Arkansas Chapter

Header photo above: PJSP Seven Hollows Trail

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Items previously shown below may have been moved to the Newsletter pages    

Sierra Club - Central Arkansas Group Meeting

3/19/24 – Tu - Please join us to hear Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde discuss the Southeast Trail expansion as well as the Central Arkansas Greenways Plan. The Southeast Trail expansion will connect the Clinton Presidential Library, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, Heifer International, the Residences at Harbor Town, Rock City Yacht Club, Carver Magnet Elementary School, East Village, East Little Rock Community Center, and Dassault Falcon Jet. Come early at 5:30 to enjoy the wonderful food at Star of India. We meet in the banquet room. Thank Sammy for hosting us. Star of India is located at 301 N. Shackleford Rd. STE C4 Little Rock, AR 72211.

Future meetings are announced via e-mail messages from Chair George Wise. If you do not receive the messages, please contact George at bgcdwise@swbell.net     Program starts at 6:30.

For additional information on past or future CAG meetings, click HERE.    
Future Tuesday CAG meetings (at 6:30 pm): 4/16/24; 5/21/24; 6/18/24; 7/16/24
No meeting in August or December. Late 2024 meetings: 9/17/24; 10/15/24; 11/19/24

World Wilderness Congress

8/24-31/24 - Sa-Sa - South Dakota - This year, the World Wilderness Congress will be held in South Dakota, the third time the quadrennial series of gatherings will be held in the U.S. After March 31, registration fee for the full week may increase to $1000. For more info, go to wild.org    

Sierra Club Board of Director Elections

4/24/24 - W - noon EST deadline - Elections are now underway for 5 board members for the 2024-2027 term on the national Sierra Club Board of Directors. Club members who signed up for electronic delivery have probably received a ballot (from President Allison Chin) via e-mail within the last week. Others should receive a ballot via U.S. mail. The ballot has information on how to access information on the candidates. Please vote for the candidates of your choice who will determine the direction of the Club for the future.

Central Arkansas Safety Action Plan

11/2023 - Metroplan, the metropolitan planning organization for Central Arkansas (Faulkner County, Lonoke County, Pulaski County, and Saline County) is developing a Safety Action Plan. This Plan will identify and prioritize roadway safety improvements for all road users in Central Arkansas, including pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and more. The goal of the Safety Action Plan is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through implementation focused on all road users. For more info [or to complete a survey to provide input to the plan], click HERE.   The survey is now completed but the link is retained for info only.

Early Tick Season?

2/12/24 - Ticks were spotted last week near Pinnacle Mountain. Use caution.

Total Solar Eclipse in Arkansas

12/27/2023 - For an interactive map of the 4/8/2024 eclipse route, check https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/statemap.html. For related news articles, check
page 2B of the Sunday 7/10/23 issue - or pages 1G & 8G of the Sunday 10/8/23 issue - or
pages 1B & 5B of the Sunday 12/17/23 issue of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

At the time of the last such eclipse in 2017, one member viewed the eclipse in Missouri. Driving north on Hwy 67 the afternoon before the eclipse, he stopped at the first significant town inside Missouri and found every motel was full. He then headed 45 miles east to near I-55 and found a motel with one last room available. The next morning, (keeping an eye on the clouds - 50% coverage - and the direction they were moving), he headed 110 miles northwest, stopping at St. Francois State Park (back on Hwy 67). The park allowed overflow cars to park on the grass and every such available space was soon filled. The sky overhead remained clear allowing everyone to witness the eclipse. ...Another person, drove to Kentucky to view the eclipse. Afterwards, he found heavy traffic on the interstate leaving the area was moving at 20 miles an hour.

For 2024, the total eclipse will be visible in 21 of 52 state parks in Arkansas. Campsites/lodging in 20 of the 21 are already sold out for the required 4-night minimum. Many RV parks in the area are nearly sold out ($100 to 200 a night usually with a 3-night minimum). One dirt bike track is leasing out space for camping. I expect stores and other facilities with large parking lots (and probably farms and other property owners) may do the same. Overall, the state with 3 million population is expecting 1.5 million visitors for the eclipse. And this is with a reasonable chance that the sky may be overcast. Texas is a larger state with more space and may have a better chance of clear skies. Check the weather forecasts.

Pinnacle Mountain State Park News

11/28/23 - Tu - The new Visitors Center had their grand opening this morning with short speeches by park officials and Governor Sanders. The driveway to the new Visitors Center is around 1/4 mile north of the West Summit Trail parking lot. There is now a short extension of the Base Trail (south of the #3 marker) that connects to the Visitors Center with a new bike trail accessible nearby. The November issue of amp magazine (armoneyandpolitics.com) pages 24 & 25 describes architectural considerations that went into design of the building.

When visiting the visitors center, ask for a copy of the new trail guide. It appears that hiking trails have doubled in mileage in the last half-dozen years. I've heard a hiker describe the new (1 mile) Owl Pass Trail (between the boat launch ramp and the Arboretum) as a favorite. (It is almost flat and fairly smooth.) Most of the other new trails are in the eastern part of the park.

NEWS

This year (2024), the west coast has again received a lot of rain and snow. For links to a selection of Web Cams in California, click HERE.

Note: Past news and outings reports have been moved to the Newsletters page.    
 

What's New on the Web site:

Items mentioned above (on Home Page) may or may not be included in the What's New Section.
Date at left (below) may either be date material was added to web site or date of event. Items removed from Home Page may be on the Newsletter pages  

POSTED IN Q1/Q2 ( JAN-JUN ) 2024

  • 1/1/24 - Distinguished lecture series listing updated
  • 1/1/24 - History Tours schedule updated
  • 1/1/24 - Links on Get Involved web page checked/updated
  • 1/1/24 - Links on EPA - ADEQ web page checked

POSTED IN 2023

  • 11/xx/23 - Link to Central AR Safety Action Plan added
  • 7/18/23 - Astronomy web page updated
  • 7/15/23 - Older Home pg info moved to News-2022 / News-2021 pages
  • 3/19/23 - History Tours schedule updated
  • 3/19/23 - UCA Planetarium Public Shows- schedule updated (also 7/18/23)
  • 3/11/23 - Distinguished lecture series listing updated
  • 3/6/23 - Tick season has arrived (Home page)
  • 2/12/23 - More Large-Scale Pig Farms (Home page)
  • 1/14/23 - January CAG meeting announcement added to web site
  • 1/1/23 - New Year's Day

 

    For information on web site changes in prior months, go to the About Us > What's New page.

    The following are images that have been considered as possible future web site header photos.

    Below left: Waterfall in Devils Canyon, Ozark NF - - - - - Below right: 100+-year old Springfield Bridge, the oldest bridge of this type in Arkansas. The bridge was recently extensively repaired and moved to near the west end of Beaverfork Lake.

    Devils-Canyon     old Springfield Bridge

    Army Corps of Engineers Inspection Ship Near Toad Suck Lock and Dam

    Army Corps of Engineers Inspection Ship Near Toad Suck Lock and Dam

        <img src="/sites/default/files/sc

    Special Topic: Texas Coal Plants An Issue, Sierra Club Says

    By Doug Thompson - NW News - December 30, 2014

    Two coal-fired power plants in Texas stand as the most immediate threat to air quality in Northwest Arkansas, said the director of the Sierra Club in Arkansas.

    The plants are among seven at issue in a Jan. 15 public hearing in Oklahoma City. The federal Environmental Protection Agency called the hearing after rejecting parts of Texas' plan to gradually reduce the amount of haze-causing sulfur dioxide from the plants.

    Glen Hooks, this state's Sierra Club director, said his group will argue at the hearing the sulfur dioxide contributes to haze as far north as Benton and Washington counties and over the federally protected headwaters of the Buffalo National River. ... MORE     [TOP]

    Campfire Events Calendar

    Outing - Sierra Club Policies

    • Activities identified as Sierra Club outings are led by a certified Outings Leader. All participants on such outings are required to sign a Sierra Club Liability Waiver form. If you would like to read the Liability Waiver before you choose to participate on an outing, please go to http://content.sierraclub.org/outings/local-outdoors/resources, then click on Sign-in Sheet & Liability Waiver or contact the Outings Department at (415) 977-5528 for a printed version.
    • Carpools transportation is at the sole risk of the participants, both driver and passengers, even if they are leaders or staff of the outings or activity.
    • CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.

    To see a brief description of all events in a printable format, click on Print View below.
    In Print View, for a map or directions, (if available) click on Map or Directions at the right. 
    In Map View, click on a flag (circle), then on the individual event for more info.
    In List View, click on Activity (title / link) for detailed info. (Recommended!)

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