LASOAR and the Increasing Threat of Childhood Obesity

Piney Woods Journal Submission 2017


Childhood and adolescence obesity rates continue to rise nationwide, according to a recent report released by the Center for Disease Control. Despite many public health efforts to improve nutrition and physical activities, the percentage of obese children has more than tripled since the 1970s. One in five kids ages 6-11 and one in five adolescents ages 12-19 are not just overweight, they are considered obese by recognized health standards. Mississippi, Louisiana and other states in the Deep South are among those with much higher childhood obesity rates.

There are organizations and individuals in Louisiana that deserve credit for actively confronting this growing childhood health concern. One good example is LASOAR or the Louisiana Association of Sports, Outdoor Adventure and Recreation. LASOAR focuses on the poor exercise habits of many children and encourages them to try new and different types of physical activities.

Laura Palmer, CEO, and Hannah Mason co-founded this non-profit organization in 2016. Laura was previously a physical education teacher who grew up in Iota, and Hannah is a public relations consultant. They sought to make outdoor and exercise activities for children more accessible and affordable and to help establish a stronger connection between kids and the natural world.

Laura Palmer's degree and background are in exercise science, and she has earlier served as a strength and conditioning coach. She and her husband are Master Naturalists who enjoy kayaking and hiking in many of our state parks and wilderness areas. Currently Laura is LASOAR's only full-time employee and she directs the organization's neighborhood sports programs and visits to various outdoor adventure sites all over the state. Archery, swimming, paddling/kayaking, art and nature education are among the many activities that LASOAR provides. The organization has after-school activities several times each week at three neighborhood school locations in the Lafayette area. Lafayette is the initial hub city for LASOAR, but its expansion plans include at least one other hub location in north Louisiana.

LASOAR has received assistance for its programs from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and from private donors. Currently, Laura reports that she is trying to secure funding specifically for more binoculars and compasses for the kids interested in programs such as birding and orienteering. Their Saturday hikes in state parks and wilderness areas are guided by Laura and have a strong educational focus. At least one parent or guardian accompanies the child (ages 4-14) on these hikes and adventures. Parents often want their kids to have wonderful outdoor experiences, but many do not have the knowledge of the better places to visit and want the assurance of a trained guide on these outings. Cell phones and electronic devices stay in the pockets of guides and parents and do not disrupt the kids' exposure to nature. Hydration, sun protection, and planning for possible emergency needs mean that parents have fewer worries or concerns on these outings.

LASOAR communicates directly to local school officials concerning its activities and schedules as well as through flyers distributed at these schools and shared by students with their parents. Starting with 25 children initially, LASOAR has grown to having 600 children involved in the Lafayette area recently. More funding, primarily for more staffing needs, would allow LASOAR to initiate a second hub location, possibly in the Alexandria, Shreveport or Monroe area. You can visit the organization’s web site for more information on the mission, goals, activities, and leadership of LASOAR. Other long-established organizations are obviously working hard to address issues of childhood obesity and related challenges, but LASOAR certainly seems a worthy alternative for some parents and donors to consider.

                                                 Laura, parents and kids on the hiking trail

                                                  Canoeing at Hodges Garden State Park

Beekeeping and Apitherapy

Piney Woods Journal Submission 2017


Issues related to the health of our bee and butterfly species continue to receive popular press attention. Pollinator protection has become a much higher-profile concern for many in states such as Louisiana. Organizations and associations devoted to addressing these concerns have been created, and their efforts deserve even broader support, given the importance of pollination to fruit, grain, and vegetable production.

I have commented previously in this journal and elsewhere about the increased popularity in recent years of beekeeping as a hobby and the growth of registered beekeepers in this state. People become interested and involved in beekeeping for many reasons. More folks are also visiting local farmers markets and grocery stores seeking raw, pure, local honey instead of purchasing honey that may well be imported, adulterated or blended with corn syrup or preservatives. Honey is just one, among many other food items, that are often part of a healthier, “farm-to-table” national trend.

A few people that I know or have just met became beekeepers for a quite different health-related reason. Certain maladies and diseases, including Lyme Disease and forms of arthritis, have been greatly aided by getting stung daily or frequently by honey bees. This apitoxin can also be injected. Some beekeepers and associated laboratories, mostly in Eastern Europe and the Far East, collect and refine the toxin sucreted by honey bees for medical or even cosmetic purposes. Apitoxin is an alternative to botoxin in some facial cosmetic products.

Apitoxin, though, is only one of many hive-related products. Much more commonly beekeepers collect other substances, and sell these to health-food stores. Propolis, or a resin that bees use to coat or insulate some hive surfaces, has antiseptic and medicinal properties. Pollen or “bee bread” can also be collected and sold, as well as royal jelly, a secretion of worker bees to feed emerging queen bees. Some beekeepers also take wax from bee comb and combine this with other ingredients to produce scented candles, lip balm and lotions. Beekeepers often supplement their sales of honey or their pollination fees by producing and offering these and other hive by-products.

The American Apitherapy Society through its web site provides information on hive-related alternatives for health care. Apitherapy is used to treat a growing list of illnesses and to alleviate pain from chronic and acute injuries. Detailed information is available on their web site and through their quarterly journal on emerging research, the large network of like-minded individuals sharing such knowledge, and those offering various apitherapy services.

This year I’m serving again as a board member and now as the secretary of the Louisiana Beekeepers Association. Some of our 17 local beekeeping clubs in the state have had speakers and programs on the topic of apitherapy, and plans exist now for this topic to be part of our 2017 annual state beekeeping convention in Pineville on November 30- December 2. Those at all interested in anything related beekeeping are encouraged to visit one of the 17 local clubs near them and attend our upcoming Pineville convention. If you have questions, you can certainly e-mail me at steve@labeekeepers.org.

Longleaf Vista Wilderness Area and Nearby Trails

Piney Woods Journal Submission 2017


You don't have to travel out of state or much beyond our state borders to find some unusual hiking, recreation, and outdoor adventures. Last year, I described the many attractions found in the Clark Creek and Tunica Hills Wilderness Areas north of St. Francisville. The bluffs and waterfalls at Clark Creek, in particular, make this trail unusual and memorable.

Another distinctive and special trail system can be found in the Kasatchie Hills Wildness Area hardly 30 miles southwest of Natchitoches. Often called the Little Grand Canyon of Louisiana, the Longleaf Vista Trail and surrounding area doesn't really have that much in common with the Grand Canyon. Yet this area certainly offers vistas and rugged terrain nothing like what one would expect to find in Louisiana. Kistache Hills is composed of sediments, as horizontal layers of silt, sand and clay, that were deposited long ago. Its narrow valleys were created by the force of streams that long eroded the softer sediments and left the more resistant sandstone at the tops of small mesas or buttes.

The Longleaf Vista Trail is only a mile and a half loop, but changes in elevation of several hundred feet and the many stone steps up and down several buttes make it at least a moderate workout for most people. Visitors can easily walk the short paved walkway to the stone gazebo and overview, but almost all visitors there with me on a recent Monday afternoon did not venture to the trail extending downward from the gazebo. On this trail are many interpretive markers explaining the surrounding vegetation and trees. These markers seem quite dated though, and in many cases the nearby trees being particularly described were no longer there to view. The markers do a better job of explaining the topography and geologic changes that produced this site.

Only a very short distance from the Longleaf Vista Trail is the trailhead for both the Backbone Trail (over seven miles in length) and the Caroline Dormon Trail (over 10 miles), which have portions open for trail biking. Some consider the Backbone Trail as the best hiking experience in Louisiana with its scenic overviews and encounter with Bayou Cypre at about its midpoint. You can get a good "feel" for the varying terrain of both the Longleaf Vista Trail and the Backbone Trail by viewing one of several YouTube videos available online. I recommend the videos produced in 2016 and 2017 for these two trails by Eric Heber. These certainly were accurate representations of many of my own experiences on two different trips and can give you a good preview of what to expect on such hikes. All of these trails obviously offer bird watching and wildflower viewing opportunities, depending on the particular season. The pine forests there might even offer a few a chance to spot a red-cockaded woodpecker. There are plenty of spots to camp also in this part of the Kisatchie National Forest, but campgrounds are usually primitive and some require driving on fairly narrow dirt or gravel roads.

To get to this destination, take I-49 and exit at LA Hwy 119. Heading south on LA 119 for slightly over five miles will take you to Forest Hwy 59, called the Longleaf National Scenic Byway. This 17-mile byway has a reduced speed limit and reminded me a bit of the solitude of driving the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Turning right onto FH 59, you travel about three miles to reach the sign for the Longleaf Vista Area. A paved path leads from the parking lot to the gazebo and trail.

It's interesting reading comments from visitors to Longleaf Vista and the surrounding area. They seem surprised to have lived so long in the state and yet never have known at all about the beauty and uniqueness of this wilderness area.

 

Permaculture as an Ecological Alternative

Piney Woods Submission 2017

Several months ago I commented on “naturescaping” and some advantages associated with cultivating native Louisiana plants on our farms and residential properties. Many of us are familiar with various gardening and horticultural activities, and we might even spend significant time with these. The term, permaculture, is probably an unfamiliar one, though, for most folks.

Permaculture is a set of ancient techniques for land usage, soil practices, and plant cultivation. Its strategies, principles, and ethic are often found in indigenous regions of the world. Instead of reliance on typical Western farming/production technologies and application of commercial fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, those practicing permaculture focus on more traditional and natural methods to improve soil quality and promote plant life. Permaculture, as formally developed and described by several Australians back in the late 70’s, encourages more sustainable, ecological, and low-cost landscaping designs. There is usually emphasis on no-till cultivation, perennials versus annual plants, and mutually supportive plant arrangements for nitrogen feeding and soil improvement. Certain composting and recycling practices are important, as well as landscaping and contouring approaches that allow more water retention and natural irrigation. Landscape design and plant layout are strongly influenced by the direction of the sun and prevailing winds. An outside band of existing, natural vegetation often provides a buffer zone for inner circles of carefully-considered trees, bushes and plants.

Interest in permaculture as an alternative life-style ethic has been growing. Various states have their own permaculture societies with regular meetings and Facebook sites. In Louisiana, there are area groups, such as the Acadiana Permaculture Guild in Lafayette as well as enthusiasts meeting in and around New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport.

The Brockoli Patch is a chemical-free fruit and vegetable farm near Lafayette. Brock Barker has about seven acres of land and has created an incredible biodiversity there. He graduated about a decade ago from ULL with degrees in management and horticulture and is committed to permaculture, its ecological principles, and sense of community. He travels occasionally to places such as Guatemala to teach and learn with those engaged in indigenous farming. Brock has a converted bus on his property in which a visitor interested in permaculture and willing to work and learn can stay for a month or so.

Beyond those like Brock Barker who have created a life style heavily influenced by permaculture principles, there are many more of us with family farms, orchards, and gardens who could greatly benefit from learning the basics of permaculture and experimenting with some of the more simple and personally adaptable suggestions found in the permaculture literature. Just a short listing of a few books that might help you learn more about permaculture ideals and practices are found below: Bill Mollison’s Permaculture: A Designers' Manual (2012); Toby Hemenway’s Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd Edition (2009); & Christopher Shein’s The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture (2013).

                                                             Brock's Compost Pile

                                                          Pond with Irrigation Canals

                                     Surrounding fruit trees with supportive plants for nitrogen feeding

Lake Bistineau State Park       

Piney Woods Submission 2017

My latest visit to another one of our state’s many wildlife and recreational areas was to beautiful Lake Bistineau State Park in June. Lake Bistineau and the surrounding area had been just far enough away from me over the years that closer or special destinations had usually drawn me.

Lake Bistineau State Park has long attracted its share of visitors from Shreveport/Bossier City and other locations in that part of the state. Along with Toledo Bend, the lake has been well known as a good fishing option. Many coming to the park probably take the Minden exit off of I-20 (LA 371) south to Sibley, next travel on LA 164 west to Doyline, and then go south on LA 163 to the park. The reservoir is 14-miles long, extends across three parishes, and features many old cypress tress draped with Spanish Moss.

Extensive flooding in 2016 closed the park for a while and caused evacuations and housing repair expenses for many residents near the lake. The rental cabins at Lake Bistineau State Park received as much as 30 inches of water, and still require renovations before reopening to the public. Along with the drawdown of the lake until late November 2017, these factors have led to reduced visitor numbers to the park recently. The drawdown, up to a maximum of eight feet, is intended to reduce further expansion of salvinia. Although the boat launches at the park are closed, boaters can access the lake from several other locations in the area during this drawdown. Caution is advised, though, in checking for underwater obstructions during this low-water period.

Premium and improved campsites are available at the park, as well as other amenities. There are good multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and bird watching. These include the Willis Homestead Trail (3.8 miles), Blue Wing Trail (1.2 miles), Koasati Trail (2.0 miles), Pintail Loop Trail (1.3 miles) and the Discovery Circle (.4 miles). The last of these seems ideally suited for children and tall tales around the campfire in the evenings. The 6-mile Equestrian Trail there is open to riders with their own horses.

Not as difficult or challenging as the highly-touted biking trails at the Ruston/Lincoln Parish Park, Lake Bistineau trails are fairly wide and grassy, without many roots and ruts to negotiate. For all but more advanced hikers and bikers, the trails offer more than enough training or workout opportunities. The trails, such as Blue Wing, did need a bit more maintenance when I hiked and rode there in mid-June. There were a couple of trees down, and blocking trails, due to very recent storms.

Diverse outdoor and recreational activities have been held at the park this year, including the 16th Annual Mardi Gras Parade in the Park in February, the Sportspectrum 10-mile and 3-mile Trail Runs the following Saturday, and the Pro/Am Lake Bistineau Disc Golf Open in May. The pro purse for their disc golf tournament this year was over $1000. The Lake Bistineau State Park Facebook site offers descriptions and photos of many of these and other park attractions and events.

Along and close to I-20 through north Louisiana, we are fortunate to have so many nice options for outdoor adventures. Poverty Point, Black Bayou Lake, Lake D’Arbonne, Lake Claiborne, and Lake Bistineau are just some of the destination possibilities. 

Native Plants and Naturescaping      Piney Woods Journal Submission 2017

I had the opportunity in the late seventies and early eighties to live in Arizona. There were many obvious and stark contrasts between my native Louisiana ecosystems and those I found in Arizona. One very apparent contrast involved the high residential water bills in places like Tucson and elsewhere in much of the state. Many of those who settled in Arizona in the early and mid-twentieth century brought conventional notions of landscaping and lawns, but faced growing, and then astronomical, water bills to maintain their lawns and gardens. A trend toward “native or desert landscaping” had taken hold years before and could easily be observed then with many residential properties.

Louisiana and states in the Deep South have traditionally had abundant precipitation and water resources, so pragmatic or economic concerns that turned many Arizona residents decades ago to “naturescaping” hardly existed. Southerners truly loved their often large, luxurious and well-manicured lawns. Population and increased water demands, as well as periods of drought and depleting aquafers, in parts of the Deep South have been slowly changing our views about conservation and our natural environment. These and related concerns are influencing current decisions made by ranchers, farmers, and even residential landowners.

Just one example of this trend in Louisiana is the formation of the Native Plant Initiative (LNPI) in 2011. This multi-agency initiative is dedicated to helping conserve a vanishing state natural resource, our native plants. Partners include several state universities, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Wetlands Research Center, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, and a number of conservation societies. This initiative involves continuing research as well as efforts to encourage state residents to support more public and private restoration of native Louisiana plants.

The advantages of naturescaping are many, as summarized by information provided by the Folsom Native Plant Society and the Louisiana Native Plant Society. Native plants are acclimated to our climate and conditions, so they are almost care free, and they do not require commercial fertilizer or pesticides. Perhaps more importantly, native plants provide important and increasingly depleted forage for wildlife, especially attracting birds, butterflies and other helpful insects. Native plants also can reduce erosion and improve soil and water quality. The cost and time for naturescaping and using more native plants is much less over time than costs for traditional landscaping. One downside concern for at least some gardeners and landscapers is that native plants possess greater genetic diversity and, as a result, less predictability of plant shape, size and bloom colors. For those highly valuing well-defined geometrical plant or bloom patterns, this can be a disadvantage. Even this might actually have benefits for some, though, in a yard having a more natural look and also yield nice surprises in plant appearance as these mature. Websites like Plant Native (plantnative.org/how_intro.htm )and Wild Ones (wildones.org/learn/local-ecotype-guidelines/) offer instruction and advice to property owners who would like to try naturescaping or just introduce certain native plants in landscaping their yards.

One possibility for many property owners might be experimentation in devoting a part of their existing lawns to native plants. I have tried to do more of this myself recently. I contacted the Ecology Center at UL-Lafayette last fall about an area of our backyard that almost always accumulated excess water and was difficult to mow. I was looking for recommendations for landscaping a small area (only about 800 square feet) with native plants that would thrive in this area of often standing water. Since I keep one of my beehives in this backyard, I also wanted to use native plants that would offer some bloom forage for these bees. I had already decided on using cuttings from one native plant, Buttonbush, and wanted a couple of other appropriate recommendations. The Ecology Center representative suggested Clustered Bushmint and Rose Mallow from their seed stock. They planted these seeds, and I picked up 100 of these small plants in March. I’m hardly much of a gardener, but the photos show part of the small pond constructed and planting area then. Native plants need initial watering and time to get well established, so I’ve been led not to expect much apparent growth in this first year or so.

Near the small pond and planting area in one photo you can probably see a conservation gadget known as a native bee hotel/home. Many types of native bees use small holes or crevices in trees to propagate. Some rain and excess sun protection can be provided and small holes can be drilled (3-5 inches) into the ends and sides of small logs to offer native bees a potential nesting area. The design used here is a very simple one. Other ideas for constructing backyard native bee hotels can be found at the LSU Ag Center website, entomology.lsu.edu/assets/beehotels.pdf, in a short article written by Chrissy Mogren and Kristen Healy.

There are other steps that property owners can take to protect and enhance our state’s natural environment. Basic “permaculture” approaches, in contrast to typical small farming and gardening practices, can often offer Louisiana residents less reliance on and expense for water, commercial fertilizers, and pesticides. A trip to your parish library or a little time online can provide you with a good introduction to topics such as naturescaping and permaculture.