Arkansas Master Naturalists

 

Sarah Geurtz, a landscape architect in NWA and current president of the Arkansas Native Plant Society, is giving a presentation about designing home gardens with native plants. The presentation will be at the Bentonville Public Library on May 21st. A screenshot of the presentation announcement is attached. I'm sorry about the small print -- that's the way it fit on the page. You can also see the announcement on the Bentonville Public Library's website under Events. Registration is requested.

As part of our "Connecting Community to Urban Forests and Streams” project at Walker Park, the WCRC is conducting a FREE training course on Invasive Plant Removal and Native Plant Establishment on Friday May 30, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the Fayetteville Senior Center. The classroom site is located at Walker Park, so the outdoor, hands-on training will be conducted in the project area.  The flyer is attached.  Please forward to anyone who may be interested in attending.  If you are interested, please use this link to register soon, this course fills up quickly.  https://forms.gle/VDxqfmUNozjmTYc16

 

The course is designed for both beginners and experienced people. The course will guide attendees on how to tackle invasive vegetation on their own property. For the experienced landowner or employee, it allows for the opportunity to discuss with the trainers, others problems and questions that arise when conducting invasive vegetation removal. WCRC staff is always learning as we work towards replacing invasive vegetation, such as bush honeysuckle and privet, with vegetation native to the Ozark Region.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Lori Linn
Administrative Assistant
Watershed Conservation Resource Center(WCRC)
Ph: 479-444-1916
www.watershedconservation.org

Off the Shelf – a weekly notice from the Awe in Arkansas with Children’s Literature project.

1. Provide books as gifts!
2. Use for programs!
3. Share with nature gift shops!

Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferreri

 

Age Range: - 

Fabulous illustrations of a large variety of mushrooms as author describes fungi lifecycle and networks.   

 

 

Hello all,
The votes are in and we have rescheduled the Logan Springs hike. 

Open from dawn to dusk, Logan Springs Preserve is a 210-acre sanctuary that's home to birds, bats, beavers, and more. Managed by the Nature Conservancy, this wildlife haven was a fish hatchery that was built in the 1950s, so you'll see some remaining pieces of that. Some of the best things here are the natural springs, an oxbow lake with a floating dock, and the kiddie fishing pond. Kids 15 years and under can fish for bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish.  Walking on maintained dirt trails. Bring sensible shoes, water to drink, and a camera or binoculars if you'd like! 

15300 Osage Hill Rd, Siloam Springs

Open to all Nits, family and friends.
Register for Hike #1 https://forms.gle/RfgF4ctA2B51jkuS8 
Saturday, June 24th, 9am-noon with a BYO Picnic at the end - 

Opening day of Pollinator Month - Public hike at Logan Springs. Nits and family are welcome. 
Register for Hike #2 - https://forms.gle/6zGHGngjK4HqE5Bd8 
Sunday, June 1, 9am - noon

Holler if you have any questions. 

Ms. Shawn Hunter
(479) 238-3195
https://thedianaproject.org/ 

We would also absolutely love for a representative or two to table at the event and share all the amazing work Master Naturalists are involved in!
We could also use 3-5 volunteers at the event if anyone is looking for service hours. Volunteers might just assist with some of the educational activities, no training required. If anyone is interested in volunteering, they can reach me at emily@beaverwatershedalliance.org.

“Join us for a day of fun, education, and celebration along War Eagle Creek—one of the most important watersheds in Northwest Arkansas! This beautiful area provides 1/3 of all water entering Beaver Lake, the drinking water source for 1 in 5 Arkansans. Let’s come together to enjoy and protect this incredible natural resource.
What’s Happening:
*Float & Cleanup (Before and After the Event) – Bring your own boat or rent a kayak through O.A.R. (campsites available too!). Cleanup optional but appreciated! Visit www.oaroutdoor.com/about for more information
*Live Music – Rufus Stephens Jr. Memorial Concert featuring Jude Brothers
*Free Lunch – A thank-you for joining us
*Native Plant Sale – Support the watershed with local flora
*Raffle Prizes – Several lucky winners will take home prizes
*Family Fun – Scavenger hunt, nature education stations, games, and more
Bring a lawn chair, your friends & family, and your love for the outdoors! Help us celebrate stewardship, community, and the beauty of War Eagle Creek.
Thank you to our event partners: the City of Huntsville, Arkansas State Parks, Beaver Water District, Ruf's Fund to Conserve the War Eagle, Ozark Adventure and Recreation, the NWA Land Trust, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Watershed Conservation Resource Center, H2Ozarks, and the War Eagle Creek Regional Conservation Partnership Program.”
 
Please reach out with any questions and thanks so much!

Emily Finley  |  Urban Watershed Specialist
Beaver Watershed Alliance
162 Doolin Drive, P.O. Box 762
Elkins, AR 72727
emily@beaverwatershedalliance.org
Office: (479) 750-8007  |  Cell: (479) 502-4388

Other Upcoming Events at Devil’s Den State Park:

June 6th – 8th Devil’s Den 35th Bat-O-Rama - It's time to celebrate one of the most beneficial and misunderstood creatures in the world, BATS! Join us this weekend for the 35th Annual Bat-O-Rama to check out some bat-focused programs to learn why these animals are so amazing.

June 21st Kids’ Fishing Derby - Join us for the 2025 Kids' Fishing Derby here at Devil's Den State Park. This event is free and for children 15 years old and under being accompanied by an adult guardian. Registration for the derby begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Café Pavilion. Fishing begins after registration at 9 a.m. Be sure to bring your own tackle, bait, and fishing pole. 

Annual 4th of July Devil’s Den Games - Enjoy a fun-filled family day of horseshoes, egg toss, sack races, bike parade, and of course softball tournaments. It will be a July 4th celebration your family won’t soon forget!

September 13th – 36th Annual NWA Mountain Bike Championships Race - Devil's Den State Park proudly celebrates 35 years of mountain biking. It started in 1989 with the first bike event and has become a September tradition. All events are spectator friendly.

For general programs, we are offering programs Fridays through Sundays except for Fridays when I have a school group. Please check out our park’s events page at Events | Arkansas State Parks for the latest information on program times and locations. Starting late spring/early summer, we hope to offer programs every day.
 
 We may need volunteers for our Kids’ Fishing Derby, 4th of July Devil’s Den Games, Annual Lee Creek Cleanup, and Devil’s Den Fall Fest. 
 
KARA HELTON
Park Interpreter
 
Devil’s Den State Park
11333 W. HWY 74
West Fork, AR 72774
P:479-761-3325

 

We are excited to kick off 2025 with lots of volunteer opportunities for our Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists to get involved in the management of their watershed! This email is to provide a broad view of this year's big events, as well as some opportunities and events happening in the near future.

Field Trips at the Sanctuary in Cave Springs - all school year
Our Youth Educator Specialist, Suzanne Murphy has 16 field trips scheduled for this upcoming spring, and each field trip calls for 2-3 volunteers depending on the size of the class. Our field trips are crafted for each class's educational needs, but the labs can consist of: a Nature Hike, Enviroscape to show the effects of Non-Direct Pollution, Groundwater Pollution & Aquifers lab, and an Erosion lab. If you are interested in volunteering, please email suzanne@irwp.org to learn more.

Bats and Bluegrass 2025  - July 19th from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm
We’re thrilled to invite you to our Bats and Bluegrass Festival at our Sanctuary in Cave Springs this summer! This lively event brings together the conservation community and features live music, delicious food trucks, educational booths for kids, lawn games, and plenty of fun activities for the whole family. To ensure everything runs smoothly, we’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help with various tasks throughout the evening—such as assisting with ticket sales, guiding parking in our fields, and providing general support.

 

If you have any questions regarding these events, feel free to email sarah@irwp.org. Thank you all for what you do for your local watershed!

 

 

ThinkWell School of Discovery expects to launch an outdoor learning program in the Fall of 2025–ThinkWell Outdoors! This almost-all-weather, once-a-week program will provide an opportunity for students to explore, play, and learn in an outdoor environment. They will wonder and wander, get curiously creative, build connection through community, and deepen into respectful reciprocity with each other and the land. 

Each week there will be a natural science, geography, local history and civics focus, explored through music, movement, STEAM activities, and supervised outdoor play and hiking (we call it “wandering”).

This document contains more information and a link for those interested in the role: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fl1H1V5zLu-b16Mv7VeFN77xHGW1UmDfPaeMLTRjfF0/edit?usp=drive_link 

 

If you have further questions, contact Anna at thinkwelloutdoors.gmail.com

 

To help inform a larger audience of NWA Master Naturalists, please add the NWA Events email address to communications sent to project/ committee members.  That way the NWA Communications Committee can accurately post activities happening in our area to the NWAMN's Events Calendar and to the NWAMN Weekly Update.  The cutoff for submissions is end of day Tuesday for Friday membership delivery, assumes no revisions are required. 

nwamnevents@gmail.com