Northwest Arkansas environment central

Natural Resources Conservation Service removed some pretty healthy riparian vegetation from Scull Creek but left some bad spots with targeted debris blocking stream flow

2009-12-24T19:28:00.002-06:00

Please click on images to ENLARGE.

The Scull Creek trail bridge at Ash Street and Chestnut Avenue has had this same debris hung up on it for maybe three months or more since the worst flood of the fall of 2009 sent water flowing over the bridge, but the NCRS contractors ignored it and spent a lot of their time paid for by federal money cutting live trees from the riparian zone and overflow areas of Scull Creek and other streams in Fayetteville, such as the Town Branch.

The good news is that the native wildflowers along the same stretch of trail in the Scull Creek riparian zone were mostly left standing. That means more seed to sprout in spring and more seed for the wild birds to eat. The square stems with now-wrinkled huge leaves still forming water-holding structures along them are cup flowers. a species that grew 10 feet tall and more at World Peace Wetland Prairie and many other prairie areas in Northwest Arkansas in 2009.

By morning, tall grass and tall wildflower seed and other sources such as this native smartweed near Scull Creek and native buckbrush and nonnative China honeysuckle and nonnative privet berries will be among the few places for migrating birds to feed if the snowfall is as predicted.

Wouldn't the birds love it if the trash were picked up from the ditches running from the streets and the apartment dwellers would actually help?

Remember that birdfeeders are important for wintering birds but that every stick of vegetation and every square foot of natural soil left in place are more important for birds and other wildlife.

December 20, 2009, Christmas Bird Count for Fayetteville, Arkansas

2009-12-23T12:01:00.002-06:00

Provided by Joe Neal

Greater White-fronted Goose 3
Ross’s Goose (2 count week; 3rd time on count)
Canada Goose 868
Wood Duck 2
Gadwall 118
American Wigeon 6
Mallard 223
Northern Shoveler 190 (highest for count)
Am. Green-winged Teal 63
Northern Pintail 1
Ring-necked Duck 22
Lesser Scaup 6
Bufflehead 56
Hooded Merganser 2
Common Merganser 1 (5th time on count)
Red-breasted Merganser 2 (3rd time on count)
Ruddy Duck 7
Pied-billed Grebe 19
Great Blue Heron 21
Black Vulture 22
Turkey Vulture 216 (2nd highest for count)
Bald Eagle 10 (mature8; immature 2)
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 22 (highest for count)
Red-tailed Hawk: 36
American Kestrel 33
Merlin 1 (only 2nd time on count)
SORA 1 (first for count)
American Coot 148
Killdeer 79
Least Sandpiper 2 (4th time on count)
Wilson’s Snipe 39
Ring-billed Gull 311 (high for count)
Rock Pigeon 311
Eurasian Collared-Dove 84 (high for count)
Mourning Dove 211
Greater Roadrunner 3
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Great Horned Owl 7
Barred Owl 1
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD 1 (first for count)
Belted Kingfisher 14
Red-bellied Woodpecker 51
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 18
Downy Woodpecker 78
Hairy Woodpecker 12
Northern Flicker 46
Pileated Woodpecker 8
Eastern Phoebe 4
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Blue Jay 52
American Crow 636 (count high)
Carolina Chickadee 190
Tufted Titmouse 124
White-breasted Nuthatch 54
Brown Creeper 8
Carolina Wren 122 (count high)
Winter Wren 7
Sedge Wren 6
Marsh Wren 1 (4th time on count)
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13
Eastern Bluebird 267 (count high)
Hermit Thrush 3
American Robin 90
Northern Mockingbird 108
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling 12855
American Pipit 39
Cedar Waxwing 63
Yellow-rumped Warbler 100
Field Sparrow 10 (2nd lowest on count)
Savannah Sparrow 123
Le Conte's Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 87
Swamp Sparrow 86
White-throated Sparrow 241
White-crowned Sparrow 107
Dark-eyed Junco 603
Northern Cardinal 308
Red-winged Blackbird 791
Eastern Meadowlark 191
Western Meadowlark 2
Rusty Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 6 (one of lowest on count)
Brown-headed Cowbird 164
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 64
Pine Siskin (3 count week)
American Goldfinch 131
House Sparrow 158
Blackbird species 8050

Total species 94: count day: 92; 2 additional species were identified for the count week (3 days before and 3 days after count day). Notable misses: Several diving duck species (weather too mild), Eastern Towhee, Harris’s Sparrow, etc. We also missed Double-crested Cormorant – first miss since 1996. But still a GREAT day. Good work Fayetteville CBCers!

COMMENTS

So if you were going to pick the weather for your CBC day, what would you want? This year we had warmth & and almost no wind. A perfect day to be out all day.
The great star birds for this year are certainly the Sora found by Jason Luscier’s group
&

Rufous Hummingbird snagged by the Mulholland group at the home of Paul & Ann Johnson in Farmington. They got to the house first thing in the morning and had the bird within 5 minutes. Jacque brown, David Oakley, and others have collected images. I have included one of Jacque’s images of this bird in the report
Both species are firsts for the Fayetteville CBC, dating back to 1961.

Thanks to you 43 PARTICIPANTS (includes 40 in field, 3 at feeder): Douglas James, Andrea Green, Nancy Varvil, Gwen Bennett; Mike Mlodinow, David Chapman, Steve Erwin, Michael Lehmann, Jason Luscier, Christy & Mike Slay; Jeff Kimmons, Maureen McClung; Kim Smith, James Morgan, Warren Fields, Lynn Armstrong; Joanie Patterson, Donald Ouellette; Paige & Mary Bess Mulhollan, Sarah Lehnen, Josh Newman, Sarah King, Kelly Mulhollan; Andrew Scaboo, Brandon Schmidt; Ben Burnette; Joe Neal, Richard Stauffacher, Roseann Barnhill, David Oakley, Jacque Brown, Louise Mann; Joan Reynolds, Stephanie Cribbs, Leigh Helm, Scott Michaud, Jane Purtle, Adam Shaffer. At the feeders: Elizabeth James, Bob & Sara Caulk. Finally, Taylor Long joined several groups taking pictures of the CBC.

Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society generously agreed to donate the $5 per participant fee which goes to National Audubon to organize, store, and make accessible the massive mid-winter bird data so useful to the public and to science. This will be around $200. Thank you NWAAS for helping make this count a roaring success.

Thanks to Doug and Elizabeth James for AGAIN hosting another enjoyable after count tally-up & social gathering at their home. Doug spent all day in the field and Elizabeth spent part of the day observing at feeders, then had all of us over.
Finally, for a hecka of a lot more data, check out & play as you wish, by visiting the CBC section of the National Audubon website. -- Joe Neal

Democrat/Gazette December 21, 2009, editorial advocating saving sale-barn land for Fayetteville National Cemetery pleases majority of veterans and neighbors, but the problem is that saving Town Branch homeowners from flooding downhill from the cemetery is still being ignored: VA already at work preparing to dredge and fill wetland and pipe stormwater directly to Hill Avenue and thus to the 11th Street bridge on the Town Branch

2009-12-22T21:40:00.001-06:00

Please click on individual photos to ENLARGE view of wetland area along the north edge of the Fayetteville National Cemetery being prepared for dredging and filling for grave sites. The depressional wetland developed over centuries because it is above a bedrock karst area where groundwater sinks into the underground caverns and aquifers and reduces surface-water flooding. When it is piped to the Town Branch it will further aggravate the flooding danger between Ellis and Van Buren avenues already created by the University of Arkansas' failure properly to manage stormwater on the campus and by paving and development along Martin Luther King Boulevard and on the Aspen Ridge/Hill Place project.

Save acres for vets

Now buy the land for the cemetery

Monday, December 21, 2009

Print item

LITTLE ROCK — LIKE WARM Arkansas Christmases, dry eyes after It’s a Wonderful Life, and little boys from the Natural State scribbling “LSU gear” on their annual wish lists, some things are just not meant to be. That’s the way it seems with the controversial student apartments that apparently won’t be built in south Fayetteville. You know, where Washington County’s historic livestock auction house operated until June.
A lawsuit that sought to override the city’s denial of a rezoning request seems to be kaput. Campus Crest developers of North Carolina wanted to buy the property from the auction house’s owner, Bill Joe Bartholomew, and build 500 apartments on the property. But the drawn-out legal ordeal surrounding this purchase became just too much to bear. Mr. Bartholomew now wants his suit dismissed.
The proposed sale to Campus Crest became a flashpoint for veterans and others last summer. They wanted to secure the site across Government Avenue from the city’s National Cemetery so they might preserve the sacred nature of that location. They basically argued that more student apartments in an overbuilt Fayetteville wasn’t an appropriate use of the land. They had a point. The former auction barn parcel does provide an ideally located space to enlarge this rapidly filling cemetery.
Fayetteville’s council denied Mr. Bartholomew’s request to rezone his property. The rezoning would have sealed the sale and enabled Campus Crest to purchase and develop the property. That’s when Mr. Bartholomew filed his suit against the city.

This latest development means the corporation that oversees the cemetery’s operation, Congress, the national office of Veteran’s Affairs, and veterans’ organizations need to find a way to purchase this property. The space needs to be preserved and protected as a final resting place for our veterans in the decades to come.

Joe Neal suggests less shopping, more protecting

2009-12-19T17:55:00.003-06:00

less shopping, more protecting‏

From:	Joe Neal (joeneal@uark.edu)

Back in 2000 I saw a Red-tailed Hawk nest in the stout fork of a big old prairie-era post oak. The oak was part of a small forest developed on former Tallgrass Prairie habitat well marked by impressive prairie mounds. There were Northern Bobwhites in the surrounding fields and Painted Buntings in the shrublands. Visitors to northwest Arkansas and us locals are invariably drawn to this area now because it is Steel Creek Crossing in the burgeoning retail-entertainment district in the vicinity of NW Arkansas Mall.

There was a big battle over these old prairie oaks in 2000, begun when Mary Lightheart climbed what she called the “mother tree” and vowed to stay until development plans were dropped. She kept her vow to stay, but eventually law enforcement brought her down and arrested others who tried to take her place.

I was out Christmas shopping in that area yesterday. What remains of that old oak barren is a handful of fantastic mature native trees and prairie mounds between two popular retailers, Kohl’s and Target . Kohl’s refused to make any compromise with their store building plans at the time. Folks who supported Lightheart handed out bumper stickers after the fracas that read, “I will never shop at Kohl’s.” Trash from the parking lots collects there, mute witness to what happens when a worthwhile fight is lost.

I haven’t seen one of those “I’ll never shop…” adorning a bumper in a few years, so I guess this too has now largely faded. Just from an ecological viewpoint, the little remnant is worth a visit because it is a perfect example of a unique Ozark habitat once much more widespread in northwestern Arkansas. There’s plenty of parking nearby, too.

But I am a historian and a birder, and when I’m out that way, I always stop and look at the oaks and the mounds, remembering that big hawk nest, the bobwhites, and buntings. Bobwhites and Painted Buntings are two of our native birds whose declines are thought by some to be a mystery. Stop by the little woodlot. The reason for decline, at least in our western Arkansas neck-of-the-woods, is palpable.

I also notice that while I did, and do, support the notion of boycotting environmental travesty, like others here, I move on. It’s like being push out to sea by the rip tide. The people who work in Kohl’s and Target look and likely feel just like you & I.

The trash out there in the pitiful prairie remnant got me to thinking yesterday about whether or not any of it was worthwhile, even from the get go. I think Lightheart and the others were right to protest , even if against overwhelming odds. I don’t mean to celebrate “tilting at windmills.” But how else will native birds and their habitats receive protection when they are jeopardized? How else will politicians and developers be put on notice that their decisions have real consequences, and not just the positives that get headlines.

I agree with the reputed views of a Populist agitator from the 19th century, who supposedly told a bunch of angry Kansans, "What you farmers need to do is raise less corn and more Hell." I suppose that’s what Lightheart had in mind when she climbed her mother tree – less shopping, more protecting.

Some of Joe Neal's writing now available online

2009-12-18T16:29:00.000-06:00

Joe Neal's books online

Sustainable-lighting ceremony in Springdale canceled for tonight

2009-12-15T15:53:00.003-06:00

CCTF,

I just spoke with Ben Davenport of Sierra Club who informed me that the renewable energy tree lighting service scheduled for the Episcopal church in Springdale for tonight at 5:30pm has been CANCELED. Unfortunately transportation for the renewable energy equipment fell through at the last minute. Please forward or otherwise communicate this to anyone you know who may have been planning to attend who may not be on the CCTF listserve. Thank YOU!

Joanna Pollock
CCTF Facilitator, Omni
708.828.5695

Fasting activists inspiring others in Copenhagen to hang tough and demand Climate Justice NOW!

2009-12-13T19:57:00.001-06:00

"I support Climate Justice Fast!" sent you a message on Facebook...‏
From: Facebook (notification+pu1pu1md@facebookmail.com)
Sent: Sun 12/13/09 4:23 PM
To: Aubrey James Shepherd (aubreyshepherd@hotmail.com)
Anna C Keenan sent a message to the members of I support Climate Justice Fast!

--------------------
Subject: Hunger for Survival - Thursday 17 December 2009

Hello, Climate Justice Fast supporters,

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

During the COP15 conference, the Climate Justice Fast here in Copenhagen has inspired people around the world to higher levels of activism, and has generated a huge number of media hits from Turkey to Japan to Greece to Korea and all around the world!

Due to the inspiration that the fasters have provided to - in particular - the 1000-strong youth activist contingent at the conference, the youth groups and a number of large environmental organisations have decided that they would like to invite their members to fast for one day - THIS THURSDAY 17 DECEMBER - in support of the CJF, and solidarity with the millions who have and will lose their lives due to the preventable and involuntary hunger, disease and conflict resulting from climate change.

We have created a facebook event here - sign up if you are willing to join the day of fasting and reflection: http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

Many notable climate and sustainability leaders, including Vandana Shiva, will also be joining in this fast and moral call.

“If not us then who, and if not now then when?”

One day before the Heads of State arrive to finalise the deal in Copenhagen, we are calling for all people, everywhere across the world, to join a single global day of fasting – voluntarily going without food – and personal reflection on the climate crisis, and what we as humanity need to do to solve it.

Commit to join the day of fasting by joining this facebook event - and inviting all of your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

Now, we must be done with trying to persuade politicians with debates and intellectual argument. They have heard it all already. Now they face a decision about what is simply morally right.

On Thursday 17th December, we will therefore not yell, but instead quiet our voices and raise up our hearts in silence, not telling our leaders what they should do, but instead use the historically symbolic and powerful act of the fast to ask our leaders to reflect on the gravity of the choices they are about to make.

http://www.facebook.com/anna.c.keenan?ref=profile#/event.php?eid=227106867068&ref=mf

*** UPDATE on the fasters ***

Sara Svensson, Anna Keenan and Paul Connor are all now on the 39th day of their fast, having started on the 6th of November. Matthieu Balle, a solar panel installer from Paris who joined us immediately after hearing about us on French radio, is now reaching his 22nd day. Daniel Lau and Michael Morphett have both bravely decided to end their fasts, following medical advice, after both passing 30 days without food - a heroic feat.

The fasters are all in high spirits and good health, and are under appropriate medical supervision.

****

Northern strip of wetland on National Cemetery property soon to be prepared for gravesites by government contractors for VA

2009-12-12T15:03:00.001-06:00

National Cemetery wetland parking gone wrong

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

When a wrecker gets stuck, you know it wasn't a good place

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

This strip of land recently studied by the VA and its contractors is to be prepared for use by the cemetery. Obviously, it will have to be covered with several feet of additional soil so that graves will be above the flood level and will eliminate a significant part of the "critical groundwater recharge area" of the Town Branch of the West Fork of the White River. Water that historically would have soaked in there will be forced to find new routes, and the amount of water forced to stay on the wooded wetland at right will be increased. Water running off that area already is piped to the Town Branch at the 11th Street bridge. The volume of water flowing south of that bridge toward 15th Street will be further increased and flash floods will be more dangerous to lives and property downstream.

Cedar waxwings showing up in big flocks on December 10, 2009, and eating every berry they can find

2009-12-11T09:50:00.001-06:00

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of cedar waxwings at World Peace Wetland Prairie on December 10, 2009. Many species of birds have been passing through Northwest Arkansas this week after a massive winter storm pushed across the upper midwest.

Audubon Arkansas open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today; Environmental Action Committee at 5:30 p.m. in Room 326 of city hall

2009-12-10T14:37:00.001-06:00

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2009
Audubon Arkansas open house from 4 to 7 p.m. today; Environmental Action Committee at 5:30 p.m. in Room 326 of city hall
The Holiday Season is a busy time so here's a little reminder about our Holiday Open House! If you have not yet RSVP'd don't forget to drop us a line and let us know your are coming! We are looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Please Join Us

Thursday, December 10, 2009
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at
34 East Center Street
Fayetteville, Arkansas

For the
Audubon Arkansas
Holiday Open House

The staff and board of Audubon Arkansas invite you to join us for food, refreshments, conversation and conservation. Spouses, children, and friends welcome.
Please RSVP to mviney@audubon.org
Wishing You Happy Holidays!!!

Green Groups Guild of the University of Arkansas announces events today and Friday

2009-12-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hi all,

Upcoming events to check out!

Dec. 9th
10:30-2:30 - Dead Day Film fest hosted by GroGreen: Student Community Garden RSO - GIBSON HALL
-FEATURING: A Crude Awakening, Food, Inc., King Corn, Our Daily Bread, and Food Beware
-Films start at 10:30 with lunch around noon
-Potluck including Handmade hummus and peanut butter with assortments of fruits/veggies and of
course, popcorn!
5:30pm - Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Club final meeting of 2009 - Plant Sciences room 007
-Officer elections and discussion of Spring events
-Potluck including deer chili

Dec. 11th
7-8pm - 1 Sky Climate Change Vigil - Fayetteville Town Center on the Square

Good luck with finals!

Patrick Kunnecke, GGG President
4th Year Landscape Architecture
#479-544-1906

Kayla Freeman, GGG Vice President
Angela Moore, GGG Treasurer/Public Relations
Becca Braun, GGG Secretary

Verbesina virginica among several species that serve in winter as ice plants! Find it early mornings in a variety of places in addition to World Peace Wetland Prairie

2009-12-04T15:35:00.002-06:00

Please click on images to ENLARGE photo. Ice-plant displays are like snowflakes. No two are alike. Drive along roads with ditches that have not been mowed back all the way and spot Verbesina virginica with ice around its base on cold, clear mornings. ANOTHER REASON NOT to mow roadsides and old prairie areas. Sometimes, if the mowers haven't cut close to the ground but have taken off the tops of the often 6-foot-tall plants, the ice formations may be spotted by carefully watching for short stem remains.

Master Naturalists gaining support among young people in Arkansas

2009-12-01T12:38:00.002-06:00

NWAOnline.com

Masters of the biosphere

A corps of trained Naturalists bolster the state park system

By Bobby Ampezzan

Monday, November 30, 2009

LITTLE ROCK — Talking to Anne Massey of the fledgling Arkansas Master Naturalists must be something like meeting with Tom Hayden in Ann Arbor back in 1962, right after his Students for a Democratic Society held its first convention but before it really took off.

Don’t misunderstand - the Master Naturalists aren’t planning a sit-in beneath the Capitol dome. But the group’s president wants their ambition to be that infectious, and actually, she hopes “the government” will lean on it for assistance eventually.

“I was president of the Junior League of Little Rock,” says Massey, a woman who barely tips 100 pounds but whose favorite outdoor tool is a 6-foot pry for uprooting trees. “My expertise came from developing volunteers.”

The Central Arkansas Master Naturalists formed in 2005 under the auspices of Tom Neale, a longtime Texas Master Naturalist. Their mission is to serve public park systems through education, cleanups, biodiversity surveys, water monitoring and infrastructure projects such as trail building and maintenance. Massey was in Neale’s first Naturalists class in Arkansas.

“The first year [of Central Arkansas Master Naturalists], I took the class. The second year, I planned the curriculum. And ever since I’ve been opening new chapters.”

In January, she rallied recruits in Northwest Arkansas at the Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, and in north-central Arkansas at Bull Shoals White River State Park. The first Northwest Arkansas class had 38 graduates.

Next January, she expects to schedule classes and open chapters in the Arkansas River Valley (including Petit Jean, Mount Nebo, Mount Magazine and Lake Dardanelle state parks) and at Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area. To do it she must have at least 15 interested people. Any fewer could be a waste of instructors’ time, she says.

This time, gathering such a quorum will try all of her organizing powers.

WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?

Last month, Massey and two of her favorite factotums, Bert Turner and Bill Toland, set off from the parking lot of Fresh Market in west Little Rock and made the mostly two-lane trip to the Cossatot River, just north of Dierks and De Queen.

At a McDonald’s, Turner set two travel mugs down on the counter and waited for coffee. An unwitting server placed two full styrofoam cups of joe next to the mugs.

“We were trying to save you two cups,” Turner barked. “We’re environmentalists!”

Were Turner a softer man, his admonition might have vanished amid the buzzers and popping grease. He is not. A retired Air Force captain,Turner is a veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm. His words dance in the air like a hammer.

Later, in the car, a golf ball came bounding straight down the interstate as if launched from an overpass.

“More litter,” Massey said.

“Eighty percent of our litter is caused by 1 percent of the people, but only one-half percent of the rest do anything about it,” Toland mused. “You go back in Arkansas history, they didn’t have trash pickup” for much of the 20th century.

Welcome to this group. Other disappointments include privet, Japanese honeysuckle and the small and outdated Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitors Center (compared to other state park visitor centers across the state).

Oh, there are plenty of delights, too. Just consider the great horned owl.

“Did you know the great horned owl is the only predator that will eat a skunk?” Toland asked the others.

This and other, probably more useful facts are all part of the billet. The Naturalists are a group of bookish outdoor enthusiasts who see the terrain as an organic museum and laboratory whose secrets need no more than a shout out from a trained guide.

That’s what they aim to be - trained guide, lab technician, museum curator.

CAN I CALL MYSELF A TRAILBLAZER?

To become a certified Master Naturalist, volunteers take at least 40 hours of in-depth natural science education on about 20 topics at Pinnacle Mountain State Park or nature centers throughout the state. (This year, there are 87 hours of instruction scheduled.)

In return, they agree to volunteer at least 40 hours in the community, at a state park or school, or for the Boy Scouts, 4-H or other youth groups. Volunteers can also put in their hours in activities like maintaining or building trails.

After their first year, Naturalists must complete 40 volunteer hours and eight advanced-training hours in each calendar year to remain certified.

This instruction isn’t like your high school trigonometry units. The classes have cool names like ichthyology, herpetology, entomology, mycology, and behind the Latin roots lurk the state’s official fish (volatilis cattuspiscis), the cottonmouth, the chigger, the psilocybin mushroom.

There’s instruction on the state parks system and Arkansas forest ecology, and survival classes such as how to build a shelter out of tree boughs before the feral dogs close in.

One of the chief duties Turner and Toland take on is trail building. With topographic maps, GPS and an inclinometer, the trailblazers set off along some public land and create a smooth walking trail where once there was only untrammeled forest floor.

“Most people think a trail is a [worn path],” Turner said. “What we focus on is making it sustainable. No puddles, erosion. There’s specification on the out-slope of the trail. It should be [a slope of] 5 to 6 percent so rain sheets off ... and 42 inches [wide] is what we shoot for.”

The two walk the proposed trail route several times. They might tweak the layout so it hugs an interesting rock outcropping. The hard work of building a trail includes raking and cutting away roots and unseating large rocks with the help of pry bars, and reshaping the sides of slopes with pickaxes.

Sound Herculean? It is in a way. Turner and Toland estimate that they can build a trail at a rate of 10 yards per man hour. When the two took on the 1.5-mile extension of the Pinnacle Mountain State Park base trail two years ago, it took three months and a team of volunteers.

“We get to see every animal, every plant, everything there is out there,” Turner said. “Tell you the truth, we get a lot of ‘Thank-yous’ out there.

“No, we do.”

DOES THE COSSATOT NEED ME?

At the Cossatot, Park Interpreter Steve Walker directs Massey, Turner, Toland and Ralph Weber of Bentonville along a switchback that leads from the visitor center down a couple of hundred feet to the river below. The trail’s covered with debris, and standing water also impedes hikers.

For a couple of hours the serenity among the Shumardoak and the bitternut hickory is broken by the blare of a backpack blower and the whir of a Stihl chain saw. The group rakes and chips at the ground, correcting the grade in places and smoothing it all out.

Does the park need a cadre of protectors, i.e., a Master Naturalists chapter of its own?

“No,” Walker says, “this area of the state just doesn’t have a lot going on, so we’re just trying to get stuff going on for the people.”

The park doesn’t need the work. It wants the interest.

Dorothy Cooney is interested. A 61-year-old Texas transplant, the Wickes resident called the potential kickoff of the Cossatot chapter “a well-kept secret.” For her, the volunteer duties are incidental.

“These classes, they are very detailed about the ecology of the area - animals, plants, weather, soil, water. I have a master’s degree, but the Master Naturalist program is one of the best classes I’ve ever had.”

When Toland retired in 2006 and settled in Little Rock, he intended to volunteer with Heifer International, a group with a mission he adores, but the work itself was unfulfilling.

“All of a sudden, there was an article about Master Naturalists in [the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]. I thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’ I sent in my application the very first day [for new class enrollment].

“This organization, there’s so many ... things to do you can’t get bored.”

Along with trail building, teams monitor for stream pollution, count birds and take deer surveys at night for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Naturalists lead schoolchildren into the woods and show them salamanders, snakes and crawdads - a kind of thrill Wii has yet to replicate.

The Bull Shoals White River State Park chapter is poised to record an entire inventory of plant and animal species in the river basin, says President Dwan Garrison, a project that will be a multi-year undertaking.

In the car on the ride home, Toland says that earlier this year, Texas Master Naturalists organization recorded its 1 millionth volunteer service hour. That group is twice as old - 10 - as this one, and has nearly three dozen chapters.

Massey says she hopes to add two chapters a year, an ambitious plan. And then, Toland says, “we can really start doing some serious things.”

Like holding sit-ins beneath the Capitol dome!

“Like a lot of activities with a lot of state parks to where the state park people, when they get together, they think of Master Naturalists as a vital part of their mission.”

Oh, cooperate with the Man. Right.

More information about Arkansas Master Naturalists’ new chapters and the training program is at home.arkansasmasternaturalists. org.

ActiveStyle, Pages 27 on 11/30/2009

Natural Resources Conservation Service contractors use Bobcat loader in the bed of the Town Branch without permission on day major watershed-protection news announced

2009-11-28T11:10:00.003-06:00

Please click on image to go to Flickr site and enlarge and search for related photos and information.

What part of NO don't these guys understand?
The living things in a half mile of this urban tributary of the West Fork of the White River were displaced and their habitat damaged for four days in November 2009 with no apology.

On the day that these photos were taken, the NRCS announced a huge effort to improve water quality in many states, including Arkansas. How does treating the riparian zones of Fayetteville's tributaries of the White River and the Illinois River watersheds make sense when the agency's overall mission includes protecting and enhancing such areas?

Release No. 0586.09
Contact:
Brad Fisher (202) 720-4024

SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES 41 WATERSHEDS TO TAKE PART IN MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE
Initiative Will Provide Approximately $320 Million in USDA Assistance In Basin Area

WASHINGTON, November 23, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 41 watersheds in 12 states, known as Focus Areas, have been selected to participate in a new initiative to improve water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin. The selected watersheds cover over 42 million acres, or more than 5 percent of the Basin's land area.

"The USDA is committed to working cooperatively with agricultural producers, partner organizations and State and local agencies to improve water quality and the quality of life for the tens of millions of people who live in the Mississippi River Basin, the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative will help" Vilsack said. "Today's announcement is another step toward achieving this goal, and I encourage as many eligible participants as possible to join us in this major conservation effort."

The Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI), which was announced on September 24, 2009, will provide approximately $320 million in USDA financial assistance over the next four years for voluntary projects in priority watersheds in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. MRBI will help producers implement conservation and management practices that prevent, control and trap nutrient runoff from agricultural land.

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) manages the initiative. NRCS State Conservationists from the 12 watershed states selected the watersheds with guidance from State Technical Committees and state water quality agencies. Selections were based on the potential for managing nitrogen and phosphorus -- nutrients associated with water quality problems in the Basin -- while maintaining agricultural productivity and benefiting wildlife.
Next, smaller watershed projects will be selected through a competitive process under NRCS' Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). NRCS assistance will be leveraged with contributions from partners, expanding the capacity available to improve water quality throughout the Basin.
Three requests for project proposals will be announced in the next several weeks, including one for CCPI. Funding for CCPI projects will come from NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program.
Two other requests for proposals will fund projects through the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program and Conservation Innovation Grants. For information about these programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs .
State(s) Watershed
Arkansas/Missouri - Cache
Arkansas - Lake Conway-Point Remove
Arkansas - L'Anguille
Arkansas/Missouri - Lower St. Francis
Illinois - Lower Illinois - Senachwine Lake
Illinois - Upper Illinois
Illinois - Vermilion (Upper Mississippi River sub-basin)
Illinois/Indiana - Vermilion (Upper Ohio River sub-basin)
Indiana - Eel
Indiana - Upper East Fork White
Indiana - Wildcat
Indiana/Ohio - Upper Wabash
Iowa - Boone
Iowa - Maquoketa
Iowa - North Raccoon
Iowa/Minnesota - Upper Cedar
Kentucky/Tennessee - Bayou De Chien-Mayfield
Kentucky - Licking
Kentucky - Lower Green
Louisiana - Mermentau
Louisiana/Arkansas - Bayou Macon
Louisiana/Arkansas - Boeuf River
Minnesota - Middle Minnesota
Minnesota - Root
Minnesota - Sauk
Mississippi - Big Sunflower
Mississippi/Louisiana/Arkansas - Deer-Steele
Mississippi - Upper Yazoo
Missouri/Iowa - Lower Grand
Missouri - North Fork Salt
Missouri - South Fork Salt
Missouri/Arkansas - Little River Ditches
Ohio/Indiana - Upper Great Miami
Ohio - Upper Scioto
Tennessee - Forked Deer
Tennessee/Kentucky - Obion
Tennessee - South Fork Obion
Tennessee/Kentucky - Red River
Wisconsin/Illinois - Sugar
Wisconsin/Illinois - Upper Rock
Wisconsin/Illinois - Pecatonica
For information about the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, including eligibility requirements, please visit the MRBI web page at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/mrbi/mrbi_overview.html or your USDA Service Center. A map of the project area is available the MRBI Programs webpage.
Subscribe to NRCS news releases and get other agency information at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov or contact NRCS Public Affairs at 202-720-3210.
NRCS celebrates its 75th year of service in 2010.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Two varieties of goldenrod identified beside the new city trail west of World Peace Wetland Prairie by Theo Witsell of the Arkansas Heritage Commission

2009-11-26T14:36:00.001-06:00

Showy goldenrod identified by Theo Witsell on Pinnacle Prairie

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

Witsell describes two varieties of goldenrod

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

Elliott's bluestem (Andropogon gyrans Ashe) identified by Theo Witsell to the northwest of Pinnacle Prairie

2009-11-26T11:49:00.000-06:00

Elliott's bluestem Andropogon gyrans Ashe var. gyrans

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

www.naturalheritage.org

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=POPA_USGA
Andropogon gyrans Ashe
Elliott's bluestem

Symbol: ANGY2
Group: Monocot
Family: Poaceae
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Native Status:
L48 N

Click on the image below to enlarge it and download a high-resolution JPEG file.

©James H. Miller. Miller, J.H. and K.V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press, Athens. Courtesy of University of Georgia Press . Image scanned by Forestry Images . Usage Requirements . Any use of copyrighted images requires notification of the copyright holder.

More Information:
Classification
PM Publications
Data Source and Documentation

Images:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe

See all the Andropogon thumbnails at the PLANTS Gallery

Distribution:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe

View Native Status

See U.S. county distributions (when available) by clicking on the map or the linked states below:
USA ( AL , AR , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MD, MO , MS , NC , NJ , OH , OK, PA , SC , TN , TX , VA , WV )

Related Taxa:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe

View 338 genera in Poaceae , 20 species in Andropogon or click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles.

Andropogon gyrans var. gyrans
Elliott's bluestem

Andropogon gyrans var. stenophyllus
Elliott's bluestem
Native Introduced

Classification:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.

Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass Commelinidae
Order Cyperales
Family Poaceae – Grass family
Genus Andropogon L. – bluestem
Species Andropogon gyrans Ashe – Elliott's bluestem

Wetland Indicator Status:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe
Andropogon perangustatus [= ANGYS ]:
Nat. Ind. Reg. 1 Reg. 2 Reg. 3 Reg. 4 Reg. 5 Reg. 6 Reg. 7 Reg. 8 Reg. 9 Reg. 0 Reg. A Reg. C Reg. H
OBL NO OBL NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Interpreting Wetland Indicator Status
Wildlife Habitat Values:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe

Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds
Source Large Mammals Food Large Mammals Cover Small Mammals Food Small Mammals Cover Water Birds Food Water Birds Cover Terrestrial Birds Food Terrestrial Birds Cover
Miller Minor Low Minor Moderate
Wildlife Habitat Values
Miller, J.H., and K.V. Miller. 1999. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses . Southern Weed Science Society.
More Accounts and Images:
Andropogon gyrans Ashe
View species account , photographs , and distribution from USF Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.
View species account , distribution map , and illustration from the Grass Manual on the Web.
View species account from ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
View taxonomic account from Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) for ITIS Taxonomic Serial Number 182527.
View photographs and distribution from University of Tennessee Herbarium.

Theo Witsell of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission points out big bluestem, little bluestem and broom sedge from Pinnacle Prairie Trail on west side of World Peace Wetland Prairie on November 21, 2009

2009-11-26T10:13:00.002-06:00

Three of four tall-grass species right here, Witsell says

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

Theo Witsell and little bluestem vs broom sedge

Aubrey james | MySpace Video
Little bluestem

Scientific Name: Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash.
Common Name: Little bluestem

Morphological Characteristics:

A native, perennial, warm season, long-lived bunchgrass. Culms are 1 to 4 feet tall, erect and large tufted, having occasional short rhizomes. Basal stems and sheaths are flattened. Leaf blades are hairless; V shaped in cross section, keeled, light blue-green when young turning reddish brown at maturity. Ligules 1/16 inch in length, membranous, with singed margins. Inflorescence consists of several unbranched racemes, one on the end of each seed stalk. Spikelets are paired along raceme axis; fertile one plump, awned and stalkless; sterile one stalked, awnless or awn tipped.

Little bluestem has a deep fibrous root system, and may be semi-sod forming in sub humid zones. As a warm season grass it begins growth in late spring and continues through the hot summer period until the first killing frost. It is easily mistaken for common broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) except little bluestem has very flat bluish basal shoots. Broomsedge has a straight awn and has two or more stalked seed clusters per branch. Little bluestem has a twisted, bent awn and a single cluster of seeds per branch. Seacoast bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium var. littorale) occurs only in the coastal plain region. It is very similar to little bluestem but can be distinguished by the bent stems at the base, whereas little bluestem stems are erect.

Little bluestem is one of the most widely distributed native grasses in North America. It will grow on a wide variety of soils but is very well adapted to well drained, medium to dry, infertile soils. The plant has excellent drought and fair shade tolerance, and fair to poor flood tolerance. It grows preferentially on sites with pH 7.0 and slightly higher.

Conservation Use:

Why collect this plant?
In north-central Texas there is a lack of locally-adapted native (ecotypic) plant materials for use in revegetation projects. The North Texas Ecotype Project (NTEP) was established to conserve the culturally, historically, and ecologically important native plants of north-central Texas, and promote their use for revegetation projects.

The Knox City Plant Materials Center in cooperation with NTEP have identified little bluestem as a plant meeting project objectives. Plant and seed collections supporting NTEP are targeted for 43 counties located within all or portions of 6 vegetation areas in north-central Texas including: Blackland Prairie, East Cross Timbers, Fort Worth Prairie, Lampasas Cut Plain, West Cross Timbers and Rolling Plains.

Future ecotypes developed will benefits the following conservation practice standards: 645 Upland Wildlife Habitat Management; 342 Critical Area Planting; 562 Recreation Area Improvement; 550 Range Planting; 327 Conservation Cover; 643 Restoration and Management of Rare or Declining Habitats.

Your assistance in collecting this plant helps support the NRCS conservation practice standards which are employed daily to conserve the natural resources of Texas!

Center Requesting Seed:

Knox City Plant Materials Center

How to Collect Seed:

Identify native plant stands in your area. You can go to the following websites for helpful photos http://plants.usda.gov or http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/index.html or www.wildflower.org
Determine if seed is mature. Mature seed is typically dry and will easily separate from the seed head.
Hand strip mature seed by grasping the bottom of the seed head then gently pulling away from the base of the plant. Deposit seed in a brown paper sack. Collect seed from a minimum of 30 to 50 plants.
Label each collection as it is made so collections do not get mixed up. Information required includes: Collector’s name, number of plants collected, location (parish, city, highway, and GPS coordinates), site description (soil type, slope, and plants growing in association).
Complete NRCS-ECS-580; Plant Collection Information Form and mail with collected seeds to the NRCS Plant Materials Center requesting the species.
Knox City Plant Materials Center
3776 FM 1292
Knox City, TX 79529-2514

Helpful Tips:

Look for superior plants that display differences in color, height, or forage abundance and record observations. Differences in growing site or location should be made into separate collections if they are separated by more than 1 mile between sites.

Broomsedge

Andropogon virginicus
Broomgrass, Broomsage, Broomsedge bluestem, Broomstraw, Sage grass, Yellow bluestem
Grass

Several stems may arise from each clump of broomsedge. They will turn yellow-tan in the fall.

©James H. Miller, USDA-NRCS Plants Database

Broomsedge seeds are small and hairy.

©James H. Miller, USDA-NRCS Plants Database

Description
This native warm-season grass is often confused with little bluestem. Compared with little bluestem, broomsedge stems are the more flattened and more densely leafed. Also, broomsedge in the fall/winter is typically yellowish tan, while little bluestem has a bronzy color. It is usually no more than 2 feet tall at maturity. Seeds are light and fluffy. Dense stands are often indicative of acid soils, phosphorus deficiency or overgrazing. Lime and fertilizer application may cause broomsedge to decline or disappear.

Use by bobwhites
Broomsedge's clumpy growth and fine leaves and stems make it an excellent grass for nesting, and the height is preferred for roosting. Stands of broomsedge tend to be "weedy," supporting a diverse mix of annual plants that provide further benefits for bobwhites.

Compare the cross section of a broomsedge stem with that of little bluestem. Broomsedge is more flattened.

Instructions that Natural Resources Conservation Service contractors are supposed to be following

2009-11-24T08:27:00.001-06:00

Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE for reading and find related documents and photos.

Workers in the Town Branch take a break near 11th Street between Hill Avenue and Duncan Avenue

2009-11-23T12:56:00.002-06:00

Federal destruction of Town Branch riparian timber and soil

Aubrey james | MySpace Video

Theo Witsell of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission to speak on rare habitat and newly found wildflower species

2009-11-20T10:04:00.000-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of invitation to FGNS meeting on November 21, 2009.

Red Oak Park plan would tear up the ground and displace mature trees and other significant vegetation but do nothing to protect the park from the huge upstream flow of water from the south, east and west

2009-11-13T18:37:00.002-06:00

Red Oak Park Plan

MAYBE, this plan would help protect the property of the landowner downstream to the north toward Hamestring Creek. But it will totally miss the point of trying to protect the existing mature trees and will allow an incredible increase in erosion during construction and have only a minimal chance of improving the park in any credible way.

The only worthwhile and effective use of the money set aside for this plan would be KEEPING the water WATER WHERE IT FALLS: On the lots in the subdivisions to the south, east and west in raingardens created in the yards and in the treeless portion of the park at the southeast corner.

Helping people create raingardens using the natural soil remaining in the area and encouraging NOT to mow but to protect native vegetation there would decrease the dangerous runoff to a manageable level.

It is illogical to spend money doing some that won't meet the goals of the people who originally began complaining about the situation.

Fayetteville's engineering and park departments team up to create plan to "restore" channel of stream in Red Oak Park

2009-11-13T12:14:00.002-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE and go to Flickr site to Enlarge view and to navigate to see related photos.

Tour of Woolsey Wet Prairie and Fayetteville's westside sewage-treatment plant at 2 p.m. today precedes big evening for Illinois River Watershed Partnership

2009-11-10T10:59:00.001-06:00

Illinois River Watershed Partnership
Annual Stakeholders Meeting
November 10, 2009
2:00 to 3:30 pm Tour of Fayetteville West Side Treatment Plant and Woolsey Wet Prairie
4:00 pm. Tour of Fayetteville Sam's Club
5:30 pm Hors d'oeuvres at Arvest Ballpark, Springdale
6:00 pm Sponsor Recognition and Golden Paddle Awards Reception
7:00 pm. Annual Membership and Board Meeting
Thank you for your dedicated efforts and support
to preserve, protect and restore the Illinois River Watershed.

To see evidence of the need for protection, please click on image to ENLARGE example of construction-site erosion in the Illinois River Watershed.

From Northwest Arkansas environment central

Veterans Memorial 5K entry form for 8 a.m. Saturday, November 7, 2009, linked below video

2009-11-06T12:45:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow's most important meeting in Northwest Arkansas: FREE

2009-11-04T09:53:00.000-06:00

November 5 Streambank Restoration Workshop, Springdale 9 am. to 3 pm.
To register for free riparian demonstration workshop, email contact@irwp.org
Springdale city administration building 9 am to 3 pm Thursday, November 5, 2009

IRWP Streambank Restoration Workshop
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
The Workshop will be led by Bobby Hernandez, Region 6 USEPA Community Planner and Jon Fripp of Fort Worth,NRCS.
Workshop partners include the City of Springdale Tree City USA committee, the Arkansas Forestry Commission, the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
PURPOSE:
The workshop will cover several key areas of restoration including:
TECHNIQUES: Various streambank restoration techniques and successful technology and projects will be emphasized as well as unsuccessful restoration projects highlighted.
DEMONSTRATION: Demonstration of Jet Stinger technology will be used to plant willow cuttings along streambanks in the host city of Springdale, Arkansas.
IMPLEMENTATION: Implementation of low cost riparian and stormwater Best
Management Practices to improve water quality and reduce pollution in the Illinois River Watershed.