Highlands Chapter Members and Visitors:

This coming Tuesday will be our first monthly meeting for the ‘24-‘25 season at First United Presbyterian Church, and there’s lots to talk about.

First, we will meet at 6:30 pm to take a short hike in the Brooks-Hummel Nature Preserve right off the church parking lot.   Who knew it was there?   Wear your outdoor clothes and walking shoes if you’re up for a short walk. Time to get in gear for fall hiking.

At 7:00 we will meet back at the church Fellowship Hall very easy to find near the front of the campus. In fine Ozark Society Highlands Chapter tradition we will have Apres-Hike snacks during an extended social time. After the summer break, there is always so much catching up to do.

You could say the program will be “Our Activities.”  Not only will we have time to share what we did over the summer break, we also will have time to discuss Ozark Society and Highlands Chapter business.   We need to either move the day of the week to Monday to keep meeting in Witherspoon Hall for the year, …….   or stay in the Fellowship Hall and meet on Tuesdays as we did in the past.   We must decide.

Secondly, Lowell Collins, Community Engagement Chair for the umbrella organization, will give us a short presentation on the exciting Youth Grant Program sponsored by the Ozark Society.   It is one of our most important outreach programs.

We also want to let everyone know about the activities planned for the coming year, especially the Fall Meeting we are hosting at Queen Wilhelmina Lodge and State Park the weekend of November 9th & 10th. Make plans and keep informed.

Meeting Details:

WHEN:

Tuesday, September 24,2024

6:30-Hike in Brooks-Hummel Nature Preserve

7:00 pm Apres Hike Social Time

WHERE:

First United Presbyterian Church

Fellowship Hall (old sanctuary)

695 E. Calvin Street

Fayetteville, AR 72703

WHO:

*Chapter Members – Our own activities, business and announcements

*Lowell Collins – Youth Grant Program

If you would like to bring a snack for the social time, please get in touch with Chris Kline. 

        phone: (479) 409-0394

email: ckline901@gmail.co

Coffee, including decaf, hot teas and water will be available

Feel free to call me if you have questions. We’d love to see you at our meetings. If you have interests that you’d like to have a program about, please let me know.

Hope to see you at this first meeting of the season! 

Peggy Bulla

OSHC Vice-Chair

(479) 586-2493

sunnypegs@aol.com

Osage Park Wetlands Nature Preserve, Urban Day-hike

Day, Date:  Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Name of Hike:  Osage Park Wetlands Nature Preserve

Location:  Bentonville, Arkansas 700 SW 16th St (off of S. Walton Blvd)

Type of Hike:  Urban Day-hike, paved trail and wetland boardwalk

Hiking Distance:  2.3 miles

Maximum Elevation Difference:  negligible, 34 feet.

Rating: Easy

Hike Leaders: Chris and Les Kline

For additional information: ckline901@gmail.com or 479-409-0394

Features:  Osage Park, supported by the Compton Peel Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation, borders Bentonville Lake and the Bentonville Municipal Airport: Thaden Field. Habitat Restoration is apparent as this beautiful area returns to wet and dry grasslands, swamp zones, and native woodlands. It features a wide variety of native plants, butterflies, and bees.

Meeting Place and Time:

• Meet at Sam’s Club, 3081 AR-112, Fayetteville (Park near the Main Entrance SE section)  carpooling for a 9:30 a.m. departure; or,
• Meet at Osage Park Pavilion at 10:05am. (Please see notes on parking.)
• For Google Map, click on “Location” below.

Driving Distance:  25 miles from Sam’s Club to the 16^th Street Park Entrance.

Comments: Bring water, comfortable walking or hiking shoes.  We did not encounter pesky insects on our preliminary hike 9/16/25, but bug spray may be a good idea. No pets are allowed on any hikes, and a guardian must accompany children under 12 years old. Participants are required to sign a liability release at the trailhead to take part in any Ozark Society outing.  Everyone is welcome to hike with the OSHC, whether an Ozark Society member or not.

Lunch: Lunch is on your own after the hike.  The restaurant at Thaden Field Airport is on the hiking trails. It’s a great way to relax while watching small aircraft land and take off. It’s a bit pricey. There are 3 food trucks in the park.  Only 2 seem to be open, the Oh Snap, Ice-Cream Truck and CrackerJack Gastro lab.

Other Hikes to visit after lunch: Check out the other Compton Peel locations, Coler Creek Preserve, and Compton Gardens. Both are in Bentonville.

Parking: There are 2 parking lots.  Please park at the lot on SW 16^th St. near the pavilion.  If you’re traveling from the north on S. Walton Blvd. make a right on SW 16^th St. If you come in from the south on S. Walton Blvd, make a left on 18^th St., as there will be a light at that intersection. Turn right on SW D St., left on SW 16^th St., and enter the park.

https://www.bayouchapter.com/event-details/river-rat-challenge-team-bayou-bandits-2

We are back at 2nd Presbyterian for our monthly meeting. Our guest speaker will be congressman French Hill. He will talk about the environmental work he has been doing, including the expansion of the Flatside Wilderness. We will also discuss current events and upcoming outings in a business meeting.

Buffalo River Chapter Membership meeting will be Saturday October 12, 2024 at Ozark Campground, Buffalo National River. 

Directions to the campground:  Take Hwy. 7 south out of Harrison and travel approximately 16.5 miles to the Ozark Campground turnoff. Turn right on County Road 129 (signs are posted). Travel approximately 2 miles and the road dead ends in the campground.

9:30pm – Meet at Ozark Campground Pavilion, if you would like to participate in a short hike; the hike will begin at 9:30 a.m. We will hike towards Cedar Glade Picnic area and back for 3.6 miles round trip.  If we run short on time, we’ll turn around before Cedar Glade.  Bring water, your usual day pack and sturdy hiking shoes/boots.

12:00pm – Meet at the Ozark Campground Pavilion for lunch.  If you can, please bring your own reusable plate and cup/glass for tea/water so we can meet the Ozark Society goals of wisely using resources.  No fork needed.  No problem if you can’t, or forget your dishes, we will have a few extras.   We will have sandwich fixings, chips and cookies, tea and water.

1:00pm – Ross Noland with The Buffalo River Foundation will be our featured speaker.

1:30pm – Meeting and discussions

Please RSVP by October 1, 2024 – krismcmillen7@gmail.com

Due to ordering the food; we don’t want to run short and we don’t want to waste any good food by overbuying.  You are welcome to bring a guest.  Please let me know ASAP how many are coming for lunch.  Kris: krismcmillen7@gmail.com

Stewart Noland is leading an overnight float somewhere on the Buffalo. We will post the final put-in spot on the website, Ozarksociety.net in the outings tab. Bring your own food and drinks and equipment needed to sleep on the sand bar. If you don’t have a boat, rentals will be available or ask around to borrow one. Come enjoy an early fall weekend on the River. Email Stewart for more info or tell him you’d like to join in. stewartnoland51@aol.com

Another new trail for the Chapter. This piece of the Womble will leave from a Trail Head near the intersection of Hwys. 270 & 298, west of Mt. Ida. We will walk along a ridge and into a valley that parallels the Ouachita River. We will meet at the Chik-Fil-A by Bass Pro in SW Little Rock at 7:30 to carpool down. Bring good shoes, water and a lunch. Should be good foliage color.

It’s our monthly gathering at 2nd Presbyterian. Our Speaker will be announced. We will also discuss current topics and outings.

Another new hike! We will hike from Blanchard Springs along the North Sylamore creek down to Alison. We will carpool from Morgan McDonald’s at 7:30. You may want to stay Friday in Mt. View and join us Saturday at Blanchard trail head at 10 am. Bring a lunch, good shoes and water.