Category: Blog

Boring announcement at the bottom. Keep reading!

I mentioned in the last post that charter board member Jeff Barnhill is an avid explorer of natural areas. Chemin-A-Haut in Morehouse Parish near the Arkansas state line is one of his favorite sites. He also takes beautiful pictures!

Jeff tells a fascinating story about how we almost lost this amazing place. Here it is in his words:

“Around 2005, the Morehouse Lake Commission was formed and there was a push to dam the creek at the bayou creating a lake. I saw the plans. Imagine what would have been lost here. I was dealing with chemo and radiation, but still found old canoe pictures on the creek, scanned them and made it known that there were old growth Bald Cypress here. The big hollow tree is dated at 1,000+ years old.

A lake isn’t going to happen now that people know what’s here. I’m sure many didn’t know what was here since access was difficult especially with no trail along the lake, but a lesson should have been learned about looking before you leap.”

Here’s the 1000+ year old tree, back view. To see the front of it you must be in a canoe, and Jeff has done that, too. In fact, if you find him on Facebook, which I highly recommend, you will see that his profile photo is of him, in his canoe, with his canoe inside the hollow of this tree.

Jeff says that these Water and Shagbark Hickory trees are a little past their prime fall color, but it’s still a gorgeous photo.

And now that you’ve enjoyed these lovely photos and a cool story about a naturalist at work (way to go, Jeff), here’s my announcement: The charter LMN-NE Board of Directors has a meeting scheduled at which we will elect officers, adopt by-laws and take care of other bureaucratic stuff so we can open a bank account, take online memberships and really get rolling.

Hang in, folks. We’re getting there!

Traveling trainers will visit Black Bayou NWR Nov. 18 to conduct “Leave No Trace” Outdoor Ethics training Nov. 18, 10 a.m. – 12 Noon. The workshop will be in the Learning Center and is free and open to all.

The trainers will discuss how you can apply the seven “leave no trace” principles and also share them with others.

For members of Louisiana Master Naturalists – Northeast, attendance at this training will count toward your required 30 hours of education and/or service activities for your first year of membership. A sign-in sheet especially for you will be available at the training so we will have a record of your attendance.

Of course, the training is great for anyone who cares about the environment and is willing to learn and act to keep it cleaner. Please come!

More information about Leave No Trace is available at their website.

Is your household running over with plastics, tin cans, cardboard, and such? Mine is!

This Saturday is the day to get rid of it all. Ouachita Green is conducting its Fall Recycling Day at the Monroe Civic Center, 401 Lea Joyner Expressway, Monroe, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Click here for details: Recycle Day Flyer 2017

The list of recyclables that will be accepted is long; in addition to those items mentioned above, this is also an opportunity to get rid of outdated electronics–everything from that worthless old cell phone to the monster TV that’s been sitting in a corner of the garage for years! Even tires (up to 5 per househole) and household appliances will be accepted.

A few things won’t be: glass, styrofoam, plastic bags. Hazardous household chemicals will not be accepted this time, but keep an eye open for Ouachita Green’s spring collection of such items.

Businesses, sorry, but this day is not for you. This is a collection day for households only.

Keep your trash off our streets and highways and out of our landfills and waterways! Bring it to the Civic Center in Monroe this Saturday.

Stuart and I attended the Louisiana Master Naturalists Association statewide Board of Directors meeting in Baton Rouge last Friday. We were hosted by the beautiful Hilltop Arboretum, well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Statewide president Dr. Bob Thomas introduced us to “watermeal,” which covered the small pond on the Arboretum grounds. It is in the Duckweed family and the smallest flowering plant. I could see the individual plants with a field loupe, but not the flowers!

The Board spent a significant portion of its time together planning and setting policy for the statewide annual gathering of Master Naturalists called “Rendezvous.” Rendezvous is two and a half days packed with interesting lectures, workshops and field trips, and socializing with other Master Naturalists.

If you are still wondering if you should invest in becoming a Master Naturalist, it might help you to know that attendance at Rendezvous is limited to Certified Master Naturalists and people actually enrolled in a Master Naturalist certification curriculum.

The 2018 Rendezvous is scheduled in April at Camp Hardtner near Pollock, La. We hope to have begun our certification curriculum by then so that some of you can be enrolled and thereby be qualified to attend!

The other item on the agenda of great interest to us was statewide policy regarding certification curricula. The Board is currently creating a policy and procedure manual and it will contain general guidelines.

One policy that already exists: Everyone who wants to be a Certified Master Naturalist, must complete a Master Naturalist Certification curriculum in a local chapter. Even people who might teach one of the workshops in a curriculum must take the other workshops in the curriculum if they wish to become a Certified Master Naturalist. No exceptions.

The LMNA Board meets face to face twice a year, once at the annual Rendezvous in March or April and once in October, and via telephone conference call the other months.