Third Saturday Guided Walk

10am, May 21 at the Nature Center, off Hwy 330 by the Lake

Click here for Directions…

Everyone is welcome to attend 3rd Saturday events at the Nature Center, which are held monthly Spring through Fall. ADMISSION IS FREE!

Imagine a time when living “off grid” was not a lifestyle choice as it is today, but was in fact the only choice available for families of the rural area now known as South Fork Nature Center. How did these families stretch their food reserves to feed hungry children? How did they obtain the materials for the remedies that saved the lives of their loved ones? How did plants serve dozens of other useful roles for the families of the region?

For some answers to these questions, join Shirley Pratt, South Fork Nature Center docent, for a relaxing trail walk along the well maintained paths through the beautiful spring freshened forests of South Fork for the monthly Third Saturday event at the nature center. Meet at the restored Riddle Log Cabin for a brief welcome and orientation session before moving out onto the trails to learn about some of the Handy Helpful Herbs of South Fork. Many plants growing along the trails have been used as foods and medicines for centuries, and with caution, can even be used today.

South Fork Nature Center is the premier nature conservation project of the Gates Rogers Foundation, featuring 2 miles of maintained nature trails on the Lake, a restored pioneer cabin, and outdoor classroom facilities.

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Turn right off of US Hwy 65 North at Choctaw onto Hwy 330 East. Continue 3.7 miles toward Choctaw Marina, then turn left onto Klondike Road. Drive about 2 miles, turn left and continue onto Bachelor Road, down a steep hill, across a low water bridge, and up another steep hill to the nature center entrance gates. Drive through the gates down to the Riddle Log Cabin.

Don Culwell, Programs and Services Chair for SFNC addressed the Ozark Society’s spring meeting at the Ferncliff Conference Center in West Little Rock on April 15. Other speakers for the meeting included Chris McRae, world-wide solar energy expert, who described solar installations in Haiti and Honduras. Faron Usrey, a Buffalo River Stream Biologist for the State Park Service Research Learning Center, addressed the River from a standpoint of using science and education to preserve and protect the free flowing stream.

Culwell introduced South Fork as a place where education and a love of the out-of-doors brings wide variety of groups of all ages to interact with nature. He described a recent session with 9th graders where the structure and function of flowers aided the biology of plants. Colorful petals attract pollinators…or wind carries light weight pollen, each pollen grain carrying two sperm nuclei “in search of” the female pistil. As the enlivened sexual discussion within the group proceeded, one concerned guy, realizing his allergies and the pollen interaction with the mucous membranes of his nose, piped up “you mean, I have sperm in my nose?” The answer “well, yes, but they will not find a pistil.”

Recognition of flowers as the “plant tool” bringing together genetic information from two parents and the ensuing production of seeds able to enhance the plant population in the woods and glades allowed students to think along new liners as they left the cabin for a walk in the woods.

Docents and Board members of South Fork Nature Center were busy in March visiting with the teachers at Clinton’s High School and Junior High School.

On March 17th a Taco Soup lunch was cooked by the docents and served, complete with all the fixings, to approximately 20 incredible high school teachers. Krissi Graham, a very active docent at SFNC, arranged the visit with the administration and Ms. Valerie Lawson, the Consumer Science teacher, was kind enough to lend her room for the luncheon. Don Culwell, Janet Miron and Glenda Hall were also on hand to visit with the teachers about the Nature Center.

On March 31st docents again cooked up a great BBQ lunch for approximately 24 teachers at the Junior High School. Pulled pork sandwiches, slaw, beans and cake-balls were on the menu along with cookies and chocolate cake. Once again, Krissi Grahm facilitated the visit with the administrators and issued the invitation to the teachers. The Junior High media specialist, Ms. Tracy Sutterfield kindly agreed to host the teachers in the library. Don Culwell, Leslie Goff, Krissi Grahm and Janet Miron were the docents present to meet with the teachers. The teachers had some very unique ideas about activities at the nature center. Several teachers were very excited about designing field trips to meet their curriculum needs. A total of 40 teachers from both schools signed up to receive the SFNC Newsletter.

The chance to connect with these outstanding professionals and share the Mission of SFNC and the dream of “no child left inside” was one more step in our journey of educating students in our community about the natural environment around them and their role in preserving it!

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