Save a Champion Tree

Save a Champion Tree

            Sometimes the best choices in life are to oppose actions you believe are detrimental to your community, and over the years I’ve tried to be involved when I thought it was important, and this is one of those times when I believe concerned citizens should be heard. My current action is to save a 190 year old black walnut tree, possible a Champion Tree of Arkansas. It is the oldest tree in the city limits of El Dorado, planted on the Hanna Farm in the 1830s. The tree is located just across the 167 bypass where Calion Road intersects it.  Since the 1830s this tree has stood in front of the Hanna family’s log cabin. The tree leans, but it has leaned for years, and with its massive visible root system, it shows no sign of falling. A storm took out a large upper limb years ago, but today the massive canopy is fully leafed out, and the tree seems very healthy.

            County Judge Mike Loftin, who owned the land before it was recently purchased, has moved the log cabin log by log and is the process of reconstructing the cabin. He is to be commended for saving a piece of Union County history. However, the new owners of the land have plans that do not include saving the historic tree. They are going to build an assisted living and a retirement center, and take the tree down. I think, from what I have seen of the plans, the project will be a wonderful addition to our town, and I will welcome it with open arms. The facility is a much needed addition, and I believe it will be a top quality complex

            Since Vertis and I are the proposed project’s closest neighbor, I have made it a personal goal to save this piece of history, because a tree of this magnitude is truly irreplaceable. I am very familiar with the size of the property, and I am certain, based on where the tree is located and the size of the property, that the tree doesn’t have to be taken down in order to build the facility. There is plenty of room on the property to accommodate both.

            With a copy of this column, I am contacting the Arkansas Forestry Commission with the request to send a forester to measure and confirm this tree is an Arkansas Champion Tree. I believe it is; because the tree has been a yard tree and protected from the turn of the century’s wholesale cutting of native black walnut trees. This 190 year old tree is very likely an Arkansas Champion Tree.

            Of course, I am going to write the company that is going to build the facility, and encourage them to save this historic tree, and you may also want to drop them a note requesting this giant black walnut tree be saved. The address is: John Sledge, Landers Development LLC., 6720 Alcoa Road, Suite 3, Benton, AR 72019.

            Many times, after a historic home or in this case a tree, is taken down, we regret not trying to save it. This 190 year old black walnut tree was 30 years old when the Civil War was fought. It has lived through ice storms and high winds, and has remained rooted as a symbol of our historic past. Today, this massive tree isn’t threatened by an ice storm or a tornado, but by a chain saw. Surely, we won’t just stand by and watch as this beautiful tree falls.  Please take a few minutes to contact Mr. Sledge. Your letter or note could the one that makes a difference and saves the tree.

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 Farmers Markets

One of the pluses to living in Arkansas are the abundance of fresh produce available during the growing seasons, and there is not a better place to get it than your local Farmer’s Market. However, there are good, fair, and sometimes even bad Farmer’s Markets. I know that doesn’t sound right, but let’s look at the pluses and minuses of the markets. In other words, all Farmer’s Markets aren’t created equal.

            First, a good Farmer’s Market should be true to its name, a market for farmers to sell to the public, and not just a market. That’s pretty simple, but you would be surprised at what turns up at some ‘just come sell stuff’ markets without any regulations. Do you like cardboard tomatoes? Yep, they are around at some markets. Tomatoes that have skin so thick they would bounce if dropped from the top of a two story building. Those sure aren’t the Bradley County Pinks. I’m sure not a fan of regulations, but a good Farmer’s Market must have some, or it won’t be truly a market for farmers, and you might as well go to Walmart. Here are the critical ones.

            (1) Your Farmer’s Market should have a board made up of farmers and customers, and a monitor to assure quality. That is a critical part of being a truly Farmer’s Market. If you have no one checking quality, you won’t have uniform quality, and one measure of that is defined as being sure this produce is from an Arkansas farm.

            (2) All farmers who sell in the city limits must sell at one place designated by the city. Of course, in order to do this, you must have a city ordinance restricting the selling of produce except at the City designated place. However, making a Farmer’s Market the only place in the city limits to sell produce is a lot harder than you might think, even though studies have clearly shown by having all sellers in one place, the individual farmer sells more produce and having one Farmer’s Market attracts more customers, and both are vastly better off than having roadside produce stands all over town. Of course, you are going to have a few farmers complain, and I can tell you from experience, very few mayors and city councils will tackle this small problem even though they understand how this would make for a better market.

            (3) Encourage Arkansas handmade crafts, but have them in a craft section of the market, and if possible have working craftsmen.

I believe the way to have a top quality Farmer’s Market is to pattern it after the most successful ones in the State. I haven’t checked all of them, but I am familiar with two of the best, and these top Farmer’s Markets in the state have regulations to bring all farmers to one designated spot and they monitor the produce. The two markets at Bentonville and Fayetteville are easily my pick of best in the state.

The new Farmer’s Market in El Dorado at MAD (the Murphy Art District) is a work in progress, but this year it has moved up to another level with new participants and a lot more produce. The growing season is just starting and it promises to give El Dorado’s Market a real boost as melons, peaches, peas, and cantaloupes become available. However, unless El Dorado’s City Council acts to bring all farmer to a designated spot the market will never reach its potential. Let’s make that happen.

thenorphletpaperboy: Job Hunting

thenorphletpaperboy: Job Hunting:                                           Job Hunting May 1962                  I have a reservation at a Houston hotel for $7.50 ...

Job Hunting

                                          Job Hunting

May 1962                

I have a reservation at a Houston hotel for $7.50 a night, 35 copies of my transcript and resume in a folder, and my bag is packed with my suit and three shirts. Vertis and I are at a marriage crisis point, because the job market for petroleum geologists is at the bottom of a downturn.

                                                            &

Houston

.           After a Yellow Pages review for office addresses of all the major oil companies, I pick Humble-Exxon as my first interview. Personnel—fourteenth floor. The elevator opens and there is the Exxon Personnel Department. Well, here goes.

There, sitting behind a desk, is a gorgeous, young woman, who smiles, and I feel better already.

“Good Morning. I’m Richard Mason. I’ll be graduating in June with a master’s degree in geology from the University of Arkansas. I’d like to apply for a job as a petroleum geologist. Could I meet with the personnel manager?”

 “Let me check with Mr. Candara.”

She’s back in 30 seconds.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Candara said we are not accepting applications for geologists at this time.”

After Exxon, the next ten go almost as quickly, and only two managers even kept my résumé.

                                           *                     *                     *

After a couple of days, I realize I’m competing with laid-off geologists who have five to ten years’ experience. Finding a job seems almost hopeless.

By Wednesday, I have applied to every major oil company in Houston, and tomorrow I’ll start with the smaller companies. I’m discouraged. 

 It’s Wednesday night. I call Vertis and now we are both depressed.

                                                                &

Thursday afternoon and I’m desperate. I’ve applied to another six companies without an encouraging word. The Continental Oil Company is next: Okay fourteenth floor… punch the button…14^th-floor….The door opens, I get off, as two other men get on….I can’t find the Continental Office,…Damn, I’ve gotten off on the wrong floor…I’m starting to punch the up button, when I notice lettering on the door across from the elevator.  Humble Oil and Refining Company, Exploration Department, Southwest Division

 I’ve already applied to Exxon in the Humble Building, but…. What have I got to lose? I open the door, and here I go again.

 “Hello, I’m Richard Mason, a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas with a master’s degree in geology. I’d like to speak with the exploration manager.”

“Let me check with Mr. Loftis.”

I know my chances are slim to none, but she comes back in the office and says, “Mr. Loftis will see you.”

I take a deep breath and walk into his office. Mr. Loftis is smiling, and he walks over to greet me.

“Well, how’s Kern Jackson doing?”

Dr. Jackson is my graduate advisor, and I’m surprised.

“He’s is doing fine. I had two courses under him last semester.”

“Well, I’ve known Kern since college. He’s one of the smartest geologists I’ve ever run across.”

“Yes, sir, I’ve enjoyed his courses.”

“Sit down, Richard. Do you have your transcript?”

“Yes, sir.” I hand Mr. Loftis my college transcript, and my work résumé.

“This semester’s grades are not on the transcript, but I have A’s. My Master’s Thesis is on surface geological work in Madison County.”

Mr. Loftis is looking it over.

            “Big change from undergraduate to graduate school. What happened?”

I’m not going to say, “I goofed off for four years,” so I say, “I got married. My wife takes the credit.”

He smiles.

“Did you really work at three University jobs, and take a full load of graduate courses?”

“Yes, sir, I did.”

“I see you spent last summer as a roustabout working offshore for ODECO.”

“Yes, sir, I worked on all of their rigs.”

“You probably worked on one of our jobs. Did you work on the Mr. Charlie?”

“I sure did. It was a Humble job, and I cut cement sacks when you set casing.”

“We made a good well on that job. The Gulf of Mexico is going to be this country’s biggest oil province one day.”

At least he knows I can work, I think. 

Its twenty-five minutes later when Mr. Loftis says, “Richard, after work, I want you to meet our area geologist, Walt Launy. Meet us at 5:30 in the Top of the Sixes Club. It’s in the 66 Building;…top floor.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll be there.”

                                                                  &

At five-thirty I walk into the Top of The Sixes Club so nervous I have to grip my leg to keep my hands from shaking. We discuss the fall football schedule, and then we talk about geology. His first comment bothers me.

“Richard, you only have one course in petroleum geology.”

“Yes, sir, that’s all Arkansas offers.”

“Well, you have some good coursework here, but very little is focused on how to work as an exploration geologist.”

“Yes, sir, but I’ve had both graduate and undergraduate courses in stratigraphy, and structural geology, and I did my thesis on surface geologic mapping. Those courses are the basics of oil and gas exploration.” (Dr. Garner, my petroleum geology professor gave me that quote.)

Mr. Loftis likes that answer, and Walt Launy, the Senior Geologist nods his head in a positive manner.

“Well, you’re right. We even have to train the ones from UT and OU. They have a lot more petroleum geology courses, but they still need training.”

That relaxes me, and after another 45 minutes of conversation Mr. Loftis says,

 “Richard come by my office at nine tomorrow.”

I’m excited about how the interview went, and it will be hard to sleep tonight.

                                                        &

It is 9 the next morning, and I’ve just stepped into Mr. Loftis’s office.  He immediately starts talking about Kingsville, Texas.

“Know where Kingsville is, Richard?”

“No, sir.”

“Its 40 miles south of Corpus Christi near the King Ranch….. Richard, some recent grads took weeks to accept or turn down a job. Would take that long?”

“No, sir, I wouldn’t.”

“Good. I’m offering you a job as geologist assigned to our Kingsville office at a salary of five hundred and fifty dollars a month.”

I’m reaching to shake his hand before the words are out of his mouth.

“Thank you, sir. I accept.”

 “Good!—When can you come to work?”

I’m thinking about what I have to do before I can leave Fayetteville, and I say. “I can report to work next Wednesday morning.”

“That’s awful quick. What about your thesis?”

“I‘ve finished my fieldwork, and the first draft.  Monday morning I can start moving, and be in Kingsville Tuesday night.”

“Well, if you need a few more days, just give us a call, and we will cut you some slack.”

“I’ll be fine, sir. Where is the Kingsville office, and who do I report to?”

“It’s on the King Ranch, and you’ll have a pass at the gate. Report to Doug Garrett, the district geologist, and whatever you do, don’t violate any of the Ranch rules.”

 Mr. Loftis starts the paperwork, and an hour later, I’m an Exxon geologist. I shake my head, thinking: I got off the elevator on the wrong floor—and that mistake led to me being hired by Exxon. Was it blind luck, or did my guardian angel help? I believe it was the latter.

Flooding and Global Warming

The Flooding Arkansas River and Global Warming

Yes, we did land a man on the moon, the World is not flat, and evolution is a fact. Of course most Americas with half a brain will nod in the affirmative, but as you know, not one of those supposedly facts will get a unanimous consent. That’s right, and items such as the moon landing will pick up as much.as a 5% denial that it ever occurred. Somewhere around 15,000,000 Americans believe the moon landing was faked and somewhere, probably in California, there is a moonscape soundstage.

 But then there is Global Warming, and let’s be honest and not call it climate change. Of course, the non-believers in Global Warming are a lot more numerous than the moon landing deniers, and those Global Warming deniers will tell you, and get this, they aren’t scientists by any stretch of the imagination, but they are exactly right when they say the climate has always changed.

Okay, let’s look back at climate change, when palm trees grew at the ice-free poles. That’s right, and how did that happen? Now, let’s listen to scientists, who will say more than the common denier’s refrain, “I just don’t believe in Global Warming.”

First, let’s look at the scientific evidence that goes with palm trees at the North Pole. Yes, the Earth’s atmosphere had to be much warmer, but why was it warm enough to where the poles were ice free? Back a 100,000,000 years ago a younger Earth was more volcanically active to the point where the emissions from thousands of volcanoes spewed billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the carbon dioxide from those volcanoes filled the Earth’s atmosphere and blocked the sun’s warmth from escaping. The Earth was a hothouse, and the temperature of the planet soared. The ice at both poles melted, and the continents shrank. A great inland sea covered most of Louisiana and Florida, and the Earth’s landmass was reduced to its lowest point in the Earth’s history.

             Then, as the Earth’s volcanic activity diminished and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere became less, the Earth slowly cooled until around 65,000,000 years ago a large meteorite struck the Earth near the Yucatan resulting in a cloud of debris causing a global winter that killed over 90% of life on the planet. From that point forward the Earth slowly reached atmosphere equilibrium interrupted only by sunspot induced relative recent glacial ages. But since the last glacial age some 20,000 year ago, the Earth’s atmosphere has reached equilibrium and only recently, coinciding with the start of the Industrial Age, has the Earth’s atmosphere slowly started to become warmer. The result of the gradual overall warming of 2 to 3 degrees has taken place in a very short geologic period of time, caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is because of human activity. There are no other reasons for the atmosphere to become warmer. Think, coal fired plants, etc.

            The result of this temperature increase has already become catastrophic. Both polar ice caps are rapidly losing ice volume thereby steadily adding to a rising sea level where villages in Alaska are being evacuated and numerous South Sea Islands are disappearing beneath a rising sea, and the continents are seeing normal weather patterns becoming hyper systems, which are producing devastating weather events. For example; Houston has seen 3 severe 500 year weather systems just during the past year, and this tornado season in the USA has reached unbelievable numbers.

            Now let’s consider Arkansas and the flooding of the Arkansas River. Obviously, that has been caused by the torrential rains occurring in the river’s watershed, which happened, according to scientists who have studied the effects of in increased global temperature change, because of Global Warming. Nine-eight percent of the scientific community says Global Warming is the cause of severe hundred year flooding. If you will recall, a number of years back, when Al Gore first coined the term, Global Warming, he quoted scientific studies that said as the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere increases, the intensity of the Earth’s weather systems will increase. That is exactly what has happened! Are we ready to abandon life on the flood plain of the Arkansas River and other rivers around the Nation, and watch as our coastal cities disappear beneath a steadily rising sea? How much more will we have to suffer through before we admit the obvious?

The same scientists who correctly called the period of intense weather associated with Global Warming are telling us that another 2 to 3 degrees of warming will be beyond catastrophic. Yes, they are saying the worst is yet to come, and to back up their claim, the last five years have been the hottest worldwide since temperatures were measured. The world’s industrial countries continue to pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a rate, which will result in a steady increase of the earth’s temperature, and that will bring about severe restrictions upon the earth’s inhabitants. If the rate of warming continues at the current level, in less than 50 years a portion of our planet will be uninhabitable as severe weather and rising seas reduce arable land. Our grandchildren will live on an extremely hostile planet. One where the very necessities of life will be scarce and weather systems that are severe beyond our imagination will ravage the earth. In other words, “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

The above are scientific facts that are the finding of over 98% of the scientific community, and those facts are as certain as we did land a man on the moon, and as we look at the flooding of the Arkansas River, we see the irrefutable evidence of Global Warming. But what is even more terrifying, is the prospect of it happening year after year. No, I’m not trying to do fear-mongering. I am just stating what the projections made by the experts are saying. Is that our future? Do we want to hand off a planet to our grandchildren that has as much as 25% of Earth’s land not fit for human habitation? 

            For an intelligent, non-scientific person to refute the finding of the scientific community is without precedent. It has become a mantra to say, “I don’t believe in global warming.” As if you are saying “I believe in God.” To make something as certain as landing a man on the moon or almost to the point of the earth is round, in order to divert needed resources away from trying to stem a worldwide catastrophe, when the planet’s very survivable at stake, is beyond criminal. With the threat to billions of the Earth’s inhabitants on the line, it should be the overriding bipartisan theme of every country on Earth to join in the fight to reverse the warming of the planet. This goal to reduce global warming should be treated as if a worldwide threat of a major plague is threatening civilization.

            I’m tired of hearing scientific illiterate people saying they don’t believe in global warming. If they would only realize the stupidity of that statement, they would hang their head in shame.  

thenorphletpaperboy: Living with Wildlife

thenorphletpaperboy: Living with Wildlife:                       Living with Wildlife No, this column is not about the time I spent living in the Playboy Mansion---in my dreams...

Living with Wildlife

                      Living with Wildlife

No, this column is not about the time I spent living in the Playboy Mansion---in my dreams. It’s about living with the various critters that make Arkansas their home along with us. I know we don’t pay much attention to the wildlife, but you might be surprised at how much wildlife lives around us.

Vertis and I live on a wooded 37 acre tract of land with two ponds just inside the city limits of El Dorado. This past week we had several encounters with something other than the herd of deer that nibble on our backyard plants.  The first was young hawk that had just left its nest, and was still trying to master the art of flying. With a little struggle it managed to get airborne long enough for the hawk family to hand off a small bird.

After that sighting our property manager sent me a picture of our banded water snake that hangs out between our swimming pool and the pond. Miss Snake had just given birth to a bunch of little banded water snakes. Banded water snakes look a lot like copperheads, but they are harmless and in Georgia it is a protected snake.

We have a house, just a block from the center of town that we rent for weddings and last year, the day before a wedding reception, a mother skunk and seven little one marched out from under the side steps. “Just ignore them.” I said. “Maybe they won’t come to the reception.” Thank goodness they didn’t.

Just this past week, a neighbor, just a 100 yards down the road, recorded a black bear in his game camera, and another neighbor across the street from me has noted numerous red foxes.

A few years back I started being concerned about the growing turtle population in our backyard pond, but I didn’t know how to take care of the problem. During the spring when the sun brings out the turtles to warm up, as many as 10 turtles would be lying out in the warm sun. A couple of logs in the pond would have a half dozen lined up, and when we eat crawfish near the edge of the pond throwing the heads in the pond, after about 20 minutes turtles will be thick in the water. I really was wondering what I needed to do in order to hold down the turtle population. Then Mother Nature gave me a lesson in restoring an ecology. When the ecology gets out of balance into that vacuum comes something to get it back in balance. Nature abhors a vacuum.

This is how Mother Nature solved the problem. Over the past six months, around the pond, I have noticed several large turtle shells where turtles had been killed and eaten. Their hollow shells were from 10 to 15 inches. I could see smaller turtles being caught, killed, and eaten by raccoons, but many of the shells were more than any raccoon could handle. Then last Sunday, the long standing mystery was solved. I saw the turtle catcher swimming across the small one acre pond that is only twenty yards or so from our back kitchen door.

When nature gets out of balance with an abundance of something such as turtles, just their presence attracts something to rebalance the ecology. That Sunday afternoon I walked out on our deck and watched as a river otter swam across the pond. Mystery solved. River Otters had moved up the streams and ponds that connect all the way to the Ouachita River, and they ended up in my pond because of abundant food...turtles. Actually, about five years ago, we had one come by and take a dip in our swimming pool, and although we saw the otter hop out of the swimming pool and go directly to the pond, we didn’t connect the otter with the turtles. Now as I walk around the pond I can see where the otters have been at work. Empty large turtle shells are pretty common, and the visible number of turtles has dropped.

It’s a lesson we need to understand. And there is only one reason the river otters have found my pond---food. The abundance of turtles and other items such as crawfish, fish, and snakes are a banquet for river otters, and the abundance of food drew them in to re-balance the ecosystem in my small pond.

Last year, when I did several columns on the cougars in Arkansas, I received a call from one of the North American cougar experts who lives in Nova Scotia. If you will remember, from all the sighting, I made a wild guess that we had somewhere around 100 to 125 cougar in the state. The cougar expert was adamant, “Of course you have cougars in Arkansas, and you will be getting more and more.” And then he proceeded to tell me why. “Cougar go where there is abundant food, and with a huge deer and hog population in your state, the cougars will continue to come down the Arkansas River from the Rockies into Arkansas. And by the way, a hungry cougar will take any prey available from raccoons, opossums, small dogs and cats, and of course the mushrooming population of feral hogs would also be high on a cougars list of favorite foods.”

As I thought about hunting in the late 1950s, where I spent day after day in the woods or fishing in the lakes and creeks, and never saw or actually even heard of anyone who spotted a cougar or feral hog. And in all those years, I could count the number of deer I saw on one hand, and now when I compare that with just the woods and ponds around our house, I am amazed. Deer are so plentiful that the same old doe, has for three years in a row, (make that four—this morning) birthed a fawn in our courtyard, and feral hogs have rooted up our back yard. And then, when I think of the estimate of 100 to 125 cougars in the state, I know why. The cougar expert who called me was right on target, and the cougars are coming down the Arkansas River just like the river otter are coming up the creeks from the Ouachita River and they are coming for the same thing: food.

And now a message to our deer hunters: the Game and Fish Commission is continuing to try and ignore the presence of cougars in the state, but cougars are here and more are coming. Its Mother Nature’s way of restoring our ecology, so for God’s sake, don’t shoot one! Feral hogs are the easiest large animal for a cougar to catch, and according to the experts, cougars can be expected to make a hog kill every three days. Let’s give Mother Nature a hand by declaring a moratorium on cougars.

                                                             &

And finally, an atta-boy to Gov. Asa for putting 7 women as heads of the new consolidated 15 member Governor’s Cabinet. If those women don’t give you a hug, Gov. I will!---Are the Highway Commission and Game and Fish Commission next, Gov?

thenorphletpaperboy: To Hug or not to Hug

thenorphletpaperboy: To Hug or not to Hug: To Hug or not to Hug    I have the feeling I’m about to step off into some deep water, but here I go. I’m a confessed hugger, and I’m...