2013 Scheduled Events
March 30th – Rick Hinterthuer will lead a hike to Indian Rock
House, Buffalo National River in Marion County. Meet at 11:00
a.m. at the Buffalo Point Ranger Station. We will drive to the
trailhead parking lot to begin the hike. The trail is moderate on a
developed trail and will take about 4 hours. Bring a sack lunch and
water.
April 6th — Remote area in southern Carroll County with Larry
Lowman. 10:00am. Larry will lead us on hikes along and in hollows
attendant to Dry Fork Creek. This is an exceptional botanical and
geological area, and includes the habitat for the new Leatherwood
species, Dirca decipiens. Bring a sack lunch (this is a remote area —
no source of food, snacks, or gasoline within 10 miles) and shoes that
you don’t mind getting wet. Weather conditions could result in last
minute cancellation of hike if creek levels rise too high. Contact
Larry directly for detailed driving directions to meeting point or last
minute details at: ridgecrestgarden@gmail.com. It is recommended
you get the email directions and print them out, as it is a bit involved
getting to this remote location. You may try to call at (870) 545-
3205, but this is a landline only, no cell and no answer machine.
April 20th – Lost Valley. Burnetta will be taking students on a hike to
Lost Valley. You are welcome to join them at the Lost Valley
parking lot at 10:00 a.m. Bring water and a sack lunch. Contact
Burnetta 479-582-0317 for more details.
April (26-28) is the Spring ANPS meeting at Subiaco. (Details)
May 4th. Devil’s Eyebrow Natural Area. Come explore the
latest addition to the state’s System of Natural Areas with Arkansas
Natural Heritage Commission botanist Theo Witsell. This property
in northern Benton County includes limestone and dolomite glades,
rich forests, open woodlands, creeks, springs, caves, and lots of
bluffs. More than 600 plant species have been identified on the area
including 25 rare species tracked by the State Heritage Program.
NOTICE: This hike will go off-trail in very rugged, sometimes steep
terrain and will entail several miles of walking. Meet at 9:00 am in
the field on the S side of Hwy 62, 0.5 mile E of the junction of Hwy
37 and Hwy 62 (community of Gateway). The gate to the field will
be open and marked with a sign. Bring a lunch and plenty of water.
Limit 20 people. Please call Theo at 501.831.7473 or email
theo@arkansasheritage.org to reserve a spot or if you have any
questions.
May 5th – Dripping Springs Wild Orchid Hike in Washington County
with Stephen Marquadt. Meet at the gas station in Winslow, AR, on
Hwy. 71 at 10:00 a.m. We will car pool to Miller’s Chapel to being
the hike. The hike is moderate in difficulty. Bring a sack lunch and
water. You may contact Stephen either at 479-601-5801 or
(marquardtironworks@gmail.com) for further details.
May 11th – OHM Open Air Sanctuary (Keel’s creek) Jim Dudley will
lead us on a hike of this rich bottomland, east of Eureka Springs.
Meet at the rear of McDonalds parking lot, 148 E. Van Buren (@
10:00?); my phone is 479-981-9843; we can car pool from there. The
hike is moderate in difficulty. We will hike for 2-3 hrs. We will
probably walk Keel’s Creek for ½ mile so bring an extra pair of
shoes/socks. We will eat in Eureka Springs, but bring water and a
snack for the hike.
May 25th – 9:00 a.m. Bob Morgan will leads us on a tour of Cove Creek. This is
a moderate hike along a small stony Ozark creek. There is great riparian and
wetland vegetation. We will meet at the Boardwalk Café in Jasper at 9:00
a.m. Bring water and a sack lunch and a change in shoes as well as a pair of
shoes that you don’t mind getting wet in case we have to cross the creek.
Contact Bob at randsmorgan@yahoo.com to let him know you are coming and
for further information.
May 26th – 10:a.m. Stephen Marquadt will lead us on a hike at Miller’s Chapel
in South Washington County. This is the area where Stephen has found several
orchid populations in the past. We will meet at Stephen’s shop in West Fork, just
off Hwy 71 at 10 a.m. The address is 360 North Centennial Ave. in West Fork.
His shop is at a large wrecker service on the east side of the highway called
McKnight’s Emergency Wrecker Service. There is a big sign out front and his
ironworks shop is in the back of the parking lot on the north side. It is a 50’ x 100’
galvanized metal building. Contact Stephen at Stephen Marquadt
marquardtironworks@gmail.com for more information and to let him know you
plan to attend.
June 1st – 9:00 a.m. Judith and Don will lead us to the glades at Ninestone Land
Trust, Carroll County. Judith sent the following directions.
1. For those coming from Berryville or North: From intersection of Hwy 62 E &
Hwy 21 S just east of Berryville, take Hwy 21 South for 10 + miles to the site of
the former Cedar Creek Country Store (now converted to a residence)on the
RIGHT. Immediately after the store & parking lot turn RIGHT onto the gravel road
marked CR 512. Do not cross the bridge over Cedar Creek! Continue on gravel
road CR 512 for 1 MILE, staying to the LEFT at any choices. You will pass 3
mailboxes on the LEFT, one a large blue mailbox & a big yellow ‘Watch for Dogs’
sign on the post. Continue on down the drive to our log cabin on the LEFT.
2. For those coming from Fayetteville or South: From intersection of Hwy 412 &
Hwy 21 N, take Hwy 21 North for about 7 + miles. Cross the Cedar Creek Bridge
& immediately turn LEFT onto the gravel road CR 512 before you get to the site
of the former Cedar Creek Country Store (now converted to a residence) on the
LEFT. Continue on gravel road CR 512 for 1 MILE, staying to the LEFT at any
choices. You will pass 3 mailboxes on the LEFT, one a large blue mailbox & abig
yellow ‘Watch for Dogs’ sign on the post. Continue on down the drive to our log
cabin on the LEFT.
Bring a sack lunch, water, a hat, and sunscreen. I am including a description of
Ninestone Land Trust that Judith sent at the end of the list of hikes for you to
read. Contact Judith Griffith at 9waterfall9@gmail.com to let her know you are
coming and for further information.
June 22nd – Linda Ellis OCANPS field trip to Carrollton Glades, 1:00
PM – 4:00 PM.
Meet at noon at Neighbor’s Mill in Harrison for lunch. We will leave the
restaurant at 1:00 and follow highway 7 North to the Lead Hill area to check out
some nice roadsides then head for the glades. Carrollton glades (managed by
the Forest Service) are located on Cedar Rest road west of Lead Hill on highway
14 and just west of the “town” of Sycamore. Turn right down Cedar Rest Rd. and
go about a mile to the trail head on the south side of the road. There isn’t a sign
marking the trail; but if you come directly to the glades, just wait for us and we
can go from there. Bring bug spray, water, cameras and binoculars. My cell # is
417-761-1449. Mapquest has the area map if you just type in Lead Hill, AR.
Ninestone Land Trust description:
The falls at Ninestone cascade down a terraced sandstone hillside, past native
glade plants, moss, and lichen, and through a series of pools that have eroded
over eons. Glades unique to the Ozark Plateau spread out from the falls on one
side of Piney Creek, and stretch across the top of a high bluff on the other, where
the sandstone’s memory of water is recorded in ripple rocks. Drought tolerant Lip
Ferns grow alongside Ozark Spiderwort, Farkleberry bushes, and Bluestem
grasses; Prairie Warblers and Field Sparrows throw their heads back to sing from
the tops of native Shortleaf Pines that emerge from the bedrock, gnarled by time
and weather.
Ninestone encompasses 412 acres of diverse Ozark ecosystems in Carroll
County, AR, which include upland forest habitat, sandstone glades, pastures, 1!
miles of Piney Creek riparian corridor in the Kings River Watershed, high bluffs
and picturesque waterfalls. The land was purchased in 1994 and incorporated in
1996 as Ninestone Land Trust, Inc., a 501(c)3 affiliate of Ozark Regional Land
Trust. From its inception Ninestone was envisioned as a conservation project to
protect natural ecosystems and native species for the benefit of the biological
diversity of the Ozark Bioregion. Ninestone’s stewardship continues to
successfully encourage the preservation and restoration of habitats that support
a variety of plant and animal species of conservation interest. Among the
uncommon flora growing at Ninestone are Ozark Wake Robin (Trillium pusillum
var. ozarkensis), Barbara’s Buttons (Marshallia grandiflora), Great Indian
Plantain (Arnoglossum reniforme), flower and nut producing Ozark Chinquapin
(Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis), Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei), Soapweed
(Yucca arkansana), and Ozark Spiderwort (Tradescantia ozarkana). To date,
three native orchids, Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes sp.), Large Twayblade (Liparis
lilifolia), Adam & Eve (Aplectrum hyemale) have been found at Ninestone. An
unusual White Trout-lily (Erythronium sp.) has been discovered in a glade
following prescribed burns.
In order to improve habitat for glade species, two of the largest glades at
Ninestone, approximately 10 acres each, are in the process of being restored.
We initially secured grants in 2010 through Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
(AGFC) State Wildlife Grant (SWG) and the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) and followed
through with their suggestions. As part of the AGFC and NRCS conservation and
restoration plans, the removal and treatment of invasives such as Eastern Red
Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), and (Sericea
lespedeza) has been accomplished by cutting and chemical treatment. Ozark
Environmental Restoration, Inc. (OERI) has treated Sericea and Honey Locust 4
times since 2010. Cedars were cut in December 2010. Prescribed burns took
place on both glades in February 2012. These procedures will benefit the
native communities of glade plants which include Lanceleaf Coreopsis
(Coreopsis lanceolata), Fame Flower (Talinum calycinum), Scaly Blazing Star
(Liatris hirsuta), Poppy Mallow (Callihroe digitata), Widow’s Cross (Sedum
pulchellum), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Little Bluestem (Schizacyrium
scoparium), and other warm season grasses. As the glades are kept open and
more native plants return from the seed bank, we expect the glade habitat to
support plant species attractive to certain bird and reptile species. We will be
visiting the glade on top of the bluffs overlooking the Piney Creek valley, and the
glade surrounding the waterfall.
Arkansas Native Plant Society 