Category: Upcoming Events

Next Sunday, Sept. 10, we will gather at the Briarwood Nature Preserve, 216 Caroline Dormon Rd., Saline, LA, for our 3rd Quarter Members Meeting. Kick off time is 2:30 p.m. and we plan to wrap up by 4:30 p.m.

Preserve curator Bayli Quick will be our tour guide. We will be walking outside, so please dress accordingly. Right now, the temperature is predicted to peak at 99 degrees that day, with scattered showers developing in the afternoon. Please bring plenty of water!

Briarwood is the former home of Caroline Dormon, a pioneer naturalist and conservationist extraordinaire whose legacy includes helping to establish the Kisatchie National Forest, as well as books, articles, art, and hundreds of students well-taught.

Remember that Louisiana Master Naturalists Association gives an award to an outstanding Louisiana Naturalist in her name at our annual statewide meeting called Rendezvous. Remember also that we are next year’s Rendezvous host chapter, and that will be on our meeting agenda!

Briarwood is about an hour and 20 minutes southwest of Monroe, so carpooling would be a great idea. And bring a friend. Our quarterly meetings are a great opportunity to introduce us and the fun we have to new folks.

How many species of living thing exists on planet earth? The fact is, we don’t know. Scientists estimate 1 trillion, with only a fraction of them known to humankind. But what we do know is that extinction, in truth a natural phenomenon, is today happening at an unnatural accelerated rate. And we’re pretty much the cause.

Rescuring Biodiversity: The Protection and Restoration of a North Louisiana Ecosystem tells the story of one man’s efforts to make a difference in the conservation of biodiversity. Come hear Johnny Armstrong talk about his work this coming Sunday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. at the Union Parish Library, 202 W. Jackson St., Farmerville.

Armstrong, a pathologist by trade, set out to learn everything he could about restoration ecology in order to put it to work protecting and restoring his family property, Wafer Creek Ranch, near Ruston, LA.

In this part of the state, the shortleaf pin-oak-hickory woodland once dominated the landscape. Today, Wafer Creek Ranch is protected by The Nature Conservancy and recognized as the best existing example of this type of plant community. But that doesn’t mean Armstrong is finished!

Come hear about this ongoing saga and be inspired by Johnny Armstrong’s passion for conservation: Sunday, Aug. 13, 2pm, Union Parish Library, Farmerville.

BTW, I’m bringing my copy of the book to get it signed!

Photo at the top of the column: Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata)