Richard Leakey speaks at UALR Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Master Naturalist Ann Owen wrote: Renowned paleoanthropologist and environmentalist Richard Leakey, who is credited with some of the most significant fossil discoveries in history, impressed Central Arkansas Master Naturalists during his lectures at UALR on October 8, 2008.

Speaking on The Origins of Man in the morning and Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth in the afternoon, Leakey said that we are dangerously reducing biodiversity and damaging eco-systems through agriculture and human activity.

He believes that we are facing the need for wholesale lifestyle changes and tremendous humanitarian efforts because of the catastrophic impact that climate change will have on many areas of the world.

For those of you who didn’t have an opportunity to see the two lectures presented by  Richard Leakey, you have another opportunity next week.
UALR University Television (Comcast Cable channel 62) will broadcast “Climate Change and the Future of Life on Earth” on Monday, October 20th at 7:30 p.m. The lecture Richard Leakey presented to students discussing the origins of man will air on Tuesday, October 21st at 8 p.m.

Because of copyright restrictions, University Television will broadcast these lectures only once.

AETN will host a talk show that was taped during his LR visit. It premieres on AETN on Friday, Dec 19th at 6:30 pm and will air again Thursday, Dec 25, at 6:30 pm.

Tree and Plant ID class helps Master Naturalists Thursday, September 25, 2008

Thank you Dr. Sundell for a great outdoor class on native plants. Your expertise, added to the knowledge that others had, made for a very interesting morning. It is always fun learning in an outdoor environment. We slapped our way along the Kingfisher Trail, enjoying each others company and gleaning much info. If anyone wants to know what we were wearing that day, we named our scent “Ode to Deet.” I took pages of notes and can’t wait to return to check out my memory. See the flickr photo album to remind you of some of the things we talked about.

Stream Team Sampling and Training Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Fourteen Master Naturalists led by MN George Lauster gathered on the banks of the Little Maumelle River Saturday, along the Kingfisher Trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. We were fortunate that Tropical Storm Ike had held off till later the night, leaving us with just cloudy skies and a slight breeze.

Our first find of the morning occurred before most had arrived when Larry Cross discovered a baby alligator snapping turtle.

We started the morning inspecting the riparian area before splitting up into teams to measure the stream’s flow, chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrates (sediment bugs). There were still wood debris piles and other signs of Tropical Storm Gustav’s massive flooding that extended to the parking lot.

Bert Turner lead the flow team, Bill Toland coached the bug collectors, while Martha Bowden and I did the chemistry. Collecting bugs was the highlight for both the veterans and the newbies. We didn’t spend much time identifying them there as we all headed up to the visitor center for some advanced training.

I gave a presentation to help us understand better why the stream team exists. We tried to imaging what life is like from the viewpoint of a stream bug or fish, then connected our view to the stressors that stream scientists and managers are concerned about. We tied it up by going over the different riparian, chemistry and bug indicators we use as a stream team. For me the fun part was then breaking folks up into small groups that each became more expert on group of similar looking bugs. Each group then put their new knowledge to work identifying the bugs present in our samples.

We found nine types of macrointertebrates, including mayfly and stone fly larvae. These two types are sensitive to pollution.

Along with the chemistry results, this suggested that this portion of the Little Maumelle River is in great health and recovered after just two weeks since the massive flooding of Tropical Storm Gustav. The only criticism I got afterwards was that we don’t do this enough. Current plans are to sometimes help Game and Fish and other organizations with their sampling efforts, giving us a chance to see how things differ among streams.

Written by MN George Lauster

Stream Team gets $1,700 Grant Sunday, August 3, 2008

From George Lauster: Our Stream Team has been awarded a $1,700 grant by the AGFC Stream Team program. The grant is for purchase of supplies for the stream team to sample the Little Maumelle River off the Kingfisher Trail. Dip nets, sorting trays, chemistry kit and waders will be purchased with the grant. Thanks to Steve Filipek (AGFC) and Lindsay Stoker (CAMN) for arranging for the grant.

Remember that on Sept 13 8 AM till noon we will have an in-depth advanced training class on stream ecology and sampling with the CAMN Little Maumelle Stream Team. Bring waders or be prepared to get wet. Hope to see you there.

Why is that penny is the stream? Saturday, August 2, 2008

Ever see a water penny?  It is an aquatic larva of a beetle whose name comes from the fact that it is copper colored and has a round body like a very small penny.  They are only about 1/4″.  Finding one in a stream is great because this macroinvertebrate is pollution intolerant.  To find it, we had to do the water shuffle to dislodge it from a rock where it grazes on algae, doing its ecological thing.  It took a magnifying glass to see the six legs under the round body. CAMN  Stream team will meet at the Little Maumelle River at PMSP on Sept 13 and I know what I am going to be looking for.

Arkansas Has It All Thursday, July 31, 2008

July 30 – I went to the Arkansas Has It All program at the beautiful 4-H center in Ferndale. I joined teachers from all over the state and PMSP interpreters Sarah and Kristina to listen to the programs offered by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. I attended Progect Wild first and learned about black bears in Arkansas. The fun story/exercise had us imitating bears searching for food while some of us had special needs. From what we were able bring back to our den, we graphed our intact of food and water. Some of us didn’t survive. Next I went to the Stream Team. There we were introduced to macroinvertebrates and how they showed the health of a stream running through the camp. Our group determined the stream was in good shape by the ones we were able to log. We found a water penny which is one of the sensitive species. Since it was so hot, we certainly didn’t mind standing in the stream for an hour. Then it was off to Project Wild which was combined with Project Learning Tree. Our exercise there was a clues game which was entertaining and educational. I guessed two of the animals and missed two. Then we were introduced to Project Learning Tree. We pretended to be trees and were able to graph the things we received from the environment to determine how big the rings in the wood might be during a certain time frame. I was touched by a diseased tree so my chances of survival were limited. The AGFC, ADEQ and American Forest Foundation did a superior job of organizing and presenting the information. I hope that CAMN will be able to schedule a time with enough people interested to host a class. The benefits to CAMN would be numerous. First it would help those of us who are hesitant to present a program to children because we don’t feel we have enough information about a certain subject. Second it will help us be aware of the wonderful job these agencies are doing to bring awareness of wildlife and the environment to children and adults all over Arkansas.

Can YOU survive, part 2 Dynamics of Fire Building Sunday, July 13, 2008

Survival training, part 2.  We studied the dynamics of fire starting – friction, percussion, optical, electrical and chemical.  I will have time to relate only a few of the things I found interesting. First, do you dig a hole and disturb the land or place rocks around.  Watch the type of rocks you might use because sedementary stone can explode.  Wouldn’t that be a surprise.  Do you really need to build a fire right now?  Do you need to stay warm or boil some water to drink?  Collecting the material for a fire expends energy. If everything is wet, dry it by using the forked limbs propped up on branches, anything to get it off the ground.  Tinder is the first thing to look for.  Watch using dryer lint that you have brought because of the synthetic fibers and don’t use hair or bird’s nests.  Jute makes great tinder along with some plants and trees and their bark.  Something not to use is poisen ivy although the hairy vine looks like it might burn well.  One item that burned really well from Mike Thennes survival pack was cotton balls saturated in vaseline. We also saw how a battery and steel wool would spark.  I tried the steel wool with a striker and hack saw blade and was amazed how quick it took off.     Rich pine worked good as did the polyspore mushrooms.  Ever wonder how the Native Americans carried fire with them?  Oops, guess that will remain a secret unless you were there to see it.  We used the magnifying glass until the sun went under some huge dark clouds and it started to rain. Yesterday,  lessons were learned, friendships were strengthened, and many thanks expressed to Mike Thennes and  PMSP’s Sarah Jones for everything they taught us.

Can You Survive? Part 1 Water and Shelter Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Sunday, July 5th   See pictures in CAMN’s Flickr photos

Advanced training on Survival training was held at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Park Interpreter Sarah Jones and a very knowledgeable Mike Thennes lead the group about the priorities of shelter and water. These are just a few of my notes to give you an idea of what was covered in the class. We all appreciated the time they donated to this training event. 

Many people become disoriented and confused when lost in the woods.  Trying to find your way home can make it hard for people to locate where you are.  Stay put, build a shelter, get drinking water,  and make lots of noise to let people know where you are.

WHEN and HOW: When we are thirsty, we are already 3% dehydrated because our brain signals us when it is too late. Drink 8 oz every 15 minutes because the body can’t store water. Instead of gulping your water, drink like a wine taster. It will help hydrate the sinuses. We lose water by conduction, convection, radiation, respiration, and perspiration. You can lose up to a liter of water a day by breathing through your mouth. Protein and fat need a lot of water to digest, so while hiking, bring carbohydrates. When you hear water sloshing in your stomach it means you need salt (Replenish at Walmart). Shivering burns up to 500 calories a minute (I was thinking that this weight loss program is not recommended while trying to survive).

FIND IT: Watch the wildlife and looks for tracks. Animals will daily go for water. Use a handkerchief to collect dew by wiping it on grass or leaves of non-poisonous trees then squeezing it in something to purify. Water can come from trees. The ones to look for are maple, birch, hickory, sweet gum and sycamore. A grapevine also contains water. If you are desperate, try the eye of a fish.

FILTERS: Boiling is best but if you can’t there are a lot of types of filters and methods. Many were described and it was suggested we practice at home before we actually need to use them.  Eating snow can lower your body temperature and increase the risk of hypothermia.  Melt the snow first, and purify the water before drinking.

SHELTER: We saw a survival tent constructed with just a stick, tarp and ropes. Watch for where you put the tent. Observe overhead (lose branches to fall in a storm), drainage, and plants (poison ivy) around you. If you build by a stream, animals follow the bank and you could put yourself in danger. Then we hiked to a previously built A-frame bough shelter. The reality of a survival situation increased my need for knowledge as I attempted to get in the small shelter and visualized myself in the woods alone, hoping to survive the night until help arrived.

KNOTS: Something I had forgotten since Girl Scouts many years ago. Need a refresher on that.

FURTHER READING: Books suggested that interested me were the Tom Brown Jr books in particular the Field Guide for Suburban and City Survival.