy or in a digital format (i.e. flash drive or CD-Rom). Please provide a contact name, number and/or e-mail for nominee so that we may notify them if they are selected. 4) Nominations that do not meet all standards and criteria will be held until sender can be notified to obtain the information required. Please be certain to include your contact information if we have further questions. Program judges may declare any nomination ineligible if proper documentation and supportive materials are not included. The decision of the judging committees will be final.
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 21
AWF ANNUAL CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS NOMINATION FORM: NAME OF NOMINEE: ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� AWARD: ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� NOMINEE'S ADDRESS: �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
PHONE:__________________________________________________________ EMAIL: �����������������������������������������������������������������
NOMINATED BY: ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
ADDRESS: ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
PHONE:__________________________________________________________ EMAIL: �����������������������������������������������������������������
All nominations must be mailed to AWF by June 15, 2014 to be considered. AWF, P.O. Box 56380, Little Rock, AR. 72215, 501-888-4770
MEMORIAL GIFTS & HONORARIUM Remember Loved Ones "Forever"
You can remember a loved one with a memorial gift or honorarium to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.
MEMORIAL GIFTS: If you would like to remember someone who loved wildlife, and the great outdoors of Arkansas, you can make a gift in that person’s name. What a beautiful tribute to their memory. Your memorial gift will continue the work of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and keep a loved one’s spirit alive through wildlife conservation.
HONORARIUM GIFT: Are you puzzled what to give friends or family members who “have everything?” Will an ordinary gift just not be enough? Then, consider making a donation to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation in their honor and acknowledge their special day, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or whatever they are celebrating. Your gift is a special recognition to this individual or family in support of wildlife conservation programs. Gifts of $ 100 or more will receive wildlife print. All donations will receive a tax deductible receipt.
Make a Difference “Forever Memorials or Honorariums” Right Now by Completing this Information Below: Name of honoree_____________________________________________________________ Name of donor______________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________State_____________ Zip Code______________ City________________________________ State_____________ Zip Code______________ Visa_________ Master Card____________ Credit Card #_____________________________________________________________ Expiration Date______________________________ Memorial______ Honorarium_____________ Amount of Gift $______________________ *The Arkansas Wildlife Federation can accept checks, and Master Charge or VISA Credit Cards *
Designation of Gift____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ We now accept MC/Visa/AMEX/Discover
Thank you for supporting wildlife conservation! Send to: Arkansas Wildlife Federation, P.O. Box 56380, Little Rock, AR 72215; or call 501-888-4770
22 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014
March/April 2014 POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to: P.O. Box 56380, Little Rock, AR 72215
ISSN0884-9145
Arkansas Wildlife Federation Officers and Board of Directors September 1st, 2013 to August 31st, 2014
Arkansas Out-of-Doors
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS WILDLIFE FEDERATION Arkansas Out-of-Doors is published 6 times per year by Arkansas Wildlife Federation, P.O. Box 56380, Little Rock, AR 72215. Third Class postage paid at Russellville, AR and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to Arkansas Outof-Doors, P.O. Box 56830, Little Rock, AR 72215, or call 501-888-4770. This is the official publication of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. Printed matter includes hunting and fishing news, sporting information, articles on pertinent legislation, with special emphasis on environment and pollution problems. All Arkansas Wildlife Federation members are entitled to receive one copy of each issue of AOOD for one year. Permission is granted to reprint any news article or item printed in Arkansas Out-Of-Doors with credit, please. Creative Director ���������������������������������������������� Ethan Nahté Editor in Chief ����������������������������������������� Wayne Shewmake Layout/Design ������������������������������������������Chris Zimmerman ZimCreative Views and opinions, unless specifically stated, do not necessarily represent the positions of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. Deadline Information: Unless other arrangements are made with the editor, copy for club news, features, columns and advertising must be in the Arkansas Wildlife Federation office by the close of business (noon) on the 20th of the month preceding publication. Thank you for your cooperation.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: Wayne Shewmake, Dardanelle 1st Vice President: Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff 2nd Vice President: Jerry Crowe, Dardanelle Treasurer: Gary W. Bush, Marion Secretary: Clay Spike, Benton Executive Director: Vacant Creative Director: Ethan Nahté BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT LARGE Jim Wood, Dardanelle Dr. Charles Logan, Little Rock Bobby Hacker, Little Rock Mike Armstrong, Little Rock Lucien Gillham, Sherwood Jerry Crowe, Dardanelle Jared Schluterman, Russellville Lauren Ray, Springdale Wayne Shewmake, Dardanelle Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff Clay Spikes, Benton Gary Bush, Marion REGIONAL DIRECTORS Director of Region 1 (Northeast Region): Pattie Duchene, Augusta Director of Region 1 Alternate (Northeast Region): Linda Cooper, Augusta Director of Region 2 (Southeast Region): Chrystola Tullos, Rison Director of Region 3 (Central Region): Lola Perritt, Mabelvale Director of Region 4 (Southwest Region): Steve Filipek, Little Rock Director of Region 5 (Northwest Region): Mary Lou Lane, Dardanelle NWF Region: David Carruth, Clarendon NWF Special Projects: Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff NWF Regional Representative: Geralyn Hoey, Austin, TX PRESIDENT EMERITUS AND FIRST LADY EMERITUS: Bob and Rae Apple, Dardanelle
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION DELEGATES: Delegate - Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff Alt. Delegate - Jared Schluterman, Russellville
Westark Wildlife G. David Matlock, Fort Smith
ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT Ralph Oldegard, Mt. Home Larry Hedrick, Hot Springs Charles McLemore Jr., Bryant
Wounded Warrior Project - NE Arkansas Mike Richardson, Pocahontas, AR
AFFILIATE CLUBS: ATU Fisheries & Wildlife Society Austin Klais, President Russellville, AR Arkansas Chapter of American Fisheries Arkansas Trappers Association Gary Helms, President Texarkana, AR Cane Creek Hometowner’s Assoc. Jessica Thompson, Sec./Treasurer – Scranton, AR Creative Ideas President: Sharon Hacker - Little Rock, AR Friends of Pontoon Park Friends of Bigelow Park Friends of Delaware Park Greene County Wildlife Club Rick Woolridge, President Paragould Little River Bottoms Chapter, Arkansas Wildlife Federation Vickers Fuqua, President Mike Young, Secretary & Treasurer Mt. Magazine Ranger District University of the Ozarks - Clarksville Jamie L. Hedges, Director of Outdoor & Evironmental Experiences
White River Conservancy Gayne Preller Schmidt, Augusta
Yell County Wildlife Federation James Manatt, President – Dardanelle Yell County Youth Conservation Club Randy Cole, Dardanelle, AR Arkansas Wildlife Federation Staff Creative Director - Ethan Nahté Editor in Chief - Wayne Shewmake Contributing Writers – Wayne Shewmake, Dr. Robert Morgan, Johnny, Sain, Jr., Ethan Nahté, Al Wolff, AGFC, Ellie May, Jerry Shields, Kevin Tuckfield, Dr. Rita Littrell, Waymon Cox, & Jerry Shields Contributing Photographers – Mike Wintroath, Ethan Nahté, Wayne Shewmake, Ellen McNulty, Jack Bardwell and Lisa Taylor Arkansas Wildlife Federation Address: P.O. Box 56380 Little Rock, Arkansas 72215 Office: 501-888-4770 // Cell: 501414-2845
Read back issues free at Issuu.com/AOOD
Arkansas Out-of-Doors • March/April 2014 - 23
JUNE 7th 2014
Sugarloaf Heritage Day Celebration The Sugarloaf Heritage Council will host the Sugarloaf Heritage Day celebration on Saturday, May 17. This is the organization’s annual showcase of accomplishments in it’s mission to preserve and enhance the iconic geological feature of Cleburne County, located on the campus of ASU Heber Springs. The big news this year is the opening of a new trail that circumnavigates the base of the mountain. Named the Tonawanada Base Trail in recognition of the Native American name for the mountain, the new trail is approximately 1.25 miles in length and allows hikers to view the mountain from a number of new perspectives. Work will continue on the trail in the form of surface work and the addition of bridges and culverts but it can be hiked in its present form. In previous years, a photo contest has allowed local shutterbugs to display their images of the mountain. For the 2014 event, the group is adding a new feature and soliciting the help of aerial photography enthusiasts. Commonly referred to as drones but more correctly called “unmanned aerial vehicles”, the devices are capable of stunning aerial photography and video while being directed from an operator with two feet firmly planted on the ground. After seeing a video of the mountain taken by local UAV pilot and trails advocate Frank Wimberley, the board of Sugarloaf Heritage Council decided to solicit more video clips of the mountain that could be shown at the Heritage Day event and also linked to the sugarloafheritagecouncil.org website. UAV operators may call Frank Barton at 501-940-1900 or Mark Johnson at 501-362-5858 for more information or to submit a video. SHC is also, once again, soliciting the still photography work of local professionals and amateurs who are willing to donate the prints to the organization for a silent auction at the May 17 event. The public is invited to Sugarloaf Heritage day which will be 11:00 am-1:00 pm on May 17 at ASU Heber. The event will also feature lunch provided by Mack’s Fish House, entertainment and information on the geological and cultural significance of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The Arkansas Wildlife Federation in partnership with the Yell County Wildlife Federation, Russellville Advertising & Promotion Commission, Arkansas Game & Fish and Lake Dardanelle State Park is proud to sponsor and honor our WOUNDED WARRIORS with a fun fishing tournament on Lake Dardanelle.
Volunteer Boat Captains with boats are needed to assist taking the WOUNDED WARRIORS fishing. WOUNDED WARRIORS will be teamed or partnered with Volunteer Boat Captains for an enjoyable, relaxing day of fishing on Lake Dardanelle. VOLUNTEER BOAT CAPTAINS CONTACT: George Rowland at 479-857-5709 rowlandg66@yahoo.com Andy Thomas at 479-890-7474 andy.thomas@arkansas.gov
WOUNDED WARRIOR APPLICATION CONTACT:
Michael Records at 832-536-3265 mrecords@woundedwarriorproject.org
SPONSORS OR DONATIONS CONTACT: Wayne Shewmake at 479-229-2298 wshewmake@gmail.com Andy Thomas at 479-890-7474 andy.thomas@arkansas.gov
Lake Dardanelle State Park
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
JOIN US AT LAKE DARDANELLE STATE PARK JUNE 7TH COLOR’S PRESENTATION & TOURNAMENT LAUNCH AT 8:00AM WEIGH-IN & AWARD PRESENTATION AT 1:00PM