BAYOU BYLINE Bayou Chapter, Ozark Society February 2015

Transcription

1 BAYOU BYLINE Bayou Chapter, Ozark Society February 2015 Our monthly meetings are held at Mickle Hall in the Carlisle Auditorium on Centenary College campus on the first floor. X marks the spot on the map. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month. (except December) Program starts at 6:30 pm. Business meeting follows. Plan to join us after the meeting for pizza and socializing. February Meeting Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm Carlisle Auditorium, Mickle Hall, Centenary College Program by Billy Montgomery Mr. Montgomery is a former coach, high school principal and State Representative from Bossier Parish. He is in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Coaches and Administrators Hall of Fame and three years ago was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame. In his current position he chairs the Bistineau Task Force that includes representatives of the three parishes which border Lake Bistineau. The task force was created in 2009 in response to public outcry over the spread of Giant Salvinia in Lake Bistineau. Montgomery will speak about the history of the task force and the on going efforts to address the Giant Salvinia problem in Lake Bistineau. Like us on Facebook! Check out our website See all the Ozark Society Chapter newsletters and the Pack and Paddle newsletter at 1

2 BCOS Planning Calendar More details will be posted on the BCOS yahoo groups list and on the BCOS Facebook page as the events approach. Feb (a 3-day weekend): Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT). See page 3 for details. Contact John and Cathy Joyce or johncathyjoyce@bellsouth.net Saturday, Feb 28: Jeems Bayou Moonlight Paddle. Details on page 4. Contact Harvey Kennedy at harvlee@bellsouth.net or Sunday, Mar 1: Jeems Bayou Adventure Paddle. Details on page 4. Contact Harvey Kennedy at harvlee@bellsouth.net or Mar 7-8: Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT). Contact John and Cathy Joyce or johncathyjoyce@bellsouth.net Mar 14-15: Athens Big Fork Trail Maintenance. Details on page 5. Contact Roy O Neal at roneal2@bellsouth.net. April 9: There are many ways to see the Grand Canyon by trail, water, and air. One efficient way to experience the Grand Canyon by water is a motorized raft trip, and an enjoyable month to take this trip is April. Canyoneers, a Grand Canyon concessionnaire, has an April 19, 2015 launch date for an All Grand trip from Lee s Ferry to Lake Mead. This trip originates and terminates in Flagstaff, Arizona, and in between covers 280 river miles in 7 days, spending 6 nights on the river. Details concerning the trip, including logistics and cost, can be found at If you have any questions about the trip, please call Mike or Sheri at Canyoneers at Canyoneers advises that this trip may fill early, so if you want to go, it is suggested that you register soon. To help gauge our member s response to this trip, and since registration will be through Canyoneers, please notify Stewart Noland at bosshq@aol.com if you plan to participate in this Grand Canyon trip. May 3: Crawfish Boil location TBA May 16-17: BCOS Outdoor Adventure Weekend Paddling, Hiking and camping event June 9-13: Buffalo River Trip. Sign up for the 2015 Buffalo River Trip begins on January 1! The trip will start at Tyler Bend and end at the White River. Stewart Noland and Steve Heye are the trip leaders. Cost is $175 per person ($150 for children 12 and under.) LIMITED TO 60 PEOPLE, so don t delay once signup begins. The price includes car shuttle, food from noon on Tuesday to noon on Saturday, and an ice drop on Thursday for coolers. Boat rentals can be arranged for a fee. You are responsible for all personal gear, shelter, and personal drinks of choice (no glass on the river!) You will also be required to carry a small piece of group gear. We use groover toilets on the river to minimize environmental impact. More information here July 12-18: Colorado Trip. Signup will begin after January 1, 2015, for the 2015 Colorado high adventure trip taking place on Sunday July 12 thru Saturday July 18. The campground reservations will have been made at the Cascade Campground in the Collegiate Peaks area of the San Isabel National Forest. The campground is located on County Road 162 west of Nathrop, Colorado. The trip is limited to 60 people so if you want to go you need to send in your reservation by June 1, You should plan to arrive at the campground by mid-afternoon Sunday July 12. The first meal will be that evening. All meals will be provided through dinner on Friday July 17 as part of the trip. If you prefer motel accommodations to camping, you can make reservations at nearby Mount Princeton Hot Springs Lodge, County Road 162, Nathrop, Colorado, or other nearby motels or bed & breakfasts. Meals at the campground will be provided for all trip participants, regardless of whether you are camping or staying elsewhere. There will be a variety of outings to choose from: commercial rafting or boating on the Arkansas River, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding, or sightseeing. Rafting on the Arkansas River may be available depending on the number of qualified raft captains that are part of the group and the water levels. If you have any questions concerning the Colorado outing, contact: Bob Ritchie at or britchiear@aol.com. 2

3 Other Area Events May 2-3: ACC Whitewater school. Contact: Adam Willard Hiking the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) It's almost time for our 2nd weekend of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) hiking! Feb We'll be hiking a longer stretch Saturday, leaving the shorter one for Sunday when most people want to drive back home. We'll let you know which sections later, as we have had to change things up a bit. We're staying at Crystal Springs Campground (see for more information and directions). Hopefully we'll be in the same campsite as last month, which I believe is #47 in Loop C. Remember - they have water and electric, for those who'd like to have a little heater in their tents! Some of our hikers stayed in a cabin at Crystal Springs Resort - which is only 1/2 past the campground. For information on that, see Crystal Springs Resort 1647 No. Crystal Springs Rd. Royal, AR Please let us know if you're coming; we LOVE have a great group of hikers on the trail!! us at johncathyjoyce@bellsouth.net or call. -John Joyce Cathy Joyce Hope to see you in a couple weeks! RRR Volunteer Appreciation Dinner The Red River National Wildlife Refuge Staff is hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Friday, February 20, at 6:00 p.m., to thank all volunteers. If you volunteered for the Refuge during the last three years, you are invited to the dinner. Please RSVP by ing the Refuge Ranger at terri_jacobson@fws.govusing the subject line "Volunteer Dinner." You must RSVP by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 17, if you are attending. Please include the number of people attending and state whether you prefer a vegetarian meal. Also, please include your total number of volunteer hours. Thank all of you for your service to and support of the Red River National Wildlife Refuge. We hope to see you there. The Red River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center is located along the Red River south of the Jimmie Davis/70th Street Bridge at 150 Eagle Bend Point, Bossier City, Louisiana It is now accessed via the new Teague Parkway Extension. The entrance to the Refuge is approximately 0.75 miles southeast along the parkway from the bridge. 3

4 Jeems Bayou Moonlight Paddle Saturday, Feb 28, 2015 We will meet at camp Jeems Monterey. (directions below). For those camping overnight, you can come any time Saturday afternoon to set up your camping site. We will put in the water at Monterey Lake at 7 pm and paddle downstream through open and canopied stretches of Jeems bayou to a wide swampy area and make a circuit down a side channel and through a rookery and back around through cypress and tupelo trees and lily pads. What are Louisiana swamps like at night? What sounds do you hear? What can you see? What is it like to paddle through open ponds and marshes or a maze of bayous, sloughs, small slender lakes and swamp, with the moon overhead and surrounded by a symphony of night sounds? It's a vivid experience to paddle into a wetlands at night. Every sense will be strained to absorb as much of the experience as possible. At night, swamps are alive with sounds of its inhabitants. Sometimes reflective orange-red eyes can be seen!!! Some of us will camp out overnight and maybe catch some fish. Everyone is welcome to join, bring your tent and camping gear. It will be a good practice run for a future Red River overnight paddle. Jeems Bayou Adventure Paddle Date: Sunday, March 1, 2015 Meet at the Put-In: Corner of LA Hwy 2 and Boyter Lane (directions below) Time: 10am, gear up your boats and put in the bayou. (Those of us who will be camping overnight will paddle down and meet you) About a two hour paddle up stream against a gentle current to Monterey Lake, TX, ( handbook/online/articles/mm/hrm85.html ) where we will have lunch at "Camp Jeems Monterey". A handwashing station will be set up and cold drinks will be awaiting our hungry paddlers. Bring your own lunch. After lunch, take time for a hike or just rest up for the return paddle downstream later in the afternoon. Sign-Up list, questions or comments: harvlee@bellsouth.net or my cell # Please share this information with any of your paddling friends who may not be on the BCOS list...thanks...harv Our BCOS chairman, Dick Maxwell 4

5 March 14-15, 2015 is when we will do maintenance on the Athens-Big Fork Trail. We will be camping at the Shady Lake Campground. The particulars will be basically the same as in the past. Participants are encouraged to go up on Friday in order to be there for an early start as possible. Even though the Forestry Service will furnish many tools, if you have a favorite tool that is appropriate, i.e. loppers, saws, pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, etc, please fee l free to bring, and use them. We will plan to have a group meal Saturday night so that preparing your own will not be necessary after a casual stroll on the Athens-Big Fork Trail. (LOL) Please let me know if you plan to be a part of this effort, and when you plan to arrive. I will make arrangements with you to possibly avoid having to come to the camp ground if you are driving up Saturday morning, but I will need to know well in advance. Send me an to confirm your participation at roneal2@bellsouth.net. I will be sending out more information, directions to the campground if needed, etc. Look forward to seeing you on the 14 th of March. Roy O Neal The Chairman's Corner Another month, another fantastic newsletter and another chance for me to post a short note. On the 4th of the month, we had a scheduled Outings Meeting. Lisa Wilson hosted it and prepared a light meal for the attendees. Unfortunately, there were very few who attended. Four of us to be exact. We did however talk about some activities that we think could be a good fit for our group. As for the low turnout, I will have to take responsibility for that. I did post the time and date on Facebook but, I did not post it on the Yahoo Groups website so, the notice may not have reached as many people as it could have. Although it was talked about and scheduled during the Jan meeting. My bad. I ll try not to make the same mistake more than four of five times. At the Feb meeting on the 17th. we will discuss the proposed activities and see if there is support for them. Again, I ask for your support to ensure that we remain an active and vibrant part of the Ozark Society. More people = more fun and accomplishments. Call your friends, remind them of the meetings and outings. Together we can move our Chapter into a new era. One filled with friendship and good times. One with accomplishments for a better environment via our cleanup projects and one filled with personal satisfaction knowing that each of us has made a difference. Dick Maxwell Bayou Chapter of the Ozark Society January 20, 2015 Minutes At 6:40 pm, Chairman Dick Maxwell called the meeting to order, then introduced vice-chair Tom Goleman. Tom then introduced the speaker for the night, Charles Kirkland III, a Wilderness Responder. More on his presentation elsewhere in this newsletter. After a break, Dick called the business meeting to order at 7:45 pm. December minutes were read by Secretary Cathy Joyce. Crystal Whitman moved and Donna Harris seconded that the minutes be accepted as read. Motion carried. The new members were welcomed: Charles Kirkland, who joined tonight. Then Dick welcomed the new officers: Vice-Chair Tom Goleman and Treasurer Lisa Wilson. Cathy is serving a second year as Secretary. 5

6 Treasurer s report: Balance - $9,132.79, which is made up of Operating Fund: $4,350.21; Instructor Development Fund (IDF): $2,198.58; Red River Cleanup: $2, There were $ in receipts for January, and many dues were collected tonight. Publicity: Harvey Kennedy sent information about tonight s speaker to the newspaper, but it did not get published. Paddling: Jack Land is trying to set up a couple local and Red River floats. Local Hiking: Cathy Joyce reported most of the local hikes got cancelled due to rainy weather. Conservation: Roy O Neal said the Duck Pond Clean-up is set for Feb 21 - the week after the last Mardi Gras parade. Also, someone reported we had about 6-7 BCOS members help with the Anderson Bayou clean-up this past Monday. PAST OUTINGS Sandy Roerig reported on the Christmas party. The New Year s Day hike was held at Jack & Marsha Land s place. Mostly -because of the weather- they went inside and ate! Cathy Joyce reported on the first leg of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) hike this past weekend, with seven brave souls hiking that 10 miles across Bear Mountain. Roy, Sandy, and Dick went to the all-society board meeting. Apparently there was a lot of discussion of excrement (read: hog farm). NEW BUSINESS Our chapter is responsible for the fall Ozark Society meeting. We have to decide the date. This meeting will be business (not the fun gathering that will be taking place this March). We need a new conservation chair. Sandy Roerig volunteered to do this. We need a new face book administrator. It was suggested that several people post things when they see them. Most agreed this was a good idea. Over the next month, please go to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation website, and see if it would be worth us being a member. They re goals and purposes align with ours. It was brought up that we DID join a couple years ago. We need to have an outings meeting. Lisa Wilson volunteered her home (and to feed us!) for a meeting on Feb 4,Wednesday, at 6:00. Please outings suggestions to any officers to get this on the calendar. Dick would like information. If ANYONE has any contacts that would benefit the chapter as a whole, please send to Dick. Example: Athens Big-Fork contact; Centenary College contact, etc. UPCOMING EVENTS Feb 4: Outings meeting at Lisa Wilson s home. 6:00 pm. Feb 14-15: Second weekend of the LOViT hikes. John & Cathy Joyce, contact persons. Feb 28: Orientation meet at Eddie Jones. See Gary or Jenny Hackman for more info. March 1: Jeems Bayou float. Harvey Kennedy, contact person. March 7-8: Third weekend of the LOViT hikes. March 14-15: Trail Maintenance on the Athens-Big Fork. Roy O Neal, contact person. March 21-22: Spring All Society meeting Meeting was adjourned at 8:20 pm. 6

7 Plan calls for expanding Gulf of Mexico reef sanctuary By CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A federal marine sanctuary protecting coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico could grow five times in size under a plan being proposed to safeguard an even larger area of the Gulf from scavengers looking for historic shipwrecks, ships dropping anchor, commercial fishing and oil and gas drilling. See full article plan_calls_for_expanding_gulf.html 7

8 Charlie Kirkland III - Wilderness Medicine/Wilderness Responder Our January speaker was Charlie Kirkland III, who was gave a wonderful presentation! Some interesting facts given: -Even major cities can become a wilderness setting when there is a major disaster, causing hours before seeing a doctor. -In the Grand Canyon, a person can lose two liters of water per hour. And, there are Bark Scorpions around which are very toxic. -After spending nine seasons in Antarctica, Charlie found the biggest wilderness problems were from slips, trips and falls. The U.S. pretty much dominates Antarctica, where people are not even allowed to approach the wildlife. -Snakes: 80% of snakebites are dry bites. A bite that swells immediately is venomous. -Concussions - it s OK to let the person sleep, because people heal while sleeping. Charlie spoke about Wilderness Medicine, beginning with the 3 W's, which can be used in wilderness medicine and in life. 1. What do I have? (What s wrong with me?) i.e. sprain, broken arm, bite 2. Where can it go? i.e. swelling, infection 3. What am I going do about it? i.e. wrap it, splint it, sterilize it Then he spoke about the 10 essentials for an excursion. 1. Navigation: Map and Compass 2. Sun Protection: sunglasses and sunscreen 3. Insulation: extra dry clothing 4. Illumination: flashlight, head lamp 5. Fire: water-proof matches, lighter, candles 6. Repair Kit: knife, leatherman, multi-tool 7. Nutrition: food 8. Hydration: water, liquids 9. Emergency Shelter: tarp 10. First aid kit, for which Charlie packs very light-weight: Gloves (rubber) Sterile gauze Ace bandages Betadine - diluted 10% solution or Pavidone-iodine (no alcohol nor hydrogen peroxide because they kill all germs) Bandages, triangular bandages Sam Splint (Padded aluminum; can get them through Amazon) Zinc for mild abrasions (bacitracin zinc ointment) Tape Provide Tylenol (acetaminophen) for the first 24 hours, then ibuprofen, benadryl or aspirin, to help the swelling. 8

9 Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) Hike January 17 & 18, 2015 John Joyce Principal Players: John & Cathy Joyce, Hike Leaders Hikers: Steve & Grace Eyler; Sandy Roerig; Barbie Halbert; Dean Miller ACT ONE: Hiking a 10 mile section of the LOViT across BEAR MOUNTAIN. Scene One: The Gathering of the Players and Hikers at the campsite of John & Cathy arranging the shuttle and getting the gear together. THE STORY: Everyone showed up at the pre-arranged meeting place. Most were smiling and laughing and thinking that this was going to be a lot of fun. There was hardly any fear in the eyes of the group; save one. No one knows why, there just was. They didn t talk much about it, just kept silent and mumbled, staring straight ahead. We all loaded up in the shuttle vehicles and headed for the trail head; not too far sway, just far enough to get lost a little; but not enough to get REAL lost. Everyone kept in the back of their minds the perception of the one who held the fear. Was this what it was all about? Maybe or maybe not. Not one was able to decipher the reason, they just kept mumbling and staring straight ahead. Finally got to the trailhead; the shuttle vehicles landed with no problem and the players, along with the principals, and the one who was somewhat fearful, got out and readied themselves for the HIKE. Off we go.up and up and up and up the 35 degree climb to the top of the mountain. Now it was becoming a HIKE. It finally leveled off and we were able to traverse across the top of the mountain with a little speed. We knew it was going to be a long day but well worth the effort. Beautiful scenery looking our over Lake Ouachita; a fine lunch on the trail; a few of us managed an injury and sore muscles but WE MADE IT. 10 miles for a bunch of senior hikers early in the season is a feat. Except for the one who was a little fearful. Didn t say much all along the trail Just kept looking straight ahead and mumbling a little; kicked some scat and maybe a rock or two. Maybe I can start an avalanche, was the thought that would be fun...mumbled a little and kept on going. END, ACT ONE 9

10 ACT TWO: Hiking a short 3 mile section of the LOViT. THE STORY: There wasn t a lot to this little hike. Short and fast. And not a lot of goings on on the trail. We found a small covered area we surmised was used for weddings and maybe chapel services on Sunday. Quaint little place; took some pictures and moved on. Crossed a couple of water streams, navigated a couple of huge rocks getting across to the other side; no one falling in and whew.made it to the END. After the hike was over and everyone accounted for, we all headed over to Rick and Brenda Millers house in Caddo Gap to say hello and see how the new house that was being done up by them was coming along.nice, VERY NICE. Had a fun time with them. Time to head to the house or camp and so we all left. Cathy and John went back to the camp and enjoyed the evening by the campfire, looking up at the heavens and all the stars; even got to see a HUGE GREEN shooting star. What fun. Between the Acts: Dinner at Dean Miller s on Friday night and a campfire on the deck. Good food and drink with everyone. Grace and Steve brought steak and potatoes and carrots in a foil package. We had that and Dean s chili. YUM, YUM. Thanks Dean for offering your place for all of us. Saturday evening after the main 10.8 mile hike, we all gathered up at John & Cathy s campsite #47 by the lake for a campfire and food and lots of fun. Rick and Brenda joined us and brought some delicious soup and lots of kindling for the fire. It is always a fun time with this group to sit around and chit chat. Good camaraderie. Heard a little bit of fearful mumbling but couldn t pick it out of the crowd. Saw the water splash pretty big out on the lake Maybe I ll start a tidal wave was the thought; kicked the ground a bit and moved on don t quite know. Cathy and I packed everything up on Monday and rode over to Dean s and had a ham and egg breakfast with homemade bread YUM YUM, Thanks again Dean. We had a GREAT time with all who were in attendance. Maybe we can do it again sometime in the near future, like maybe the 14th & 15th of February Join us; camping and lodging at Crystal Springs Campground and Resort. We left the campground and headed home and as we were leaving I thought I caught a glimpse of the fearful person starting back up the trail. The wind blew a little bit; stirred up some old dead leaves; maybe I ll kick some scat, I thought I heard. 10

11 February Special Days Feb. 7 Centaur Parade Feb 8 Barkus & Meow Parade Feb 12. Abraham Lincoln s Birthday* Feb. 14 Gemini Parade and LOVIT Trail Hike Feb. 15 Jim Overtons Birthday, Highland Parade and LOVIT Trail Hike Feb 16 Sandy Miller s Birthday President s Day Feb 17 Elise Pokey Burton s birthday, Zoe Rech s Birthday, Mardi Gras(Fat Tuesday, BCOS Meeting Feb 18 Ash Wednesday Lent Begins Feb 21 DPCU Cleanup (Duck Pond Clean up) Feb 22 George Washington s Birthday* *Please send cards c/o St. Peter Feb 26 Jerry & Judie Martin s Wedding Anniversary Classifieds This area is reserved for classified ads to buy or sell by BCOS members. If you have any items for sale you think Ozark Society members might be interested in buying please contact Kalli Bailey at kallikbailey@gmail.com Slightly used 6 person tent. Asking $ or will trade for precious metals, stones, ammo or used guns. Tom at attytomnthompson@gmail.com. Two Dagger RPM Kayaks with skirts $300 each. Call Business Members Gearhead Outfitters Eat for Sport Satori Adventures and Expeditions Hiking the Ozarks Sacred Strawberry Backpacking Arkansas 11

12 Bayou Chapter Officers Chairman Richard W. Maxwell Vice-Chairman Thomas Goleman Secretary Cathy Joyce Treasurer Lisa Harbour Wilson Canoe Clinic Adam Willard Cell: Conservation Reports To be announced Newsletter Photographer Ken Harris Facebook Administrator George Gehrig Bayou Chapter Officers Membership Chairman To be announced Newsletter Designer/Webmaster Kalli Kennedy Bailey Publicity Chairman Harvey Kennedy BCOS Yahoo Groups Moderator Susan Ramares Local streams paddling coordinator Jack Land Local hiking coordinator John and Cathy Joyce / johncathyjoyce@bellsouth.net Conservation Activities Coordinator Roy O Neal Cell: roneal2@bellsouth.net Backpacking Consultant Drew Hebert ndhebert@yahoo.com Ozark Society Officers Ozark Board Members Roy O Neal Cell: roneal2@bellsouth.net Catherine Tolson catherine.tolson@comcast.net Ozark Membership Chairman Jenny Hackman jandgman@bellsouth.net Ozark Society Secretary Sandy Roerig sroeri@lsuhsc.edu See all the Ozark Society Chapter newsletters and the Pack and Paddle newsletter at Like us on Facebook! facebook.com/bayouozark Visit our website at: The Bayou Chapter of the Ozark Society P. O. Box 4693 Shreveport, LA

13 BAYOU CHAPTER OZARK SOCIETY (BCOS) 2015 Membership Application Renewal New (1 year membership) Name: Phone: Home Work Cell Address: Street City State Zip Address: Please circle activities that interest you: Canoeing: Flatwater Whitewater Kayaking: Whitewater Recreational Hiking: Day hikes Backpacking Biking: Touring Mountain I understand that a certain amount of risk is involved in the activities listed above and I agree I will not hold the Bayou Chapter Ozark Society, its officers, instructors, event leaders or other members responsible for any injuries I may receive participating in activities sponsored by the club. Signature: Date: Return signed application with your $25 check by January 31, 2015 to: Bayou Chapter of the Ozark Society P.O. Box 4693 Shreveport, LA