John Bame and Fayetteville High School students look at old rail trestle and discarded rail ties blocking construction of city trail through old tunnel under existing Arkansas & Missouri Railroad

I might not have discovered this for some time had not John Bame brought some FHS students to World Peace Wetland Prairie and then taken them on a walk of the Pinnacle Prairie Trail and the part of Tsa-La-Gi Trail as yet uncompleted from the Hill Place Apartments through the old rail tunnel to the west to Razorback Road and beyond. Thanks to the environmentally aware students for caring and wanting to learn more about the delicate geography and geology of our city. Please click on image to enlarge view of railroad ties over mouth of tunnel and then watch video below the photo to learn reaction of workers when they learned that the ties should not be dumped there.

Rail ties being dumped in mouth of tunnel in Fayetteville AR Aubrey james | MySpace Video The Fayetteville city trail administrator telephoned the railroad manager in Springdale an hour later and the railroad official confirmed that the ties were not to be dumped there but were to be dumped at Cato Springs Road. Rail ties are creosoted and very dangerous to human beings and other living things when the chemicals leach into the watershed.

Two types of native honeysuckle vine on World Peace Native Prairie deserve active encouragement to stem the tide of overwhelming Japanese honeysuckle

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view of Lonicera sempervirens in top two photos and Lonicera flava in lower photos on March 27, 20010, at World Peace Wetland Prairie in Fayetteville, Arkansas. See descriptions below: (Lonicera sempervirens)

Please click on images to ENLARGE videw of Loniceera sempervirens and Lonicera flava, Arkansas' two significant species off native honeysuckle.

Common Names: coral honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle Family: Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle Family)   Get link to this Profile or click for data record #64 ShareThis

A coral honeysuckle vine guards a corner of Steve's vegetable garden where it maintains a nice compact shape and never invades its neighbors' spaces.

Description Coral honeysuckle is a twining or trailing woody vine that is evergreen or tardily deciduous in mild climates. The smooth leaves are 1-3 in (2.5-7.6 cm) long and arranged opposite each other along the stem. The last two leaves at the ends of new growth are joined at their bases, cup-like around the stem and the showy flowers are in terminal clusters just beyond. The flowers are tube shaped, about 2 in (5.1 cm) long, coral red or bright orange on the outside and yellow on the inside. The fruits are orange red berries, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) diameter. Numerous cultivars are available commercially including one with bright yellow flowers.

Coral honeysuckle flowers seem to be custom designed for hummingbirds both in shape and arrangement - no hummingbird can help but be enchanted with this beautiful vine as will you.Click to download a large version of this image.

Location Coral honeysuckle grows wild in open woodlands, roadsides, fence rows and the edges of clearings, from Connecticut to Nebraska, and south to Texas and Florida. Culture Prune coral honeysuckle back in the winter to increase flowering. Don't over-fertilize. Light: Prefers full sun, but tolerates partial sun. Moisture: Drought tolerant. Hardiness: USDA Zone 4 - 10. Propagation: Usually by seed.

Coral honeysuckle berries appear in late summer and fall to serve as a juicy food source for birds and other wildlife. Click to download a large version (800x600) of this image.

Usage Coral honeysuckle thrives in containers or in the garden. It is easy to grow, and its flashy flowers will attract ruby-throated hummingbirds and butterflies all summer long. Let it clamber over a fence or give it a trellis of its own. Many gardeners allow coral honeysuckle to climb over shrubs. Unlike its weedy relative, Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), coral honeysuckle will not spread out of control, and its sparse vines won't strangle your prize shrubs. Features Wherever coral honeysuckle grows, ruby-throated hummingbirds and butterflies will find it. Songbirds relish the juicy fruits. This is a spectacular vine that the local wildlife will enjoy as much as you - plant some!

Lonicera sempervirens above

Lonicera flava below

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of Lonicera flava on March 27, 2010

Lonicera flava information below online at  grownative.org/plants/info.asp?id=154

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Native Plant Info

Plant Details

Lonicera Flava

Common name: Yellow Honeysuckle A twining, deciduous woody vine with tubular yellow flowers in whorls at the ends of stems April-May. Round, fleshy, orange to red berries appear in late summer. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the nectar produced by the flowers while birds and small mammals eat the fruit. Deer browse the stems and leaves.

Culture: Grow in full sun or partial shade in soil with average moisture.

Use: Grow on a trellis, arbor or fence or along the ground in a natural area. Good vine for a bird garden.

Height: 10 to 20 feet

Spread: 3 to 6 feet

Color: Medium Yellow

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 - 8

Good Companion Plants

• Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra)
• Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina)
• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
• Wild Plum (Prunus americana)

Characteristics and Attributes

Sun Exposure:

Full Sun Medium Sun/Average Shade

Season of Interest:

Mid (May - June)

Soil Moisture:

Average Moderate

Wildlife Benefit:

Food/Small Animals Butterfly Nectar

Special Uses:

Fragrant

Nature Attracting:

Butterfly Hummingbird Songbird

(Lonicera sempervirens)

Restore clean-water act to original strength Now!

Please double-click "view as webpage" link near top right to see full post.

March 22, 2010  View as Webpage | Forward | Subscribe   Dear Aubrey, If you think the Clean Water Act protects your drinking water from pollution, think again. Please take action today to ensure fundamental safeguards for clean water in our streams, rivers, and lakes. A confusing 2006 Supreme Court decision on the Clean Water Act has left the fate of 60 percent of the nation’s stream miles -– that provide drinking water for 117 million Americans –- in legal limbo. As a result, as reported in The New York Times, polluters are now claiming complete exemptions from reporting what they dump into local streams. Congress can resolve this problem by passing legislation to restore full federal protection for all our waters. Help us ensure that all of our nation’s waters are protected under the Clean Water Act. Urge your representative to support introducing and passing the Clean Water Restoration Act today. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Katherine Baer Senior Director, Clean Water Program

To contact American Rivers, email us at outreach@AmericanRivers.org. To update your profile or change your preferences click here. To unsubscribe click here.  American Rivers ©2010

I would like to express grave concern over the loss of protection for many of our small streams that provide clean drinking water for 117 million Americans in communities across the country. Supreme Court decisions in the Rapanos and Carabell cases have made it confusing and burdensome for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect small streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act. As a result, enforcement actions against polluters have declined sharply the EPA estimates that over 1,000 cases have been shelved or dropped altogether. More recently it has become clear that some polluters are using the decisions as a justification to avoid any permitting and reporting requirements for discharging pollutants into our waters. For the Clean Water Act to fulfill its goal of restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters, all waters must receive protection corresponding with Congress' original intent when passing this landmark law. Upstream waters must be protected from pollution and destruction if we expect downstream waters to be fit for swimming, drinking, and fish and wildlife, and downstream communities to be safe from flooding. I urge you to act in the interest of preserving clean water for healthy communities and wildlife. Please support introduction and passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the definition of waters to eliminate uncertainty and ensure clean water in accordance with the goals of the Clean Water Act. Thank you for your consideration.

World Peace Wetland Prairie spider milkweed, false indigo bush, dogbane, blue-eyed grass and cottontail rabbit photographed on May 21, 2009

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view of a sample of what you won't see on Earthday at World Peace Wetland Prairie but may see again if you visit in May. Native wildflowers and tall grass emerge later than the typical nonnative species found in many gardens in Arkansas.

Photo above reveals view northwest with Amorpha fructicosa bush in bloom. Also known as false indigo or indigo bush on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie. Cottontail rabbit reluctant to leave his grazing area and hoping photographer will back away on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie.

In photo above, the tiny blue-eyed grass is seen growing near a tall dogbane or Indian Hemp plant.

Above, Asclepias viridis, also known as spider milkweed or antelope horns, is nearing full bloom. Viridis is the earliest of the milkweeds to bloom in Northwest Arkansas. Above is an instance of a tall dogbane or Indian hemp plant with a shorter spider milkweed at right. Dogbane seems always to pop out of the ground before the milkweed and the leaves of the two are similar. Both are plentiful at World Peace Wetland Prairie. For more photos of wildflowers at WPWP, please see WPWP wildflowers

Whitaker for Congress campaign headquarters to open formally on Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Please join us for the

Grand Opening

of the

Whitaker for Congress

Campaign Headquarters

Wednesday, March 10,  4-7pm

101 West Mountain, Fayetteville, AR

On the Historic Fayetteville Square

Gold Hosts

Dr. Malcolm Hayward,  Rep. Jim House, Rep. Uvalde Lindsey,

Pulaski County Clerk Pat O’Brien,

Sebastian County Clerk Doris Tate,

& House Candidates Earl Hunton, Greg Leding, Bill Ramsey

Young Democrat Leadership Hosts

Max Deitchler, Jeremiah Wax, Caleb Rose, Kathleen Gonzalez, Sarah Sparkman, Chris Burks, Britton Burnett, John Davis,

Robbie Jones

 Paid for by the Whitaker for Congress Committee. 

Please join us, we'd love to see you.

David Whitaker
Democratic Candidate
U. S. House of Representatives
Arkansas' 3rd District

Democracy Now video below shows hidden cost of hydraulic fracturing in search for fossil fuel

The morning of February 23, 2010, on Democracy Now (every weekday morning 7am CAT Ch. 18) Amy interviewed Josh Fox, the director of the new film, "Gasland."
He traveled about 10 states and discovered widespread pollution of groundwater by hydraulic fracturing. The or a connection to CCTF is the harm caused by the reckless search for additional fossil fuels. There are hidden costs in fracturing; the public needs to know the true costs in this and all energy sources. Also the corruption involved (another cost):

The 2005 Energy Bill exempted the natural-gas industry from the Safe Drinking Water Act especially to give free rein to fracking. Imagine the amount of money spent on campaign contributions and lobbying to produce that special corporate-interest legislature.

--
Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu

County Democratic Central Committee meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, February 15, 2010

HELLO DEMOCRATS!

MARK YOU CALENDARS!


We have a VERY important Washington County Democratic Central Committee meeting on Monday, February 15th! The meeting begins at 6:30, and social time begins at 6:00. Please make plans to attend, as we will be discussing our upcoming March filing period.

WHAT:WASHINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
TIME: 6:30 (social time begins at 6:00)
WHERE: Homewood Suites by Hilton Fayetteville (off Exit 64 in Fayetteville)

I know many of you have plans to attend the Whitaker for Congress kickoff party at U.S. Pizza as well on Monday night, so we'll try to get you out as quickly as possible.

SEE YOU MONDAY!

Tim Freeman
Chair

Photo montage of World Peace Wetland Prairie

Please click on image to ENLARGE and navigate up and down, right and left, to see whole montage.

Montage by Lauren D. Hawkins with photos by Aubrey James Shepherd

OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology invites all to open house from 3 to 6 p.m. today

View Larger Map



OMNI Center for Peace Justice and Ecology opens new house to all TODAY!
Office Phone: (479)935-4422
omni.center.for.pje@gmail.com
“OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
educates and empowers people to actively
build a non-violent, sustainable and just world.”
Saturday,
February 2010
3:00—6:00 PM
3274 N. Lee Ave
OMNI CENTER for PEACE, JUSTICE & ECOLOGY
You are invited to celebrate the dedication of
OMNI Center’s new building! Enjoy music, re-
freshments, good fellowship, speakers, and
tours! Learn more than 35 ways to be involved
in OMNI. Help build a culture of peace in an
earth restored, that includes everyone.
Children
Welcome!
Handicap
Access
Refreshments
Will Be
Served!
Open House!

Democrat/Gazette December 21, 2009, editorial advocating saving sale-barn land for Fayetteville National Cemetery pleases majority of veterans and neighbors, but the problem is that saving Town Branch homeowners from flooding downhill from the cemetery is still being ignored: VA already at work preparing to dredge and fill wetland and pipe stormwater directly to Hill Avenue and thus to the 11th Street bridge on the Town Branch

Please click on individual photos to ENLARGE view of wetland area along the north edge of the Fayetteville National Cemetery being prepared for dredging and filling for grave sites. The depressional wetland developed over centuries because it is above a bedrock karst area where groundwater sinks into the underground caverns and aquifers and reduces surface-water flooding. When it is piped to the Town Branch it will further aggravate the flooding danger between Ellis and Van Buren avenues already created by the University of Arkansas' failure properly to manage stormwater on the campus and by paving and development along Martin Luther King Boulevard and on the Aspen Ridge/Hill Place project.

Save acres for vets

Now buy the land for the cemetery

Monday, December 21, 2009

Print item

LITTLE ROCK — LIKE WARM Arkansas Christmases, dry eyes after It’s a Wonderful Life, and little boys from the Natural State scribbling “LSU gear” on their annual wish lists, some things are just not meant to be. That’s the way it seems with the controversial student apartments that apparently won’t be built in south Fayetteville. You know, where Washington County’s historic livestock auction house operated until June.
A lawsuit that sought to override the city’s denial of a rezoning request seems to be kaput. Campus Crest developers of North Carolina wanted to buy the property from the auction house’s owner, Bill Joe Bartholomew, and build 500 apartments on the property. But the drawn-out legal ordeal surrounding this purchase became just too much to bear. Mr. Bartholomew now wants his suit dismissed.
The proposed sale to Campus Crest became a flashpoint for veterans and others last summer. They wanted to secure the site across Government Avenue from the city’s National Cemetery so they might preserve the sacred nature of that location. They basically argued that more student apartments in an overbuilt Fayetteville wasn’t an appropriate use of the land. They had a point. The former auction barn parcel does provide an ideally located space to enlarge this rapidly filling cemetery.
Fayetteville’s council denied Mr. Bartholomew’s request to rezone his property. The rezoning would have sealed the sale and enabled Campus Crest to purchase and develop the property. That’s when Mr. Bartholomew filed his suit against the city.

This latest development means the corporation that oversees the cemetery’s operation, Congress, the national office of Veteran’s Affairs, and veterans’ organizations need to find a way to purchase this property. The space needs to be preserved and protected as a final resting place for our veterans in the decades to come.

Tow truck stuck in wetland portion of Fayetteville National Cemetery land

Instructions that Natural Resources Conservation Service contractors are supposed to be following

Please click on image to go to Flickr site and ENLARGE for reading and find related documents and photos.