Pack & Paddle

By Jennifer Ailor, OS Climate Change Committee Chair and Roscoe’s Mom Hi, I’m Roscoe, a rascal of a donkey living in the Ozarks. Mom asked me to honk a few words about how hard it’s become to find hay and pasture for me and my buddies, Josie, my sweet donkey friend; Fat Abby, the mule; and Sierra, the old mare who heads up the herd. In the winter, we’re burdened by the presence of Rosie, a fast-talking, greedy fox trotter who’s taking some R&R from riding trails. This is the real Roscoe!        This summer was so dang hot and dry even for us hardy donkeys. Why, Mom had to settle for hay not as tasty as last year’s and short of what she’ll need for us equines to eat this winter. We went for 60 days without a drop of rain, and the pasture was so dry even the buckbrush wasn’t fit to eat. It’s been hot and dry in the Ozarks before—I well remember the summer of 2012—but this climate change is bringing on the heat and dry a good month early and lasting longer. My eating is suffering! I know the horse and cows [...]

By Steve Heye, Pulaski Chapter Outings Chair California      In early 2020, I had organized a backpacking trip in the California Sierras that would include a day hike to the top of Mt. Whitney. Seven other folks had signed on and I had permits in hand for the trip to take place in early July. Then, in March, Covid came on the scene. Though we could have gone, everyone agreed that we would pass on the trip.       Twenty twenty-one looked much better. I still had the same plan: walk from Onion Valley to the John Muir Trail and I got the permits, we recruited four others to join us and everything was a go this time. We arrived in late July and started the hike after some acclimatizing. The guys did the hike and they had a great time. Meanwhile, I had to turn around the first day, suffering from what would be diagnosed as Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever. Bummer, turned back again.        As New Year's 2022 rolled by, I wondered if I could do Whitney's summit, then finish at Whitney Portal.  I thought I was capable of doing this hike, so I [...]

By Pattie Heitzman, Highlands and Sugar Creek Chapters      It started way back in the summer of 2021.  Lowell Collins asked for volunteers to form committee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo National River, America’s first National River.  She asked, and they came.  A dedicated and enthusiastic group of people from both the Highlands and Sugar Creek Chapters met and brainstormed.  Out of those meetings came two subgroups.         The awesome leader of that first subgroup was Janet Parsch.  Under Janet’s leadership they formed a committee to plan a networking event.  The fruits of their labor culminated in a fabulous dinner and evening this past March.  It was a successful gathering represented by members of over 30 environmental organizations. It lit a flame to focus on environmental issues to benefit our natural state.        The second subgroup also aimed to network but went in a different direction.  The three members of that committee; Peggy Bulla, Jeff Montgomery, and myself, Pattie Heitzman, created over a series of meetings a Traveling Information and Display Booth.   Our mission was to educate and spread awareness of the Ozark Society, and to the Buffalo River’s [...]

By Marvin Schwartz, Ozark Society Foundation Chair The OSF Grant Committee has finished reviewing the proposals submitted for the 2022/23 Youth Engagement in Conservation grant cycle. The committee received 15 grant requests totaling $32,752.95. After reading the proposals, reviewing the budgets, and meeting via Zoom to debate the projects, we have decided to approve full or partial funding to 9 organizations for a grand total of $14,531.05. The selected youth grants for 2023 are listed. Please recognize Grant Committee chair Roslyn Imrie, OSF board member Susan Young, and the community members who assisted in this next year's program. Also, the Sassafras Award book is soon to be delivered to a printer. We are hopeful to announce the winner and have books for distribution early next year. Ozark Society Foundation Youth Grants 2023, Summary of Grant Awards: Arco Iris Earth Care Location: Newton County Arkansas Scope: 15 BIPOC students, 6th-12th grade Proposal Summary: Arco Iris Earth Care will work to reach BIPOC in rural parts of Arkansas. They will connect these students with nature through hikes and invasive plant removal projects. Amount Requested: The organization requested supplies such as flyers, snacks, and educational materials for their program as well as fuel and transportation [...]

By Jennifer Ailor, Climate Change Committee Chair      The passing of Dr. Sally Hubbard—simply Sally as she preferred to be called—in July was an irreplaceable loss to the Schoolcraft Chapter and the greater Ozark Society. Throughout her career as a physician at the Missouri State University health clinic, she made her mark as a compassionate caregiver and an active supporter of Lady Bears basketball, other sports and causes.      But within Schoolcraft and the greater Ozark Society, anyone who “experienced” Sally knew she thrived on adventure and Nature’s challenges. The worse the rain or cold or mishap, the better the trip. She experienced all that and more on her first momentous river float in the 1970s; instead of saying “never again,” she asked, “when’s the next trip.” She went on to become a skilled river runner, and woe be you if you shared her canoe or raft and didn’t match her skills.      Sally became the business lynchpin of Schoolcraft, serving over the decades as secretary, treasurer, membership chair, newsletter editor and general organizer. Likewise, in the greater Ozark Society, she served at least 15 years as board secretary, as well as organizing and participating in [...]