East Feliciana tightens subdivision development regulations
BY JAMES MINTON
Contributing writer
After months of delay the East Feliciana Parish Police Jury has imposed tighter regulations on residential subdivision development
At a meeting Monday, jurors did not vote on lifting a moratorium on new residential subdivisions, but jury President Louis Kent said the vote effectively cancelled the moratorium.
The subdivision ordinance amendments came from the Planning and Zoning Commission with a proposal to require a minimum of two acres for most subdivision lots, but the jury voted 5-3 to change the requirement to a “two-acre density” in a subdivision.
Jurors Kyle Fleniken, Jason McCray, Richard Oliveaux, Keith Mills and Chrissie O’Quin supported the two-acre density requirement, while Kristen Chasteen, Dexter Armstead and Michael Cheatham dissented and Kent did not vote.
Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Josh O’Quin said that the density model would allow a 10-acre tract to be divided into no more than 5 lots, with the smallest being the minimum size required by state health regulations for sewage disposal. A strict two-acre minimum would require the smallest lot in the subdivision to be at least two acres in size.
Some jurors, including Armstead, favored lowering the minimum to one-acre.
Josh O’Quin said the amendments now establish three types of subdivisions:
n Simple subdivisions, with five or fewer lots and a minimum of 100 feet of road frontage for each lot.
n Larger subdivisions that would require road construction and other improvements.
n Family partitions, which are considered variances. To be eligible for dividing land among family members, the tract must have been owned for three years before it can be considered
During a public hearing, George Turner, of Ethel, who frequently speaks on housing issues, criticized the proposal, saying it had “nothing for the workforce people.”
The amendments also allow the development of five or fewer lots accessible by a private servitude, but six or more would require a formal subdivision proposal with paved roads.
James Gregory shows the cone-like molars on a mandible of a mastodon he and Mason
discovered in an obscure creek
West
The molars belonged to a female mastodon estimated to have been 35 years old
Three Louisiana communities made a list of micro retirement spots. Careerminds, careerminds. com/report/survey-microretirement, an outplacement and career development
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
he tree roots caught James Gregory’s eye the moment he waded into the No Name Creek, which isn’t really the creek’s name.
And the roots weren’t really tree roots. They were weird, shaped like mini stalagmites in their sideways projection from the creek bank.
Gregory alerted fellow fossil hunter, Mason Kirkland, who immediately knew they were about to unearth treasure on the periphery of West Feliciana Parish
Make that treasure in the context of paleontology, which is Kirkland’s area of expertise. He’s LSU’s vertebrate paleontology collection manager, but ownership of fossils from this hunt would be shared by him and Gregory, whose day job is director of LSU’s Brookshire Military Museum in Memorial Tower
ä See FOSSILS, page 2G
MARGARET DELANEY
Leila Pitchford AROUND THE FELICIANAS
PROVIDED PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YAN-CHAU
Kirkland
in
Feliciana Parish.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JAMES GREGORY Mason Kirkland shows the mastodon tusk he and James Gregory discovered in an unmapped creek in West Feliciana Parish. Kirkland preserved the tusk by tying zip ties around it to keep it from crumbling
PHOTO BY FRANCES
On this January morning, only days after south Louisiana’s historic snowfall, the duo would extract the strange configuration from the creek’s muck to discover a root canal system attached to a set of teeth from the right, upper maxilla of a large creature. The teeth perfectly matched a set of conelike molars from a right bottom mandible Kirkland discovered only moments earlier. Kirkland knew at that moment he had stumbled upon the washed-up gravesite of a mastodon.
A month later days after the February freeze, the duo returned to uncover the treasure of treasures — a tusk It was short, but fully intact, which led Kirkland to believe their mastodon had been a juvenile Then again, looks can be deceiving.
“We talked to an expert,” Gregory said later “He said the mastodon remains we found don’t belong to a juvenile but a female around 35 years old. We also know that this wasn’t the first mastodon found in West Feliciana.”
He’s right. Remains of another were excavated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 1994 and are now exhibited at LSU’s Museum of Natural History in Foster Hall.
But discovering a mastodon isn’t an everyday thing, and this one is still a work in progress. Kirkland has named their find the No Name Creek Mastodon,” and he has since returned to the waterway with Gregory. But heavy rainfalls have shifted the creek, obscuring the site.
Kirkland plans to eventually loan their findings to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum with hope of finding more.
What is a mastodon?
To form an imaginary picture of a live mastodon in Louisiana, picture an elephant freely tromping through the Feliciana parishes. Better yet, imagine a small herd of them
Mastodons were elephant-like creatures that roamed the North American continent, first appearing between 27 and 30 million years ago. They had trunks and tusks, and they traveled in small packs.
The creatures often are confused with the woolly mammoth, another elephant-like animal, that didn’t appear until 5 million years ago. The two species coexisted at one point, but the mastodons’ population fell into extinction about 10,000 years ago.
As for their physical makeup, mastodons were about the size of modern-day elephants but had different features, including low domed heads; thick coats of reddish brown hair; and longer, less curved tusks.
Their most distinctive feature was their set of cone-shaped molars, which allowed them to crush leaves and twigs, whereas mammoths and elephants are equipped with ridged molars for grinding.
Upon discovering the lower jawline, it was the distinctive shape of the molars that alerted Kirkland that he and Gregory had stumbled upon a mastodon All of its molars were cone-shaped in perfectly preserved enamel.
No Name Creek
This adventure really began long before the mastodon discovery, when Gregory and
AROUND
Continued from page 1G
Breaux Bridge (146) and Abita Springs (149) were a few spots later
According to Forbes, https:// tinyurl.com/5n73un46, younger people are taking chunks of time off for mental health, personal fulfillment and meaningful experiences They travel pursue hobbies or passions during the time, then reenter the work force.
LPB show to feature West Feliciana student
Louisiana Public Broadcasting will present a broadcast special featuring the stories of the six high school students from around the state honored as the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes at 8 p.m., Friday June 13, statewide on LPB and WLAE-TV in New Orleans. The Young Heroes are role models within their local communities and join over 230 past honorees who have received this award since 1996.
Jared Lane, a junior at West Feliciana High School, is one of the six. Jared Lane overcame homelessness caused by the 2016 Louisiana floods and a devastating house fire. As a Student Advocate for Education Trust Louisiana, he champions education equity.
his fiancé, Stephanie Yan-Chau, were seeking someone versed in paleontology to answer questions about a mosasaur jawbone they’d discovered in a northeast Texas river Mosasaurs were whale-sized creatures known as the “Lizard Kings of the Ancient Ocean.”
“We’d found a large jaw, and I contacted Mason about it,” Gregory said. “That’s how we met.”
It wasn’t long before Gregory and YanChau began venturing out to No Name Creek with Kirkland. In fact, Yan-Chau was with the duo on the day they discovered the teeth, documenting their discoveries through photographs.
Still, the photos don’t reveal the location of this unmapped waterway that Kirkland has unofficially labeled No Name Creek.
“The creek doesn’t even show up on Google Maps,” Gregory said.
The threesome refuses to disclose the creek’s location to deter treasure hunters. Then again, most treasure hunters wouldn’t attempt the hike.
With no clear-cut path to the creek, the trek requires a serious sense of adventure, bordering on hazardous. Sometimes walking turns into crawling through precarious terrain
“The issue is always about the timing,” Kirkland said “Are we going to get up there before it’s too wet? Sometimes we have to get on our hands and knees and crawl through the mud. I’m amazed Stephanie went with us the whole way.”
But she did, and she actually found the first fossil of the day a bison jaw
“I was so jealous,” Gregory said, laughing.
Jared is the youngest-ever Junior Board Member of the Saint Francisville Area Foundation, where he developed the Local Attractive Neighborhood Entrances Plan. He won the State Literary Rally for World Geography and earned a Certificate of Entrepreneurship through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge. COA picnics coming Friday West Feliciana Summer Bash 2025 will be held Friday June 13 at the West Feliciana Council on Aging, 12292 Jackson Road. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All individuals 60 years and older are invited and can bring a friend. The picnic will have vendors, bingo, food, fellowship and door prizes. RSVP to Sherrel Johnson or Cheryl Franklin at (225) 6356719 by Thursday, June 12. Bring a friend!
The East Feliciana Council on Aging annual picnic is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m June 13 at the Jackson Senior Center, 3699 La. 10, Jackson. It will have a pirate theme. Registration deadline has passed. Learn about safe child care through classes
The Safe Sitter program is designed to prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings or babysitting. The instructor-led two-day class is filled with fun games and role-playing
“But then we started finding the teeth, and we knew we had a mastodon.”
About the tusk
Yan-Chau didn’t accompany Kirkland and Gregory on the second trip, which landed them in the same spot along the creek.
It didn’t take long for Kirkland to spot something different among the tree roots — something that kind of blended but clearly wasn’t a natural part of the habitat.
Could it be?
“It was a tusk,” he said. “So obviously, I kind of flipped out, right? I’ve been going to that creek and hoping to find one for years. And when we found the teeth, I was like, ‘Oh, my life’s complete.’ I’m so used to seeing tree roots growing along the bank, and they do this kind of curve thing where they look like a tusk, but they’re not.”
Kirkland remembers stopping, then calling out to Gregory, who was about 6 feet ahead of him in the creek bed.
“James looked at it, then hunched down and then looked back at me,” Kirkland said.
“It was quite a moment to realize, ‘Oh my God, this was actually a tusk.’”
Their celebration didn’t last long, because excavating a tusk was much different than digging up teeth, which were hardened fossil.
The tusk, however, was composed of a bone-like material called dentin with a thin outer layer of enamel and cementum, the calcified material which usually forms a protective layer around the root canal. Over time, these materials become fragile and can easily crumble.
“We had to calm down enough to do this
exercises. Students will learn skills including home safety, choking, CPR and first aid.
To register for the two-day course, visit www.wfph.org/resources/events-and-classes/. The fee is $55.
Payment and registration forms will need to be completed and turned in by June 11 for the June course and July 8 for the July course.
For questions, concerns or information related to the Safe Sitter course, call the hospital at (225) 635-3811 and ask to speak with one of the Safe Sitter instructors Katherine Noble or Amber Firmin.
Movies coming at Audubon’s Clinton branch
The Audubon Regional Library Clinton branch will hold a weekly family-friendly movie at 2 p.m. Fridays in June and July except July 4.
School water bottle policy
West Feliciana Parish Schools announced a water bottle policy for the coming school year All bottles must be clear plastic with a secure lid and no visible straws. They are for water only
Farmers market at The Myrtles
The Myrtles is having a summer Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday in June and July
Learn how to help in emergencies
correctly,” Gregory said. “We didn’t know how fragile it was or how big, so we had to slowly dig around it, and even pulling it out terrified us. We put zip-ties around it to keep it together, and we had to wet it with water to keep it from drying out.”
Then came the biggest challenge of all safely carrying the tusk out of the woods. “It was still muddy, and limbs had fallen during the freeze,” Gregory said. “It was a 3.5-mile walk back to the car, and it took us four hours to get there carrying the tusk. Mason would climb over a log, and I would hand the tusk over the log to him Then I would climb over something, and he’d hand the tusk to me. We just leapfrogged like that all the way.”
And the tusk? It’s perfectly intact.
A lasting memory
The No Name Creek Mastodon remains a mystery waiting to be fully revealed Still, with every rain, the landscape shifts, tucking some secrets deeper into the Louisiana soil and revealing.
For Kirkland and Gregory, the discovery has already done more than add to the fossil record — it has carved a lasting memory into the muddy banks of an unnamed creek. And maybe that’s the true treasure: not just the bones of an ancient beast, but the thrill of discovery itself — long hikes, cold water the weight of history in your hands all found in a place that doesn’t even show up on the map. No name. No path. Just wonder Email Robin Miller at romiller@ theadvocate.com.
Summer camps underway
West Feliciana Parish is holding a free community Emergency Response Team certificate training from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14 and June 21 at West Feliciana High. The course is designed to equip people with skills to care in emergencies, including medical aid, suppress small fires and support the community It is an introduction to the Community Emergency Response Team for those who might be interested in joining.
Topics include preparedness, fire safety and utility controls, disaster medical operations, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, and active shooter Visit www.surveymonkey com/r/WFCERT2025 to register and www.facebook.com/photo? fbid=1121233456709411&set=a. 304478245051607 to get details. 4-H day camp set for Slaughter
The East Feliciana Summer Day Camp is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 18 at Redwood Baptist Church, 5182 La. 412, Slaughter Activities will include yoga, coking, nutrition, outdoor adventures, arts and crafts, STEM, gardening and line dancing. Registration is open and costs $52 a camper This include lunch and a T-shirt. Register at tinyurl. com/3a7zje4t or email Kayla Banta at kbanta@agcenter.lsu. edu. Phone (225) 683-3101.
Summer camps in West Feliciana Parish run through July 25 and are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, at the old Bains Elementary Gym.
The camp is for ages 6-11 and costs $175 a week. It will have arts and crafts, weekly field trips and games. Call (225) 784-8447 for information. Register at www.wfprec. com.
Library art wanted
Audubon Regional Library is holding its annual Design Discovery contest for 18 and under Participants should turn in a librarythemed art piece by July 15.
Vacation Bible school planned in St. Francisville
The St. Francisville United Methodist Church is hosting “Road Trip, on the Go With God” Vacation Bible School June 23-26. It will be from 9 a.m. to noon at 9866 Royal St. It will have Bible stories, crafts, music, recreation, snacks and interactive storytelling. Visit tinyurl.com/57hprkcw for information and contact information for registration.
Send news and events for East and West Feliciana parishes to extra@theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JAMES GREGORY
James Gregory, left, and Mason Kirkland display the mastodon tusk they discovered in an obscure waterway they call No Name Creek in West Feliciana Parish.
THE ST. FRANCISVILLE
DEMOCRAT
East Feliciana tightens subdivision development regulations
BY JAMES MINTON
Contributing writer
After months of delay the East Feliciana Parish Police Jury has imposed tighter regulations on residential subdivision development
At a meeting Monday, jurors did not vote on lifting a moratorium on new residential subdivisions, but jury President Louis Kent said the vote effectively cancelled the moratorium.
The subdivision ordinance amendments came from the Planning and Zoning Commission with a proposal to require a minimum of two acres for most subdivision lots, but the jury voted 5-3 to change the requirement to a “two-acre density” in a subdivision.
Jurors Kyle Fleniken, Jason McCray, Richard Oliveaux, Keith Mills and Chrissie O’Quin supported the two-acre density requirement, while Kristen Chasteen, Dexter Armstead and Michael Cheatham dissented and Kent did not vote.
Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Josh O’Quin said that the density model would allow a 10-acre tract to be divided into no more than 5 lots, with the smallest being the minimum size required by state health regulations for sewage disposal.
A strict two-acre minimum would require the smallest lot in the subdivision to be at least two acres in size.
Some jurors, including Armstead, favored lowering the minimum to one-acre.
Josh O’Quin said the amendments now establish three types of subdivisions:
n Simple subdivisions, with five or fewer lots and a minimum of 100 feet of road frontage for each lot.
n Larger subdivisions that would require road construction and other improvements.
n Family partitions, which are considered variances. To be eligible for dividing land among family members, the tract must have been owned for three years before it can be considered
During a public hearing, George Turner, of Ethel, who frequently speaks on housing issues, criticized the proposal, saying it had “nothing for the workforce people.”
The amendments also allow the development of five or fewer lots accessible by a private servitude, but six or more would require a formal subdivision proposal with paved roads.
James Gregory shows the cone-like molars on a mandible of a mastodon he and Mason Kirkland discovered in an obscure creek in West
The molars belonged to a female mastodon estimated to have been 35 years old
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
he tree roots caught James Gregory’s eye the moment he waded into the No Name Creek, which isn’t really the creek’s name.
And the roots weren’t really tree roots. They were weird, shaped like mini stalagmites in their sideways projection from the creek bank.
Gregory alerted fellow fossil hunter, Mason Kirkland, who immediately knew they were about to unearth treasure on the periphery of West Feliciana Parish
Make that treasure in the context of paleontology, which is Kirkland’s area of expertise. He’s LSU’s vertebrate paleontology collection manager, but ownership of fossils from this hunt would be shared by him and Gregory, whose day job is director of LSU’s Brookshire Military Museum in Memorial Tower
ä See FOSSILS, page 2G
Leila Pitchford
AROUND THE FELICIANAS
Where would you take a micro retirement?
Three Louisiana communities made a list of micro retirement spots. Careerminds, careerminds. com/report/survey-microretirement, an outplacement and career development firm, surveyed workers and found St. Francisville was No. 129
BY MARGARET DELANEY
PROVIDED PHOTO BY STEPHANIE YAN-CHAU
Feliciana Parish.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JAMES GREGORY Mason Kirkland shows the mastodon tusk he and James Gregory discovered in an unmapped creek in West Feliciana Parish. Kirkland preserved the tusk by tying zip ties around it to keep it from crumbling
PHOTO
FOSSILS
On this January morning, only days after south Louisiana’s historic snowfall, the duo would extract the strange configuration from the creek’s muck to discover a root canal system attached to a set of teeth from the right, upper maxilla of a large creature. The teeth perfectly matched a set of conelike molars from a right bottom mandible Kirkland discovered only moments earlier. Kirkland knew at that moment he had stumbled upon the washed-up gravesite of a mastodon.
A month later days after the February freeze, the duo returned to uncover the treasure of treasures — a tusk It was short, but fully intact, which led Kirkland to believe their mastodon had been a juvenile Then again, looks can be deceiving.
“We talked to an expert,” Gregory said later “He said the mastodon remains we found don’t belong to a juvenile but a female around 35 years old. We also know that this wasn’t the first mastodon found in West Feliciana.”
He’s right. Remains of another were excavated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in 1994 and are now exhibited at LSU’s Museum of Natural History in Foster Hall.
But discovering a mastodon isn’t an everyday thing, and this one is still a work in progress. Kirkland has named their find the No Name Creek Mastodon,” and he has since returned to the waterway with Gregory. But heavy rainfalls have shifted the creek, obscuring the site.
Kirkland plans to eventually loan their findings to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum with hope of finding more.
What is a mastodon?
To form an imaginary picture of a live mastodon in Louisiana, picture an elephant freely tromping through the Feliciana parishes. Better yet, imagine a small herd of them
Mastodons were elephant-like creatures that roamed the North American continent, first appearing between 27 and 30 million years ago. They had trunks and tusks, and they traveled in small packs.
The creatures often are confused with the woolly mammoth, another elephant-like animal, that didn’t appear until 5 million years ago. The two species coexisted at one point, but the mastodons’ population fell into extinction about 10,000 years ago.
As for their physical makeup, mastodons were about the size of modern-day elephants but had different features, including low domed heads; thick coats of reddish brown hair; and longer, less curved tusks.
Their most distinctive feature was their set of cone-shaped molars, which allowed them to crush leaves and twigs, whereas mammoths and elephants are equipped with ridged molars for grinding.
Upon discovering the lower jawline, it was the distinctive shape of the molars that alerted Kirkland that he and Gregory had stumbled upon a mastodon All of its molars were cone-shaped in perfectly preserved enamel.
No Name Creek
This adventure really began long before the mastodon discovery, when Gregory and
AROUND
Continued from page 1G
Breaux Bridge (146) and Abita Springs (149) were a few spots later
According to Forbes, https:// tinyurl.com/5n73un46, younger people are taking chunks of time off for mental health, personal fulfillment and meaningful experiences They travel pursue hobbies or passions during the time, then reenter the work force. LPB show to feature West Feliciana student
Louisiana Public Broadcasting will present a broadcast special featuring the stories of the six high school students from around the state honored as the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes at 8 p.m., Friday June 13, statewide on LPB and WLAE-TV in New Orleans. The Young Heroes are role models within their local communities and join over 230 past honorees who have received this award since 1996.
Jared Lane, a junior at West Feliciana High School, is one of the six.
Jared Lane overcame homelessness caused by the 2016 Louisiana floods and a devastating house fire. As a Student Advocate for Education Trust Louisiana, he champions education equity.
his fiancé, Stephanie Yan-Chau, were seeking someone versed in paleontology to answer questions about a mosasaur jawbone they’d discovered in a northeast Texas river Mosasaurs were whale-sized creatures known as the “Lizard Kings of the Ancient Ocean.”
“We’d found a large jaw, and I contacted Mason about it,” Gregory said. “That’s how we met.”
It wasn’t long before Gregory and YanChau began venturing out to No Name Creek with Kirkland. In fact, Yan-Chau was with the duo on the day they discovered the teeth, documenting their discoveries through photographs.
Still, the photos don’t reveal the location of this unmapped waterway that Kirkland has unofficially labeled No Name Creek.
“The creek doesn’t even show up on Google Maps,” Gregory said.
The threesome refuses to disclose the creek’s location to deter treasure hunters. Then again, most treasure hunters wouldn’t attempt the hike.
With no clear-cut path to the creek, the trek requires a serious sense of adventure, bordering on hazardous. Sometimes walking turns into crawling through precarious terrain
“The issue is always about the timing,” Kirkland said “Are we going to get up there before it’s too wet? Sometimes we have to get on our hands and knees and crawl through the mud. I’m amazed Stephanie went with us the whole way.”
But she did, and she actually found the first fossil of the day a bison jaw
“I was so jealous,” Gregory said, laughing.
Jared is the youngest-ever Junior Board Member of the Saint Francisville Area Foundation, where he developed the Local Attractive Neighborhood Entrances Plan. He won the State Literary Rally for World Geography and earned a Certificate of Entrepreneurship through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge. COA picnics coming Friday West Feliciana Summer Bash 2025 will be held Friday June 13 at the West Feliciana Council on Aging, 12292 Jackson Road. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All individuals 60 years and older are invited and can bring a friend. The picnic will have vendors, bingo, food, fellowship and door prizes. RSVP to Sherrel Johnson or Cheryl Franklin at (225) 6356719 by Thursday, June 12. Bring a friend!
The East Feliciana Council on Aging annual picnic is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m June 13 at the Jackson Senior Center, 3699 La. 10, Jackson. It will have a pirate theme. Registration deadline has passed. Learn about safe child care through classes
The Safe Sitter program is designed to prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings or babysitting. The instructor-led two-day class is filled with fun games and role-playing
“But then we started finding the teeth, and we knew we had a mastodon.”
About the tusk
Yan-Chau didn’t accompany Kirkland and Gregory on the second trip, which landed them in the same spot along the creek.
It didn’t take long for Kirkland to spot something different among the tree roots — something that kind of blended but clearly wasn’t a natural part of the habitat.
Could it be?
“It was a tusk,” he said. “So obviously, I kind of flipped out, right? I’ve been going to that creek and hoping to find one for years. And when we found the teeth, I was like, ‘Oh, my life’s complete.’ I’m so used to seeing tree roots growing along the bank, and they do this kind of curve thing where they look like a tusk, but they’re not.”
Kirkland remembers stopping, then calling out to Gregory, who was about 6 feet ahead of him in the creek bed.
“James looked at it, then hunched down and then looked back at me,” Kirkland said. “It was quite a moment to realize, ‘Oh my God, this was actually a tusk.’”
Their celebration didn’t last long, because excavating a tusk was much different than digging up teeth, which were hardened fossil.
The tusk, however, was composed of a bone-like material called dentin with a thin outer layer of enamel and cementum, the calcified material which usually forms a protective layer around the root canal. Over time, these materials become fragile and can easily crumble.
“We had to calm down enough to do this
exercises. Students will learn skills including home safety, choking, CPR and first aid.
To register for the two-day course, visit www.wfph.org/resources/events-and-classes/. The fee is $55.
Payment and registration forms will need to be completed and turned in by June 11 for the June course and July 8 for the July course.
For questions, concerns or information related to the Safe Sitter course, call the hospital at (225) 635-3811 and ask to speak with one of the Safe Sitter instructors Katherine Noble or Amber Firmin.
Movies coming at Audubon’s Clinton branch
The Audubon Regional Library Clinton branch will hold a weekly family-friendly movie at 2 p.m. Fridays in June and July except July 4.
School water bottle policy
West Feliciana Parish Schools announced a water bottle policy for the coming school year All bottles must be clear plastic with a secure lid and no visible straws. They are for water only
Farmers market at The Myrtles
The Myrtles is having a summer Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday in June and July
DEMOCRAT
Learn how to help in emergencies
correctly,” Gregory said. “We didn’t know how fragile it was or how big, so we had to slowly dig around it, and even pulling it out terrified us. We put zip-ties around it to keep it together, and we had to wet it with water to keep it from drying out.”
Then came the biggest challenge of all safely carrying the tusk out of the woods.
“It was still muddy, and limbs had fallen during the freeze,” Gregory said. “It was a 3.5-mile walk back to the car, and it took us four hours to get there carrying the tusk. Mason would climb over a log, and I would hand the tusk over the log to him Then I would climb over something, and he’d hand the tusk to me. We just leapfrogged like that all the way.”
And the tusk? It’s perfectly intact.
A lasting memory
The No Name Creek Mastodon remains a mystery waiting to be fully revealed Still, with every rain, the landscape shifts, tucking some secrets deeper into the Louisiana soil and revealing.
For Kirkland and Gregory, the discovery has already done more than add to the fossil record — it has carved a lasting memory into the muddy banks of an unnamed creek. And maybe that’s the true treasure: not just the bones of an ancient beast, but the thrill of discovery itself — long hikes, cold water the weight of history in your hands all found in a place that doesn’t even show up on the map. No name. No path. Just wonder Email Robin Miller at romiller@ theadvocate.com.
Summer camps underway
West Feliciana Parish is holding a free community Emergency Response Team certificate training from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 14 and June 21 at West Feliciana High. The course is designed to equip people with skills to care in emergencies, including medical aid, suppress small fires and support the community It is an introduction to the Community Emergency Response Team for those who might be interested in joining.
Topics include preparedness, fire safety and utility controls, disaster medical operations, disaster psychology, light search and rescue, and active shooter Visit www.surveymonkey com/r/WFCERT2025 to register and www.facebook.com/photo? fbid=1121233456709411&set=a. 304478245051607 to get details. 4-H day camp set for Slaughter
The East Feliciana Summer Day Camp is from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 18 at Redwood Baptist Church, 5182 La. 412, Slaughter Activities will include yoga, coking, nutrition, outdoor adventures, arts and crafts, STEM, gardening and line dancing. Registration is open and costs $52 a camper This include lunch and a T-shirt. Register at tinyurl. com/3a7zje4t or email Kayla Banta at kbanta@agcenter.lsu. edu. Phone (225) 683-3101.
Summer camps in West Feliciana Parish run through July 25 and are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, at the old Bains Elementary Gym.
The camp is for ages 6-11 and costs $175 a week. It will have arts and crafts, weekly field trips and games. Call (225) 784-8447 for information. Register at www.wfprec. com.
Library art wanted
Audubon Regional Library is holding its annual Design Discovery contest for 18 and under Participants should turn in a librarythemed art piece by July 15.
Vacation Bible school planned in St. Francisville
The St. Francisville United Methodist Church is hosting “Road Trip, on the Go With God” Vacation Bible School June 23-26. It will be from 9 a.m. to noon at 9866 Royal St. It will have Bible stories, crafts, music, recreation, snacks and interactive storytelling. Visit tinyurl.com/57hprkcw for information and contact information for registration.
Send news and events for East and West Feliciana parishes to extra@theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 388-0731.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY JAMES GREGORY
James Gregory, left, and Mason Kirkland display the mastodon tusk they discovered in an
waterway they call No Name Creek in West Feliciana Parish.
Feliciana festival blooms in second year
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Contributing writer
Like bees drawn to an exciting habitat, the second annual Feliciana Wildflower Festival drew more than twice the number of participants it saw in 2024. Festival organizers estimate that about 4,000 people attended the event held Saturday, June 7. The festival offered education programming for children and adults, live entertainment, food discussion panels and shopping It also included a petting zoo, gardening presentations, and the first art show of the newly founded Feliciana Artists Group that drew more than 600 visitors who voted for their favorites and were able to purchase displayed artworks.
SCORES
Continued
EAST AND WEST FELICIANA COUNCIL ON
AGING
The schedules for West and East Feliciana Council on Aging facilities are as follows:
WEST FELICIANA
n 12292 Jackson Road, St. Francisville, (225) 635-6719
n Start time for all activities is 10 a.m.
FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY: Line dance
FOURTH MONDAY: Religious service
TUESDAYS: Nutrition education
WEDNESDAYS: Exercise/yoga
THURSDAYS: Bible study
FRIDAYS: Bingo/movie/excursion
n All people 60 and older in West Feliciana Parish are invited to join.
n For transportation to the center or questions, call (225) 635-6719.
EAST FELICIANA
n 11102 Bank St., Clinton n 3699 La. 10, Jackson
Wednesday, June 11
SEWING AND QUILTING
a.m. LUNCH: 11:30 a.m.
Friday, June 13
ANNUAL PICNIC IN JACKSON
Monday, June 16
EXERCISE CLASS: 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. LUNCH: 11:30 a.m.
Transportation Transportation is provided to East Feliciana Parish residents of any age for appointments in East Feliciana, West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge parishes Monday through Friday. Call (225) 6839862 to schedule a transportation appointment.
WEST FELICIANA PARISH BOOKINGS
The following people were booked into the West Feliciana Parish Detention Center between May 19-June 1:
MAY 20
HURST, LUCAS: 41; St. Francisville; contractor misapplication of payment
GUILBEAU, ABIGAIL: 35; 11524 Old Laurel Hill Road, St. Francisville; simple burglary/ moveable or immovable
MAY 30
MAY 31
HANCHEY, ROBERT: 37; 7815 Tunica Trace, St. Francisville; contempt of court
HUGHES, EDWARD: 42; 4735 Dice Hill Road, St. Francisville; contempt of court
JUNE 1
SMITH, DUSTIN: 33; 131 MJ Lane, Centreville, Mississippi; contempt of court, turning movement and required signals, switched plates, operating a vehicle while under suspension, no proof of insurance, open container WHETSTONE, ROBIN: 35; 4754 Dice Hill Road, St. Francisville; two counts of child endangerment domestic abuse battery
BRUNER, WARNER: 73; 845 Woodview Court, Baton Rouge; two counts cruelty to animals
NoticedisherebygivenpursuanttoArticle7,Section23(C)oftheLouisianaConstitutionandR.S.47:1705(8)thatapublic hearingofTheTownofSlaughterinEast FelicianaParishwillbeheldatits regularmeeting placeatthe Town Hall located at 3337ChurchStreet, Slaughter, LA on July,15, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. to consider levyingadditionalorincreased millage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adopting theadjustedmillage ratesafter reassessmentandrollingforwardtorates nottoexceedthe prioryear’smaximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenues to be collected in thenextyearfromthe increasedmillage is $54,630.65,and the amount of increase in taxesattributable tothemillageincreaseis$216.89.
Festivalgoers learn, shop, and enjoy entertainment during the second annual Feliciana Wildflower Festival.
Joselin Williams, of the Feliciana Artist Group displays part of her collection.
Two sons of Leroy Hills display a small part of his art collection at the Feliciana Artist Group Art Show held during the Feliciana Wildflower Festival. Maurice Hills, left, and Marcus Jarrell said their family started using paint-by-numbers in the early 1990s and his skills evolved until he was an accomplished artist.
PHOTOS BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
The Buzz-N-Bee was buzzing with gardening shoppers and enthusiasts June 7 during the second annual Feliciana Wildflower Festival
Sites seeking National Register spots
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
A pair of historical sites around Baton Rouge have been nominated for spots on the National Register of Historic Places due to their architectural significance.
Public comment is now open for Wooddale Tower in Baton Rouge near Lobdell Boulevard and Hickory Hill Plantation in East Feliciana Parish, in addition to other sites sprinkled throughout the state.
To qualify for the national register, a historical location must be at least 50 years old and meet one of the following criteria: have association with a historic event or individual, contain archaeological potential or embody the characteristics of an era.
Wooddale Tower, the 12-story former Capital Bank building, represents postwar International Style, distinguished by utilitarianism and forward-looking, car-centric architectural elements, according to the application
Owner Michael Tubre hopes to develop the building into affordable senior housing if he can secure the historic tax credits.
“A big problem with adapting office buildings countrywide or worldwide is the difficulty in transitioning from an office layout to a residential layout,” Tubre said in April. “Whereas this building was intentionally designed to be as open as possible, as customizable as possible.”
Hickory Hill Plantation in East Feliciana is seeking a place on the registry for its Early Classical Revival
architectural style, which is unusual to find in Louisiana, said Elaina Stuntz, a
graduate student at Louisiana Tech University who worked on the nomination. It was built in 1810 by a family who moved from the Carolinas, according to her research.
The two-story house is currently a private residence.
“A lot of the plantations in Louisiana, especially in the Acadiana area, you see that nice homey cottage look,” Stuntz said. “Hickory Hill has a Greek temple look.”
Other nominations in Louisiana are the Rayne Historic District in Acadia Parish, Ville Platte Post Office in Evangeline Parish, Citizens Bank in Iberia Parish and Oak Grove Historic District in West Carroll Parish.
Citizens are welcome to share their thoughts with the National Park Service
as it reviews applications, Louisiana national register coordinator Bailey Hall said. Comment is open through June 17.
“It can be somebody associated with the property, it can be somebody that just heard about it and wants to comment in support or opposition of that, and (the National Park Service) will take all that into consideration when they’re processing the application,” Hall said. Comments can be submitted electronically to National_Register_Submissions@ nps.gov More detailed instructions can be found online at the Federal Register
Email Haley Miller at haley.miller@theadvocate. com.
Civil War truce sparks bonds, tradition
BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Contributing writer
History holds lessons of things we should learn from as well as things we should never forget. The Day the War Stopped is a historical reenactment that holds a good bit of both.
The historical event, the death of Navy Cmdr John Hart, struck a chord with combatants on both sides who ceased fire for three days for a Masons funeral. Members of Masonic Lodge No. 31 continued the long tradition Saturday, June 7, during the event that drew local residents, tourists and Civil War enthusiasts. Participants from Masonic Lodges in St. Francisville and Schenectady, New York, gather each year for the reenactment that shines a light on the universal brotherhood of Freemasonry
HICKORY HILL APPLICATION, NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Hickory Hill Plantation House photographed by Robert Tebbs in the 1930s.
Paul Martin, a member of Masonic Lodge No. 31, portrays Confederate Capt. W.W Leake during the annual Day the War Stopped reenactment.
James Linden Hogg signs copies of his new book during the annual Day the War Stopped reenactment. Hogg’s book details the life and death of Commander John Hart and the events that led to the burial truce allowing the union officer to be buried in St Francisville’s Grace Church.
John Flippin, a recurrent historical reenactment figure, makes his way from Grace Church back to the Masonic Lodge . On this day, Flippin donned the uniform of the Union soldiers who took part in the burial of Commander John Hart.
PHOTOS BY FRANCES Y. SPENCER
Local Masons and volunteers participate in the reenactment of the burial of Union Commander John Hart on June 7 during the annual Day the War Stopped activities
Lynn Newman, of Wilson, asks questions as well comments and shares information at the lecture/ discussion. His offerings on the plant table included motherin-law tongue aka snake plant and cuttings from two different Christmas cacti.
Horticulturist talks about Louisiana Super Plants at library plant swap
BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Contributing writer
The Jackson Branch of Audubon Regional Library’s first plant swap on May 23 included LSU AgCenter Horticulture Agent Jessie Hoover talking about summer plantings. Attendees were given a handout about the LSU AgCenter recommended Louisiana Super Plants 2025. Hoover explained that in order to be called a super plant, it has to perform really well for three years in specific zones. The plants are tested for “how much cold they can tolerate drought resistance” and by using “plant trials with no insecticides” and more, she added. She shared information about plants specifically recommended for the Felicianas and those she had personal experience growing.
She said the USDA zones that apply for the area are eight and nine. One of the featured plants she talked about was the gaura. She described it as a flowering bush “with thin tall spikes,”
which needs practically “no care” and that cuttings were easy to use in flower arrangements She added that gaura also attracts bees and hummingbirds.
Muhly Grass, the Chaste Tree aka Shoal Creek, Summer of Salvias and many other flowers, shrubs and trees were specifically mentioned. She pointed out some plants that are “deer resistant” due to their “funny smell” and other plants that are “low maintenance” or as particularly “good pollinators.”
She also noted some “great summer edibles” and that some plants and flowers, like the zinnias, also can be planted in the summer and fall.
Hoover answered questions as she spoke and more afterward from the attentive group. At least one person used a smartphone to Google/find images of the flowers/plants as they were mentioned by the speaker After the lecture and exchange of information, everyone moved to the table where the plants bought for swapping were traded or gifted.
For more information, visit LSUAgCenter.com/SuperPlants.
The following people were booked into the East Feliciana Parish Jail by Clinton, Jackson, Norwood, Slaughter or Wilson police departments, the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office or Louisiana State Police from April 11-May 24.
APRIL 11
KHALIF WILLIAMS: 22; 6828 Wilson; aggravated assault with a firearm, violation of protective order, possession of firearm or carrying concealed of certain felonies
KEITH COLEMAN: 57; 13449 Noah Loyall Lane, Clinton; possession of firearm by felon, introduction of contraband — penal institute, obstruction of justice, evidence tampering, view outward or inward through windshield or windows obscuring, prohibited tail lamps
SARA JENKINS: 27; 9514 Bank St., Clinton; possession of Schedule II drugs, possession of marijuana, tail lamps
STEVEN SPIVAK: 23; 5031 Hoyt Drive, Baton
Rouge; possession of Schedule II drugs, prohibited acts — distribution of drugs paraphernalia, possession of marijuana
APRIL 21
OPAL SIMPSON: 45; 3339 Spain St., New Orleans; possession of a firearm by person convicted of certain felonies
APRIL 23
DONALD GUY: 25; 9039 Folly Brown Road, Clinton; second degree battery
MALIK MCCRAY: 32; 7998 La. 68, Jackson; bench warrant
APRIL 25
NATHAN BLOXHAM: 44; 481 Jordan Road Ellisville, Mississippi; DWI second offense, careless operation
APRIL 26
LAKESHIA BROWN: 35; 1275 Street Road, Liberty, Mississippi; two counts bench warrant
GAVIN WILLIAMS: 25; 46 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Woodville, Mississippi; bench warrant
ALISHA JACKSON: 35; 10108 Anna Moore Lane, Ethel, two counts fugitive warrant
APRIL 27
NATHANIEL PAYNE ILL: 40; 1317 Grant St., Clinton; DWI-first offense, no insurance, improper land use
BRANDON HARRIS: 43; 7393 Tommy James Lane Jackson; battery of a dating partner, aggravated assault of dating partner with child endangerment, theft less than $1,000
MAY 8
THEODORE MYERS: 48; 3802 La. 22, Darrow; theft of over $1,000, criminal damage to property, communication interference
JESSIE BURKES: 37; 9906 Maryland St., Wilson; carrying a firearm on school property
MAGGIE CHANDLER: age unknown; 2828 Tall Timber Road, Baton Rouge; fugitive for East Baton Rouge
MICHAEL JANES: 43; 650 Day Drive, Baker; simple damage to property, three counts simple assault
BRADEN BANKSTON: 22; 10108 Reilly St., Clinton; resisting a police officer with force or violence
MAY 9
KYLE MELANCON: 45; address unknown; theft
$5,000, communication interference, aggravated criminal damage to property
KORY WHITE: 48; 2985 Charles Drive, Jackson; possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under suspension, failure to register
STEPHEN WALKER: 52; 8113 West Lakeshore
Drive, Ethel; possession of methamphetamine
CHANDLER WOMACK: 39; 21052 John Michelle Drive, Zachary; fugitive for Beauregard Parish
MAY 13
KEVIN DURHAM: 56; 8745 Battle Road, Ethel; hit-and-run, driving under suspension
JOHNNY ADAMS: 40; 4295 Richmond Drive, Ethel; fugitive warrant
TRANAVIA C. CHRISTIAN: 25; 504 N. Pierce St., Apt. 1106, Lafayette; introduction of contraband-penal institute
MAY 24
PAULA MACHELL WHITE: 54; 2385 East Mason Ave., Baton Rouge; introduction of contraband, possession of Schedule 1 drugs, possession of Schedule II drugs MACON CARROLL: 44;
EAST FELICIANA PARISH BOOKINGS
PHOTOS BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
LSU AgCenter Horticulture Agent Jessie Hoover, left, talks about summer plantings May 23 during the plant swap at the Jackson Branch of the Audubon Regional Library.
Plants brought for the plant swap in Jackson at the library were transported in bags and pots.
Horticulture agent Jessie Hoover, front, holds plastic grocery bag containing amaryllis plants/bulbs, which she gave away Lynn Newman, back, get cuttings of Christmas cactus from bags to give to Jackson Library Branch manager Catherine Sanders.
an estimated increase of $0.19 per month for aresidential customer that receives 1,000 kWh of electricservice per month, with an annualized typical monthly bill for such acustomer increasing from $143.21 per month to an estimated $143.40 per month, and increasing annually
As water travels over the surface of land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting fromthe presence of animals or from human activity.Contaminants that may be present in source water include: Microbial Contaminants -such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.
Inorganic Contaminants -such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
Pesticides and Herbicides -which may come fromavariety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses.
Organic Chemical Contaminants -including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which areby-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff, and septic systems.
Radioactive Contaminants -which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.
ASource Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) is now available fromour office. This plan is an assessment of a delineated area around our listed sources through which contaminants, if present, could migrate and reach our sourcewater.Italso includes an inventory of potential sources of contamination within the delineated area, and a determination of the water supply’ssusceptibility to contamination by the identified potential sources. According tothe Source Water Assessment Plan, our water system had asusceptibilityrating of ‘MEDIUM’.Ifyou would like to review the Source Water Assessment Plan, please feel freetocontact our office. In order to ensurethat tap water is safe to drink, EPAprescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility.Ifyou have any questions about this report, want to attendany scheduled meetings, or simply want to learnmoreabout your drinking water,please contact TOWN HALL at 225-635- 3282. Thereisnosafe level of lead in drinking water.Exposuretolead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Some of the health effects to infants and children include decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposurecan also result in new or worsened learning and behavior problems. The children of persons who are exposed to lead beforeorduring pregnancy may be at increased risk of these harmful health effects. Adults have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems. Contact your health care provider for moreinformation about your risks.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals -Office of Public Health routinelymonitors for constituents in your drinking water according to Federal and State laws. The tables that follow show the results of our monitoring during the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2024. Drinking water,including bottled water,may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses ahealth risk.
In the tables below,you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms, we’ve provided the following definitions:
Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/L) -one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or asingle penny in $10,000.
Parts per billion (ppbl or Micrograms per liter (ug/Ll) -one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or asingle penny in $10,000,000.
Picocuries per liter (pCi/Ll) -picocuries per liter is ameasureofthe radioactivity in water
Treatment Technique (TT) -anenforceable procedureorlevel of technological performance which public water systems must follow to ensurecontrol of acontaminant.
Action level (AL) -the concentration of acontaminant that, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that awater system must follow.
Maximum contaminant level (MCL) -the “Maximum Allowed” MCL is the highest level of acontaminant that is allowed in drinking water.MCL’s areset as close to the MCLG’sasfeasible using the best available treatment technology
Maximum contaminanJl!!vel goal (MCLG)-the “Goal” is the level of acontaminant in drinking water below which thereisnoknown or expected risk to human health. MCLG’sallow for amarginofsafety
Maximum residual disinfectant level (MRDL) -The highest level of adisinfectant allowed in drinking water.Thereis convincing evidence that addition of adisinfectant is necessary for controlofmicrobial contaminants.
Maximum residual disinfectant level goal (MRDLG) -The level of adrinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
During the period covered by this report we hadthe below noted violations. Compliance Period Analyte Type 6/30/2023 -2/20/2024 CONSUMER CONFIDENCE RULE CCR REPORT Our water system tested aminimum of 2sample{s) per month in accordance with the Total Coliform Rule for microbiological contaminants. With the microbiological samples collected, the water system
