Events - Month View

Special project, excavate bench cut, high above the lake in Gamaliel, you‘ll help extend Davids Trail to Missouri.
Bring picnic lunch, scenic location. Record your hours Davids Trail Foundation.

Excavate bench cut on future route to extend Davids Trail to Missouri (part of the 345 mile Ozarks Highland Trail 85% complete)...Directions. Bean Bluff is 14 miles from Mtn Home WalMart. Drive north across Hwy 101 lake bridge, continue 5 miles to Gamaliel village, turn left on CR 241 by historic country store, drive 1.8 miles on gravel road. Turn right into Hampton Lane, a private driveway, owner allows us to park in front of the three houses atop the bluff...GPS N36 28‘10", W92 15‘25", or 36.469560 -92.256823.

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members work for 2 hours every Thursday throughout the growing season. Please make sure to verify start time by checking the workday email as time may vary depending on temperature. Wear gloves and sturdy garden shoes, dress comfortably and expect to get dirty. Volunteers will become familiar with native plants common in north central Arkansas and learn about their characteristics and requirements for growth.
Category: Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance,
Sponsor: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Registration is required.

Gardening and greenhouse work at Ozark Folk Center State Park

Gardening & greenhouse work

Zoom presentation on all things snakes from the ever popular presenter Lori Monday, AGFC.

Are you wanting to learn more about prescribed burning and how it can improve your property? There are still openings for a free Learn to Burn Workshop on Saturday, April 3 in Springdale. The newly formed Ozark Prairie Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) is a collection of landowners and concerned citizens that are interested in sharing knowledge, work, and equipment to manage their lands with prescribed fire. Click the click below to reserve your seat today! Hours Entry: Continuing Education, Sponsor: AGFC

April 6 from 9:00-11:00 via Zoom
Lichens
Nastassja Noell
The program will provide an introduction to lichens -- general biology, ecology, morphology; Northern Arkansas lichens -- lichen habitats and common lichens, regional bioindicator research (air quality, climate change, forest health); and if time, an ID session where folks can bring macrolichens that they‘d like to ID together, going through a key together as a class.
Nastassja (Nuh-staah-sha) Noell is a lichenologist that lives in the Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina. Her lichenological work has taken her around the country, including the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington State, the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. and most recently the Great Basin Desert and the North American Alpine. She‘s the co-author of Delmarva Lichens: An Illustrated Manual (Lendemer & Noell 2018) and the author of the chapter Radical Lichenology in the book Radical Mycology (McCoy 2016), and several research articles. Her work with lichens revolves around a central theme of biological narratives that root us in time, place, and within ourselves and our communities. She sees lichens as mascots for the 21st century: living examples of embodied mutualistic symbioses.

Gardening and greenhouse work at Ozark Folk Center State Park

Gardening & greenhouse work

Brent Baker, ANHC, will discuss what glades are, the different types in Arkansas and where they occur. He’ll also highlight glade plants in general and plants unique to certain types of glades.

Register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

(Approved for one hour CE for CAMN members, Sponsor ANHC)

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members work for 2 hours every Thursday throughout the growing season. Please make sure to verify start time by checking the workday email as time may vary depending on temperature. Wear gloves and sturdy garden shoes, dress comfortably and expect to get dirty. Volunteers will become familiar with native plants common in north central Arkansas and learn about their characteristics and requirements for growth.
Category: Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance,
Sponsor: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Registration is required.

Monthly Chapter meeting

Presenter: Diana Soteropoulos
Title: An exploration of Notes from Nature: a tour of the web platform and Q&A session with the Plants of Arkansas project lead

Description: Have you ever wondered how to interpret the project summary and project stats? What about checking out your Field Book to track specimens you’ve saved or the number of transcriptions you’ve completed? What happens with a specimen when I hit “Done” or “Done and Talk”? Come learn about these additional levels of Notes from Nature and bring all the questions you’ve been pondering!

Approved for CAMN 1 hour, sponsor ANHC

Walk with certified master naturalist Bill Randel on a fairly level paved path and learn how to identify trees. You set the distance. When you have had enough, return on your own.

Grab you clippers and your snippers for garden day at Tyler Bend and Buffalo Point! Volunteers will meet at Tyler Bend Visitors Center at 9:30 a.m. to spruce up the gardens. To carpool or caravan meet at Flippin Walmart to leave one hour before work begins. We will leave Tyler Bend by noon and those who wish can continue to Buffalo Point Ranger Station for a brief clean up there. What to bring: Work gloves, your favorite weeding tools, leaf rakes, tubs for weeds and debris. Native plant swap: If you have native plants that have spread, pot ‘em up and bring them to trade along with seeds and root cuttings of native shrubs. Lunch: Bring a sack lunch and we‘ll picnic in the park. I‘ll bring the cookies!

Presenter: Travis Marsico
Title: The important role of herbaria in recent discoveries of invasive species risk from hitchhiking propagules at international seaports

Description: This seminar will focus on collaborative research investigating the introduction and risk associated with hitchhiking Federal Noxious Weeds and other non-native species. Some interesting taxonomic complexity associated with introduced species will be discussed, and the role of herbaria as permanent repositories of vouchers and centers of research will be emphasized.

Register in advance for this meeting.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Approved for CAMN members, 1 hour CE, sponsor ANHC

Presenter: Diana Soteropoulos
Description: Join the Vascular Plants of Arkansas georeferencing project lead for an office hour to discuss georeferencing questions. Georeferencing, or finding the GPS coordinates of an herbarium specimen from the location description on the label, is an important step in digitizing specimens. Hop on if you have any questions from your georeferencing work or want to ask questions about the project to learn more!

Approved for CAMN members, 1 hour CE, sponsor ANHC

This hike is about 2.8 miles in length and is “moderate” in difficulty.There is an elevation change of 400 feet. You will need to bring a light lunch/snack, water, insect repellant and a hiking stick or pole. This is a very interesting hike over Blakely Mountain with many of the trees and flowers we have already seen plus some new ones, e.g. Rusty Blackhaw, French-Mulberry, Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, Trillium, and Bird’s Foot Violet. The second half of the hike goes thru an old growth forest that is beautiful!
Directions to Avery Recreation Area: From Hot Springs, take Hwy 270 West to the junction with the Mt. Pine Rd. Follow the Mt. Pine Rd approximately 7 miles to Blakely Mountain Dam. Continue in front of the dam on Blakely Dam Rd. A short distance after passing the dam, you will turn left at the sign to Avery Park. Take the next left to the small pavilion.

Learn all about weather spotting and the Skywarn program from Dennis Cavanaugh, NWS.

Reed will be hosting a Fourche Creek trash-boom cleanout
Bring your own water craft (canoe, kayak, jon boat).
Bring your own drinking water and snacks, if needed.
Bring your own litter grabbers and Stream Team mesh bags if you have them..
Large 45 gallon trash bags will be provided.

For you landlubbers, there will be plenty of litter to pick up along the shoreline, up on
top of the bank in the riparian if you don‘t want to get on the water. We can shuttle you
across to the north side to work that, too. Lots of blackberries, greenbrier, etc. Wear thick,
protective clothing and tall boots. Ticks and mosquitoes are out, and so are our favorite
legless reptiles; no alligators that I know of.

Katherine Knierim, USGS

Presenter: Diana Soteropoulos
Title: Finding the lost herbaria in Arkansas – my role as the Arkansas Herbarium Digitization Coordinator and an update on Arkansas’s digitization progress

Description: Diana will practice a 12-minute presentation she’ll be giving at the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections annual conference about the lost herbaria in Arkansas. For context, she’ll provide information about her role as the coordinator of Arkansas’s herbarium digitization and break down the numbers of our state’s progress, emphasizing the role of community scientists.

Approved for CAMN, 1 hour CE, sponsor ANHC

Hiking and 4 Waterfalls – Leatherwoods – Monday – April 12th
Hike will be a 4.5 mile loop. There will be 3.2 mile bushwhack on faint horse trails with several descents and climbs. Then 1.3 mile return on the road. Gordon’s comment – “Shorter hike but slightly more strenuous than the last hike in March, but well worth the effort”.
Meet up with Gordon at the intersection of 341 and Rand Road at 10:00 a.m. Rand Road is 2.3 miles north of the intersection of Ark. 14 and Hwy. 341 or approximately 22 miles south of Shedd bridge.
If you would like to follow Debbie & Mike Rees, we will be leaving the Mountain Home Library at 9:00 a.m.
Please e:mail Debbie where you will be meeting up for the Hike (meet Gordon or Debbie).
Bring your lunch, walking sticks, personal first aid, water and anything else you might need for the hike. Hope to be done and back on the road by 3:00 p.m.

Let the adventure continue with hiking in the Leatherwoods - 4.5 Loop - More details to come.

Provide a basic understanding of flower anatomy and the biology of pollination
Define key terms including pollen, nectar, nectaries, nectar guides, pollinia (pollinia are so cool!)
Examine flower characteristics, such as shape, color, scent, timing of blooms, and floral arrangement, as they relate to pollinators
Look at some common native plant hosts for butterflies and moths
Discuss the importance of wildlife corridors and how we can all participate in creating corridorsProvide a basic understanding of flower anatomy and the biology of pollination
Define key terms including pollen, nectar, nectaries, nectar guides, pollinia (pollinia are so cool!)
Examine flower characteristics, such as shape, color, scent, timing of blooms, and floral arrangement, as they relate to pollinators
Look at some common native plant hosts for butterflies and moths
Discuss the importance of wildlife corridors and how we can all participate in creating corridors
Play a game called Name that Native!

Spring is springing and do is the roadside litter! Please join us for an Adopt-a-Highway clean up. The more people the quicker is goes - and it‘s outside. Bring your grabbers, gloves, masks, and water. We will provide bags and vests. Record time as Litter Pick up, sponsor Adopt-A-Highway

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members work for 2 hours every Thursday throughout the growing season. Please make sure to verify start time by checking the workday email as time may vary depending on temperature. Wear gloves and sturdy garden shoes, dress comfortably and expect to get dirty. Volunteers will become familiar with native plants common in north central Arkansas and learn about their characteristics and requirements for growth.
Category: Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance,
Sponsor: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Registration is required.

Arkansas Wild Spaces (AWS) is a CAMN project, led by Lynn Foster and Janet Lanza, that will help homeowners increase populations of native plants, birds, and butterflies and moths. This project follows the lead of Doug Tallamy, who has linked the use of non-native plants to a decline in butterfly populations because butterflies are “fussy” about the plants their caterpillars eat. Then, because birds prefer to feed caterpillars to their nestlings, bird populations decline. The path forward is clear—plant more natives! AWS will make “yard calls” to interested homeowners, identify non-native invasive species, and recommend appropriate native plants for specific parts of the yards. Currently, Lynn and Janet are training 10 “Habitat Advisors” who will visit yards and help educate homeowners. “Yard calls” will begin in mid- to late-May. Attend the April CAMN meeting to learn more!

approved for 1.5 hours CE, sponsor CAMN

This Rose Creek Cleanup is part of the Impact the Rock Day April 17th that Capi Peck and the city are sponsoring.

Volunteers needed to come this Saturday to help cleanup.

Rose Creek Park Work Day : Invasive species removal, trash removal. Bring work gloves, your long or short loppers of choice, trowel, shovel, boots. Your own pocket hand sanitizer might be helpful. Bring your own drinking water. Masks required.

Log time as
Activity: Invasive Species Removal
Sponsor: City Parks - LR - CAMN

Sponsored by Audubon, canoes will be available.

Record hours as litter pick up, sponsor LR City Parks

Thanks to our recent speaker, Dustin Lynch (ANHC), there is a lot of interest in the Arkansas crayfish population and Dustin has generously offered to take us out to have some close encounters with them, as well.
Dustin plans to enlist the help of Brie Olsen (CAMN, Ecologist at ADEQ) to set traps the day before. During our outing, Dustin will wade into the swamp, remove each trap and pass it off to Brie to handle. They and we will move down the boardwalk and examining the contents of the traps. Gear you will want: muckboots, bug spray, water, pocket hand sanitizer, optional binoculars
On past surveys Dustin has trapped Ouachita River Crayfish, Red Swamp Crayfish, White River Crayfish, and Devil Crayfish at the site. But there will be more than just crayfish - hopefully we‘ll get a variety of interesting lowland fish species as well. Lorance Creek is also a great place for birds, turtles, newts, snakes, frogs, and tadpoles! There may be time for other birding and critter-spotting/ID activities. We‘ll release everything that came out of the creek back into the creek when we‘re done.

NOTE: We hope for good weather. Damp and overcast, probably will happen. Stormy, heavy rain, probably have to reschedule. But we will keep participants apprised.

Because this is an in-person event, we will be capping the attendance at 20 participants. It will be required that you register on the CAMN Event Calendar. Once the registration reaches 20, no others will be able to attend. If you register and then realize you cannot attend, please cancel your registration so that a spot can open for someone else. Other safety protocols will also be enforced, as described in the new CAMN Outdoor Activities Guidelines:

Masks and Social Distancing will be required at all times.

Little Pigeon Creek is a beautiful slow moving rocky bottom creek with an upper and lower section draped with trees and abundant
with streamside vegetation which flows into Norfork Lake.

Take your best route to Highway 5 N (Midway, AR) passing the Dollar General store approximately 1.1 miles, turning right onto County Road 13. Follow County Road 13 about 0.7 miles, then turn left onto County Road 25. Follow County Road 25 driving through a 4-way stop sign (County Road 27) continue driving on County Road 27 about 2.3 miles to the creek. You will see an automobile
bone yard on the left. The road will turn into a gravel road. The creek is dead ahead.

Please log your time as:
Activity: Stream Team - AGFC
Sponsor: AGFC

Info to follow regarding volunteer jobs. The time may change. Volunteers record their hours as: Natural Area Maintenance NCAMN and the sponsor is AGFC Fred Berry-NCAMN.

Gardening and greenhouse work at Ozark Folk Center State Park

Gardening & greenhouse work

Trail Patrol location TBA.

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members work for 2 hours every Thursday throughout the growing season. Please make sure to verify start time by checking the workday email as time may vary depending on temperature. Wear gloves and sturdy garden shoes, dress comfortably and expect to get dirty. Volunteers will become familiar with native plants common in north central Arkansas and learn about their characteristics and requirements for growth.
Category: Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance,
Sponsor: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Registration is required.

Mark your calendars for a great time at our annual meeting! More details when they are available.

Mark your calendars for a great time at our annual meeting! More details when they are available.

Finishing touches to newly built trail, rendezvous Sat. April 24 8:30 at Highway 101 entrance to Panther Bay park at Lake Norfork. Volunteers from 3 groups will then drive to Panther Creek bridge 4 miles away. Lunch possibly might be provided, thus RSVP James Hodges JJHodges93@yahoo.com Finishing touches: machine already excavated bench cut, volunteers will lop root ends, smooth & level the tread excavated by machine. This new trail will connect Davids Trail at Robinson Point with the Norfork Trail to the south. This new section is part of the 340-mile OHT, started in 1977, now 85% complete. Record your hours Davids Trail Foundation.

Presentation on tick borne diseases from Laura Rothfeldt, DVM from ADH.

Mark your calendars for a great time at our annual meeting! More details when they are available.

Join NCAMN member, Sharon Boatright, on a bird walk at Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Monday, April 26 from 8:30 to 10:30. Binoculars and a bird field guide are required. A cellphone birding app is optional. This walk will be informal and participants can expect to discuss whatever they see or hear on the walk. Birding by ear will be emphasized. In case of rain, the group will meet in the pavilion. This event is limited to six people and is geared toward the more advanced birder.

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members work for 2 hours every Thursday throughout the growing season. Please make sure to verify start time by checking the workday email as time may vary depending on temperature. Wear gloves and sturdy garden shoes, dress comfortably and expect to get dirty. Volunteers will become familiar with native plants common in north central Arkansas and learn about their characteristics and requirements for growth.
Category: Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance,
Sponsor: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Registration is required.