Time to Explore! The Arkansas Delta
It's time to choose our field trip destination for our Time to Explore! series. Let's journey into the Arkansas Delta and explore the land, the people, and the wildlife that make this region so special.
We have two options for our field trip this year. This interactive presentation will guide you through what we can learn at each location. Be sure to explore all the information and links before you vote at the end of the presentation for your favorite location .
Then, we'll go birdwatching with a professional “birder.� After a short hike, we'll have a picnic lunch while we identify as many bird calls as we can. The trip to the Delta Rivers Nature Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, includes an up close presentation of the birds of prey that live in the Delta. Watch this!
Click below to practice identifying the birds you may see and hear.
After hanging out with the birds, we'll learn how to track the other critters that live in the Delta. Did you know that bobcats, black bears, and elk all live in the Delta? How many animal tracks can you identify? Test your skills here.
We'll explore the geography of the Arkansas Delta, which is part of a large flat landform called an alluvial plain. The alluvial plain is formed by the sediment deposited by the rivers that flow through the area.
This trip sounds fun, right? Well, don't vote until you see what the other trip has in store.
On the trip to the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas, we will explore the rich history of the Arkansas Delta from prehistoric hunters to modern day musicians.
Did you know a diverse group of immigrants settled in the Delta beginning in the 1840s?
Irish, German, Swiss, Slovakian, Lebanese, Syrian, Chinese, Greek,and Jewish immigrants all took part in making the Delta what it is today.
Check out the time line on the following page to learn more history of the people in Arkansas.
Want to explore more?
See one of the earliest recordings of the King Biscuit show (silent recording).
Take a tour around the Arkansas Delta. Stroll through the annual King Biscuit Blues Festival
It's Time to Explore! Pick what you want to explore in the Arkansas Delta...
Birds, critters, and landscapes? or
People, blues, and broadcasting?
Vote here!
References Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. (2007). Planning your visit. Retrieved from http://www.deltarivers.com/planning-visit/ Arkansas Parks & Tourism. (2013). King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzh94saK58w BBC Nature's Great Events. (2009) Bald Eagle catches salmon [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hecXupPpE9o Beardsley, P. (2012) Painted Bunting singing [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJePJtsQonQ Butterflydiver777. (2011). KESTREL Birds of Prey Delta Rivers Nature Center Arkansas [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KILUFYpm2ao Brown Media Archive UGA. (1942,1952). King Biscuit Time [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6v-hz3ER0c Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2012). Tree-top view of Great Blue Herons in amazing double flight to nest [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr5E2MA0w38 Delta Cultural Center. (2014). Education and Programs. Retrieved from http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com/education_programs/#.U2OOkfldWSp Early, Ann M. (2014). Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=395 Earthweek. (2009). Mississippi alluvial plane: Earth image of the week. Retrieved from http://www.earthweek.com/2009/ew090703/ew090703x.html HinterlandWW. (2010). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bZL1qgfeLM Iaine. (2012, Aril 29). King Biscuit Time Helena, Arkansas. Retrieved from http://www.itishifi.com/2012_04_01_archive.html Martins, A. (2011). Nine below zero - Sonny Boy Williamson.wmv [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBW9hYLsSHE MikeBlaireOutdoors. (2013). Mississippi Kite Barrel Roll [Youtube]. Available from (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjnWMJLgHVA
[Photograph of Frank Frost]. (ca. 1936-1999). Kamil A. Pinarci biography, resume, and publications [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://kamilbiocv.blogspot.com/. [Photograph of Harold Jones]. (2012). Chuck Harolson. Arkansas Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved from http://www.arkansasonline.com/photos/2012/apr/22/146092/ [Photograph of King Biscuit Time Drum]. (1941). Past Blues:Your blues destination. Retrieved from http://www.pastblues.com/images/files/November/The%20first%20broadcast%20of%20King%20Biscuit%20Time.jpg [Photograph of Least Bittern]. (2004). Mike Danzenbaker. Retrieved from http://avesphoto.com/website/na/species/BITLST-1.htm [Photograph of Sonny Boy Williamson]. C.C. Rider venerates the blues. The Blues Mobile. Retrieved from http://thebluesmobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sonnyboywilliamsoniisonny_boy_williamson.jpg [Photograph of the Delta Cultural Center]. (2014). Helena Harbor: Entertainment. Retrieved from http://helenaharbor.com/assets/delta_cultural_center-1024x682.jpg RawBluesTV. (1997). Frank Frost - Chicago Blues Festival (1997) Part 4 [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlxSqH2Z-Vg Sheeprugly. (2013). RHM Two Sibling Cooper's Hawks Hunting Togrther [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=iTU5_PPfCz4 Southeasternvideos. (2013). Groups find Blues & BBQ traveling in the Arkansas Delta [Youtube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDP5xqgvlnU. Tracking game. Northwest Woodsman. Retrieved from http://nwwoodsman.com/TrackingGame/TrackinGameE.html University of Arkansas Little Rock. (2008). Arkansas Delta Region Map. Retrieved from http://ualr.edu/seniorjustice/uploads/2008/11/map.gif Wildbirdhouse. (2013). Wild Bird House : Orioles Everywhere Spring 2013 Baltimore Orioles & Female Orchard Oriole [Youtube]. Available from http://youtu.be/yogq3dpPMnk?t=6m Young, Chris. (2013). Backyard birding: Red-bellied or red-headed woodpecker?. Available from http://vimeo.com/56728233