FoOTNotes Vol. 3 / No 2 (April 2006)
FoOT Volunteers and Supporters,It is getting warmer and spring is morphing quickly into summer -- time to check out our trail sections. I was on my section this week, and the briars were starting to grow pretty quickly and there were a lot of downed trees from the recent storms. I have to say, however, that it looked a lot better than previous springs. This is a good time for all of us to get out, before it gets too hot.
- FoOT Has a New Director: Pete Ireland, President of the Pulaski Chapter of the Ozark Society has joined the FoOT Board of Directors. Pete was appointed by the FoOT Board to complete the term of Roy Senyard, who resigned for personal reasons. Pete's term will run through 2007, at which time the slot will be filled by general election. Pete has been involved with Friends of the Ouachita trail from it earliest days. He and his organization adopted a section of trail the first year and have been actively maintaining that section since. Pete brings his love of the trail, his trail maintenance experience, and his organizational skills to the FoOT Board.
- Flatside Wild Fire: Many of you are aware of the recent wildfire in Flatside Wilderness. The fire burned for almost a week and covered an area including thirteen miles of the Ouachita Trail. It was a rapidly moving fire, however, and as a result did not get terribly hot and, apparently, did little serious damage.
Preliminary reports are that in some areas the effect is not much worse than a prescribed burn. One report stated that the trail was like an un-burned ribbon through the blackened forest floor. This is at least in part a tribute to the regular trail maintenance that area has received from FoOT volunteers the last few years.
More specifically, the USFS firefighters were able to save the Oak Mountain Shelter, which was right in the middle of the burn area.
Friends of the Ouachita Trail would like to thank all of the USFS firefighters and support personnel who fought this fire and kept it from doing serious damage.
A special thank you is also due to those FoOT volunteers who have adopted in that area, whose prior work helped minimize the damage: Cliff & Pamela Harrison, Mike & Rebekah Sims, Lynn & Peggy Moore, and the Ouachita Mountain Hikers. - Ouachita Challenge: The Ouachita Challenge, hosted March 25/26 by Ouachita Cycle Club, was a huge success again this year. Ouachita Mountain Cycle Club thanks FoOT and each of the FoOT volunteers who participated as marshals or support personnel. That is not a hollow thanks, as FoOT received a donation of over $1000 for our participation in making this event a success.
Those of us who did participate had a lot of fun, and each of you who participated helped make a significant donation to FoOT. In addition to the direct donation from the event proceeds, Dewayne Hall (Trailhankies) sold several sets of the Ouachita Trail hankies, adding another $140 to our treasury. Next year, FoOT will offer our support again for this event, and hopefully can get an even bigger turn out. - Trailhead Recognition Signs: The Ouachita National Forest has recently purchased trailhead signs to recognize the role of FoOT in maintaining the Ouachita Trail. FoOT appreciates this recognition by the ONF. The first of these signs have already been installed at major trailheads on AR highway 7 and AR highway 9. The remaining signs will be installed over the next few months.
- FoOT Invited to Annual Meeting of Ozark Society: FoOT also received another kind of recognition recently, as well. The Ozark Society invited FoOT to participate at their annual meeting, held April 8 at Tyler Bend, Buffalo River. The Ozark Society is one of the most respected outdoor conservation organizations in the region. To be included in their invitation is a reflection of our growing acceptance as a significant outdoor organization. FoOT appreciated the invitation and enjoyed the day at Tyler Bend.
- Proposed Land Sales by USFS: The proposed sale of public property to generate funds for another purpose is an issue that we should all be looking at carefully. Specifically, the Congressional proposal to sell National Forest lands to generate funds for the Secure Rural Schools program. Our Forest service partners caution that this is only a proposal and that they have no direction to sell anything as a result of this proposal.
The USFS information page on the subject is at: http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/rural_schools.shtml. The map of tracts proposed for sale in the Ouachita National Forest ( http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/rural-pdf.shtml ) indicate that these particular tracts are isolated and of little value to the forest. In essence, the loss of these particular tracts would probably not be significant. The precedent of selling forest service land to fund other programs, however, is something that we should all be concerned about.
Check Out our web page: http://www.friendsot.org/
©2008 Friends of the Ouachita Trail
