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INDEX Features Events Obits Sports Arkadelphian
No. 12
Vol. 4
1 2 3 4 4
April 7 , 2022
Taylor, Bowman, Robles assist in Missouri bat census Ty Gibbs Contributing Reporter Michael Taylor, head of the Communications department, Sydney Bowman, a junior in communications media department, and Maya Robles, a sophomore representing the biology department, took a weekend trip to Branson, Missouri. They assisted Kirsten Alvey-Mudd, Missouri Bat Census, in counting bats and other cave fauna in a cave near Branson. The Ozarks are a cave-rich area, but in recent years, their bat populations have taken a hit from White Nose Syndrome (WNS). According to the official website of White Nose Syndrome, WNS is a disease that affects hibernating bats and is caused by a fungus that looks like a white fuzz on bats faces. This causes them to be more active and usually burn up the fat they need to survive the winter. Why care? Bats are almost
nowhere to be seen in our daily lives but have so many advantages to our lives and areas around us. Bats are known for eating almost up to $4 billion worth of insects that would be put towards pesticide in farming. Bats also provide natural pollination with their droppings to areas where sunlight and nutrients are scarce, like caves (whitenosesymdrome.org). Luckily, the numbers have increased since last year, according to Mudd. Sydney Bowman was filming for an educational grant on bats and WNS from the Arkansas Game and Fish commission, and Maya Robles assisted with bat counts, helped carry filming equipment, and to get some more caving in. Mr. Taylor is also an experienced caver, with two books published about his experience and findings. Kristen Alvey-Mudd says last year alone during bat season, she went into about 300 caves in a span of a few months to count bats.
Notes from survey: Hootentown 3/13/22 Mike Taylor, Sydney Bowman, Maya Robles, Kirsten Alvey-Mudd 17 tricolor bats (pipistrellus subflavus) 5 sick WNS tricolor 4 big brown bats (eptesicus fuscus) 1 bat bug (Cimex pilosellus) 6 juvenile grotto salamander (Eurycea spelaea) 2 cave salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) 2 pickerel frogs (Lithobates palustris) 11 salamander larvae (various species) 42 meta ovalis spiders 50 +/- cave cricket 100 +/- Heleomyzidae flies 100 +/- fungus gnats 100 +/- mosquitoes
Photo courtesy of Michael Taylor, Sydney Bowman, Maya Robles, and Kirsten Alvey-Mudd
Bye-bye Brownfield Lance Brownfield OCE Editor-In-Chief Bye-bye Brownfield After almost a year as Editor-in-Chief of the Oracle Community Edition (OCE,) it’s time for me to say goodbye. During my time at the OCE, I’ve learned so much about the community of Arkadelphia and the great people of Clark County. I’ve gotten to dig into what makes Henderson “The School With a Heart.” The reason for my departure is that I have taken another job just down the road. I’ll be taking over as Editor-in-Chief of the Malvern Daily Record. Funny enough, I’ll be filling in where Pete Tubbs leaves off once again. I was born and raised in Malvern, and the Malvern Daily Record is where I got my first taste of journalism way back in 2017, so it seems like a fitting role for me at this time of my life. Just because I’m starting this new chapter in my life does not mean you won’t see me around. I plan to graduate in December, and since I’m already making the short drive from Malvern for classes, you can still expect to see me on campus. I just won’t be wearing my reporter’s hat. Times are tough for the Oracle right now and the Henderson community as a whole. Because of all the
changes in leadership and the end of the semester approaching, it is with a heavy heart that we inform you that the Oracle Community Edition will not publish any more issues this semester. Hopefully, by this summer, the paper will resume making weekly issues on the website, but there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Oracle and the OCE. Let alone how long it will be until you, the reader, can expect another print issue. I want to personally thank everyone who has supported this organization and me through these trying times. The readers of this paper have been very understanding about the trials we’ve faced in the last few years as a team and as students. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my adviser Steve Listopad, who has guided me, mentored me and even reigned me in during my time at the Oracle. I have learned many valuable lessons in journalism from him, and I hope to meet him again in the professional world in the coming years. Next, I’d like to thank the other professors of the communications department. My Innovative Media professors, David Stoddard and Scott McKinnon, who’ve helped me not only navigate the hectic experience of college
but also pushed me and motivated me to be a better writer, journalist, creative and student. Professor Michael Taylor, who I deeply admire as a writer. Professor Glover, who is a truly knowledgeable and experienced craftsman in the world of film and radio. Outside of my field, there are several other professors that have made quite an impact on me. Professor Charles Rook of the aviation department, for example. I highly respect Professor Rook, and in another life, I would have signed up to become a pilot instead of a journalist. Doctor Fred Worth, who is a man of the faith and displays it proudly, but without dealing any harm to those with different beliefs. There are so many others on the faculty and staff that have helped me with my academic journey, and I simply don’t have enough room to mention them all, but I’m hoping they’ll know that they are very much appreciated and I could not have gotten to where I am without your support and efforts. Of course, I also want to thank the student journalists that I’ve worked with along the way. Kelly Styles, who was Editor-inChief of the Oracle when I arrived, has become a great personal friend of mine. Kaela McKim, the
Arkansas Port, Intermodal, and Waterway Development grant applications are now available for calender year 2022 Arkansas Waterways Commission
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 4, 2022)– The Arkansas Waterways Commission (AWC) announced today that the Arkansas Port, Intermodal, and Waterway Development Grant Program is accepting applications for the 2022 grant season. $1,952,102.55 in funding is available. The Arkansas Port, Intermodal, and Waterway Development Grant Program is open to Arkansas public port or intermodal authorities (Continue on page 2) or facilities located along
the Mississippi, Ouachita, Red, and White Rivers. The program provides public funds for projects such as construction, improvement, capital facility rehabilitation and expansion of public port and intermodal facilities, including maritime-related industrial park infrastructure developments. The program can fund up to 90% of the project cost. Dredging projects are also eligible with a 50% match. “Commercially navigable waterways are an economic driver for Arkansas. Barge transportation is the most cost-effective, safe, and eco-
friendly mode of shipping bulk and oversized freight,” says AWC Director Cassandra Caldwell. “Industries pay an ad valorem tax on the value of barges traversing Arkansas’ navigable rivers. This grant program boosts Arkansas’ competitive advantage by reinvesting those ad valorem taxes in our public port infrastructure.” Applications are available on our website at www. waterways.arkansas. gov. All applications and supplemental documentation must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 15, 2022.
Info from Weather.com
FRI - Apr. 8 partly cloudy
SAT - Apr. 9 sunny
SUN - Apr. 10 mostly sunny
MON - Apr. 11 Isolated thunderstorms
TUE - Apr. 12
scattered thunderstorms
WED - Apr. 13
THU - Apr. 14
scattered thunderstorms
scattered thunderstorms
62o 34
69o 42
80o 57
79o 62
80o 62
77o 57
75o 48
Precipitation: 0% Wind: WNW 15 mph Humidity: 38%
Precipitation: 4% Wind: WNW 8 mph Humidity: 43%
Precipitation: 3% Wind: S 12 mph Humidity: 43%
Precipitation: 33% Wind: S 12 mph Humidity: 67%
Precipitation: 40% Wind: SE 11 mph Humidity: 75%
Precipitation: 45% Wind: S 10 mph Humidity: 81%
Precipitation: 43% Wind: SSW 11 mph Humidty: 68%
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