Arkansas Master Naturalists

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!

Monarch Butterflies by Ann Hobbie  

 

Age Range: --

 

Ever wonder why we have monarch’s twice a year in Arkansas? Where do they journey to and from? Monarch Butterflies by Ann Hobbie will answer any monarch question you might have! Ann is president of the Board of Directors for Monarch Joint Venture. This may be a children’s book but when you are finished reading it you will be an expert. Learn about their magical metamorphosis, anatomy of chrysalis, butterflies, many milkweeds, necessary nectar plants, migrations, and threats that have reduced the numbers to less than 10%. Art nicely supports science.

 

 

 

 

 

2025 Arkansas Dark-Sky Festival Volunteers Needed

 

The ARDS Festival is a collaborative effort of dozens of civic, environmental, and astronomical organizations to highlight the importance of conserving nature at night.  The Festival is helping to spread the word about responsible lighting. 

 

The Festival format is a two-night event on Friday and Saturday, September 19th and 20^th, with a rain date for the following weekend.  It will be held on Bear Creek near the Buffalo River north of Marshall, Arkansas.  While the event is two nights, the grounds will be open for volunteers on Thursday night, so our volunteers can enjoy the dark sky on their own. 

 

We anticipate public registration opening early next month, but first, we must sign up our volunteers.  Volunteers attend free and get discounts on campsites and merchandise.  There are all kinds of jobs that almost anyone can do - setup, shutdown, welcome desk, etc., and others that require special knowledge, such as sharing your telescopic views of celestial objects with the public.  So please do commit ASAP to participating this year using this simple sign-up form.  

 

VERY IMPORTANT! Please complete this form based on your current realistic expectations of availability and interests. Your selections can be changed later if needed.  In the meantime, if you have questions, please email me: bruce.mcmath@darkskyarkansas.org   

 

PS

If your spouse is coming, please encourage him/her to volunteer and complete a separate version of this form.  More information about the event can be found on the event website. 

 

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