LOGAN SPRINGS PRESERVE EXPEDITION!

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.

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 It 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:

The Logan Springs Preserve is adjacent to the Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge, which is the home of some endangered species of cave-dwelling creatures.  The entrances to the caves are fenced off, to prevent damage caused by humans trampling through the underground environments.  Seeing the word "REFUGE" brought to mind one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.org) memory verses that says, "But let all who take refuge in You, be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11

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. 

There is a plaque on a large rock adjacent to the deck, that expresses gratitude for the generosity of the donors, who made building the deck possible. 

Since we were gathering at 8 am on a crisp October morning, the coffee and breakfast they provided was very welcome!

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:

There are Interpretive plaques along the walking paths that explain what you are looking at, including one that tells the history of the fish hatchery:

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.

The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit organization, and generous donations from area corporations have made the preservation of this area possible:

For those who want to rest or have a picnic at a scenic outdoor location, there are picnic tables strategically placed throughout the property:

One of the larger water features at the Preserve is an oxbow lake that has a floating dock, built to withstand the fluctuating water levels possible within the property:

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:

This path will take you by some greenhouses that an area botany group is leasing from the Nature Conservancy, for the purpose of growing Arkansas native plant species:

Near the green houses, one will encounter a wetlands area, with board walks;

Some of the boardwalks do not have railings, so watch your step!

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 picnic table near the Children's Fishing Pond would enable a place for a parent to sit, while observing their little one get acquainted with the outdoors:

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

KINGS RIVER DECK HOUSE EXPEDITION!

The Kings River Deck House ( www.kingsriverdeckhouse.org ) is a rental property that sits on a bluff, overlooking the Kings River, near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. 

The house and two adjoining bungalows are owned by The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas ( www.nature.org ).  The home was originally built by the Liedtke family of Houston in 1970. 

The solid wood dining room will actually seat 20 guests at one time, which is the absolute maximum that the management allows to stay, for overnight rentals.

I took

this photo of the large and fully-equipped kitchen, from the stairs to the sleeping loft.  I had the wonderful blessing of being there with 18 other adventure-minded ladies, who were prepping to kayak the area rivers.  We call ourselves "The WHOyakers", because we are a "spin-off" of a hiking group called "WHO" which stands for "WOMEN HIKING the OZARKS". 

 War Eagle Creek was our location for the first float.  This old arch-style bridge has been a landmark for decades.

I have noticed that getting the kayak from the vehicle to the river is seldom an easy chore, and War Eagle Creek was no exception.  The photo below shows the group walking on top of the old bridge, surveying possible ways to get our 19 kayakers safely into the War Eagle Creek.  The photo above shows the location that was chosen.  (There are not photos of the actual "conveyor belt" operation that occurred on the steep hillside between the roadway and the river entry, because I fell in the incredibly slippery mud, and had to spend a few moments trying to restore my mud-covered outer clothing and mud-covered camera, to full function again!)

I was thankful Peggy K. took this photo below, of me giving the "Paddler's Victory Salute", as I made my way down War Eagle Creek, for the first time ever, in a kayak.

Since kayakers are basically "sitting on the water", sometimes it takes some help to get back to a standing position, after several hours of sitting, especially if one is getting out on a slope, or on slippery mud.  This group shows teamwork in helping one another out of their boats, in the photo below:

When choosing a lunch spot where 19 kayaks will fit, it is always about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

At the lunch stop on War Eagle Creek, one lady in our group got tangled into a grove of willow trees in the fast-rushing water, and her kayak filled with water.  Her fellow WHOyakers rushed to the scene to rescue her and her boat!

My photo of a few bluffs on War Eagle Creek,  for the "Look At The Front Of My Kayak" page on Facebook. 

Everybody pitches in,

when it is time to carry the boats out of the river, and up to the pickup truck loading area. 

The Monday before our Wednesday float of Kings River, several of us went with Peggy V. to scout out the location of the group's takeout point on the Kings River.  The photo below shows our Marshall Ford Bridge stopping point.  We all had instructions to NOT go past this bridge!

There is a very nice nature trail at the Kings River Deck House, that goes beneath one of the bungalows, and gives you a nice view of the pillars that support the structures. 

One of the points of interest along the trail is called "ShipRock", and I could not pass up the opportunity to have my photo made on it, since my son has the name "Ship Man"!   Plus, he is a rock climber, so I called this photo "ShipMan's Mom on ShipRock"!

The nature trail ends at an overlook of the Kings River.  Since the Kings River Deck House, has a hiking stick available for every guest at the entrance, we posed with the hiking sticks they supplied for this photo I call: "Girls in the 'STICKS'!"

The ladies in our group who so generously allow the use of their pickup trucks for hauling kayaks are greatly appreciated!  In this photo, Becky wanted "evidence" to show her husband how FIVE kayaks could be packed into the vehicle!

When our group awoke on Wednesday morning, all eyes were on the weather!  (Well, not ALL the eyes were on the weather, as I was looking through the wrong end of the powerful binoculars provided at the Deck House, so I could get a photo of the eyes of the elk on the fireplace wall!)

Fortunately, the living room was aglow with the rising sun!

Our group had to stage the launch into the Kings River on a gravel bar in the middle of the river.  This meant we got wet at the very beginning of our float!  However, thanks to help from the younger and taller ladies than me, I only got wet up to my thighs at the beginning!  This would not be a big deal on a hot day, but it was NOT a hot day!

Amy took this photo of our group at the beginning of the epic (it was epic for me, but not so much for more experienced paddlers!) 11.3 mile journey down the Kings River. 

And here is a photo of Dee, as she loads up the kayaks onto her trailer at the end of the float.  Do you notice there are no photos of the gorgeous bluffs that we saw along the Kings River?  That is because my only goal for the day was SURVIVAL!  The Bible verse I kept praying was from Isaiah 43:2a that says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."    Even though several ladies in our group had full-body immersions along the way, and swamped kayaks, (which required a full change of clothing from "the skin out"), we started with 19 ladies, and we ended with 19 ladies!  Thank you JESUS!

And a  big THANK YOU also,  to Peggy V., for making this adventure possible for me!  It is an expedition that gave me thrills, spills, and "MILES OF SMILES"!!   Tricia