This is the stone that has the metal letters, spelling out Logan Springs Preserve, located at 15300 Osage Hill Road, Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and serves as the marker for this 210 acre, historic natural area.
sIt is a property owned by The Nature Conservancy, (www.nature.org) with the mission of protecting the Logan Spring water source, that leads into Osage Creek.
In a "previous life", a small dam was built at the beginning of the spring, and the water from the spring was used to supply fish ponds, that were located across the gravel road from the spring.
An opening in the dam makes for a closeup view of this man made waterfall:
A generous donation enabled The Nature Conservancy to erect a deck adjacent to the spring that can be used by the public, and that is where I gathered with a group of people assembled by the Illinois River Watershed Partnership (www.irwp.org), to learn about water quality in northwest Arkansas.
As we sipped our coffee, in front of the deck and scenic pond, we had a very informative presentation by an expert on the use of native plants to help stop stream back erosion.
The speaker told us how long the roots were, of some of these native plants, and why they were so good at reducing stream bank erosion. Before I took Master Naturalist training, I always appreciated the way trees leaned over a stream to make for a pleasing photograph.
But now, I realize this occurs because one side of the tree's surrounding soil is eroded away quicker than the other side. Notice how the trees leaning over the pond at the springs are each leaning towards the water, so much so, that they form an "X" over it! If this erosion takes place too quickly, and over an extended period of time, the result is a fallen tree into the stream, which eventually may cause flooding, and additional degradation of the banks of the flowing water.
From the deck beside the spring, we strolled by the building that used to be the fish hatchery, in the 1950's.
If you have ever visited an active fish hatchery, you can imagine what these cement tanks would have looked like whenever the hatchery was active:
Our group then crossed the gravel road, to start our trek along the hiking trails that have been developed on top of what used to serve as pond levees to hold the fish that were being raised:
A pipe goes under the road, to supply water to the water features within the preserve, that have been repurposed for recreational purposes. A water wheel pumps this water throughout the preserve:
We walked along the levee trails, with experts pointing out various features of the flora and fauna. In the original baitfish hatchery, there were about 36 different ponds, so that makes for many miles of levee trails!
Birds that like fish in their diet have always been drawn to fish hatcheries, and this area still has a multitude of bird species, making it a fun trek for bird watching enthusiasts, and placards along the trails point out some of the bird sightings.
This little lake is the largest water feature at the location, and would be an enjoyable spot to sit with a pair of binoculars to observe how many species of wildlife one could see!
Next our group crossed a bridge that connects the levee areas to a flatter area, adjacent to the entrance:
Near the green houses, one will encounter a wetlands area, with board walks;
Youngsters are encouraged to use these areas to try their hand at fishing, since no fishing license is required for those under a certain age. A placard shows the type of fish they might see:
A set of interpretive plaques, written in both Spanish and English, give a good overview of the entire area, and they are located adjacent to the parking area:
I would definitely recommend a visit to this newest Nature Conservancy acquisition in Northwest Arkansas. My visit there gave me "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
As you drive into Port Lavaca, Texas, ( 
The lighthouse greeting, is a clue to the importance of boating and fishing, in this haven for the many "Winter Texans" who come here from Canada and colder parts of the USA, to spend October through April.
Since the adjacent lands are "flat as the proverbial pancake", I got the impression that many of these boaters used pedal-power to make their supply runs, as bicycles were prevalent everywhere on the dock!
The calmer waters of the marina are a "must have" for boat moorings, because Port Lavaca holds the record for the highest wind speed ever reached! During Hurricane Carla in September, 1961, winds were recorded to gust up to 170 mph! On the day I was there, the weather broadcast said the winds were 55 mph! As I was filling up my gas tank, the wind actually blew the nozzle out of the tank! I don't recall ever being outside in that much wind in my entire life!
Although the population of Port Lavaca is listed as around 12,000, it can boast some boutique shopping experiences that compare with towns of a much larger size. I spent about an hour wandering through this store, as the tremendous variety of merchandise it offered was a visual delight!
The title of this mural is "Main Street on Parade" and alludes to the town's colorful past. A clue to that past, is in its name, as "La vaca" means "the cow" in Spanish. At one time, the shipping of cattle, was an important part of this town's economic purpose. Not only that, Port Lavaca, was the location of shipments of camels, during an "experiment" the U.S. Military authorized, to test using dromedaries for transport purposes, in their Southwest operations!
The Lavaca Theater is no longer used for current movie releases, but its distinctive sign remains as a landmark on the town's Main Street.
This Confederate Artillery Battery Silhouette, with the Gulf waters in the background, is a reminder that this area was also touched by the conflicts of the Civil War, even though the battles fought here may not be as famous as the ones back East around Gettysburg. Since I had a great grandfather that died in the Civil War, I am using this image as a visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health ( 
This sturdy bench is bolted onto concrete to withstand the strong winds, and make sure it is available, for those who want to sit and gaze at the horizon! It may have been empty when I was there because many of the "Winter Texans" had already left, and the local folks were at work in one of the large manufacturing facilities that are nearby: Alcoa, Formosa Plastics, and DuPont all have plants in the area. 
There is a very nice Nature Walk beside the water, that provides folks with a level place to do their outdoor exercise strolls.
This board walk enables the visitor to get "up close and personal" with the wildlife of the estuaries, without damaging it from foot traffic.
The covered gazebo on the water's edge would be a welcome repose from the sun, during the hot days of summer.
Lighthouse Beach is a man made beach, and has covered picnic tables, swimming, and shower provisions. I liked the way the shower nozzles were "camouflaged" adjacent to the artificial palm trees!
The tire tracks on the beach show that no one had used it since it was groomed earlier in the day. The row of black dots in the middle left of the photo show the beach is being patrolled by platoon of birds---hundreds were all lined up on the fence, as if waiting for a performance to start!
I couldn't resist my urge to start walking towards these birds to see how close I could get, before they all flew away. Some of them never did fly away! I surmised they were more afraid of losing their spot in the line-up, than they were of some lady with a camera!
A new fishing pier was built for Port Lavaca in 2006. Notice it has lights for night fishermen. Game fish harvested here include Red Fish, Flounder, Drum, and Speckled Trout.
I was more intrigued by this sailing catamaran that I was by the fishing boats. Sadly, I never saw anyone take it out during my brief visit to these waters.
Fishing is an important part of the local economy, especially for shrimp and oysters. This boat was unloading its catch during my visit. So even though the nickname of the town is "Port of the Cow", I did not see a single cow anywhere, while touring Port Lavaca! However, later in my trip to the Texas coast, I was able to enjoy dining on some of their fresh seafood, and it gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!. Tricia