Arkansas Out-of-Doors July/August 2012

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012 - 1

JULY/AUGUST 2012

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E A R K A N S A S W I L D L I F E F E D E R AT I O N • A F F I L I AT E D W I T H T H E N AT I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R AT I O N

VOL 40

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit 128 Russellville, Ark. 72801

NO 4

Working Together Crucial to Our Future

Photo by Ethan Nahté

2 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

"AWF appreciates your continued support and donations that allow us to do what we do best, protect your rights to hunt, fish and enjoy nature."

It has been three years now since I was elected as president of AWF. Time does pass doesn’t it? Let’s see what we have accomplished in that time.

It has been a very tough three years with the economy being down for so long. Most of you know AWF relies on donations, membership and some grant money. We don’t receive any government funding. With the economy being what it is, it has been very difficult to raise money for operation and for our annual awards banquet. But we have done okay for things being what they are.

We had some debt when I came on board, but we have taken care of that and, even though we are not doing as well as we would like, we have been able to grow. We have increased our membership over the past three years but we still have a long way to meet my goal. We have increased our affiliate members by six new affiliates. We now have 19 affiliates and they have over 1,000 members total.

We have gotten involved with some special projects that have allowed us to rebuild

several partnerships over the past three years.

One of the best projects is the Bearcat Hollow Project located on the Ozark National Forest.

It is a cooperative habitat project for fish and wildlife. We were nominated and selected as one of 10 national projects for “Hero for a Day” from Field & Stream / Toyota for 2012.

Our annual awards banquet has grown quite a bit. Last year’s banquet was one of our best attended in years, if not the largest ever, with about 500 guests.

We were very fortunate to be able to partner with and gain a new affiliate, Creative Ideas, who has been a great help to AWF in creating an opportunity for us to have a Youth Art

Contest for all students, K-12, in Arkansas.

This program has grown a lot over the past 3 years with over 52 schools submitting art that was judged in May 2012. The art of the 53 winners was displayed at the Witt Stephens, Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center in Little Rock for everyone to see.

We have just closed on a five year lease agreement with the Corp of Engineers to lease four of their parks along the Arkansas River west of Little Rock. This has also gained us 4 new affiliates and several new members. This will allow our affiliates to continue to keep these parks open for the public to enjoy. This is all done by volunteers who care.

I want to thank AWF board members for their support and help with the entire task we have and continue to work on to benefit fish, wildlife, and conservation, and protecting our natural environment. To continue to do what we can to educate the public about our environment and leave it for future generations to enjoy, this is my goal.

AWF appreciates your continued support and donations that allow us to do what we do best, protect your rights to hunt, fish and enjoy nature.

Wayne Shewmake President AWF

Arkansas Wildlife Federation Mission Statement

To promote conservation, responsible management and sustainable use of Arkansas’ fish, wildlife, habitat, natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities through education and advocacy.

President - Wayne Shewmake 1st VP - Ellen McNulty 2nd VP - Jerry Crowe Treasurer - Gary Bush Secretary - Lucien Gillham

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Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 3

Fayetteville First in Arkansas

by Ethan Nahté & Geralyn Hoey

The city of Fayetteville was bestowed the honor of becoming the first city in Arkansas to become a certified NWF Community Wildlife Habitat, and the 61st certified in the nation. A rainy afternoon on the first day of June didn’t stop presenters from making their presentations beneath the shelter of a gazebo at Gulley Park with attendees crowded in to listen and see the plaque given in recognition.

Presentations were given by Mayor Lioneld Jordan; Arkansas State Representative Uvalde Lindsey; Environmental Action Committee (EAC) volunteer Terri Lane; and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) members Roxanne Paul, Senior Habitats Coordinator; and David Carruth, AWF’s Regional Director for NWF. Fortunately, the rain held off long enough to let a trio of folk musicians perform outside of the gazebo to give everyone a little more elbow room and enjoy the performance.

The effort that the City of Fayetteville and EAC has made over the past three years to meet the requirements of NWF to certify a property as a wildlife habitat has been tremendous. Mayor Jordan was one of the first in Fayetteville to meet the requirements and have his yard certified.

Due to the large number of locations certified, it qualified Fayetteville as a Community Wildlife Habitat. EAC has had terrific support from the city council, who not only passed a resolution to support the National Wildlife Federation and the Community Wildlife Habitat project, but they also provided the

Turkey Heaven

by John F. Phillips

Turkey was the topic…Inner healing was the prize. Twenty-one wounded veterans of foreign wars gathered for the annual Wounded Warrior Turkey Hunt in Randolph County April 13, 14, & 15, 2012. These veterans, many disabled, had that rare opportunity to participate in a guided turkey hunt on lands owned and set-aside by land owners for this opening-day event in Northeast Arkansas.

The Wounded Warrior Project event was

funding to certify 26 city parks and/or trails and supply them with signs.

Some of the other locations beyond that of private residences include city parks, churches, four schools, and acreage next to the Paul Noland Waste Water Treatment Plant. The city-run local wastewater treatment plant was one of the earliest to receive certification and is operated by private engineering firm CH2M Hill Engineering. This was an excellent example of private business partnering with the local government to create a habitat garden and it was covered in the Northwest Arkansas Times. The acreage, believe it or not, is a splendid place to hike or watch and photograph bird and butterflies. Looking at the trails throughout some of the grassy areas also reveals deer, rabbits and other mammals utilize the area quite frequently.

One of the schools visited is the Butterfield Trail Elementary School. The students, teachers, and even Mayor Jordan helped develop a wonderful garden filled with a variety of flowers, shrubs, herbs and some vegetables. Every time a school attained certification, the Habitat team and Mayor Jordan would speak to the students about the importance of wildlife habitat and present the school with a Habitat Kit that included NWF’s Access Nature Curriculum Guide. Imagine the mayor at each Schoolyard Habitat dedication! The team also gave teachers a list of ways they could utilize the garden for educational purposes.

The garden sits along one wall of the school and includes wooden benches

so students can comfortably sit outside and learn about plants and insects. The bees and butterflies seemed quite content with the variety of pollen and nectar producing flora, paying no heed to the humans taking photos.

According to Lane, three years ago she had a meeting with the mayor about the project.

She had barely gotten into describing the project before the mayor stopped her and said he was in. Since then the Fayetteville City Council and EAC have worked hard to meet all of the requirements set forth by NWF, and it shows.

The Community Wildlife Habitat team partnered with Fayetteville Public Schools, Fayetteville in Bloom, the CH2M Hill Engineering Firm, Appleseeds, Inc. and the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association. In all, 200 homes, 1 farm, a cemetery, the wastewater treatment plant, city hall, a United Methodist

Church retreat center, 26 parks (including the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks), 4 schools and 2 businesses all became NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat sites.

Hopefully more Fayetteville residents and business owners will become certified and add to the impressive list.

It’s not only beneficial to the wildlife, but it makes for a beautiful view that is pleasing, relaxing, educational and environmentally sound.

If your town or city would like to find out more about becoming a certified Community Wildlife Habitat, or if you would simply like to have your own property become a Certified Wildlife Habitat, please visit NWF’s website: http:// www.nwf.org and click on the link “Certify My Yard” on the right-hand side. The page it directs you to will let you choose from a variety of locations that can be certified, both public and private.

sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars – Randolph County and many participating business sponsors throughout the region, including the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

The two-day turkey hunt and Wounded Warrior Banquet were hosted by the 5 Rivers Sports Lodge of Biggers, Arkansas.

Hunters from six states, representing five different foreign wars, were joined by more than thirty volunteers from surrounding cities in Northeast Arkansas, acting as hunting guides, hunt helpers, and lodge service staff for the event.

The event opened with a ‘Turkey Shoot’ at the lodge range allowing hunters to ‘pattern’ their shotguns prior to the next days hunt. Guides were on hand to assist hunters and fellowship during the evening

meal. Saturday morning yielded fifteen hunters in the field on the opening day of the Arkansas Turkey Season with spirits high. Following the hunt, veterans gathered to exchange hunting stories and the thrill of the chase. A Saturday night banquet activity, hosted by the lodge, yielded a fine Arkansas catfish dinner with all the trimmings, along with boastful stories and lively entertainment. Following the dinner, each veteran was presented a turkey print, compliments of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, as a small token of gratitude for their sacrifice for our freedoms.

Sunday yielded an additional hunt for many of the ‘warriors’ and continued memories which will stay with these veterans for many years to come. It was

said of the event, “These men are our Nation’s most treasured asset. Hunting provides excellent opportunities to assist our wounded veterans in recovering – mentally, physically and spiritually - from their war experiences.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars wishes to thank all the participating volunteers, sponsors and businesses who contributed transportation, funding, gifts, and manhours to make this wounded warrior project a success. Contact your local Veterans Administration for information on upcoming project events and how you can contribute to the Wounded Warrior Project in your community.

John F. Phillips is a volunteer organizer for the event.

4 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Trail Tales Awaken the Conservationist Spirit

by Johnny Sain, Jr.

Elk Fest 2012 in Jasper, Arkansas was another great celebration of some even greater conservation efforts. I remember back all those years ago when my dad told me about the plans for elk re-introduction in Arkansas.

As a boy of 9 or 10, it was exciting to think of sharing autumn woods with the giant deer.

I was somewhat concerned about mistaking an elk for a whitetail. Having seen precious few deer during those young years, I had little in the way of perspective on their size. Back in the late 70’s deer were harder to come by in the Ozarks. I thought of this and chuckled when looking at the fence surrounding my Uncle’s garden as we stopped for a visit on our way to Elk Fest this year. The whitetail crossing the road shortly after leaving his house brought back other childhood memories. “There’s a deer!” I exclaimed.

Just seeing a deer was a big deal when I was a kid and it’s a fascination that has carried over to adulthood. Every deer spotted is still cause for excitement. My youngest daughter enjoys wildlife viewing, but can’t understand the hubbub, “Dad, it’s just a deer. We see deer all the time. Why do you have to make a big deal out of it?”

Sometimes I worry that we adults take our natural heritage and conservation successes for granted. Like my daughter, many of us have not known or have quickly forgotten about the loneliness of an empty forest.

Today’s surplus of wildlife has turned many of our thoughts away from the pure joy of knowing that they are out there. That

somewhere in the wilderness they live their lives and if we play our cards right we might encounter them.

There is nothing wrong with the celebration of wildlife in the form of a public event. The only way to communicate a need for the conservation of wild things and wild places is to get the message out there.

Elk Fest is a fantastic way to do this, but the private celebration of those wild things and wild places is where the connection is made. It’s where the conservation spirit is born. This past Christmas Eve my family and I had one of those celebrations; an experience that instilled a childlike sense of awe in me again.

It was a frosty, moonless night with stars so bright and sparkling you would have sworn they were polished by a celestial hand. There was no other traffic in Boxley Valley, indeed no one was stirring. As we stepped from the car, the dome light faded and the silence of a winter’s night enveloped us as deeply as the inky darkness. Minutes passed. We heard the “mews” of elk feeding in the darkness. Heavy hoof steps came closer and we could make out shadowy forms in the pasture. Suddenly, the piercing bugle of a bull shattered the stillness and we all shuddered at the stark wildness in that sound. I doubt my daughter will ever utter the words, “it’s just an elk.”

The gift of that moment will remain one of my most memorable. I encourage you to get out there and seek a moment of your own. An encounter of the wild kind is the surest way to instill or refresh the conservationist spirit in all of us.

Arkansas Game Commission Proposes Late Migratory Bird Seasons LITTLE ROCK, AR -- The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission approved the early season migratory bird dates. AGFC Wildlife Management Chief David Goad presented the Commission with the late migratory season proposals.

Proposed duck season dates: Nov. 17-Nov. 25 Dec. 6-Dec. 23 Dec. 26-Jan. 27 Youth Hunt: Feb. 2-3 The late migratory bird season dates will be approved at the August commission meeting.

Early migratory bird season dates: • Mourning Dove and Eurasian Collared Dove Sept. 1-Oct. 25 and Dec. 26-Jan. 9

• Common Snipe Season Nov. 1-Feb. 15

• Rail Season Sept. 8-Nov. 16

• Early Canada Goose Season Sept. 1-15

• Teal Season Sept. 8-23

• Purple Gallinule and Common Moorhen Season Sept. 1-Nov. 9

• Woodcock Season Nov. 3-Dec. 17

• Northwest Canada Goose Zone Season Sept. 22-Oct. 1

Goad also presented the Commission with a proposed plan to remove permanent blinds on St. Francis Sunken Lands and Big Lake wildlife management areas in northeast Arkansas. The commission will vote on the blind removal proposal at its August meeting.

Each person claiming a blind and would like to remove it, will be required to secure a blind removal permit. The permit will allow for specific vehicles and equipment to be utilized in the removal process.

The proposed permit states that no habitat degradation will be allowed. If approved in August, blind removal could begin Sept. 1 and end Oct. 14. On Oct. 15, AGFC personnel will remove all remaining blinds.

There are 128 blinds on St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA and 98 blinds on Big Lake WMA. Goad also presented the commission with other recommended proposals on the state’s public hunting land.

• Allowing all day hunting on Corps of Engineers land outside Lloyd Millwood Greentree Reservoir in the Lake Nimrod WMA. • Prohibiting surface-drive motors of more than 36 horsepower on the state’s WMAs. • Increase the non-resident Arkansas Waterfowl Stamp from $20 to $35 and the nonresident five-day WMA waterfowl hunting permit from $10 to $25.

• Allow all day waterfowl hunting on private land inside the levee of St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA during waterfowl season. The proposal excludes inholdings in the WMA.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 5

Capturing, keeping deer prohibited by AGFC’s action

Greenwood, Lonoke squads snag AYSSP titles AGFC and Ethan Nahté contributed to this story The G-Force Trap Team from Greenwood and Team Nitro from Lonoke were the top shooters in the junior and senior divisions at the recently completed state finals of the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program.

The tournament was held June 1-2 at the Remington range near Lonoke.

Champion of Champions in the junior division was Dustin Robertson from Berryville Middle School. Jordan Harper of the Harrisburg Trap Club was the Champion of Champions in the senior division.

In the junior division, Team No.1 from Berryville Middle School took second place and Salem 1-8 took third place. In the senior division, the Pigeon Poppers squad from Greenwood placed second and AAA from Harrisburg placed third.

The Pigeon Poppers had a heartbreaking defeat. Team Nitro was first to shoot in the finals. They only had 12 or 13 shots failing to hit their target.

As the Greenwood Bulldogs Pigeon Poppers took their turn, misfortune struck.

Ryan Hinman had a misfire. His second attempt on his first round was successful, but that would be the last shell to fire for the senior. His next 48 attempts over 24 rounds were all misfires. After a successful day of shooting something must’ve gone wrong with his weapon. He traded out shells with the judges from the same batch that other competitors were using.

Not counting any missed shots by other members of the Pigeon Poppers team, the misfires automatically dropped the team 24 points out of a possible 125. Each member of the top three senior division teams was

awarded a college scholarship ($1,500 for first, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.

Each team consists of five members, making first place a total of $7500 in scholarships, and so on.) The top three teams in both divisions also won trophies. If you have ever wondered where the money went when you see an AGFC license plate on a vehicle, there’s your answer. It goes to scholarships and other related costs for the archery and the firearms shooting sports. The AYSSP is more than just learning to shoot a weapon.

It’s a chance to get students involved, get them outdoors and it generally teaches the participants, both male and female, many safety techniques in handling a weapon they may not learn elsewhere.

Teams from across the state competed in four regional competitions to qualify for the championship. Each region was represented by 16 teams in the junior and senior divisions.

In addition to team competition, shooters with perfect scores during regional tournaments were invited to compete individually in the Champion of Champions event at the state finals.

In addition, AWF was proud to recognize the coaches for all of their time and effort.

AWF purchased a 887 Nitro Magnum .12 gauge shotgun. Chuck Woodson, the shooting sports coordinator for AGFC, drew the lucky winner, Mr. Jim Magee of the Brookland Bearcats.

The AYSSP is an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission program that encourages youth to learn to shoot shotguns safely while enjoying the outdoors. To learn more about the AYSSP or to become a coach, visit www.agfc.com to download a brochure or contact Chuck Woodson, 501-230-4738 or jdwoodson@agfc.state.ar.us.

LITTLE ROCK – Capturing deer as pets will soon become a thing of the past in Arkansas.

New regulations adopted by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission make it illegal to capture deer in the wild.

There is a grandfather clause in the new rules. Deer already in captivity can be kept. No new deer “pets” can be taken after July 1.

The numbers of deer kept as pets in Arkansas are not large, but they have a number of potential problems, according to AGFC wildlife biologists.

The threat of disease is one, and AGFC and hunting land managers are working diligently to prevent chronic wasting disease in Arkansas. The disease has not been found in the state, and bans are in place against importing live deer and other cervids (deer family) from outside Arkansas’s borders.

Another reason for the new regulation is individuals keeping deer in unsanitary and inhumane conditions, according to AGFC deer biologist Cory Gray. “Deer should not be treated like dogs or other pets and kept in small pens without adequate space to roam.

They are very sensitive to E. Coli and Salmonella, which originate due to unsanitary conditions,” Gray said.

Pet deer also can be dangerous at times, especially bucks during breeding season. A number of persons have been seriously injured from attacks of pet deer, even persons who have been known to the deer for

several years.

Every year, deer fawns are found in grassy and weedy areas, even hay fields, by persons who mistakenly think the babies have been abandoned by their mothers. In reality, wildlife biologists say, the mothers are out of sight but nearby. “A newborn fawn spends nearly 100 percent of its time hidden while the mother is feeding to build energy for nursing. Typically, this is when people come across these fawns and assume that the mother has abandoned the newborn,” Gray explained. “Within a month, the fawn will be following the mother nearly everywhere she goes,” he added.

In addition, these “abandoned” fawns begin grazing by the end of two weeks, and will start the weaning process at about a month. The does should have the fawns completely weaned by 10 weeks, but occasional nursing may be observed. Leave the deer alone, Gray says. “When you leave, the mother will come back to the baby,” he said.

In rare instances, a mother deer may fall prey to vehicles on highways or to some other cause, leaving a fawn unable to care for itself. In these cases, a wildlife rehabilitator should be contacted. Licensed rehabilitators are listed online at agfc.com. The orphaned deer should be left in place until help arrives unless there is immediate danger from animals like roaming dogs.

6 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Gordon Bagby AGFC Education Specialist Central Arkansas Nature Center

Hunting Seasons Everyone I have spoken with is ready for fall to arrive. The extreme heat and minimal rain during the summer has taken its toll on almost everything and everybody. Hunters are wondering about this summer’s effect on wildlife. Food and water have been scarce in much of the state and that does impact wildlife health and survival rates. Game and Fish Commission wildlife biologists are carefully monitoring the situation.

Updates will be listed on the agency website at www.agfc.com.

Although a few seasons are already open, dove season is traditionally considered by most hunters as the beginning of fall hunting seasons. This year dove season opens on Saturday, September 1.

As usual there are some changes so read the regulations carefully before you hunt. Printed copies are now available and also can be downloaded from the agency website at www.agfc.com. A major change is archery season opens September 15 this year which is a couple of weeks earlier than the past. The daily limit for squirrels has increased to 12 and the possession limit has been raised to 48.

Page four of the hunting guidebook lists the new information for this year.

Hunter Education No discussion of hunting season is complete without including hunting safety. All persons born after 1968 must pass a hunter education course from Arkansas or another state. Many courses are being taught by hunter education instructors across the state.

The free classes are 10 hours, usually on multiple evenings but sometimes all day on Saturday. A list of classes is available under the Education section at www.agfc.com. A free CD is available at Game and Fish Commission offices, nature centers and education centers that allow individuals to complete the course on a computer and then take a proctored test. An online course is also available from the agency website for $19.50.

The Game and Fish Commission relies on volunteer instructors to help teach hunter and boating education classes.

Without their valuable assistance we would not be able to meet the demand.

If you are an instructor, thank you for your help! If you would like to become an instructor you can contact hunter education coordinator Joe Huggins or boating education instructor Bob Cushing at 501-776-0218.

Upcoming Events at the Central Arkansas Nature Center September 13 Learn New Tricks to Catch More Catfish, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Speaker: Keith Sutton. Copies of Sutton’s fishing books will be available for purchase after the seminar. Free. Register to attend by calling the nature center office at 501-907-0636.

September 18 Leopold Education Project workshop, 9:00 – 3:30. Trainer: Dr. Marc Hirrel. Topics: urban wildlife and wetlands. Cost: $30 by cash or check only upon arrival. Register to attend by calling the nature center office at 501-907-0636.

September 22 National Hunting and Fishing Day, 9:30 – 3:00. Special displays, activities and demonstrations to highlight the importance of hunting and fishing. Free.

On behalf of the staff at the Central Arkansas Nature Center, we are honored to be chosen as the 2012 Conservation Educator of the Year by the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

There is no award more meaningful than one from your friends. Thank you all!

September Volunteer Events Planned for Bearcat Hollow

by Ethan Nahté

September is the usual month to volunteer with AWF on the Bearcat Hollow Cooperative Project. This year AWF has a couple of things happening. The first date is Saturday, September 22nd at Round Hill Field. AWF and National Forest Foundation, the organization that provides the grant money and oversees the land rehabilitation project, will be installing a new gate. Volunteers are already in-hand, but if you would like to volunteer, read on.

The second event will be the following weekend. The actual workday will be Saturday, September 29th, which is National Public Lands Day. For those volunteers that would like to camp out the evening before, instead of making the drive early in the morning, you are welcome to come join us at Round Hill Field late Friday afternoon. Campers will need to supply their own camping gear and any special health/dietary needs they may require. Otherwise, a dinner will be cooked over an open fire the evening of the 28th. Breakfast and lunch will be served the next day.

Work typically begins early in the morning and is done by mid-afternoon.

Work detail has consisted of eradicating non-native species of plants and weeds, planting native grass and clover seeds, placing debris in ponds for aquatic species, pulling up old fence, installing gates, brush hogging, picking up litter, or assisting with the cooking if that is more your expertise than getting your hands dirty.

That being said, AWF and partners will supply the tools. Volunteers are responsible for their own footwear (we recommend good work boots or hiking boots) and work gloves. This is up in the Ozark Mountains. The nearest store is a ways off and the nearest emergency

facilities are even further. If you require antihistamines for allergies or have need for an EpiPen we suggest you carry it with you. The same goes for sunscreen and bug spray. With the very mild winter Arkansas had this year and the extremely hot summer, insects will probably be abundant. If you aren’t used to being outdoors then a word of advice, leave hairspray, cologne/ perfume at home. It only attracts the critters. Wearing layers of clothing is also suggested. The morning and evening way up in the mountains can get chilly at times, even in September. The day normally warms up pretty quick, especially when you are working. There are no facilities with the exception of your tent, trees and bushes. We do generally set up a port-a-potty housed in a tent for some privacy.

That’s not meant to scare anyone off.

It’s just a little common sense when working in an environment as remote, yet spectacularly beautiful as the Bearcat Hollow area. Each year the number of volunteers grows based primarily off of the word-of-mouth from volunteers who helped the previous year.

Bring your camera, you never know when you might see a herd of deer, elk, or possibly even a black bear. Yes, they exist up in this part of the country, but generally when we have 50 or so volunteers the bears tend to keep their distance. They prefer their berries and grubs over noisy people.

For more information or to volunteer contact the AWF Office: 501-2249200 or arkwf@sbcglobal.net or Wayne Shewmake: 479-229-2298 or wayne093@centurytel.net . It is very important we know how many people to expect so we bring enough food and drinks. A map and directions will be sent by email to volunteers.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 7

AWF sponsors COE Parks for the Public use January 2012, AWF was made aware of the possible closing of 29 Corp of Engineers Parks (COE) in western Arkansas by news articles in local and state newspapers. The Corp announced that because of budget cut backs statewide they would have to close 29 parks to save about $ 1.9 million a year.

Some of us set down and wrote letters to our Congressmen and Senators about these closing and how it could affect the small communities as well as the public who have used them for several years.

Yell County Wildlife Federation (YCWF) was contacted by one of the members who live next to one of the parks in Yell County. He, Jim Heflin, had been discussing ways to try and keep the park open to the public. Jim had met with several local individuals and they decided they would form a Friends Group to find a way to keep their park open.

A Meeting was held with YCWF board members and COE people. We discovered that there were other groups that wanted to keep their local parks open, more discussions.

Since some of the parks were in other counties and the cost of the required $1,000,000 liability insurance cost, it was decided that it might be best to ask the Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF) to sponsor all of the parks.

Again YCWF, AWF and COE had more meetings to try to figure out how we could keep these parks open. COE has requirements that these parks could be leased for 5 years or more to Non-Profit or to Government Agencies (Cities Governments). Arkansas Wildlife Federation is a non-profit (501 c 3) organization, so we qualify to lease the parks.

AWF was contacted by 4 separate groups, Delaware Bay Park, Pontoon Park, Bigelow Park, and Cane Creek Park. These groups of concerned citizens who wanted to keep their local park open and would work with AWF to keep them open.

AWF contacted 3 different insurance companies to obtain required insurance coverage for the COE parks. It took AWF and these Friends Groups several months and 5 different COE lease agreements to finally get to the point we could maybe lease these parks.

In June 2012 AWF and the Friends Groups had met the requirements by COE and signed the 5 year lease agreement for all 4 parks.

Each of these parks will be leased to AWF and cared for by the newly formed affiliate Friends of each of the parks. These Friends groups will volunteer to clean up, mow, and care for these

parks for the next 5 years. Some of them will be asking for donations to help support the upkeep of the parks, like the boat ramp, picnic tables, fire rings, and even the drive way is part of the responsibility for the Friends and AWF. Volunteers will do all of the work and do what they can to raise money to care for these parks and keep them open for the public.

This makes me stop and think about the importance of volunteers and all they do for others and their communities, for without them we would end up closing these parks and the public would have to find another location

to go fishing and camping. Also with the shape of today’s economy it is very hard for small communities like to Delaware, Bigelow, and Scranton. Why would anyone want to open a bait shop or store in a community that don’t have access to the lake or river?

AWF is and always has been a friend to fishermen, sportsmen and women of Arkansas. We have and continue to support conservation and the wise use of our land for everyone. If you would like to know more or contribute please contact AWF at 501-2249200, or arkwf@sbcglobal.net.

8 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Van Hollow on Beaver Lake

By Dr. Robert Morgan

Back in May, Steve Patterson and I were working on a project to construct floating wetland islands in Lake Fayetteville.

Steve is a restoration ecologist from Poteau, Oklahoma. We have a lot in common because Steve conducts the source water protection program for the Poteau Valley Industrial Authority on Lake Wister near Poteau and I manage source water protection for Beaver Water District in Lowell, AR. Steve had a copy of the University of Arkansas’ Graduate Discovery magazine that had on the cover a photo of a cove in Beaver Lake surrounded by bluffs. He wondered if I knew where the photo was taken. I replied that I didn’t know for sure, but had a few ideas. Thus began the search for the photo. June 30 we visited Hogscald hollow. Hogscald was spectacular, but it wasn’t the site of the photo. My second guess of the locale was Van Hollow so we scheduled a trip.

Thad Scott, a limnologist or lake scientist, also joined us on the trip to Van Hollow. Most of my outings to Beaver Lake are either by myself, or with my wife, Sharon, so this trip was special. I was excited to have the chance to listen to two experts discuss the lake. We met at my house at 6 a.m. so we could get an early start. The boats were loaded and we were on the road at 6:15 a.m. By 7:10 a.m., we were at the put in ready to go. A lone canoe was paddling up the lake toward the launch. He pulled in and started loading his canoe on his truck. I guess early is a relative term.

Van Hollow is mid-lake on Beaver so this trip was out of my regular routine of working down lake from the headwaters. The Hobbs Estate State Park and Conservation Area surrounds the hollow. Van Hollow is named for Peter

Van Winkle who moved into the hollow in 1851 and started a sawmill. According to the Friends of Hobbs website, Roscoe Hobbs and his Ozark Land and Lumber Company acquired 12,500 acres from the Van Winkle family in 1912. Mr. Hobbs’ goal was to use the second growth timber on the property to make railroad ties.

Through several iterations of the lumber company, Hobbs conducted timber operations on the property into the 1960s.

He was, according to the report on the website, a good steward of the land. In the 1970s, the Hobbs’ property became available for purchase. A consortium of 22 Northwest Arkansas banks and The Nature Conservancy came together to purchase the land and put it into a trust until the State of Arkansas could put together finances to complete the purchase. In 1979, the Hobbs Estate State Park and Conservation Area was formed. Thus we are blessed with several miles of protected shoreline along Beaver Lake.

Thad, Steve, Sharon and I took off down lake. The water was very clear.

The water surface elevation was 1114.7, almost 12 feet down from its high for 2012. Although the day was predicted to be hot, the morning temperature was low enough that Sharon donned her jacket for a while. The conversation quickly turned to periphyton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, nutrient uptake, assimilation, internal nutrient loading, nitrogen fixation and such. I commented that the lake water felt warm. We paddled on, Steve and Thad delving deeper and deeper into lake process, Sharon and I watching out for submerged logs.

During the morning, we explored several coves. Van Hollow is a land of cracks and crevices. Rocks and low bluffs surrounded each hollow. Caves were numerous. At one cave, we found

Van Hollow on Beaver Lake is a land of cracks, crevices and caves.

This is a good example of Karst terrain. point G on the Aquatics Trail. I wondered where points A through F were.

With the lake so low, it was difficult to identify birds and plants. I heard Pileated and Red Headed Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Indigo Buntings, and a Red Tail Hawk. At one point, two King Fishers came out of the forest making a racket.

One of them left while the other returned to the same spot in the forest. At another point in the back of a cove, the air was full of bird song, most of which I did not know. We couldn’t get close enough to make visual identification.

At 10 a.m., we were nearing the mouth of Van Hollow. It was starting to get hot. We decided to head for the truck. As we started up the cove, we heard a boat approaching from down lake. It was a fairly large ski boat, the kind with speakers the size of a suitcase on a bar overhead. There were five people in the boat and two wake boarders being towed behind. As they passed, we turned the bow of our canoes into the wake to prevent being capsized. These were the biggest waves that I have had to deal

with on Beaver. They were bigger than the largest standing waves on the Buffalo River. Our boats bobbed for a couple of minutes and we headed on. Then the ski boat turned around.

A rational mind can be annoying at times. I was really irritated at the boat for disturbing our peaceful outing and making such a big wake. And I wanted to hang on to my irritation. Then as I stewed, I thought that here was a family, together, on an outing, enjoying Beaver Lake. Getting kids outside is the only way we can assure continued respect of our natural resources.

We all have our ways to appreciate lakes.

There are 27,000 acres in Beaver Lake.

That is plenty of room to share. Besides, skiers rarely get on the lake before 10 a.m. so there is plenty of time to enjoy the lake before they get up.

At 11 a.m. we arrived back at our truck.

We were on the lake just shy of four hours.

Google Earth says we paddled about 7 miles. Almost all of it was within the state park. We didn’t find the photo spot. I guess that means more trips.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 9

JULY/AUGUST UPCOMING EVENTS

76th Anniversary AWF Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards Banquet

Saturday, August 25, 2012 Times: TBA The Center of Bryant, 6401 Boone Road, Bryant, AR Contact AWF for tickets or to sponsor at (501) 224-9200 or arkwf@sbcglobal.net

AWF Quarterly Meeting

Saturday, September 8, 2012 10 am – 2pm AGFC Main Office 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock Open to the Public The first quarterly meeting of AWF’s fiscal year will be held in the Hall of Heroes board room. Agenda items will include voting of Board Member positions, report on annual banquet, upcoming Bearcat Hollow volunteer day events.

There will be a working lunch provided. Please R.S.V.P. so we can get an accurate headcount for feeding people. If you have an item you would like placed on the agenda, contact the AWF Office no later than August 31. AWF Office: 501224-9200 or arkwf@sbcglobal.net

Lee Creek Clean-up

Saturday, September 8, 2012 9 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Day Use Horse Parking Area (@ west end of park off Hwy. 220) Devil’s Den State Park The 5th Annual Lee Creek Cleanup is being held on Saturday September 8th from 9 am - 1:30 pm and we would LOVE to have your help once more in keeping the only Extraordinary Resource Water in Washington and Crawford counties clean! Cleaning up from Devil’s Den State Park to Arkansas Hwy . 59 bridge. Door prizes and Lunch!

For more information contact: John Pennington JHPennington@uaex.edu or 479-444-1770

Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshop

Saturday, September 15, 2012 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

ASU-Heber Springs campus Administration bldg. – McCoy Room 101 River Crest Drive Heber Springs, AR Join us for a fun-filled educational day of professional development featuring Project Learning Tree. Participants will receive an activity guide containing 96 hands on activities correlated to the state and national education frameworks and Mathematics and Language Arts Common Core...FREE!!! Participants will learn how to implement these activities in their own classrooms and education centers.

Receive training in this internationally recognized environmental education program in one day and get 6 hours of ADE-approved professional development. Activities include lessons for Pre-K through 12th grades. Participants must stay for the full 6 hour training in order to receive the curriculum guide and the 6 hours of PD. No partial credit will be given.

Free but must pre-register. Contact Jody Rath at jlrath@ asub.edu or call 501-362-1273. Please include your name, school or affiliation, address and phone number. Bring a sack lunch.

Advanced PLT Workshop: Nature Journaling

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks 4703 N. Crossover Road Fayetteville, AR Nature journaling in the classroom supports lessons in both literacy and science. Observation, writing, sketching, data collection, sequencing, and reflection are a few of the many useful skills students may use in their journals.

This workshop will demonstrate the use of PLT activities to improve and enhance nature journaling skills. This will be an interactive workshop conducted in both indoor and outdoor settings.

Lunch will be brown bag, local eating options are limited.

This workshop is approved for 6 hours of professional development credit as allowed by the ADE. This workshop is open to teachers and non-formal educators. Those who have previously taken the PreK-8 Project Learning Tree training should bring their guides.

Workshop space is limited to 25 registrants FREE but must preregister. Email mviney@audubon.org and include your name, school or affiliation, address and phone number.

National Forest Foundation/Bearcat Hollow Day

Saturday, September 22, 2012 Bearcat Hollow AWF will be installing a new gate. For more information contact Wayne Shewmake: wayne093@centurytel.net 479229-2298 Nonpoint Source Pollution Stakeholder’s Meeting Wednesday – Thursday, September 26-27, 2012 U of A Cooperative Extension Services headquarters 2301 S. University Ave. Little Rock, AR Join us Sept. 26 & 27th in Little Rock for an update on Arkansas’ Nonpoint Source Pollution management plan.

Public input is always valuable.

This year’s stakeholder meeting will focus on the program’s new federal challenges and the strengths of Arkansas’ efforts to reduce nps pollution For conference agenda and more information visit: Arkansaswater.org

Butterfly Days

Thursday-Friday, September 27-28, 2012 The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Fayetteville area schools This fabulous outdoor learning experience is designed for third grade classes and based on their science frameworks BUT other grades can fill any remaining spaces. The experience will include eight station rotations. The BGO now has a butterfly pavilion that hosts native butterflies, caterpillars and more!

Please share this information with any colleagues who might have an interest in attending! Acceptance is on a firstcome, first-served basis! Sign up now!

For information, please email Judy Smith at jsmith@ bgozarks.org .

Bearcat Hollow Volunteer Weekend

Friday – Saturday, September 28-29, 2012 Bearcat Hollow AWF’s annual big volunteer weekend happens on National Outdoors Day once again. Come help plant seed, eradicate non-native plants and trees, clean-up litter, camp out and enjoy some outdoor cooking and camaraderie (or drive up early on Saturday morning if you prefer not to camp).

All you need are your own work boots, gloves, camping gear and any special dietary needs. We supply the tools and food.

For more information & to R.S.V.P. so we can get an accurate head count for food supplies, contact the AWF office: arkwf@sbcglobal.net 501-224-9200 or Wayne Shewmake: wayne093@centurytel.net 479-229-2298

Archery Fork and Little Red River Clean-up

Saturday, September 29th, 2012 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Archey Fork Park, Clinton, AR The exciting Clinton Water Restoration Project will be kicked off with a river clean-up on September, 29th. We are meeting at the Archey Fork Park in Clinton, AR at 9am to review the details and pick up supplies. Lunch will be served to all participants at noon to conclude the clean-up.

The clean-up around the time of the ground-breaking is an important part of the project. It will be a great way to get people engaged and more familiar with the river: the work to restore it and make it more useable by the public. For more information please contact Peyton Rose: peyton@arpanel.org

Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA)

Sunday – Wednesday, October 7-10, 2012 Embassy Suites Hot Springs Hotel & Spa Hot Springs, AR Make plans now to join us for the 66th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Fish & Wildlife Agencies in Hot Springs, Arkansas, October 7 - 10, 2012. We’re planning some special events that you won’t want to miss!

AWF will be sharing space with their parent organization NWF at the SEAFWA event. For more information about the event visit http://seafwa.org/annual_conference.php

ADEQ Watershed Conference

Wednesday – Friday, October 10-12, 2012 Fort Smith, AR “Water: Our Living Treasure” is this year’s theme for ADEQ’s watershed conference.

From green planning to pollution reduction, a wide range of topics will be explored at the conference.

The event should appeal to a broad audience from fledgling watershed groups and concerned citizen groups to state employees, county officials and planners. The keynote speaker will be Cynthia Barnett a longtime journalist and author who’s reported on freshwater issues in the United States and abroad.

Sessions on storm water runoff, development and water quality, and how to increase public involvement and awareness are all on tap. The topics were chosen by a committee that includes representatives from across the state who are all interested in watershed protection and water conservation.

For more information contact: Raven Lawson, Watershed Coordinator, (501) 682-0022 or lawson@adeq.state.ar.us

10 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Critter Care

By Johnny Sain, Jr.

Back in the 1970’s there was a popular television show loosely based on a mountain man named Grizzly Adams. Adams saw it as his duty to protect nature and wildlife. The show’s introduction featured a narrative

by Adam’s friend, Mad Jack, owner of the cantankerous mule Ol’ Number Seven.

Mad Jack told some of the history of the greenhorn Grizzly Adams, why he came to the mountains, and that Adams “just had a special kind of way with the animals.” Some folks still have a special kind of way with the animals.

Sheila Johnson Williams of Hagarville has been a wildlife rehabilitator for about 50 years. “I started when I was about 9 years old. I’ve just always loved animals and my mom was very understanding. Living in the Ozark Mountains with lots of animals, it’s just something I always did. I brought them to school, people found out I liked to take care of animals and they started bringing animals to me.”

Sheila’s interest in animals never diminished. “As I got older, I took some wildlife rehabilitation courses, but I pretty much knew how to take care of them. I can’t explain it; I just had an instinct for it.

Sometime years back, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission required a permit to do it, so I got a permit. I’ve kept a permit since then.”

Wildlife rehabilitation is a labor of love as Sheila explained. “It’s expensive and there is no funding for it. Food, cages, medicine, it all comes out of the rehabilitators pocket.

You have to be devoted. Sometimes you get up in the middle of the night to feed babies, you can’t ever go anywhere and it can tear you up emotionally. Sometimes you lose an animal and it breaks your heart, but it’s very rewarding when you finally turn an animal loose that you’ve raised or nursed back to health. This is something you’ve got to love in order to do.”

Sheila rehabs small mammals like squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. She also takes in deer, but the oddball animal in her

history was a bird. ”I’ve rehabbed most all of the small mammals found in Arkansas, but the weirdest animal I’ve raised was a roadrunner. It was back before I had a permit and it was the cutest thing. It made this weird little sound when it was hungry.”

Animals only stay with Sheila until they can survive in the wild. “It depends on the age of the baby animal as to how long I keep them, probably about 6 to 8 weeks is the average length of time. You can’t just turn them loose, you have to train them. For most of the animals I rehab, like skunks, my yard has a wire fence around it so I turn them out in it to catch grasshoppers and get familiar with being outside. After that, I take them on walks, trying to teach them how to be independent and then, one day; they just wander off on their own.”

Living in rural Arkansas means that hunting is something Sheila is very familiar with. “As a matter of fact my husband Jerry is a hunter, but he’s not allowed to hunt on our place. It’s as simple as that. There’s just too much conflict. We bought a place in the mountains where he can hunt, but no, he can’t hunt around here. It would be like killing your dog or cat.”

Linda Vernon of Dardanelle has been a wildlife rehabilitator since she was a young

girl. Conservation is in her blood and was a large part of her life as she grew up. “My dad and granddad were game wardens. My first experiences with rehabbing animals as a child was a bear cub, six fox kits, and an eagle; all brought home by my dad. Daddy took his bear cub to Little Rock to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission main office to show these guys and then he took it to the Little Rock Zoo where it stayed. They named the bear after my dad, his nickname was Pug, and so they named the bear Pug.” Linda rehabilitates small mammals, deer, and has a federal permit to rehabilitate raptors or birds of prey. “It seems like I get a lot of a certain kinds of animal at once. Last year it was deer, this year so far it’s been baby squirrels.”

Like Sheila, Linda states that being a wildlife rehabilitator is very demanding.

“People don’t realize that different animals need different types of care. I don’t know the last time I had a vacation, I just can’t leave the animals that need care.” However, the rewards are very satisfying. “I love to see the animals get better and be able to release them.

It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.”

Linda offered some examples of reasons that injured or abandoned animals need to be turned over to a knowledgeable wildlife

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012 - 11 rehabilitator. “My friend got a little deer one time and told me she tried to feed it creamed corn. Fawns need milk for the first months of their life. Another lady called me and said she couldn’t figure out why the baby wood duck she had wouldn’t eat the baby formula she was trying to feed it. Of course, birds don’t drink any kind of milk.”

Linda believes that wildlife rehabilitators play an important part in conservation. “I had a game warden call me the other day and tell me how much they appreciate us. I think they estimate that we save about 2,000 animals per year.”

Cute and fuzzy baby animals pull on the heartstrings of everybody, but Linda and Sheila caution against “rescuing” baby wild animals. According to Linda, the best thing you can do is leave them alone. “Leave it alone unless you know the mother is dead.

The best thing in the world for that animal is to be left in the wild. If the mother is dead or the animal is injured, then contact a wildlife rehabilitator.” Sheila backs up these thoughts, particularly regarding deer fawns. “A lot of people find fawns close to houses, barns, roads. Just leave them alone, the odds are that the mother is close by watching. They put the fawns close to people to keep them safe from coyotes. The coyotes usually won’t get close to roads and houses.”

Spring has arrived in Arkansas and with it the annual cycle of wild babies being born.

As you travel the River Valley, Ouachita, and the Ozark Mountains, be on the lookout for the young animals just learning their way in the world. Remember that the little critters are probably not abandoned and that mama is watching close by. But, if you see an animal needing help contact one of the experts to insure that animal the best chance of returning to the wild.

If you do find an injured or abandoned animal contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at 1-800-364-4263 or at www. agfc.com for information about a wildlife rehabilitator near you.

For more of Johnny’s writing as well as outdoors and conservation news go to www. aviewfromthebackroads.com

ARGENTINA DOVE HUNT Sporting Adventures International, LLC. Would like to offer your event a 4-man 3-day dove hunting trip to the finest dove hunting area in the world … Cordoba, Argentina. There are 50,000,000 doves in the Cordoba Valley and the birds never migrate. The accommodations are world class and the staff is the best in the business.

FOUR PEOPLE, THREE DAYS, RETAIL PRICE $11,000 The trip includes: three full days of hunting for four people, all meals and lodging in one of our three five star lodges. You will be met at the Cordoba airport and enjoy a VIP Reception (with drinks and baggage handlers). You will then be escorted in our private van to the hunting lodges. Your trip will include English speaking guides, all ground transportation to and from the hunting areas, birdboys, gun cleaning and laundry service. You will be taken care of from the time you get off the plane in Argentina until you board the plane to return to the US. One of our representatives will be with you at all times.

You can rest easy that you will be well taken care of on this hunt

FOR MORE INFORMATION WWW.SHOOTDOVES.COM OR CALL 803-713-8888

12 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Photos by Ethan Nahté

24th Annual Spring Lake Children's Fishing Derby

Butterfield Trail Elem

Photos by Jim Wood

mentary School habitat

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012 - 13

14 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Wildfire Safety Tips

By Ethan Nahté

Not a summer goes by that we don’t hear about or see a large forest fire on the evening news or read about it in the paper. Although Arkansas has a fire on occasion, the big stories always seem to be out west in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and California. 2012 has been a bit different. Granted, our fires haven’t been as huge and on-going as, say, the fire in Colorado, but Arkansas has had a few major blazes, including some reportedly started by

Wildfire in Ola

teenagers playing with fireworks.

Fires near Hot Springs and Arkadelphia have caused evacuations. As we go to press a large fire in Perry county caused evacuations while another 300 acres burned in Clark county. The same goes for a large fire outside of Atkins in the middle of the summer. A massive fire, by our typical measurements, of 1400 acres popped up not too far from the small town of Ola which had people and livestock bustling out of the area. The drought this year resulted in Arkansas calling in the

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air squad to fight fires a month earlier than usual. Several states report that this past July was the hottest on record for several days in a row. Being careless can result in millions of dollars in damage, loss of resources, and loss of habitat for both humans and wildlife.

Remember that a burn ban in your area doesn’t simply mean “No Campfires.” It also means to not cook on a grill or shoot fireworks.

It also means that smokers shouldn’t flick their ashes or throw their cigarette butts out of their car window. In addition to a fire hazard it is also littering. It only takes one small spark touching a dry piece of grass to start a major catastrophe.

The US Forest Service provides these details for wildfire safety tips:  Make sure all fires are dead out. If they are too hot to touch, they are too hot to leave.  Never toss cigarettes or matches onto the ground. Make sure they are out and disposed of properly.  Never park your vehicle over dead grass, your catalytic converter can ignite the fuels and start a fire.  Make a fire safe zone around your home. Clear flammable vegetation from around your home at least 30 feet away. Keep your roof and gutters clean. Don’t stack firewood against the house.  Don’t run power equipment (such as lawn mowers or chainsaws) on dry windy days. Sparks from the blade or engine may start a fire.

Also, the USFS post their daily fire summaries to the web. This document includes fire activity on a daily basis, along with a listing of resources on the forest. It’s good information to have – you can find it at www.fs.usda.gov/ouachita (Ouachita National Forest) or http://www.fs.usda.gov/osfnf (Ozark & St. Francis National Forests)- under quick links on the right side of the page, click “Daily Fire Status Report.” The last page has an up-to-date chart showing the number of fires and acreages for several agencies from January 1, 2012. They will continue posting the fire updates through the fire season.

Water Trivia Scavenger Hunt

By Ethan Nahté The folks at Beaver Water District have put together a scavenger hunt game that is educational for kids and adults. You choose if you want to be Randy the Frog or Castor the Beaver and answer 32 different questions, 16 for each character, while referencing a map with your character’s image spread across it. The game is relatively simple and easy to make a perfect score, but that’s not the point. The information that is given will amaze you. Did you know it takes 4000 gallons of water in the building of a car? Do you know what the boiling point is of water? How about the fact it takes 10 gallons of water to grow the wheat for one slice of bread? Visit the site at http://www. bwdh2o.org/scavenger-hunt-game/.

It’s free and there is nothing to sign up for, so educate yourself and your children about water facts and conservation.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 15

24th Annual Spring Lake Children's Fishing Derby

By Jim Wood & Joy Serrano

Karen, Wayne, and Megan House at Elk Festival in Jasper June 23, 2012

Jasper’s Elk Festival

By Wayne Shewmake

AWF set up a booth at this year’s elk festival in Jasper and had a great time.

There were lots of people and it was HOT! We began with a drawing for a Remington shotgun Model 887, which will be given away at our awards banquet, August 25th, in Bryant, Ark. We also had a free drawing for a Greenwing duck print we gave away at the festival. The winner was Anna Wallace from Yellville, Arkansas.

This year’s festival, held June 22-23, seemed to be very well organized and operated by the volunteers of Jasper. AGFC held their annual elk permit drawing for 25 lucky sportsmen and women of Arkansas.

The season will be divided into two segments: Sept. 24 – 28 and Oct. 29 – Nov. 2, 2012. The private landowners hunt will end Nov. 2nd, or when 34 tags have been filled. Elk hunting on private land is restricted to zone one only.

You can learn more about the elk permits by going to www.AGFC.com .

Needless to say, I wasn’t one of the lucky ones to be drawn, but I did get to be a judge for the elk bugling contest. That was fun and there were several very good competitors, making it extremely difficult to choose just one winner from each age group.

I had an opportunity to talk to some local

people and a lot of visitors who came to the elk festival, most of whom come each year. A very few local people disagree with what the U S Forest Service is doing in managing the Ozark National Forest. We had only had four people who expressed their disagreement with the Bearcat Hollow Project that AWF is involved with. There were a lot of people whom expressed their appreciation and approval for the overall project for wildlife and conservation. I was quite pleased at the comments from people who talked to us about what we are all doing on the Bearcat Hollow Project. Most said they were familiar with the project and had read about it in newspapers and/or magazines. I was very encouraged by those who knew about the Bearcat Hollow Project, how informed they were, and how very impressed they were with the project. For those that didn’t know, I provided details and gave them a copy of Arkansas-Out-of-Doors newspaper which contained three articles about the project. I invited everyone to come up and see the work being done. Several said they would be glad to volunteer to help on the project for the next work weekend September 28-29, 2012.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact AWF office 501/224-9200 or arkwf@sbcglobal.net or Wayne Shewmake 479/229-2298 or wayne093@centurytel.net

Sixty eight youngsters age 4-10 fished June 9th at Spring Lake Fishing Derby. This popular event is sponsored cooperatively by Yell County Wildlife Federation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Forest Service.

300 pounds of channel catfish were stocked by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in a netted cove at the west side of Spring Lake. A special thanks to AR Forestry Commision employees from Danville who cleaned fish for the kids.

Age group winners received trophies plus prizes. First place winners in each age group received a bicycle. A random prize drawing was held for children not catching a winning stringer or a fish. All children went home with a prize.

Fishing Contest Winners AGE 4-6: 1st Place Delaney Mitchell, Danville; 2nd Place Luke Roberts, Dardanelle; 3rd Place Jace Shelton, Scranton.

AGE 7-8: 1st Place Mason Roberds, Dardanelle; 2nd Place Cole Noblett, Havana; 3rd Place Ethan Ellis, Danville.

AGE 9-10: 1st Place Lawson Wilkens, Danville; 2nd Place Devin Mitchell, Danville; 3rd Place Ty Lynch, Danville.

The smallest fish was caught by Koby Burgess, Danville; First to catch a fish was Briar Howard, Paris.The tagged fish was not caught. Casting contest winners were 4-6 Angel Richardson; 7-8 Sage Craig; 9-10 Aaron Phillips.

Co-sponsor donors helping fund this year’s event included Yell County EMS, YC Sheriff Bill Gilkey, Chambers Bank, Greg Bland, Chambers Memorial Hospital, Western Yell County Ruritans, Ross Explorations, Inc., West Main Kroger-Russellville, Rural Telecom Solutions, Gerald’s Body Shop, Yell County Record, Bunting Electric, Mike McDonald and Tyson Foods. Also of Danville, donors included Bumper to Bumper, Flawless, Jam Mart, Main Street Café, Farm Credit, CV’s, Rose Drug, USA Drug, Danville Medical, AR Valley Insurance, El Mariach, Southerlands Book Keeping, Shelter Insurance and Debbie Woodard. A special thanks to the Yell County Dive Team who netted off the cove and Yell County Wildlife members who provided a hot dog lunch following competition.

Located on Ozark NF, Magazine Ranger District, the Derby has become a notable partnership between the local community, AR G&F, AR Forestry Commission, and both Ozark and Ouachita National Forest personnel. A special thanks to NF helpers Mary Mentz, Rick Williamson, Kurt Radcliff, Brandon Durrell, Lisa and Randy Schluterman, Mike Koch, Jonathan Robinson, Steve Overton, Ron Burrows, Brad Evans and Matt Glass. And AR Forestry Commission volunteers George Morris, Lewis Horn, David Yardell, Scott Stark and Clint Lusk.

Jim Wood is a longtime member of AWF & YCWF. Joy Serrano works with US Forest Service.

16 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Plans Address Water Quality 57th Saunders muzzle-loader shoot coming up Sept. 27-30 Issues In Several Streams

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has proposed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plans for several southwest Arkansas streams in response to water quality problems previously identified in the streams. The ADEQ is soliciting public comments on the proposals.

A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards.

The federal Clean Water Act requires states to develop a TMDL for every body of water in the state which has been identified as being impaired in order to protect the designated and existing uses of the water bodies listed in the state’s water quality standards.

One of the proposed TMDLs involves some segments of Dorcheat and Bodcau Bayous, and their tributaries, located in Columbia, Hempstead, Lafayette, and Nevada counties. The proposal addresses stream impairments involving copper, lead, pH (the measurement of the acid/alkaline level of a water body), dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorides, sulfates, and total dissolved solids (TDS).

Copies of the Dorcheat/Bodcau Bayous TMDL, along with various support documents, may be viewed during normal business hours at the ADEQ Headquarters Building, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72118, and at ADEQ information depositories in public libraries at Hope, Little Rock (main branch), Magnolia, and Texarkana, and in the Arkansas State Library, 900 West Capitol, Suite 100, in Little Rock.

Public comments on the Dorcheat/Bodcau Bayous TMDL will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. August 27, 2012.

Another proposed TMDL concerns the Red River and McKinney Bayou located in Hempstead, Lafayette, Little River, and Miller counties, and the Sulphur River

located in Miller County. The proposal deals with stream impairments involving chlorides, sulfates, and TDS. Copies of the Red/Sulphur Rivers/ McKinney Bayou TMDL, along with various support documents, may be viewed during normal business hours at the ADEQ Headquarters Building, and at ADEQ information depositories in public libraries at Little Rock (main branch) and Texarkana, and in the Arkansas State Library in Little Rock.

Public comments on the Red/Sulphur Rivers/McKinney Bayou TMDL will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. August 27, 2012.

The final TMDL being proposed by the ADEQ at this time is a separate proposal involving the Red River in Lafayette and Miller counties, and the Sulphur River in Miller County. The proposed TMDL addresses stream impairments involving temperature and turbidity.

Copies of the Red and Sulphur Rivers TMDL, along with various support documents, may be viewed during normal business hours at the ADEQ Headquarters Building, and at ADEQ information depositories in public libraries at Little Rock (main branch) and Texarkana, and in the Arkansas State Library in Little Rock.

Public comments on the Red and Sulphur Rivers TMDL will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. September 4, 2012.

Copies of all the proposed TMDLs may be found on the ADEQ web site at: http://www. adeq.state.ar.us/water/tmdls/default.asp.

Written comments on the TMDLs will be considered if received by the deadlines listed. Comments should be sent to Selena Medrano, ADEQ Water Division, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72118; E-mail: medrano@adeq.state.ar.us.

Questions concerning the TMDLs may be directed to Ms. Medrano at those addresses, or by telephoning 501-682-0662.

BERRYVILLE – One of Arkansas’s longest running firearms event, the 57th Saunders Memorial Shoot, is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 27-30.

It will take place at Luther Owens Muzzle Loading Range and Park in Berryville.

The black powder shoot and the range commemorate two major figures in Arkansas gun history and is sponsored by Luther’s Long Hunters Club.

C.B. “Buck” Saunders was a Carroll County man who became a world traveler and collector of historical items, especially firearms. His collection is housed in a museum in Berryville. He died in 1952.

Owens, a close friend of Saunders, formed a muzzle-loader shooting club and developed the range and park on land left to the city by Saunders. Owens died in 1977.

Competitors in this year’s shoot will begin firing at noon Thursday and continue to 4 p.m. Shooting on Friday and Saturday will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The black powder events will include offhand rifle and pistol at stationary targets, bench rest matches, men’s and women’s shotgun trap, sporting lays and cartridge trap. Each will have men’s women’s, junior, sub-junior and oldtimers divisions. Prizes and certificates will be awarded in all of the matches and for aggregate scores.

The park’s campgrounds have water, showers, firewood and limited electrical hookups. Free space is available for vendors offering muzzle-loader related items.

Berryville Boy Scouts will offer breakfast each day and lunch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A chicken and catfish fry is scheduled both Thursday and Friday evenings, and a buffet is planned for Saturday evening in the log cabin at the park.

The range is a short distance northwest of Berryville’s town square. Take East College Street off U.S. Highway 62 to the park road.

For more information contact Zoe Caywood at 479-236-4086 or e-mail zcaywood@gmail.com.

Felsenthal to hold first youth quota deer hunt CROSSETT – Applications are now being accepted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials for the first youth quota deer hunt on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. Hunters, age 15 years or younger, may hunt the refuge when accompanied by an adult 21 years or older.

The youth hunt dates coincide with the season dates for the state of Arkansas, Nov. 3-4. All refuge regulations will apply to the hunt, however the bag limit will be one deer, of either sex, and must be checked in at a refuge check station.

Applications for the hunt will be accepted

through Aug. 27 and only 50 permits will be issued. The hunt, application process and the deadline are different from the adult quota hunts on Felsenthal NWR. To apply, visit www.fws.gov/felsenthal to download an application or call our office for more details. While visiting the Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge tune your radio to 1620 am or follow us on Facebook at South Arkansas Refuge Complex for refuge information and more. For more information or to speak with our staff contact Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, 870-364-3167.

If you love wildlife, nature and keeping Arkansas as natural as can be, then why not help by becoming a member of the oldest non-profit conservation organization in The Natural State. For as little as $25 a year you can become a member of Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

That's an average of $2.08 per month; only 7¢ a day.

Help us to conserve wildlife, forests, waterways and wetlands for our children and our children's children for years to come. Fill out the membership form in this issue or contact AWF: arkwf@sbcglobal.net or 501-224-9200 to become a member today.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 17

Arkansas Wildlife Federation 9108 Rodney Parham Rd. Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205 Telephone: (501) 224-9200

“Your voice for hunting, fishing and conservation since 1936”

Snipe, rail, gallinule, moorhen, woodcock hunting is real LITTLE ROCK – If you read all the way to the bottom of news articles about setting of early migratory bird hunting seasons, you saw those names. Woodcock, snipe, rail, gallinule, moorhen.

What are these, and is hunting for them for real?

Yes, indeed. You can hunt them – if you know what they are and can identify them and find them. Some Arkansans do, although these hunters could hold a convention on your back deck.

These are marsh birds, sometimes labeled shore birds. Woodcocks tend to hang out more in upland areas, but still they are classified as marsh birds.

All these species come to Arkansas in late fall and early winter, and all are highly secretive, a major factor in their being little known to outdoors people in the state. A common characteristic for all these five species of marsh birds is a long slender bill which is used for probing into mud for various food items.

In a number of states to the north and east, woodcock hunting is a major activity. Enthusiasts speak of their woodcock shotguns, woodcock boots, woodcock dogs. But the other four species listed in Arkansas hunting seasons aren’t as well known.

Except for woodcock and snipe, the daily bag limits are generous. But who has acquired 25 rails in a day in the field? Or 15 purple gallinules or 15 moorhens?

Another common characteristic of all five marsh bird species is they are good to eat, although there isn’t a lot of meat on each of them. The meat is dark and good tasting when properly prepared. This includes using moist cooking methods to avoid drying out the meat. “About like cooking and eating dove,” one Arkansas hunter described it.

The marsh bird seasons and daily limits this year are:

• Rail, Sept. 8-Nov. 16, limit 25.

• Woodcock, Nov. 3-Dec. 17, limit three.

• Common snipe, Nov. 1-Feb. 15, limit eight.

• Purple gallinule, Sept. 1-Nov. 9, limit 15.

• Common moorhen, Sept. 1-Nov. 9, limit 15.

A suggestion for finding one or more of the species is to scout lowlands close to major waterways. Along the Arkansas River is an example. You need to identify them before hunting. A bird field guide will help. In many cases, your first sight of a marsh bird will be when it flushes virtually from under your feet.

Most marsh bird hunters use shotguns with improved cylinder chokes and small size shot like No. 7 ½ or No. 8.

Arkansas Out-Of-Doors Advertising Agreement Arkansas Out-Of-Doors is the official publication of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation established in 1936, a non-profit, hunting, fishing, and conservation organization dedicated to promoting the wise stewardship of our natural resources. It is a newsprint tabloid publication that is published 6 times per year for the following issues: Jan.-Feb., March-April, MayJune, July-Aug., Sept.-Oct., Nov.-Dec. The publication contains information about hunting, fishing and other outdoor-oriented activities. It also contains articles about conservation. It is mailed near the end of the first month of each issue date to approximately 4500 AWF members and it has an estimated readership of 13,500 to 17,500 people each issue. Those who read this publication enjoy the great outdoor, and they are interested in conservation.

Circle the issue in which the ad is to run: January – February issue, reserve space by Jan. 1. Cameraready art due Jan. 5. Mailing date near the end of January.

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Advertising layout and space: Advertising may send a slick or a black and white copy of a previous ad, a negative for black and white ads, a color key and four-color separations for color ads, or ads may be sent on a disk on CD (PDF, JPEG or EPS) to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. We utilize 90-line screen, right reading, emulsion down. The AWF can assist in making the ad for the client. Depending on amount of time to layout ad, there may be additional fees for this.

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18 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Arkansas Wildlife Federation Congratulates Our 2012 Conservation Award Winners!

Harold Alexander Conservation of the Year Award: Christie Graham

Rex Hancock Wildlife Conservationist of the Year Award: Arkansas Native Plant and Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

John L. Gray Forestry Conservationist of the Year Award: Plum Creek Timber Company Corporate Conservationist of the Year Award: Tyson Foods

Carol Griffee Conservation Communicator of the Year Award: Steve Roberson- KARK TV Conservation Educator of the Year: AGFC’s Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center Staff Student Conservationist of the Year Award: Idun Guenther

Conservation Organization of the Year Award: Traildogs Water Conservationist of the Year Award: Debbie Doss

Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Award: Lee Fields

Boating Education Instructor of the Year Award: Jack Thorp AGFC Wildlife Officer of the Year Corporal Oscar Gerard, Jr.

NWF CONNIE Award – Special Achivement Dwayne Rambo

Remaining Fee Free Days for 2012

By Ethan Nahté There are only a few Fee-Free Days left for the year 2012. These are days when entry fees are waived to encourage more people to get out and enjoy our public lands. Of course 264 of 297 National Parks never charge a fee, but for those parks that do, here’s your chance to visit them at no charge. A few of these days have already passed throughout the year, but there is still time to enjoy the outdoors throughout autumn.

The fee-free days apply only to federal lands such as national forest lands, national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Land Management lands in areas that generally require a pass or a daily fee to enter.

Remaining Fee-Free Days for 2012 National Park Service: • September 29 (National Public Lands Day) • November 10-12 (Veteran’s Day weekend) U.S. Forest Service, National Wildlife Refuge and Bureau of Land Management: • September 29 (National Public Lands Day) • November 10-12 (Veteran’s Day weekend) National Wildlife Refuges will also be free on October 14 in honor of National Wildlife Refuge Week.

September 29 is also part of the weekend you can volunteer and come out on public land at Bearcat Hollow. You can camp and help AWF in a very scenic part of Arkansas (see story in this issue).

Unsure about who manages the land where you like to hike and what pass you usually need? Visit http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm for more information. Click on the link about the type of Pass you might need. You might just discover that you qualify for a free or low-cost lifetime pass.

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 19

Free replacement hunting and boating education cards now available online LITTLE ROCK – Have you lost your hunter’s education or boater’s education card? At the click of a mouse, you can now get a free replacement card from your home computer. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has unveiled a new site for these replacement cards.

To replace the cards, go to http:// www.agfc.com/mycard.

Anyone who has completed their hunter or boating education class can find their name and print a PDF page that includes a new free permanent card. If you’re not able to find your

name, you will be directed where to call for help.

After printing the card, you will find a QR code on the PDF page. Just scan the QR code and save a copy of your card on a smart phone.

If having a traditional orange or blue card is important to you, you will be given an option to purchase those types of cards for $5 on the same website. A traditional card will then be mailed to you. Last, you can always call the Little Rock office and order a replacement for $5 over the phone at 800-482-5795 or 501-223-6300.

AGFC and Corps enter into agreement on Nimrod Lloyd Millwood WMA

PLAINVIEW – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have entered into an agreement for the Nimrod Lloyd Millwood Wildlife Management Area in Yell County.

The agreement calls for all Corps-managed lands around Nimrod Lake and the Fourche La Fave River above the lake to be included into the WMA system.

In the past, the AGFC has managed some land in the area, according to Regional Supervisor Randall Bullington. “We have managed about 1,500 acres and it was mainly for duck hunting. Now we will be managing a much larger land base,” Bullington says. All lands now associated with the Nimrod Corps project will now be part of the Nimrod Lloyd Millwood WMA.

The Corps’ Joel Epperson said they are excited about the expanded partnership with the AGFC to include all of Nimrod. “The AGFC and Corps will now be able to collectively manage and apply for additional funding to enhance the habitat at Nimrod. In fact, the agencies have already benefited in the form of a grant which will allow for a project to improve the drainage system in the Lloyd Millwood WMA Duck Pond Area,” Epperson added.

The WMA is a popular deer, turkey and duck hunting area located near Nimrod Lake in the west-central part of the state. It also has good bear, quail, rabbit and squirrel hunting opportunities.

MEMORIAL GIFTS & HONORARIUM Remember Loved Ones "Forever"

You can remember a loved one with a memorial gift or honorarium to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

Federation and keep a loved one’s spirit alive through wildlife conservation.

Memorial gifts: If you would like to remember someone who loved wildlife, and the great outdoors of Arkansas, you can make a gift in that person’s name.

What a beautiful tribute to their memory. Your memorial gift will continue the work of the Arkansas Wildlife

Honorarium Gift: Are you puzzled what to give friends or family members who “have everything?”

Will an ordinary gift just not be enough? Then, consider making a donation to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation in their honor and acknowledge their special day,

birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or whatever they are celebrating. Your gift is a special recognition to this individual or family in support of wildlife conservation programs. Gifts of $ 100 or more will receive wildlife print. All donations will receive a tax deductible receipt.

Make a Difference “Forever Memorials or Honorariums” Right Now by Completing this Information Below:

Name of honoree_____________________________________________________________ Name of donor______________________________________________________________ Address____________________________________________________________________ Address___________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________State_____________ Zip Code______________

City________________________________ State_____________Zip Code______________

Visa_________ Master Card____________ Credit Card #_____________________________________________________________ Expiration Date______________________________ Memorial______ Honorarium_____________ Amount of Gift $______________________ *The Arkansas Wildlife Federation can accept checks, and Master Charge or VISA Credit Cards * Designation of Gift_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ We now accept MC/Visa/AMEX/Discover

Thank you for supporting wildlife conservation! Send to: AWF, 9108 Rodney Parham Rd., Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205; or call 501-224-9200

20 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

Are the Elk In Arkansas A Non-Native Subspecies?

Don White, Jr. PhD., Wildlife Ecologist

"Taxonomy can be very complicated, especially if one tries to distinguish between races or subspecies. In recent years, however, the tendency has been to lump groups together, rather than split them into smaller categories."

Douglas L. Gilbert (1978) Wild, free-ranging elk have been roaming the hills and valleys of northern Arkansas since the early 1980s. Although the current number of elk in Arkansas is not known with certainty (after all, elk occur in a large forested area and are surprisingly difficult to see from aircraft), a ball-park figure is probably between 500600 animals. That’s a 5-fold increase in the elk population in 30 years.

Elk are large. Adult bulls (males) and cows (females) weigh, on average, about 700 and 500 pounds, respectively. Given their large size, elk use large land areas to satisfy their biological needs. I have been studying elk in Arkansas since 2003. My research indicates that an adult (≥3.5 years old) bull uses land areas covering as much as 60,000 acres.

It was inevitable then, given that the elk herd has increased numerically and expanded spatially since reintroduction, that conflicts between elk and landowners would occur.

Although many do, not every landowner in the Buffalo River country enjoys having elk on their property. Elk can cause damage.

Among other things they can knock down fences and eat grass intended for cattle.

The severity and/or frequency of elk damage to property has upset a few

landowners to the point that they would like to see the elk population dramatically reduced or even eliminated. Interestingly, one of the more recent arguments opponents of elk have made is that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) introduced a non-native subspecies of elk. Specifically, their argument takes this form.

“There are multiple subspecies of elk in North America. The native subspecies that occurred in what is now Arkansas was the Eastern elk, now extinct. The subspecies of elk introduced to Arkansas is the Rocky Mountain elk subspecies. Therefore, the subspecies of elk introduced to Arkansas is non-native. A nonnative subspecies of elk should not have been introduced into Arkansas.”

My objective here is to address the scientific validity of this argument. I will conduct my assessment by breaking the argument into parts and dealing with each part individually.

“There are multiple subspecies of elk in North America.”

Compared to most other animals in North America we know a lot about the biology and ecology of large mammals, including elk. One would think, therefore, that the scientific classification of our largest wild animals would have been worked out to the finest detail long ago. That is not the case. Taxonomy, the formal scientific classification of organisms, is tedious, confusing, and even controversial as experts split hairs and argue over minute differences in the shape and size of bones and the degree of genetic differences.

Table 1. Classification of North American elk. The 6 subspecies listed are according to Bart O'Gara (chapter 1 in North American Elk: Ecology and Management, published in 2002). Note that subspecies are named by adding a third name to the genus and species name.

Kingdom

Animalia (animals)

>1,000,000 species Phylum

Chordata (hollow dorsal nerve chord)

±40,000 species Class

Mammalia (hair and mammary glands)

5,488 species Order

Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

220 species Family

Cervidae (true deer, antlers in most males)

53 species Genus

Cervus

15 species Species

Cervus elaphus

North American elk Subspecies Eastern elk

Cervus elaphus canadensis

Merriam's elk

Cervus elaphus merriami

Roosevelt elk

Cervus elaphus roosevelti

Tule elk

Cervus elaphus nannodes

Manitoban elk

Cervus elaphus manitobensis

Rocky Mountain elk

Cervus elaphus nelsoni

The biological classification system that is used today was developed in 1758 by the great Swedish biologist Carolus Linnaeus.

Linnaeus’ system of classification gave each species 2 names. For example, the scientific name for the North American elk is Cervus elaphus. The last name, elaphus, identifies the species itself and the first name, Cervus, is the genus to which the species belongs. This 2-name naming system is universally employed in biology.

In the Linnaean system, species are grouped into higher taxonomic categories. The category above genus is family. For example, Cervidae is the family that contains all true deer species, including North American elk.

Families, in turn, are grouped into orders, and orders into classes. Classes are grouped into phyla, and phyla into kingdoms. The hierarchical units of this classification system, as applied to North American elk, are shown in Table 1. Notice that as you descend

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012- 21 from kingdom to species, each category gets more and more specific until you arrive at a single species. (See Table 1 to the right.)

But where do subspecies come in?

In the Linnaean system, subspecies are grouped into species. Species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that can’t or don’t reproduce with other such groups. Subspecies are groups of individuals of a species occurring in different areas of the species range. Each group, if they are to be considered legitimate subspecies, must differ from other groups in some identifiable way. Just because the groups occur in different areas of the species range, however, is not enough of a reason to consider each group a subspecies.

Scientists agree that a single species of elk (Cervus elaphus) occurs in North America. Incidentally, the species name for elk has recently been changed by some taxonomists to canadensis; thus, the new scientific name for elk is Cervus canadensis.

Regardless of the species name we use, all elk in North America can interbreed with one another and produce fertile offspring.

Classification below the species level, on the other hand, has often been subjective– and controversial–because standard criteria for naming subspecies do not exist. Since Erxleben named elk in eastern North America in 1777, scientists have expressed a variety of opinions about elk taxonomy, including the number of subspecies. Today, some scientists recognize as many as 6 subspecies (as O’Gara does in Table 1), while others recognize 4, 3, 2, or 1. Some scientists don’t recognize any.

It is becoming increasingly apparent to a growing number of taxonomists and large mammal ecologists that flawed methods have historically been used to classify large mammals. These flawed methods include the use of genetically meaningless ecotypic variations. Ecotypic variations are physical characteristics such as body size and skull and antler shape and size that are heavily influenced by the environment. The result is that elk with the same basic genetics have been subdivided into subspecies depending upon where they occur (their geographic distribution). To be sure, elk from different parts of North America look somewhat different from one another, but their differences in appearance are not due to genetic differences; the differences are ecotypic.

Consequently, current classifications do not reflect the true genetic diversity of elk in North America.

Differences in size and shape that are much affected by nutrition are of little value taxonomically. This includes skull measurements and the size and shape of antlers, which unfortunately have been used historically in deer taxonomy. Skulls and antlers are extremely variable in

their growth. The same genetic system, depending on nutrition and stresses during development, can generate infinite varieties of skull and antler forms and sizes.

Good taxonomic criteria must be based on hereditary factors that are expressed despite the environment.

Simply stated, the splitting of elk in North America into a bunch of subspecies, as illustrated in Table 1, cannot be supported with the data we have at hand.

All populations of elk in North America carry the same basic coat pattern, dentition, 6-pronged antler form, and have the same rutting calls. The differences that exist among elk populations throughout North America, such as differences in body size and skull and antler characteristics, are ecotypic.

Genetically, all elk populations in North American are very similar. Common names for elk, such as Tule elk, Roosevelt elk, and Rocky Mountain elk, should be retained for popular use because elk do vary regionally in a recognizable manner. But remember, these regional differences in appearance are not due to genetic differences, they are due to the differences in the environment within which the elk populations are found.

The bottom line is the differences between populations of elk in North America appear to be ecotypic, not genetic. At least some of the purported subspecies of elk in North America are an artifact of a taxonomy based on an inappropriate methodology and should be revised.

Similar inappropriate methods of taxonomy have been applied to many other large mammal species. For example, 38 subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are currently recognized.

These subspecies were established using minor morphological differences–body size and skull shape and size–and geographic distribution. Recently, Karen Logan and colleagues at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville and the Arizona Game and Fish Department analyzed DNA sequence data from 248 white-tailed deer harvested or captured from 73 locations within the range of 9 white-tailed deer subspecies.

Interestingly, they failed to detect clear separations among the subspecies studied.

Logan and her colleagues have not published their research results yet but their preliminary data indicate that far too many white-tailed deer subspecies are currently recognized.

The history of the taxonomy of brown/ grizzly bears in North America provide another example of inappropriate methods of taxonomy resulting in an absurdly large number of subspecies. Using skull size and shape, C. Hart Merriam, the first director of the U.S. Biological Survey (which later became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), in a 1918 publication called North American Fauna, No. 41, recognized 2 genera, 49 species, and 39 subspecies of brown bears. Today, after much study, including genetic analyses

of almost all brown bear populations in North America, 1 genus, 1 species, and 2 subspecies of brown bears are recognized: the brown bears of Kodiak Island, Alaska (Ursus arctos middendorffi) and all other brown/grizzly bears in North America (Ursus arctos horribilis).

“The native subspecies that occurred in Arkansas was the Eastern elk, now extinct.”

Although the AGFC has worked hard to educate the public about elk through public meetings and radio, television, internet, newspaper, and magazine outlets, there are still people who are surprised to learn that elk are a native–a normal and natural resident– of Arkansas. G.H. Featherstonhaugh, in a Federal geological report of his 1834 survey of the land between the Missouri and Red Rivers, mentioned herds of buffalo (bison) and elk located east of the Black River in northeast Arkansas. Limited historical information indicates that elk existed in Arkansas until about the time of the Civil War in the 1860s. They disappeared along with bison, black bear, prairie chicken, and ruffed grouse as European settlers immigrated into the state. Elk were likely eliminated from Arkansas as a result of overhunting, habitat changes, and competition with domestic livestock.

How much do we really know about the elk that occurred east of the Rocky Mountains?

Cont. on page 23

22 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012

July/August 2012 ISSN0884-9145 POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to: 9108 Rodney Parham Rd. Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205

Arkansas Wildlife Federation Officers and Board of Directors October, 2011 to September, 2012

Arkansas Out-of-Doors

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS WILDLIFE FEDERATION Arkansas Out-of-Doors is published 6 times per year by Arkansas Wildlife Federation, 9108 Rodney Parham Rd. Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205. Third Class postage paid at Russellville, AR and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to Arkansas Out-ofDoors, 9108 Rodney Parham Rd. Suite 101, Little Rock, AR 72205, or call 501-224-9200.

This is the official publication of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation. Printed matter includes hunting and fishing news, sporting information, articles on pertinent legislation, with special emphasis on environment and pollution problems. All Arkansas Wildlife Federation members are entitled to receive one copy of each issue of AOOD for one year.

Permission is granted to reprint any news article or item printed in Arkansas Out-Of-Doors with credit, please.

Executive Director �������������������������������������������� Ethan Nahté Editor in Chief ����������������������������������������� Wayne Shewmake Layout/Design ������������������������������������������Chris Zimmerman ZimCreative Views and opinions, unless specifically stated, do not necessarily represent the positions of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation.

Deadline Information: Unless other arrangements are made with the editor, copy for club news, features, columns and advertising must be in the Arkansas Wildlife Federation office by the close of business (noon) on the 20th of the month preceding publication. Thank you for your cooperation.

Executive Committee President: Wayne Shewmake, Dardanelle 1st Vice President: Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff 2nd Vice President: Jerry Crowe, Dardanelle Treasurer: Gary W. Bush, Marion Secretary: Lucien Gillham, Sherwood Executive Director: Ethan Nahté

Arkansas Chapter of American Fisheries Arkansas Trappers Association Gary Helms, President - Texarkana, AR

Board of Directors At Large Dr. John T. Ahrens, Mountain Home Charles W. Logan, M.D., Little Rock Lola Perritt, Little Rock Odies Wilson III, Little Rock Jimmie Wood, Dardanelle Larry Hillyard, Dardanelle Gayne Schmidt, Augusta Bobby Hacker, Little Rock Mike Armstrong, Little Rock Chrystola Tullos, Rison

Friends of Pontoon Park

Regional Directors District 1: --vacant- District 2: Patti Dell-Duchene, Augusta District 2 Alternate: Angela Rhodes, Augusta District 3: Jeff Belk, Fayetteville District 4: --vacant- District 5: Mary Lou Lane, Dardanelle NWF Region: David Carruth, Clarendon NWF Special Projects: Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff NWF Regional Representative: Geralyn Hoey, Austin, TX President Emeritus and First Lady Emeritus: Bob and Rae Apple, Dardanelle National Wildlife Federation Delegates: Wayne Shewmake, Dardanelle Ellen McNulty, Pine Bluff ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT Ralph Oldegard, Mt. Home Larry Hedrick, Hot Springs Charles McLemore Jr., Bryant Affiliate Clubs: ATU Fisheries & Wildlife Society Tyler Sanders, President - Russellville, AR

Cane Creek Hometowner’s Association Jessica Thompson, Sec./Treasurer – Scranton, AR Creative Ideas President: Sharon Hacker - Little Rock, AR Friends of Bigelow Park

Friends of Delaware Park

Greene County Wildlife Club Rick Woolridge, President - Paragould

Little River Bottoms Chapter, Arkansas Wildlife Federation Vickers Fuqua, President Mike Young, Secretary & Treasurer

University of the Ozarks - Clarksville Jamie L. Hedges, Director of Outdoor & Evironmental Experiences Westark Wildlife G. David Matlock, Fort Smith

White River Conservancy Gayne Preller Schmidt, Augusta Yell County Wildlife Federation James Manatt, President – Dardanelle Yell County Youth Conservation Club Randy Cole, Dardanelle, AR Arkansas Wildlife Federation Staff Executive Director - Ethan Nahté Editor in Chief - Wayne Shewmake Contributing Writers – Wayne Shewmake, Johnny Sain, Jr., Gordon Bagby, AGFC, Dr. Robert Morgan, Ethan Nahte', Jim Wood, Joy Serrano, John Phillips, III Contributing Photographers – Wayne Shewmake, Ethan Nahte', Mike Wintroath, Dr. Robert Morgan, Johnny Sain Arkansas Wildlife Federation Address: 9108 Rodney Parham Road, Suite 101 Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 Office: 501-224-9200 // Cell: 501-414-2845

Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012 - 23 Cont. from page 21 As it turns out, surprisingly little. Only 4 skulls from Virginia and North Dakota, a pair of jaws from Nebraska, and a faded skin (from somewhere in the “east”) exist.

All were collected in the mid-1800s.

Obviously, specimens for examination or DNA for analysis are required to resolve the question of the subspecific status of elk in eastern North America. Given specimens and DNA are not available, further study may be purely academic.

“The subspecies of elk introduced to Arkansas is the Rocky Mountain elk.”

From 1981 to 1985, 112 elk obtained from southwest Colorado and western Nebraska were released in Newton County, Arkansas. Thus, opponents of elk conclude that the elk reintroduced to Arkansas were “Rocky Mountain” elk.

In 2002, Renee Polziehn and Curtis Strobeck used DNA sequence data to compare red deer in Europe and Asia to elk in North America. Among other things, they recommended lumping Eastern, Merriam, Rocky Mountain, and Manitoban elk into a single subspecies because there wasn’t enough genetic differences between these purported subspecies to justify their separate subspecies status. One should keep in mind however, that Polziehn and Strobeck did not have any DNA from eastern elk for use in this study. Polziehn and Strobeck also concluded that Roosevelt elk from Vancouver Island and Tule elk from California appear to be distinct subspecies. If Polziehn and Strobeck’s recommendations are adopted, and I think they eventually will be, 3 subspecies of elk will then be recognized. The Rocky Mountain elk subspecies will not be one of them.

“Thus, the subspecies of elk introduced to Arkansas is non-native.”

If we lump Eastern, Rocky Mountain, and Manitoban elk together into the same subspecies, as suggested by Polziehn and Strobeck, this argument is baseless.What that boils down to is that the subspecies of elk that was released in Arkansas in the early 1980s is the same subspecies of elk native to Arkansas.

“A non-native subspecies of elk should not have been introduced into Arkansas.”

Given the evidence available to date, it is reasonable to conclude that a nonnative subspecies of elk wasn’t introduced into Arkansas. Put in a different way, the subspecies of elk roaming the hills and valleys of the Buffalo River watershed today are as native to Arkansas as a mandolin is to a bluegrass band.

Don White, Jr., Ph.D., Wildlife Ecologist, University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Arkansas Forest Resources Center, University of ArkansasMonticello; whited@uamont.edu

Saturday, Sept. 22 • 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

Arkansas State Fairgrounds, Hall of Industry • Little Rock Free Admission – Free Parking Duck Duck Hunt is part of the popular Duck Duck Goose sale. Although Duck Duck Goose runs Sept. 20-22, Duck Duck Hunt is one day only – Sept. 22, National Hunting and Fish Day! Seventy percent of the proceeds from Duck Duck Hunt go directly to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry. It’s as easy as three simple steps: FIRST

Round up your used but serviceable hunting, fishing and other outdoor gear: clothing, waders, rods, reels, tackle boxes, hats, tents, cots, sleeping bags, boots, deer stands, decoys, packs, knives, blinds, gun cases, canoes, kayaks, paddles, life jackets, wildlife prints, duck calls, lanterns, camp stoves, targets, binoculars, turkey calls, etc. GUNS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

SECOND

Take your items to a PODS container at one of four Farmers’ Association stores in central Arkansas, Aug. 15-Sept. 19 (you’ll receive a receipt for your tax-deductible donation).

Benton – 18835 Interstate 30 • 501-776-2727 Cabot – 2691 Highway 367 S. • 501-941-2545 Little Rock – 4816 Stagecoach Road • 501-565-0961 Malvern – 805 W. Moline St. • 501-337-9539

THIRD

Help Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry by buying affordable outdoors gear at Duck Duck Hunt, Sept. 22!

For details, visit duckduckhunt.com

24 - Arkansas Out-of-Doors • July/August 2012