bettekauffman

Saturday Adventure

It’s not often we get to learn about the creation of a major restoration project from the very people responsible for getting it done. But this Saturday, we will!

Kelby Ouchley and his brother Keith Ouchley will teach us about one of their many significant accomplishments: The Mollicy Unit of the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge.

The Molicy Unit is known for the waterfowl that migrate through the area.

We will meet the Ouchley brothers in the parking lot of the Black Bayou Lake NWR Visitor Center. Please come early, as we plan to depart at 8 a.m. to caravan to the Mollicy Unit. Car pooling from BBLNWR is recommended.

A rally point near the Mollicy Unit will be identified for those coming from the north and northeast. (New info: gravel parking lot of Simmons Sporting Goods in Bastrop.)

Our tour of the Mollicy Unit will consist primarily of driving from point to point, exiting vehicles to walk about a bit, listen, learn and get our questions answered. Dress to be outdoors and for the possibility of wet and muddy areas.

We will be away from hunting areas, but it is hunting season, thus it would be appropriate to wear hunter orange or other bright colors if you wish.

Please also bring your own water and snacks. We expect to be back to BBLNWR by about noon, although you will be free to stay to explore further if you and your passengers wish. Please also have a face mask handy for those times when we need to be in close proximity, e.g., in vehicles or standing close together.

The Ouchley brothers have had a significant and long-term conservation impact on Louisiana. This state would be much poorer environmentally without their extraordinary careers of saving, restoring, and teaching Louisiana’s natural history. Kelby is a past recipient of Louisiana Master Naturalist Association’s Caroline Dorman Award. Keith recently retired from his position as Director of the Louisiana Nature Conservancy.

Please let me or Charles Paxton know if you are planning to attend this event. We want to be able to assure the Ouchley brothers that we have sufficient interest and participation to warrant their time leading this expedition.

Certification

Intro to Tensas NWR

What fun to have two events in a single weekend, but all the more fun that one of them is our first ever experiential certification project presentation! Roselie Overby is the candidate for certification and will lead our experience.

Sunday at 2 p.m. join us at Tensas River NWR headquarters, 2312 Quebec Road. That’s a Tallulah mailing address, but for our purposes, in case you’ve never been to Tensas, you can also put it into your GPS. Please note on the map that you must exit I-20 at Waverly and travel a few miles further east on Hwy 80 before turning south on Quebec Road, which takes you into the refuge.

*Directions to Tensas River NWR headquarters.* (This map is based on a fragment of a Google map.)

We will meet at the headquarters building, which has an ample parking area. After brief introductory comments, we will move to Africa Lake, one of the most interesting features of this diverse, wildlife-rich refuge. It will be important for a few people to pool together in vehicles for the short drive to Africa Lake because the parking area there is quite small.

We will hike a mile or so as time allows, with Roselie sharing some history and natural history of the refuge. This area is mixed bottomland hardwood and bald cypress, with diverse plant life and fungi. Roselie has spotted ‘gators in the lake and a variety of tracks in the soft ground, including deer, raccoon and, possibly, coyote. Snake sightings are also possible. Fall flowers are blooming and birds are migrating.

Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis), photographed in the Africa Lake parking area, 6/12/21, by Bette J. Kauffman.

This sounds like a wonderful opportunity to do something we haven’t done in awhile, namely create a species list after the hike. So I’m commissioning everyone who can come to bring a notepad and help me keep track. It’s going to be impressive.

Remember also that a committee of three will evaluate Roselie’s presentation but all members of LMN-NE are encouraged to complete and submit our evaluation form for the committee’s consideration. (Forms will be distributed via email.)

To fully enjoy this hike, be prepared! The weather is predicted to be warm and sunny, and the area is usually muddy. You’ll need footwear that can deal with mud, insect repellent, protection from the sun and plenty of water.

We are also required to sign in to the refuge using one of the orange cards for that purpose at the refuge sign at the corner of Quebec and Mill Roads.

Finally, refuge buildings are still closed due to the pandemic, thus there are no restroom facilities. Plan accordingly! Of course, the hardy can also take advantage of “facilitrees”!

Just a reminder: The other event this weekend is the Jungle River Litter Pick, 7 – 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Restoration Park.

Note: I’ll be happy to take up to three fully vaccinated people in my car for the short drive from headquarters to Africa Lake. We will wear masks in the car as a precaution. We will physically distance outdoors and if you are more comfortable wearing a mask the whole time, do so. We will have a sign-in sheet that also constitutes a liability waiver.

Blog, Upcoming Events

Litter Begone!

If you hate litter, as most of us Master Naturalist types do, here’s an opportunity to make a difference!

This Saturday, October 9, meet at the gazebo at the 700 Downing Pines Rd. entrance to Restoration Park in West Monroe at 7 a.m. That’s right in front of the Ouachita Green office.

*Before: Fallen trees are perfect snares for trash coming downstream.*

Wear work gloves and waterproof boots and bring a trash picker if you have one. We hope to have some extras borrowed from Friends of Black Bayou; however, a lot can be done with gloves. LMN-NE will provide trash bags.

A pocket knife or pen knife is also useful for cutting out trash entangled in roots or cutting plastic that is partly buried.

*After: The trash is “in the bag.” What a gratifying difference!*

LMN-NE has taken on the task of clearing litter from “Jungle River,” which runs through Restoration Park. The Paxtons have done the bulk of the work so far. This is an excellent opportunity for many more of us to get involved.

Jungle River is a delight. Willows and taro plants line its banks. It is home to native birds, amphibians and insects, and a variety of other critters leave their tracks in the soft banks.

*Jungle River is perfect habitat for this Ebony Jewelwing (*Calopteryx maculata).

The river has a natural gravel bed and, in fact, the park was once an industrially mined gravel pit. Then it became a garbage dump, so today the trash that mars its beauty is a mix of new and old–new brought into the park from it’s much larger drainage area and old that resurfaces after every heavy rain.

We’re planning to do another litter pick from kayaks at Black Bayou Lake later this month or in November. For those who are certified, these are great opportunities to do your required volunteer hours.

BTW, I will not be able to participate this time. The Paxtons are in charge of this event and will have a sign-in form that constitutes a liability waiver, as is our practice.

Note: Photos in the post are by Charles & Kim Paxton.

General Interest

La Birding Trails

The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism has embarked upon the task of reviewing and updating all Louisiana Birding Trails. Amy Wise, Public Relations and Media Coordinator at the Monroe–West Monroe Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, contacted our Board Member & Treasurer Charles Paxton last week with information on how we can help.

What a terrific project! She can use our help in more than one way. Three Ouachita Parish sites have already been suggested to her: Black Bayou Lake NWR, Kiroli Park and Lazarre Park. Amy needs to know what birds can be seen at these locations and when.

*I have mentioned to Amy the Prothonotary Warblers (*Protonotaria citrea) at Black Bayou Lake and at some point will send her this, my best photo ever of a PW.

In addition, if you know of additional sites she should consider, she would be pleased to hear from you. Of course, sites with public access are best, as the state will put birding trail information online so that people can access it and walk the trails on their own.

The list of information needed to propose a site is a bit daunting, but Amy emphasizes that if we don’t know it all, we should still send her what we can and she will do some research to try to fill in blanks. Charles sent a letter to our current members last week detailing the information needed, but again, please do not hesitate to send information to Amy because you can’t answer every question.

We, collectively or individually, can also propose a site. The state has set up a website specifically for this purpose. Amy is most interested in Ouachita Parish because she works for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. We can propose sites anywhere. Of course, we know the Gulf Coast is hot birding territory, but wouldn’t it be terrific to draw birders to northeast Louisiana?

I personally intend to check out Lazarre Park. I’m also wondering about Chemin a Haut way up in the northeast corner of the state. Is it good for birding? And how about Chenault Park in the southeast corner of Monroe? Poverty Point, both the reservoir and the heritage site? And I’m wondering if the Molicy Unit should also be proposed, although we all know access can be tricky.

You can contact Amy via email <awise@monroe-westmonroe.org> or by telephone: 318.387.5691. If you want to get started on your own proposed trail, here’s a link to the website: Louisiana Birding Trails Update.

Happy birding, all!

Upcoming Events

3rd Quarter Meeting

Join us Sunday afternoon, September 26, in beautiful Kiroli Park, 820 Kiroli Road, West Monroe, La. Pick and choose your level of participation from the following items.

2 p.m. Hike – Park your car in the vicinity of shelter 6, which is the first picnic shelter on the left side of the road just past the guard shack at the entrance. We will gather near the entrance to the Conservatory, which is right across the road.

Key: #6 = shelter 6. #2 = Conservatory. Yellow = Outer Trail. Blue = Garden Trail.

Two trails begin right next to the Conservatory. My plan is to head down the Outer Trail (yellow on the map), then switch to the Garden Trail (blue) where they intersect at the end of Azalea Hill. We’ll continue on to the Covered Bridge, then return via the Garden Trail.

As will be our standard operating practice from now on, we’ll begin the hike with a brief safety orientation and all will be asked to sign our waiver of liability sign-in sheet.

3:30 p.m. Guest speaker: Stuart Hodnett – Our meeting will begin in Shelter 6 with our usual educational guest speaker. Our own Stuart Hodnett is now the Director of West Monroe Parks & Recreation, and he will speak to us about the parks system. This will include information about Restoration Park, another wonderful asset in West Monroe we have visited and will visit again.

4 p.m. Business Meeting – I always say “short” but I have to be honest and admit sometimes it goes over 30 minutes! Nevertheless, we should be finished by 4:45 p.m.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit berries (*Arisaema triphyllum*) from a 2018 visit to Kiroli Park.

That’s it, folks! Don’t forget that the charge to enter Kiroli Park is $1 per person. That’s a very modest fee to help maintain a wonderful park. One of the questions I want to ask Stuart is, How many annual visitors does Kiroli Park have? I’m sure it is a pretty high number.

We will soon have information regarding litter pick-up opportunities.