Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Nature Journaling (All Day – 6 Hours)

Rob Beadle

Nature journaling is a fantastic way to get away from the everyday hustle, bustle, and rush; and practice patience, observational skills, and creative expression. It can be an opportunity to get out and experience our great outdoors. Keeping a nature journal is a great way to become acquainted, or get reacquainted, with our natural world.

Nature journaling can help:

• Improve your mood

• Gain mental clarity

• Unplug from technology

• Boost memory

• Reduce stress levels

• Practice presence

• Improve critical thinking and problem solving

• Deepen your appreciation for nature

Join us for this hands-on workshop to learn the basic skills of nature journaling. Participants will make their own field journal, use their senses to explore our environment, practice basic sketching techniques, and create a unique nature poem. No art skills needed! Materials, supplies, resources and door prizes will be provided.

Some books and/or materials may be available for purchase from the presenter.

With over 29 years in the environmental field, Rob Beadel has been the Director of Forestry Education for the Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation since 2008 and serves as the Project Learning Tree State Coordinator. Rob, a Certified Interpretive Guide, has served on several environmental education boards and workgroups at both the state and national levels. Rob was honored as the 2015 Conservation Educator of the Year by the Arkansas Wildlife Federation and received the 2021 PLT Gold Star Award for his contributions to PLT and Environmental Education. Rob is recognized by John Muir Laws as a certified Nature Journaling Instructor.

Woody Plant Identification (All Day – 6 Hours)

Jennifer Ogle & Theo Witsell

Join botanists Jennifer Ogle and Theo Witsell to learn to identify common trees, shrubs, and woody vines of Arkansas. This workshop will teach basic woody plant identification using the illustrations, botanical terms, and plant keys found in their book, "Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Arkansas".

We’ll spend the morning session in the classroom using the book, fresh plant material, and PowerPoint slides to learn basic woody plant structure and common plant groups. After lunch we’ll head to a field site to identify woody plants in the wild. No previous plant identification experience is needed for this basic woody plant identification workshop.

Recommended materials:

1) A copy of "Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Arkansas" (https://www.uapress.com/product/trees-shrubs-and-woody-vines-of-arkansas). The presenters will have a few copies available for sale at the workshop.

2) A 10x or 16x magnifying glass or jeweler’s eye loupe. The presenters will bring a few extra to loan out during the workshop.

Jennifer Ogle is a botanist, instructor, and collections manager at the University of Arkansas Herbarium. She regularly conducts outreach on the conservation of native plants and their habitats, invasive plant species issues, and the importance of using genetically appropriate native plants for habitat restoration.

Theo Witsell is co-founder and Chief Conservation Officer for the Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI), headquartered at Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tennessee). He also worked for nearly 25 years as a botanist and ecologist for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and has expertise in the flora and ecology of the southeastern and midwestern U.S.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Dragonflies & Damselflies (Half Day – 3 Hours)

Dr. Alex Barnard

An introduction to dragonfly and damselfly life cycles, morphology, ecology, behavior, and identification with a focus on species found in Arkansas. Specimens will be provided for close inspection. Bring a hand lens if you have one; a few will be provided.

Dr. Alex Barnard is an Associate Professor at National Park College, where she has been teaching biology courses since 2019. She received her PhD in Evolutionary Biology in 2018 from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied mating behavior and morphology of North American damselflies in the genus Enallagma. She has been involved with the Arkansas Master Naturalists (DLAMN chapter) since 2021.

The Diana Project (Half Day – 3 Hours)

Shawn Hunter

Section 1 - Saving AR State Butterfly - This 45 minute presentation compares and contrasts the Diana Fritillary butterfly to the more familiar Monarch in order to understand the unique lifecycle challenges of The Diana. We explain the history and purpose of The Diana Project and provide resources to help you get involved. Presented by Ms. Shawn Hunter, NWA Master Naturalist, Ozark Wild One and The Diana Project Co-Founder.

Section 2 - Introduction to iNaturalist - Becoming a citizen scientist is easy, rewarding for everyone and critical to biodiversity science. Discover how you can participate by getting acquainted with iNaturalist software. Accessing iNaturalist can be done with a smart phone or tablet with the mobile app OR you access via a browser and use the website. If you plan on using a smart device we ask that you download the Free iNaturalist app before you arrive if possible. Links to the free mobile app for both android and apple options are toward the bottom of this page: https://www.inaturalist.org/

Section 3 - Outside butterfly hunt and iNaturalist practice session - Petite Jean should be a great place to locate the state butterfly. Let's see if we can find it! Join me for a walk around the compound to practice iNaturalist. If the weather is bad or you aren't up for a hike we will practice observing natural items inside.

Rain Garden Design (Half Day – 3 Hours)

Morgan Keeling & Annie Sales

Often colorful and filled with life year-round, rain gardens are attractive, easy to install and maintain, and provide a host of environmental services that can have positive impacts far beyond their footprint. Rain garden sizing, construction, site and species selection, and maintenance are all considerations for starting a new project. This program will give you the tools needed to start, enhance, and maximize rain gardens in your back yard. You will leave with an understanding of the benefits a rain garden can add to your life and the ways it can improve the health of your watershed!

Morgan Keeling is Associate Director at Illinois River Watershed Partnership (IRWP). She graduated with her BA in Journalism from Arkansas Tech University and received her MBA from the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. Since joining the IRWP in 2020, she has managed grants from the Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Natural Resources Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Walton Family Foundation, and others-- all to address water quality challenges from stormwater and wastewater in the Illinois River Watershed. In 2021 she organized the Northwest Arkansas Low Impact Development Conference, has spoken at the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association's conference, and in 2023 served her first year as a volunteer instructor through the University of Arkansas Professional and Workforce Development series "RazorLearn" where she developed the course "Sustainable Stormwater in Our Growing Region." Morgan is the Chair of the Multibasin Regional Water Council and is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists.

Annie Sales is the Green Infrastructure Program Manager at IRWP, previously working for NRM, a subsidiary of Ecological Design Group (EDG), managing their native plant nurseries in NWA and East Arkansas and leading installation of green infrastructure plantings for the company. Annie has a Bachelor’s of Science in Geography with a concentration in natural resources from Missouri State University and has completed graduate coursework towards here Masters in Science in Environmental Planning.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Arkansas Native Bees (1.5 Hours)

Coleman Little, M.S.

Coleman will discuss some of the over 200 species of native bees found in Arkansas, their importance in a healthy environment, and what we can do to help preserve these diverse, and necessary insects.

Coleman Little has been a Biology lecturer at UCA since 2018 and has done a lot of fieldwork in the area of native bees, including discovering some native bees species not formerly known to exist in Arkansas. He is very motivated about Biology, Science, and Education in general. His greatest interest is in native bee communities, followed by insects, then plants, and reptiles. Coleman loves information and the gathering of it. He loves lecturing to a classroom.

Birding Hike at Petit Jean (1.5 Hours)

Ariana Remmel

Let's go for a walk and see the local birds around Petit Jean State Park. I'll give a brief overview of birding tools such as field guides, apps, and binoculars. Then we'll choose one of the trails for a leisurely stroll so that we can discuss the relationships between birds and their habitats. Please wear comfortable shoes, a water bottle, and layers appropriate for the weather. This outing is open to both new and experienced birders!

Ariana Remmel (they/them) is a journalist and birder based in Little Rock, AR. They are an active member of the Central Arkansas Master Naturalists where they volunteer with the Curriculum Committee. Ari also volunteers as a local eBird reviewer for central Arkansas.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

"The Great Ozark Love Affair," The Ozark Chinquapin Tree (1.5 Hours)

Steve Chyrchel

Saving and restoring a keystone tree for the benefit of our forest animals

Interpreter at Hobbs State Park 27 years: Serves on Board of Ozark Chinquapin Foundation and Coordinator between the Ozark Chinquapin Foundation and the Arkansas State Parks planting Ozark Chinquapin trees.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Birding Big Sit (3 Hours)

Ariana Remmel

You don't have to go for a hike to see birds--sometimes they are easier to find by staying in one place! I'll give a brief overview of birding resources such as field guides, apps, and binoculars. We'll do a "big sit" near the conference headquarters to observe whatever birds come to us. You are welcome to come and go as you please.

Ariana Remmel (they/them) is a journalist and birder based in Little Rock, Arkansas. They are an active member of the Central Arkansas Master Naturalists where they volunteer with the Curriculum Committee. Ari is also a volunteer eBird reviewer for central Arkansas.

The Arkansas Watershed Stewardship Program: Invasive Species Removal (3 Hours)

John Pennington

The purpose of this program is to promote healthy watersheds, increase understanding of the potential causes of water resource degradation and give people the knowledge and tools they need to identify, prevent and/or resolve water quality and ecosystem problems such as disruptive invasive plant populations.

John Pennington is an Instructor – Water Quality Educator at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service where he works to support county extension agents, their clientele, and Arkansas Watershed Stewards with water quality issues and projects throughout the state of Arkansas. John is currently administering the Arkansas Watershed Steward program which seeks to inform, encourage and support Arkansans in efforts to improve water quality in the watershed where they live, work or play. John has a Master's Degree in Science from UA Crop Soil and Environmental Science Department and a Bachelors Degree in Biology from Arkansas Tech University. John has served on the board of several non-profit conservation organizations and currently serves as a volunteer for the Ozark Highlands Trail Association where he maintains a 4 mile section of trail.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Endemic Species of Arkansas (1.5 Hours)

Dustin Lynch with Ben Burton

This program will cover species of plants and animals found only in Arkansas.

Dr. Dustin Lynch, Chief of Research for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, works with rare and sensitive species of fish, crayfish, mussels, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and many other groups across Arkansas, many of which occur nowhere else in the world.

Ben Benton is the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Botanist and Curator of the ANHC Herbarium. He graduated from Hendrix College in 2020 where he studied parasitic plants in the genus Aphyllon. He is currently finishing his master’s degree from Arkansas State University, where his is studying the ecology of pimple mounds in Arkansas tallgrass prairies. Ben is an avid enthusiast of the rare plants of Arkansas.

Mysterious & Magical Fireflies (1.5 Hours)

Pam Morgan

Seeing fireflies flash across the sky is one of the joys of summer nights. Also known as lightning bugs, fireflies are loved by many, but few people know much about them, and there is evidence that they are at risk. In this session, you will learn firefly basics, including life cycle and habitat, and how people can make their own yards more attractive to fireflies. You will get an introduction to Firefly Atlas, the new firefly tracking site managed by the Xerces Society, and how we can use it to help preserve fireflies in Arkansas. You will also hear about how the Northwest Arkansas MN chapter sparked a new Firefly Sanctuary that will be launching this summer. We believe it is the first Firefly Sanctuary west of the Mississippi River!

From Soil To Soul (1.5 Hours)

Anje Nevala

Have you ever wondered why you would rather be outside digging bulbs or pruning roses instead of cleaning house or cooking a meal? Do you find yourself having more meaningful conversations with your windowsill plants than family or friends? Is your first thought to head outside when you need to escape what’s bothering you or to chill out after a stressful day? Nature has long been known for its soothing qualities. Gardening and outdoor activity has emerged in recent years as a scientifically proven stress reliever. In this presentation, learn about the importance of having contact with nature and about gardening’s ability to benefit, not only our physical needs, but our psychological well-being as well.

Anje Nevala is a retired Clinical Social Worker with over 33 years of experience in mental health services. She received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and her certification in Horticulture Therapy from the Chicago Botanical Gardens and Oakton College, Chicago, Illinois. While employed, Anje integrated horticulture therapy and pet therapy (Anje is a therapy dog handler) as forms of complementary and alternative treatments to enhance the positive effects of healing. Anje is an Advanced Master Gardener II with the University of Arkansas, Pulaski County Extension Service. She has had the pleasure of giving back to the community by providing horticulture therapy at the Veterans Administration, local gardens, and her Mater Gardener project, Baptist Rehabilitation Hospital in Little Rock. Her primary objective in utilizing horticulture therapy is to provide an opportunity for participants to engage in “hands-on” activities that are horticulture based in nature and that will positively influence their lives.

Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas (1.5 Hours)

Rodney Paul or Staff

RRCA takes in sick, injured, or orphaned birds of prey, such as eagles, owls and hawks. Whenever possible, these birds are released back into the wild.

RRCA will have some of its education birds (birds that cannot be released back into the wild due to injury or imprinting with humans) on site to help you learn about various species, how you can help protect them…and what to do if you find one that needs help!

Donations will be accepted.

My name is Rodney Paul.  I am the director of Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas. I started Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas in 2003. Our mission and goal has always stayed the same: to care for ill, injured or orphaned birds of prey and to be able to release them back into the wild.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

The Geology of the Ouachitas & Ozarks (1.5 Hours)

Corbin Cannon

A comparison of the differing geology in the Ouachita Mountains and the Ozark Plateau and how those differences impact the ecosystems of these regions.

This would be a great primer for our geology hike at Petit Jean State Park scheduled for Sunday morning.

Corbin Cannon is a licensed Professional Geologist currently working as the Senior Geologist at the Arkansas Natural Resources Division in the Groundwater Section.  He is also an instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Corbin specializes in Hydrogeology, Igneous Petrology, and Mineralogy. While working for the Arkansas Geological Survey for over a decade, Corbin's primary area of research focus was the Arkansas Alkalic Igneous Province of the Ouachitas, which includes Magnet Cove, the Granite Mountain Syenite, Potash Sulphur Springs, and the Bauxite producing region. He has collaborated with researchers from universities in the United States, Germany, Norway, and France on projects involving these areas. He has also contributed to geologic mapping efforts and field research in the Ozarks including publications covering Hobbs Sate park and the Buffalo National river areas. Corbin has presented research at the Geological Society of America's Annual and regional section meetings on topics ranging from geothermal energy to carbon sequestration. A hiking enthusiast, he loves the uphills and can be found roaming the Ozarks rain or shine.

Prescribed Fire in Arkansas (1.5 Hours)

Courtney Todd

The history and current use of prescribed fire as a tool in Arkansas

I am the Prescribed Fire Coordinator for Quail Forever in Arkansas. I began my career in fire with Arkansas State Parks before I came to Quail Forever and managed a habitat crew/ burn crew until I began my current position. I have been involved in prescribed fire for 15 years in Arkansas. I am a current member of the Arkansas Prescribed Fire Council and am an instructor on prescribed fire, teaching several people from many different agencies and organizations.

A Brief History of Observational Astronomy (1.5 Hours)

Jeffrey Hoeper

The emphasis will be on how the observational tools have gradually expanded what we can see in the night sky. It will move from Ptolemy all the way up to the James Webb telescope, but I will focus on how we amateurs can use these great tools to increase our own understanding and sometimes even add to scientific knowledge.

This will be a great intro to the “Constellation Tour and Deep Sky Observation” session to be help on Saturday evening, weather permitting.

Before retiring, Jeff Hoeper was an English Professor at ASU Jonesboro and taught everything from Freshman English to Graduate Seminars, and from Medieval Literature to Modern Drama. With his mentor and colleague, Jim Pickering, he co-authored and co-edited five editions of the college-level text, LITERATURE. During that same period, he took up amateur astronomy with his daughter, using a basic department store telescope. After 30 years of amateur astronomy, he has graduated to being Bruce McMath's vice-chair for the Arkansas Dark Sky Festival and to co-sponsoring the quarterly NCAMN star parties with Ken Forman. Evidently, co-production is what he does best. He has even co-produced two fine and fully-grown children with the help of his NCAMN mentor, Sue.

Bat Basics (1.5 Hours)

Jane -Jones-Schultz

In this program, we will discover the incredible diversity of bat species worldwide and learn about their unique adaptations, from echolocation to wing structure. We will explore the vital roles bats play in ecosystems, including pollination and pest control and learn more about the species of bats living in Arkansas and why they are some of our most endangered mammals.

Jane Jones-Schulz is retired from the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the state agency responsible for cataloging Arkansas's rare plants and animals while conserving what remains of the state's original landscape. As the agency's education and information coordinator, she served as editor for the fourth edition of The Natural Divisions of Arkansas and the second edition of The Grand Prairie of Arkansas. Her work also included developing curriculum materials on such diverse subjects as the ecology of Hot Springs Natural Park, the natural history of Arkansas's role in the Louisiana Purchase, and Beatrix Potter's mushroom research. She also spearheaded the first statewide citizen science efforts in Arkansas, including a tarantula survey and a two-year box turtle survey. She has worked in various fields of environmental education for over 30 years, serving as Director of Education for the Arkansas Museum of Science and History, and as Director of the Arkansas Natural and Scenic Rivers Commission. She received a BA in biology from Hendrix College in Arkansas and did graduate work in primate behavior at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Georgia. She currently volunteers with the great apes at the Little Rock Zoo and as a teacher with Life Quest.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Constellation Tour and Deep Sky Observation (2 hours)

Jeffrey Hoeper

We'll be tracing out the forms of the major constellations visible in the early June sky and I'll present some of the more interesting stories associated with those constellations. At the very end enthusiasts will be encouraged to find some deep sky delights with the telescopes I bring.

Before retiring, Jeff Hoeper was an English Professor at ASU Jonesboro and taught everything from Freshman English to Graduate Seminars, and from Medieval Literature to Modern Drama. With his mentor and colleague, Jim Pickering, he co-authored and co-edited five editions of the college-level text, LITERATURE. During that same period, he took up amateur astronomy with his daughter, using a basic department store telescope. After 30 years of amateur astronomy, he has graduated to being Bruce McMath's vice-chair for the Arkansas Dark Sky Festival and to co-sponsoring the quarterly NCAMN star parties with Ken Forman. Evidently, co-production is what he does best. He has even co-produced two fine and fully-grown children with the help of his NCAMN mentor, Sue.

Program Name

Program Description

Program Presenter(s)/Bio(s)

Geology Hike at Petit Jean State Park (2-3 Hours)

Petit Jean State Park Interpretive Staff

Join the Petit Jean State Park staff for a stroll along one of Petit Jean’s many hiking trails focusing on the geology of the park and the Ouachita Mountains.

Petit Jean State Parks Interpretive Staff