Arley Women's Club Hosts Earth Day at Hamner Park

Arley Women's Club hosted Meek Elementary School students for an Earth Day event at Hamner Park.  Photos from the event are at this link:

http://s1366.photobucket.com/user/freestate2/library/Earth%20Day%20at%20Hamner%20Park

Shortleaf Pine Field Day

Click here for printable flyer with registration information:
http://www.aces.edu/~henshmd/temp/Bankhead%20Tour%20Flyer.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT

Public Meeting - Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy, Inc.

Everyone Welcome!

When? Friday, April 24, 2015 at 7 PM

Where? Traders & Farmers Bank Building, Arley

Why? Meet new & old friends on the Lake

Learn about volunteer efforts to keep Winston County & Smith Lake beautiful

Learn about the Bankhead National Forest and opportunities for outdoor recreation in your backyard

Elect officers and board members of your Winston County Smith Lake Advocacy, Inc.

Find out how you can participate in 2015 Renew Our River Clean-ups

Minutes of April Council Meeting

The Winston County Natural Resources Council meeting was held on Thursday, April 16, 2015.  Present were Matthew Brock, Mike Henshaw, Carl Godsey, John Creed, James Burnett, John Sudduth, and Andy Baril.  Topics discussed:

• Shortleaf Pine Field Day.  Allison has prepared a draft agenda which we reviewed.  The field day will be held on Monday, June 15, 2015, from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. at Phil and Djuna Wilson's farm.  Allison has done a lot of the work on the agenda, but will need help with drivers, guides, and lunch servers.  A walk through will be held on Wednesday, June 10, to review the tour stops with van drivers.  A big turn out is expected, so many council members will be needed to help host the event.  
• Fishing Derby will be held on Saturday, June 13, at the Black Warrior Work Center.
• South Carolina's new rules on coyotes encourages residents to kill coyotes because they have a negative effect on the deer population.
• Mr. Sudduth said that he will host the Farmers Federation Beef Tour at his farm on May 6, and the focus will be silvopasture.  50 to 60 people are expected to be in attendance.
• Chris Erwin and another forester visited Mr. Godsey's forest land in Houston.  
• Forest Certification Programs
• Hog Trap has been returned from landowner, and is available, if needed.  Matthew Brock can provide technical assistance to landowners that want to use trapping to control feral swine.  Mr. Sudduth said that hogs have been causing problems on the McCrary Farm near Double Springs.
• State budget cuts could close 15 of the 22 state parks in Alabama.  Matthew said that cuts could affect the Department of Conservation federal matching funds. James said that Emergency Management could lose a large number of employees and that the staff was already much smaller than just a few years ago.

Mike Henshaw
Secretary, WCNRC

April Meeting of the WCNRC

The April meeting of the Winston County Natural Resources Council will be held at 9:00 a.m., on Thursday, April 16, at the U. S. Forest Service Office in Double Springs. 

2015 Kids Fishing Derby

We have scheduled the Kids Fishing Derby on Bankhead for Saturday, June 13.  I hope you can all participate, as usual!  We will be in touch soon.  Just wanted to get the date marked on your calendar.

Thanks,

Allison