The Nature Conservancy Tuesday aka “TNC Tuesday”

CAMN volunteers work at The Nature Conservancy office at 601 N. University on Tuesday mornings starting at 9:30 – noonish. Arrive when you want and leave when you want. There are several native plant gardens to be maintained. A new emphasis this year will be on the Zen Garden.

Also, our team may participate as land stewards starting in April doing Preserve work.

Three Conservancy locations that we can work as needed under direct supervision are:

Ranch North Woods: Behind the Ranch neighborhood, west of town off of Cantrell. Under Land Steward Caleb’s supervision, volunteers would work to control woody stems in the open fields (primarily Bradford pear), collect seed and spread seed in the grasslands. You may have the opportunity to see a prescribed burn.

Rattlesnake Ridge: Rattlesnake Ridge is part of the Maumelle Pinnacles, a rocky outcrop that is the edge of the Ouachita Mountains. Under supervision of Caleb, we would work on the trails and help close “social trails”, places where people take “short cuts”. We would work on controlling woody stems within the field to the right of the entrance road, and control invasive species (privet, mimosa, sericea lespedeza)

Blue Mountain: Blue Mountain is the next ridge over from Rattlesnake Ridge, also part of the Maumelle Pinnacles rock outcrop. Here we would want help with creating a species list using inaturalist and marking any non-natives observed.

Please contact Nancy Wyatt with questions.

Nancy Wyatt
Nwroute66@gmail.com
501-580-1218

The NCAMN Wildflower Meadow Team maintains the Gaston Wildflower Meadow at Bull Shoals-White River State Park from March through December. Team members will work for 2 hours on scheduled Wednesdays. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO VERIFY START TIME BY CHECKING THE WORKDAY EMAIL AS TIME MAY VARY DEPENDING ON TEMPERATURE. The workday email will also list plans for the day and any additional tools that you might need. Always 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. Please log your volunteer hours as follows: Activity - Volunteer - Natural Area Maintenance, Sponsor: State Park: Bull Shoals-White River State Park.

Join us to help eliminate the Sericea lespedeza that has invaded the meadow!

Dr. Alex Barnard, National Park Community College instructor and DLAMN member, will be conducting a Stream Team training session on May 14, followed by a water quality sampling on Bull Bayou. Alex is expanding this training session to include a full morning in the science labs at NPCC. While there, Alex will cover water chemistry, stream ecology, and sampling techniques. After lunch you will move to Bull Bayou to actually sample the water quality, the results of which will be reported to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. We will meet at 9am at the Lab Sciences Building at National Park Community College, room 123. After time in the classroom, we will break for lunch. We will the move to the picnic area on Bull Bayou (find it on Google Maps or use coordinates 34.5296498, -93.0960664). You will not have to get wet to participate in the water sampling, but if you choose to, you will need to bring boots for wading. Alex will provide all needed equipment. The water sampling will take about two hours. Remember to bring a lunch. You may also need to bring water and bug spray. This is a great way to learn the Stream Team procedures that we use on the Caddo and Middle Fork rivers. Plus, you get some fantastic biology class time. If you wish to skip the classroom portion, plan on meeting at the picnic area around noon. NITs will be able to count this as 5 hours of NIT training. NATs can count 3 hours of continuing education and 2 hours of volunteer time.

8:00 pm - 10:30 pm, Telescope Training Session. Limited to 15 NCAMN members (or guests). Participants will practice their skills in using small Dobsonian telescopes to locate some of many DOGGoNe beautiful dim fuzzies in the night sky. Location: Proctor Ranch, 11043 N. Clinton Creek Rd, Lead Hill, AR 72644

Compton Garden/Greenhouse work.

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR ARRIVAL TIME BY CLICKING THE "REGISTER NOW" TO ENSURE THE GATE WILL BE UNLOCKED. Volunteer each week, every other week, once a month or once a quarter. Work at the Watershed Conservation Resource Center hoop house, at their Dead Horse Mountain Road property: enter thru the gate between the white fencing and drive down the lane to the Hoop House. Plant bare roots, re-pot if needed, separate seedlings, in ground planting, etc. These native plants will be used at WCRC project sites. All supplies are provided, just bring your favorite gardening gloves. YOU CHOOSE YOUR DATE(S) AND ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE TIME(S). Click the "Register Now" button to list your arrival and departure times.

Click the "Register Now" button to sign up to join the Illinois River Watershed Partnership in a clean-up to help improve the water quality of the Illinois River Watershed. We will provide you with all of the equipment and supplies needed to pick up litter, including trash-grabbers, gloves, and trash bags.

Mycology training led by Jay Justice, President of the Mycological Society. Be prepared to learn interesting facts about Arkansas fungi! This class may include some field work, so sturdy shoes, dressing in layers, and sunscreen are recommended. Attendees will need to bring their own lunches and drink containers. Click on the "Register Now" button at the bottom of this page to begin the sign-up process.

Ferns: Debutantes of the Vascular Society is a three part class consisting of a morning outdoor classroom presentation, an afternoon Field Study, followed by numerous Pop-Up Walks/Hikes during the year. The first two parts will be presented on Saturday, May 17 from 9:00 to 3:00ish.

NOTE: RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 21 When: Saturday, May 17, 2025 - 10:00 - 3:30 Where: Class: Van Buren County Library (correctly located in Google Maps/Earth) Field Work: South Fork of the Little Red River - under the Hwy 65 Bridge in Clinton. The coordinates for the event are: 35.5874,-92.4519 (copy and paste into Google Maps/Earth for location). Class and Type of Project: Becky Pierce will be conducting a class on fresh water invertebrates and insects in the morning. Dan Dawson and Becky Pierce will be leading a Stream Team Event (local location to be determined). This event will analyze water chemistry and aquatic biodiversity. Directions: Travel north on Hwy 65 to Clinton and past the road to the Van Buren County Library (Correctly located on Google Maps/Earth). What to Bring/Wear: Water shoes/Knee Boots (Critter Collection will require wading, turning rocks and operating a seine net) Hoe or rake to turn over rocks in the :stream Tweezers (with a bright cord attached) Magnifier (loupe or hand lens) Hat, sunscreen, towel, etc. REGISTRATION RECOMMENDED

Graduation ceremony for 2025 NCAMN NiTs