We will have a booth again this year at the Van Buren County Fair. Docents and Board Members will be manning the booth on Tuesday – Friday from 6-8p.m. and most of the day on Saturday. Come by and see what we’ve been doing all year, and talk to us about scheduling your class, group or organization out for a visit. We want to tell you all about our mission and community activities we offer. See you soon!
Click the image for full schedule of events…
South Fork Nature Center has just been the recipient of a $4,000 grant from an anonymous donor through the AR Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that fosters smart giving to improve communities, to help AR protect, grow, and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs.
This grant will be used to enhance South Fork glades for Monarch butterfly habitat and for possible additionally threatened species.
In June of 2015, a $5000 grant from U.S. Fish and Wildlife provided funding for monarch butterfly habitat in three glade ecosystems of SFNC, glades that were undergoing enhancement from an earlier U.S.F.W. grant of $10,000. Specifically grown milkweed plants, some 450 in number, were set out in the SFNC glades in 23 populations, 18-20 plants per population, in June by Master Gardeners, South Fork docents, and Board members; these plants were watered until early in the fall. Milkweed survival documented in the spring of 2016 in all 23 of these plots ranged from 0-82% with six of the plots showing percentages above 50%. Nine of the 23 plots had survival rate below 25%. Similar results were achieved in 2011-12 in Missouri with survival from six transplant sites ranging from 23-66% (C. Davit, Missouri Prairie Journal vol. 34 no. 2, p.11).
In many plots at SFNC, milkweeds compensated for deer browsing, insect feeding and winter injury by producing additional stems from established root systems. Several plants grew to flower in the first year, but research shows that bloom may take a minimum of two years to occur.
We at South Fork Nature Center would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and individual donors. We appreciate your interest in our mission. Your donations truly strengthen the SFNC organization and make an incredible impact on our local environment.
The South Fork Nature Center is the premier project of the Gates-Rogers Foundation. The Gates-Rogers Foundation is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Donations made to SFNC may be eligible for a tax deduction. Donations of all sizes are greatly appreciated. If you are interested in the environment, habitat restoration, education of local school children or fostering opportunities for community based outdoor activities, then please consider South Fork Nature Center for your next charitable gift. Visit us soon! Our outdoor Classroom is in your neck of the woods!
Fast, secure online contributions through PayPal are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!
These fun fungi photos were taken by our president, Janet Miron, during a recent trail tour.
The Greers Ferry Lake & Little Red River Association invites everyone to lend a hand in the big yearly land & water cleanup day. This year, join the celebration as part of a 3-day community event.
Find schedule details & check-in times for participating locations at www.arkansasadventures.org or e-mail info@arkansasadventures.org.
All registrants will be entered into the grand prize drawing.
See our listing in the new online Regional Visitors Guide!
As of July 2016, we are pleased to announce our newly-elected president, Janet Miron! Our team is grateful to have her knowledge and energy play such a vital role in our organization. Former president Don Richardson will continue to offer his invaluable experience as a member of the board.
Janet resides in Little Rock with her husband Philip, who currently serves as the organization’s Treasurer. She works as a science curriculum consultant in addition to serving on the Foundation’s board of directors. Janet has a strong desire to carry out the wishes and visions of her former neighbor, Victor Gates, for the South Fork Nature Center.
About three quarters of an acre in area, the upland depression wetland holds shallow standing water during wetter months; massive hummocks of several species of moss, including Sphagnum, cover much of the ecosystem floor. Hot summer weather leaves the site dry. This area, more commonly seen in the Gulf Coastal Plain, supports high bush blueberry (Vaccinium fuscatum), Drummond’s red maple (Acer rubrum var. Drummondii), maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina), and several orchid populations as well as a diversity of sedges (two of which are of conservation concern) and partridge berry (Mitchella repens). Restoration and maintenance of this ecosystem requires considerable opening of the canopy increasing the available light, future controlled burns.
So, the first step in this restoration is removal of the many Eastern red cedars that have grown tall as well as a number of tall sweetgums and hickory species. This tree removal became a Saturday project on May 14 when 12 anxious and dedicated workers (SFNC docents, Board members, and friends) gathered early in the morning for duty. Chain saws whined loudly as trees came thundering down; ten foot cedar logs good enough for fence rails were cleaned and saved while the brush and undesirable trees were burned. A welcomed rest and lunch at noon at the picnic tables beside the cabin was a fine idea…leaving only the feeding of the two huge fires with the ends of burned logs and branches. By 3:00 pm all was quiet, save only an occasional pop and crackle of the fires. If one were to listen carefully, an ever so softly spoken word could be heard from the heart of the ecosystem being restored… “Thanks for giving me light again!”
(For documentation of this ecosystem, see “A Comprehensive Floristic Inventory, Habitat Assessment and Plant Community Classification of South Fork Native Plant Preserve, Van Buren County, AR, 2006” by Theo Witsell and Brent Baker…noted on SFNC web site under “Reports.”)
South Fork Nature Center 
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