Start the year off right with a hike in the great outdoors! This year we will explore Cove Creek Natural Area, an ANHC site that we hope to work on more in the upcoming year. The trail is about 1.5 miles of easy hiking, with minimal elevation change. Do wear good boots and dress in layers for the weather! Naturalists-in-Training and guests welcome. Directions: From the junction of state Highway 25 and state Highway 285 in Wooster, travel north on state Highway 285 approximately 6.2 miles to the intersection with Mallet Town Road. Turn left (west) onto Mallet Town Road and travel approximately 1.5 miles. Turn right (north) onto Town Circle Road. Go approximately 0.3 mile to JD Road and turn right (east). Follow road straight to parking area at end of road. Plus Code to copy and paste into Google Maps: 7GQ8+F8

"1st Saturday” trail maintenance, trail location probably David‘s Trail, lunch provided. Volunteers meet in town, collect sack lunch, then proceed to Ozarks Keystone Trail at Norfork Lake, perform 3-4 hours trail maintenance. The OKT Endowment hosts this event to meet individuals & groups interested in adopting 1 or 2 miles of trail to keep clear. Volunteers rendezvous 8:30 AM at the FSIS Raymond James office in Mtn Home (across from Pizza Hut) … use our tools or bring your own tool. Ozarks Keystone Trail Endowment (formerly David’s Trail Foundation) is constructing & completing the 85-mile hiking trail at Norfork Lake from Norfork Dam to Dawt Mill. Pls arrive 8:30 to pack lunch & organize. FSIS Raymond James Office (across from Pizza Hut) 1216 Hwy 62 East, Mountain Home, 72653.

Saturday January 3rd Noon-2pm Early Arrival between 10 and 11 would be welcome for prep activities Sowing native seeds (collected throughout 2025) and planting some potted native plants at Bluffton. This event is weather dependent and we‘ll reschedule if needed. 10 to 12pm - drag harrow unloading and dragging to rough up the dirt Robert wants to cut and clear a fallen tree from a trail bringing up some sand from the river to mix with seeds for sowing 12 pm Noon- seed mixing and distribution walking and driving (the atv) over the seeds to ensure good contact with the soil planting of natives in pots (grown in 2025) CARPOOLING from CONWAY - from Robert Fuhler‘s house. Robert‘s offering to take riders up to Bluffton (save on gas and company for the trip) Check with Robert 501-733-4019 by Friday evening to confirm your spot and to find out his departure time and other info. He will likely be planning to arrive early for some of the prep work going on before noon.

Monthly Board Meeting via Zoom 6:30 p.m. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85450994866?pwd=bHZFWGFIR0FSZFNScTRidEhVdnE0UT09

We‘ll try again Saturday, February 14.

Calling all Foothills Naturalists-in-Training! This is your FAMN orientation and first education class of the year. We will get you all the information you need to be successful with the Master Naturalists at this class. Please bring a bagged lunch! Erica Benoit will teach the Ecoregions section. Master Naturalists are also welcome to attend to meet our new members.

There is an easy trail maintenance at 5 Mile Creek trail in NLR scheduled for 9-11 on Tuesday, January 13th. We’ll provide the tools. Just bring gloves and water. We’ll meet in the school parking lot at Kierre Road and John F. Kennedy Blvd. at 9:00 am. Will finish by 11:00ish. Please register on the CAMN Event Calendar. Questions? Lindy Streit or Jan Pownall Email: Lcstreit@msn.com jjpownall@att.net Phone: 501-416-8013 501-351-0435

WHEN and WHERE: Meet at Bluffton House at 11:00; location: 3262 Watergate Rd, Clinton, AR 72031 (35.652746, -92.527426). Physical address and coordinates are correctly located in Google Maps/Earth) The Bluffton House is down a driveway across from the Double-Drop Falls Trailhead at Bluffton Nature Preserve. You can also use the map link at the end of this post. If you would like to carpool/caravan, call or text Robert Fuhler by Monday evening to coordinate at 501.733.4019. We will be leaving Robert‘s house at 10:00 - 29 Ridgeview Drive, Conway, AR 72032 (correctly located in Google Maps/Earth). Please contact by the previous evening to confirm a spot in the carpool. OBJECTIVES AND DETAILS: We will check/water the Chinquapins and the recent native pollinator planting location (planted on January 03) as well as the weather station. We may be joined by a guest from the Fayetteville Urban Tree Project to share and compare various planting and maintenance techniques. We will also check the Chinquapins on the Shelf location, which is a short distance off-trail and up an incline. WHAT TO BRING: Preferably boots with ankle support Water Snacks Clothing appropriate for the weather (Clinton Forecast for January 13th is predicted to be partly cloudy, 60-65 degrees with a 10-15 mph wind) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A georeferenced map of Bluffton is available for download on the Nature Conservancy site (https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/graphics/maps/AR-Bluffton-Preserve-Map.pdf) and can be used on a smart device with the Avenza map app. The georeferenced map combined with the app will allow you to track your location at Bluffton using the GPS on your phone (you will need to download the Avenza app). The map also works on the Alltrails app. Registration is optional, but recommended. Questions: eMail, text or call Robert at rafuhler@gmail.com or 501.733.4019

Come to Rose Creek Park to hunt for macros, conduct water quality testing, and clean the stream! Good idea to bring sunscreen, hat, water bottle, and waders (waterproof shoes). Be prepared to get a little messy!

Lakeside trail maintenance, in Lakeview near the dam. Be advised, Bull Shoals Dam will be closed January 14-15 for repairs. Lakeside Trail is an easy 1 mile loop trail, east end of the picnic park near top of the dam, next to the town of Lakeview. Bring work gloves, loppers/clippers or borrow our tools. Record your hours Trail Cleanup/Maint, Sponsor BSWR State Park.

We‘ll be discussing How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard by Doug Tallamy.

Please make plans to attend a relaxed gathering to welcome the incoming NiTs and to discuss the upcoming adventures for the new year! Weather permitting, meet at Robert‘s house (29 Ridgeview Drive, Conway, AR - correctly located on Google Earth/Maps) at/or around 5:00. The event will be mostly be an outdoor campfire/bonfire function (if a burn-ban is not called). There will be various food stuffs available, including campfire dutch-oven chili and makings. If you feel adventurous, please feel free to bring something to contribute (but not required); there will also be hotdogs and other things to cook over the coals. The bonfire will be behind the house so feel free to either come through the house or simply wander around out back. NOTE: If a burn-ban is in effect, the event will be more of a drop-in gathering. In addition, feel free to bring family; however, please note that this venue is seriously not child-proofed by any stretch of the imagination, so if you bring kiddos, please keep a weather-eye on their wanderings. I hope to see you there and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: 501.733.4019 Please check the post through the week for updates.

We will hold our special January chapter meeting at Army Corp of Engineers building near Blakely Damn on Saturday, January 17th, at 9am. We will have beverages and breakfast, some time for socializing and planning, followed by our chapter meeting which will include graduation of NITs and our club‘s certified naturalists. This is a fun and important meeting, and the venue is special. Please register, so we have attendance estimates for food and drink.

Join us to discuss:Is Anyone Listening: What Animals are Saying to Each Other and to Us by Denise L. Herzing and Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water by Amorina Kingdon. You only have to read one of these books to participate. With the assistance of a friendly community of Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas, Herzing studies two-way communication between different dolphin species and between humans and dolphins using a variety of cutting-edge experiments. But the dolphins are not the only ones talking, and in this wide-ranging and accessible book, Herzing explores the astonishing realities of interspecies communication, a skill that humans currently lack. For centuries, humans ignored sound in the “silent world” of the ocean, assuming that what we couldn’t perceive, didn’t exist. But we couldn’t have been more wrong. Marine scientists now have the technology to record and study the complex interplay of the myriad sounds in the sea. Finally, we can trace how sounds travel with the currents, bounce from the seafloor and surface, bend with the temperature and even saltiness; how sounds help marine life survive; and how human noise can transform entire marine ecosystems.

This month our book will be Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark, by Leigh Ann Henion. Hopefully it gives us some appreciation for the long nights of winter! Book Club attendance is worth one hour of education. Feel free to bring a friend!

Austin Jones, UA Entomology and Plant Science

It‘s winter and a great time to remove invasive plants. We will focus on the big three: privet, cedar and Bradford pear! Herbicide will be provided. Please wear protective gear. There are thorns in those pear trees. Bring loppers, saws, rakes, work gloves and sunglasses or eye protection. We‘re making a difference. Park at First Service Bank facing First Street. Watch for work email should conditions change. Bring cell phone for communication in the field.

We will meet at Boulevard Bread this month to discuss "The Great River" by Boyce Upholt.

Big Spring is located in Cotter Park. From Flippin, take Hwy 62 to the Cotter turnoff and go over the bridge and go right at the stop sign. If coming from Mtn Home, turn left into Cotter, follow the road and go straight at the stop sign). Turn right into the Park and go over the railroad tracks. Before getting into the Park, there’s a little parking lot to the left. Go into the lot and follow it down to the Spring; you’ll take a bit of a left turn. Contact: Karen Woods 916-607-5965 Activity: Stream Team-AGFC-NCAMN Sponsor: AGFC-NCAMN

Angela Chandler - Rock and Mineral Identification Chris Kellner - Ornithology Please bring a bagged lunch!

In the morning session, Alyson Hoge, Managing Editor Arkansas Democrat Gazette, will present on Monarch Butterflies.

Jeff Hoeper, NCAMN

The Lake Dardanelle State Park offers free lake cruises all winter long to see their pair of nesting eagles! Other species we will be looking for include American Pelicans, Snow Geese, and more. *SPOTS ARE LIMITED AND FILL UP FAST. PLEASE CALL THE LDSP VISITOR CENTER TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE EVENT.* Andrea Peterka has secured 10 seats for us, so let them know that you are part of this group. This doesn‘t mean that we are limited to 10 guests. There are 20 seats on the boat, but we have 10 guaranteed for our group. If there are still empty seats, more than 10 FAMN members can attend. Be sure to dress warmly, as we will be out in the elements in the middle of the lake. Bring your own binoculars! Make sure to arrive 15 minutes early, as the boat will leave promptly at 1:00pm. The tour starts at the boat dock near the Tournament Weigh-In Facility. Turn right in front of the Visitor Center and follow along the water until you see the boat dock. See https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/sites/default/files/2025-10/lakedardanelle_2016_web.pdf for park map. This event will count for 1 hour of continuing education!