January 2020
Greed is all around us Horace McQueen See page 3
He wondered how he’d tell her Baxter Black See page 5
Game Warden Field Notes Texas Parks & Wildlife See page 7
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site reopens By Jo Anne Embleton Jacksonville Daily Progress
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ith a raised fist clenched full of red dirt, Chief Ron Black Eagle Trussell of the Texas Cherokee offered a blessing over the planting of a cedar tree in Snake Woman’s Garden during a Jan. 11 reopening ceremony at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site outside Alto. This simple act was a symbol of hope for not just the 75 people present at the ceremony, but for future generations who would once again enjoy learning about the history of the Caddo Nation through the rebuilding of a visitor’s center and other displays that were destroyed this past April by an EF-3 tornado. “After the tornado, our tribe donated some money to help restore (the site) and we wanted to come out and see” the re-opening, he said, beckoning to his wife Linda, as they waited for the ceremony to begin. “We wanted to give our support. It was a shame that everything was lost in that period, especially a lot of the artifacts – I know they were replicas, but it still had meaning to them,” he said, adding that his hope is that the site is rebuilt to its former glory. “But it’s about heritage, also; we need to let more people know that we are here and
we’ve never left. It’s a cultural community effort to educate people,” about Native American culture, Trussell said. The site – located at 1649 Texas Highway 21, west of Alto – is a Texas Historical Commission property, comprised of the remains of a large village and ceremonial center built by a group of Caddo Indians known as the Hasinai more than 1,200 years ago on the prairie overlooking the Neches River, according to a release. The 397-acre site first opened to the public in 1982, and gradually included walking trails, a new visitor center featuring displays and exhibits on everyday life of the early Caddo people, and a grass house erected in 2018 by volunteers led by two members of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. However, one of three tornadoes that ripped through the area on April 13, 2019, damaged the site and state officials estimated the cost at approximately $2.5 million to rebuild the visitors center, replace vehicles, equipment and perform necessary repairs. Site manager Anthony Souther told the crowd gathered outside the garden that “this is a day I’ve been waiting for, for months now … before, when we renovated, we kept the grounds open but we could not even be back this time.” See Caddo Mounds on Page 3
TJC professor earns scholarship to study effects Offering opportunities in community college of microplastics on rivers
TVCC Rodeo Team By Rich Flowers
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Athens Daily Review
ebruary may bring a bit of a chill, but each year it’s a hot time for the Trinity Valley Community College Rodeo. Brent Bratton, TVCC rodeo coach, said the Trinity Valley Rodeo has been well supported by the community since it began a dozen years ago. “We would like to thank everyone who sponsored and helped make the rodeo a success and a whole lot of fun,” Bratton said after the 2019 event. “A special thank you to Trinity Valley Community College and the city of Athens for making this rodeo possible.” The competition returns to the Henderson County Regional Fair Park Complex Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday Feb. 8. All proceeds generated by the rodeo are given back to the students to further their education. More than 300 students will be coming to Athens to compete. Last year, TVCC made a strong showing, with its mens team earning a fourth place finish. The event is part of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association series. The top three contestants in each event from each of the NIRA’s 11 regions qualify to
compete in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. The top two mens’ teams and womens’ teams also qualify from the regions. TVCC is in the southern region. Contestants compete in saddle bronc, bareback, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. Bratton said some members of the current team are making a strong push to get to the National Finals at Casper. Cassidy Loussa Pineda is a contender in Breakaway Roping, Cutter Carpenter Cash in Tie-Down Roping and Kyle Lane McDaniel in Bull Riding. The team members come from places like Kirbyville, Shreveport, Garrison, Fort Worth and Freeport. Malakoff is also represented on the team. “We don’t only look for the best athlete, but also a good student,” Bratton said. “If a high school student is interested in finding out how to be on the team they can contact me. It’s a way to get an education while doing what they love.” Trinity Valley Community College, offers some scholarship opportunities for rodeo participants. The primary criteria for judging and application are work ethic and character. Individual scholarships are awarded in varying amounts. See TVCC Rodeo on Page 3
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yler Junior College Geology Professor Rebecca Owens has been named a 2020 Mills Scholarship recipient by the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI). The TWRI is affiliated with Texas A&M University, where Owens is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Water Management and Hydrological Sciences. The Mills Scholarship will allow Owens to conduct a study on the impacts of microplastics on urban rivers. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter. “In 1967 there was, indeed, a great future in plastics, as Mr. McGuire foretold an ambivalent Benjamin Braddock (in the feature film, ‘The Graduate’),” Owens said in her Mills Scholarship proposal. “Half a century later, plastic pollution is a major environmental concern at all scales of observation. The presence and impact of microplastics in the marine realm has gained attention as a serious threat to ocean ecosystems.” She continued, “Very little is known, however, about microplastic release on land, storage in soils and sediments and transport by run-off and rivers. This represents a major oversight, as river systems are the source of a great amount of microplastics and are a transit route for microplastics headed to the ocean. The proposed research will assess the presence of microplastics in the riverbed and bank sediment from select urban rivers in Texas.” She said sediment samples will be analyzed using a Raman confocal microscope for microplastic presence. The samples will be collected from urbanized portions of at least two rivers and downstream for approximately See Professor on Page 3