RESPONSES TO POLLINATOR DECLINES

Piney Woods Journal Submission 2018

Most of us don’t often think much about insects in our world.  When we do, it’s often with a determination to avoid mosquitoes and other pesky, stinging, and sometimes disease-carrying insects.  We have heard about West Nile, Lyme disease, and other insect maladies and hope our outdoor activities have little insect interactions.
   
Reports about drastic declines in bee, butterfly, and other insect pollinator populations are getting more and more common though.  One recent, featured article in the New York Times was entitled “The Insect Apocalypse Is Here: What Does It Mean for the Rest of Life on Earth?”  The article quotes E.O. Wilson, naturalist and proponent of biodiversity and environmental restoration, who said that it is insect pollinators or “the little things that run the natural world.”  Trillions of insects going from flower to flower globally pollinate many of our critical food crops and even more the wild plants that are the foundation of life on this earth.  Insects are also critical for the survival of bird and fish populations, who feed upon them, and for soil nutrition.

Awareness and actual actions taken concerning this and related environmental challenges have been much stronger in Europe than in the USA.  Even in our country, the Times-Picayune reported earlier this year that Louisiana ranks second-worst among the fifty states on a wide range of environmental indicators.  There are, however, individuals, organizations and institutions in this state that are trying both to educate the public and undertake direct actions to improve pollinator habitat and forage.
State universities, such as UL-Lafayette, continue to conduct research on better forage sources for pollinators to be planted along state highways and right of ways.  Some choices, such as crimson clover, can really help many pollinators, but those plants can also support a few insects, such as the red-banded stinkbug, which have had harmful effects on our state soybean and other crops.  Finding better habitat and forage sources to support key pollinators takes commitments of institutional research funding and experimentation.

Europe has long banned certain chemicals commonly used in the USA for crop spraying and seed preparation, such as neonicotinoids.  Some scientists have claimed that bees and other pollinators exposed to even low levels of neonicotinoids have fatal or harmful effects and that bees are doing better in cities than in rural areas with their monocultures and typical crop planting and spraying practices.  Other scientists have disputed that neonicotinoids play that important of a role in pollinator declines and identify a number of other reasons for these declines.  Climate changes, particular pollinator pests and viruses, and loss of weedy habitat due to human expansion and development choices are just some of these reasons. 

The Louisiana Pollinator Cooperative Conservation Program has been trying to raise awareness of ways that row crop farmers and agricultural chemical applicators, can limit the harmful effects of farm chemicals.  LSU Ag Center entomologist, Sebe Brown, along with the LSU Ag Center, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other interested organizations have met to try to develop practical recommendations and educational material.  These recommendations include establishing and sharing GPS coordinates for hobbyist and commercial bee hives as well as marking bee hive locations with high-visibility “bee aware” flags to reduce pesticide and mosquito straying by trucks and airplanes.  The program also involves conducting better training programs for chemical applicators, with advice such as applying pesticides late in the day when pollinators have greatly decreased their foraging.   These efforts by scientists and others represent a small fraction, though, of what seems to be needed to make a real difference.

Pollinators are facing a difficult survival in their migrations from diminishing areas of potential habitat and forage.  Activities are well underway in some cities, such as Oslo, Norway, to build bee and pollinator “highway” systems.  Citizens are being encouraged and they are cooperating there in developing more backyards, parks, school grounds, and roof tops in urban areas into pollinator gardens, to create interlinked resources for pollinators. Participants can list and map their plantings on a particular web site. The aim is to encourage more residents to track and become involved in expanding forage and habitat for pollinators.  

A somewhat similar approach for community involvement and tracking of participants is being used in Bellingen Shire in Australia.  The Bellingen Bee Sanctuary promotes dialogue and local actions in the area in order to reduce pesticide, herbicide and fungicide use and convert to non-harmful alternatives.  Its web site asks residents to take a role in the survival of native bees by declaring their own properties as bee sanctuaries and growing beneficial plants in their pollinator gardens.
 
Movement in this direction in the USA and in our region has been slower, but there have been certain efforts by universities as well as beekeeping and gardening associations or clubs.  Programs have been presented and brochures have been developed and distributed concerning various pollinator challenges and possible citizen responses.  The LSU Ag Center offers information resources on its website concerning topics such as planting pollinator gardens and constructing backyard bee shelters or hotels. Bee hotels have even become something of a recent fad, with many attractive models for these shelters being offered for sale by certain retailers.  It might take a bit more reading or research though for consumers to recognize the difference between some visually appealing shelter designs and backyard shelters that fits effectively the needs of certain pollinators.  Many typical bird houses can be converted, by filling these with soft bedding and reducing the size of the entry, to work well as bumblebee hotels.  The designs commonly displayed and offered for sale online can be useful, if often adapted slightly, for some native and solitary bees, but many other solitary bees actually live in the ground.  For these pollinators, changes in gardening or lawn preparation practices can help provide more and better habitat. 

       [Different types of bee hotel designs found in an impressive display wall at an English hotel]  

Information definitely exists that can lead the public to much better choices regarding pollinator habitat protection and enhancement; a major challenge is gaining more public awareness that these issues deserve at least some small measure of their personal involvement.  

Doing Our Share

2019 Submission to the Piney Woods Journal

A huge challenge for improving the quality of our state’s natural resources and environment is the actual enforcement of our existing laws and regulations.  Various national and state government agencies handle aspects of this job, but citizens are the largest stakeholders and a really important asset in protecting our environmental quality.  Enforcement officers are obviously spread thin in trying to monitor our state’s vast forests, deltas, and coastlines. In a sportsman’s paradise, the responsibility of citizens who hunt, fish, ride, paddle, and hike is to try to maintain and even enhance these outdoor experiences for the future and for others.

Yes, we fulfill some of our citizen and sporting responsibilities by knowing and following basic laws and regulations. Yet our citizenship responsibilities go further than this.  We need to have our eyes and ears open during our outdoor adventures for problems and those who seem to doing harm to our natural resources. Among the potential problems that we can spot are the ones identified by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network on its web page and chapter on Reporting Environmental Incidents. These incidents could include, as examples, oil spills, unknown sheen visible on a waterway, strong chemical odors/fumes, runoff from a landfill draining off-site, hazardous material spill from storage facility, tanker truck, or train, dust blowing into a community from loading/unloading facility, smoke from an industrial facility or from burning agriculture fields blowing across roads or into a community, sewage leaks, litter on the side of the road or in a waterway, and illegal dumping. These are only some of the environmental concerns that citizens can detect and report before these incidents do more damage to humans, animals, and our natural environment.

A form and telephone numbers for reporting such negative environmental incidents can be found at https://leanweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/incident_reporting_form.pdf. This general form and related contact information can be used for many different situations and allows citizens to be better stewards to the natural resources that so many of us enjoy.

Operation Game Thief is a non-profit corporation established in 1984 that is funded and administered by volunteer sporting enthusiasts.  These volunteers meet periodically to review wildlife violations cases arising from information reported by participants in order to determine and dispense rewards.  If you observe or just know about game violations, you can phone Operation Game Thief through its toll-free number (800-442-2511) or use the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ tip411 program.  According to the Operation Game Thief web site, “To use the tip411 program, text LADWF and your tip to 847411 or download the "LADWF Tips" iPhone or Android app from the iTunes or Google Play store free of charge.  CitizenObserver, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LADWF receives the text so that LADWF cannot identify the sender. Texting or downloading the app enables users to send anonymous tips to LADWF and lets LADWF respond back, creating a two-way anonymous “chat.”  You can also send in photos via text or the app to help support your claim and to be used as evidence.”

Information provided to a LADWF operator is then forwarded to enforcement agents to investigate. In the case of this information leading to an arrest, the caller becomes eligible for a reward.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been previously paid in such rewards and over 700 violators have been convicted on a multitude of state and federal charges.  More information about game violation reporting can be obtained from the LADWF.

Creole Nature Trail Adventures

2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission


North and central Louisiana have more than their share of nature and recreational areas for residents seeking weekend getaways or vacations. Along the I-20 corridor are appealing state parks and wilderness areas. Cities such as Natchitoches and Alexandria are also great places to use as a base for short excursions to nearby attractions.

Even more diverse and unique outdoor adventures exist for those willing to make longer drives to the Ozarks or to extreme southwestern Louisiana. This month I'll try to make the case for why a trip to Lake Charles is well worth several days or a week's escape from routines, especially for outdoor lovers who aren’t that familiar with this part of the state.

There is much to see and do even in driving to the Lake Charles area from points north. Traveling southwest from Alexandria on US Hwy 165, you might want to spend a day or two in the Kinder area. Many visit there for gambling and/or golfing at the very visible casino and golf course just north of Kinder, but others come for canoeing and tubing adventures along the Ouiska (Whiskey) Chitto. The Ouiska Chitto is a beautiful spring-fed stream with white sand bars and beaches. There are several canoe rental places along LA Hwy 26 west of Oberlin that offer half-day or full-day canoe outings. Just west of Kinder itself on US Hwy 190 at LeBlanc are other businesses that feature river tubing as well as canoeing options.

Tourism officials in the Lake Charles area have marketed the many nature and outdoor alternatives in Calcasieu and Cameron Parish as the Creole Nature Trail and All-American Road. This is a 200-mile driving experience with stops at many walking trails, several huge wildlife refuges, and about eight Gulf Coast beaches. You are encouraged to start this Creole Nature Trail at its Adventure Point located just off I-10 exit 20 in Sulphur. This free attraction has hands-on displays of the flora and fauna found in the marshes and along the bayous of southwest Louisiana. The Adventure Point also allows visitors to sample some of the region’s Cajun food and Zydeco music and to pick up descriptive material on the many potential stopping places along the trail.

My own choices along this Creole Nature Trail recently were Sam Houston Jones State Park, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Parish National Wildlife Refuge, Peveto Woods Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary, and a couple of the Gulf beaches west of the town of Holly Beach. I started at Sam Houston Jones State Park, located just north of Lake Charles and named for Louisiana Governor Sam Jones who served in the early forties. This state park offers eight cabins, two deluxe lodges, two pavilions, many camping sites, boat rentals, five walking trails, and a disc golf course. Of its walking trails, I really liked the loop trail across from the larger pavilion that offers some nice cypress and tupelo vistas from a couple of elevated walkways.

                                     Cypress Swamp Trail at Sam Houston Jones Jones State Park
                                                     

Driving south from Sulphur on LA Hwy 27 and before you get to Holly Beach, you pass many miles of marshlands in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. The over 125,000-acre refuge is managed to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds and to preserve and enhance these coastal marshes. Several potential stopping points lie along Hwy 27 through this refuge where you’ll encounter folks fishing and crabbing. One popular Sabine marshland destination is called the Wetland Walkway. Part of this 1.5 mile loop trail is over the marsh on a boardwalk, and you can get a much better view of the composition of the marsh below your feet. I’d particularly advise your using insect repellent if you walk this marshland trail, because there are times when certain pests can interfere with your enjoyment. Stinging horseflies were bothersome the afternoon that I walked this trail.

Wetland Walkway Trail and typha/cattails growing in the marsh at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

My next stop along the Creole Nature Trail was Peveto Woods Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary. It’s located next to Little Florida Beach and about 10 miles west of Holly Beach on LA Hwy 82. Peveto Woods is managed by the Baton Rouge Audubon Society and is a 40-acre site involving a chenier sanctuary. Coastal wooded areas were called cheniers by early French settlers. The word means oak place, so-called because the live oak was the dominant tree found there. Cheniers are ancient beach ridges, formed by wave action, offshore currents, and the influence of bayous or rivers. Such wooded areas, and surrounding beaches and marshes, offer a vital, first point of recovery for birds and butterflies in their long migratory routes across the Gulf. The beaches, marshes and cheniers in this area are prime locations for serious bird and butterfly watchers. Calcasieu and Cameron Parish have 89% of Louisiana’s total 456 recorded bird species, according to information posted at this sanctuary.

I’d recount other places along the Creole Nature Trail that also seem noteworthy, but I’d better wrap it up this time with one more quick overview of a prime wildlife viewing area. East of Holly Beach and Cameron and then north along LA Hwy 27 is the Cameron Parish National Wildlife Refuge. The Pintail Wildlife Drive and Boardwalk there is a three-mile trail through soil wetlands that provide a feeding and resting habitat for wintering waterfowl. Picking the right time in winter to drive this gravel trail might reward you with sights of a variety of geese, mallards, spoonbills, herons and other waterfowl.

                 Entrance to the Pintail Wildlife Drive at the Cameron Parish National Wildlife Refuge

Creole Nature Trail options also include the Rockefeller Refuge and the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, as well as Gulf fishing charters out of Cameron or Holly Beach. Fishing also in a variety of fresh and brackish water bayous or canals, and the waterfowl hunting camps there, are obvious reasons why many want to visit this part of the state.

Getting Involved with Nature and Wildlife Advocacy

2018 Piney Woods Submission

This journal and other traditional news and entertainment sources draw much of their readership from "baby boomers" or older Americans. Many seniors and retirees are involved in volunteer and charitable activities that make a huge difference to the quality of our social fabric. Taking knowledge, skills and capabilities that they developed over decades in their work lives, millions of seniors apply these now for service or charitable organizations serving diverse public interests.

My parents were good role models for volunteerism. My electrician father would team with others to help build ball parks for youth recreation programs. My mother was a hospital and health care volunteer for many of her later years. Their contributions were dwarfed though by other seniors who took even more critical roles in making their communities stronger and healthier.

There continue to be daunting social and environmental challenges today, but there are many volunteer options to help overcome some of these growing concerns. For those who love the great outdoors and our sporting paradise in this state, it's possible to enjoy our natural resources as we "give back" for the bounty that we have received over our lifetimes. I've profiled in recent years particular organizations that are trying to protect and improve the vitality of our natural environment. These have ranged from "Master Naturalist" and "Leave No Trace" programs to environmental education and recreational programs for youth. Just one example of community involvement has been the individuals described in a 2017 PWJ article who established and continue to improve the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe.

National and state government funding for many long-term environmental goals and programs seems somewhat more constrained than previously, so volunteer and charitable contributions assume even greater importance. A first step could be identifying your particular outdoor passion or interest, knowledge, attributes, and skill set -- so as to be able to offer a more sustained and valuable contribution. The next step is doing a bit of research on area, state or national organizations that have particular environmental goals, activities and volunteer needs. Most folks, though, discover volunteer programs through chance, friends, or casual circumstance. Others, however, can be more proactive by actually exploring many opportunities in order to select an organization for which to spend their limited spare time and other contributions.

To provide at least a starting point for potential volunteers, here are just some of better-known national organizations that could benefit from your assistance and support: 1) The Nature Conservancy (a global conservation foundation since 1951); 2) The Sierra Club (environmental campaigns opposing land, air and water pollution since 1892); 3) Defenders of Wildlife (protection of critical wildlife habitat and dwindling wildlife species); 4) The National Wildlife Federation (planting of native trees and involvement in state wildlife plans and actions); 5) Waterkeepers Alliance (focus on the fight for clean water and waterways); 6) American Hiking Association (volunteer crews to build and improve hiking trails); 7) National Resources Defense Council (1.4 million members who use law and science to protect wild areas and habitat); 8) 350.org (international effort focused on fighting atmospheric pollution); and 9) The Xerces Society (pollinator and their habitat protection).

More assistance in identifying and selecting volunteer opportunities related to nature and environmental causes is available through online volunteer matching services, such as Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org). Volunteer activities are a great way to meet and work together with people who share your own values and priorities.

MUSHROOMS GALORE

2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission


Naturalists and scientists are focusing more and more on mushrooms and other fungi to tackle some of our most significant environmental challenges. As a beekeeper concerned about pests and viruses affecting our bee and pollinator populations, I'm noticing promising research linking bee health to various fungal treatments.

Like many other Americans, I associated mushrooms and fungi in my early years with death, decay, rot, and other negative images. Some mushrooms found in the woods are also mildly or deathly poisonous, and almost all mushrooms appeared to me to be about the last thing that I would want to pick and eat. Even the stereotypes of those who grew mushrooms, usually shown as working in dark and dank cellars, were far from appealing to me. Many Americans tend to be mycophobes or have fears or doubts about consuming wild or even grocery-bought mushrooms. So they would hardly consider growing or hunting mushrooms as an hobby.

Over my adult years, I increasingly discovered that mushrooms added a nice flavor to some dishes, and I began ordering mushrooms as one of two or three topping choices for pizzas. Still, picking or growing mushrooms never struck me as a possible activity -- until fairly recently. A friend showed me a collection of his short logs that had been inoculated with spawn plugs and placed in the shade near his home. He gave me a generous sample of oyster mushrooms that he had grown and told me how these might be sautéed and added to certain pasta- and rice-based dishes. I tried this, really liked it, and decided that I'd investigate growing some of my own mushrooms. There seemed much to learn about this new hobby, so I started with a recommended book, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets (2005).

                                         Oyster mushroom beginning to fruit from a willow log

Reishi mushroom spawn plugs      inoculating a water oak log

Stamets explains the basic science this way. Microscopic cells called "mycelium" recycle carbon, nitrogen and other key elements in breaking down animal and plant debris in the creation of rich new soil. He claims that we can utilize mycelium's digestive power to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce silt from streambeds and pathogens from agricultural watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and enhance the health of our forests (mycoforestry). Chapters of his book are devoted to each of these topics, as well as many different approaches to grow mycelia and mushrooms. I was more interested in his chapter on cultivating mushrooms on logs and stumps, and have recently inoculated sweet gum logs using several different types of spawn plugs. Another chapter in Stamet's book is devoted to gardening choices for cultivating gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Mushrooms provide some important nutritional benefits, such as useful amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and without many calories.

Mushroom hunting is a popular past time in many parts of the world, and a much more common outdoor pursuit in Europe and Canada than in the USA. Still, even in the Deep South and Louisiana, there are dedicated "shroomers" who know better places to gather tasty specimens. They often visit local woods or parks, usually after a rainfall, to try to find particular types of mushrooms, like morels, oysters, and turkey tails. The Kisatchie National Forest is known as a destination source for some state shroomers. The web site Kitsatchie Mushrooms (http://home.dejazzd.com/lgw/) provides a listing and many images of mushroom varieties found there. The site suggests that the Evangeline District of the Kasatchie and the area around the Wild Azalea Seep and Trail as areas where mushrooms varieties are often found.

                                               Morel mushroom discovered on a trail hike

The Complete Mushroom Hunter, 2017, by Gary Lincoff, is just one source for information on this outdoor activity. Even more detailed sources such as mushroom field guides can help hunters distinguish between edible and health-providing mushrooms and the ones that are poisonous. Organizations, including the New Orleans Mycological Society and the Gulf States Mycological Society, provide their members with information resources and can offer opportunities for outings with others to find and pick mushrooms. I'm looking forward now to a few outings later this year when mushroom hunting will be another pursuit and payoff for a hike in a state park.

The Cane River Creole National Historic Park

2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission


Our national and state parks in Louisiana certainly offer abundant recreational and wildlife learning opportunities. Many of these parks are located along the I-20 interstate highway corridor. Others are found within the many districts of the Kitaschie National Forest. We are truly blessed to have so many options for nature and outdoor activities within close distance.

I’ve tried to profile many of these recreational and environmental adventures for readers of this journal. This month I'll shift gears a little to describe a nearby national park noted much more for its special historical and cultural flavor. Visiting the Cane River Creole National Park south of Natchitoches does offer a lot of walking exercise, though, over two restored plantations that tell the story of life there from the 1700s to the middle decades of the twentieth century. The plantations and surrounding areas also feature remnants of its major agricultural crop of cotton, as well as many trees, such as live oaks, magnolias, catalpa, crepe myrtle and others associated with farm and plantation life.
 
Although I occasionally drive to or through the Natchitoches area, I hadn’t previously explored LA Highways 494 and 119 that lead south and east of the city for many miles and follow the banks of the Cane River. Designated as the Cane River National Heritage Trail, the drive itself first to the Oakland Plantation, then on to the Melrose Plantation, and further along to the Magnolia Plantation reveals much about our state's economic diversity. Homes along the river range from weathered houses and fishing shacks to many attractive, and even opulent, estates.

The basic history of Natchitoches and the surrounding area is probably familiar to many. Spanish and French forts and camps were established by the early 1700s. The native Americans, Spanish, and French residents of the area were joined by many enslaved Africans who were brought there to farm the rich land along the river. The ethnic mix from these early settlers and slaves, often called Creole, created a distinctive culture in this pocket of Louisiana.
 
The web site for this national historical park provides a lot of tourist information which I could only poorly summarize here. Instead, I’ll provide some of my stronger impressions and personal photos from visits to the Oakland and Magnolia Plantations. These two plantations comprise the Cane River Creole National Historic Park that has free admission and self-tours. The nearby Melrose Plantation is administered as a historic site by the Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches and charges a $10 fee for visiting adults. Each of the plantations has distinctive stories and interesting attractions, and it would be very difficult to absorb much of the history and ambiance of all three in a single day.

The main plantation home at Oakland, or as it was also called Bermuda, is an obvious focus for tourists who are guided through it by a friendly park ranger, but I was struck by the many satellite houses, sheds, and storage places that were needed to support the lives of its many residents and slaves. The slave quarters deserve special attention, and a specific time each day is devoted by staff to trying to describe slave life on the plantation. The self-guided tour of the whole plantation area, playable on cell phones, takes visitors through specific houses, barns and sheds for the plantation overseer, doctor, cook, carpenter, horses and carriages, mules, turkeys and chicken, and others. Of particular interest to me were the plantation store and post office and the “pigeonnier.”

 
                                                         Pigeonnier at Oakland Plantation

The existing store and post office reminded me of photos that I’ve seen of community or urban stores in the South at the turn of the twentieth century. How this store must have looked even earlier in the Restoration, Civil War, or colonial eras is largely left to the imagination. Like a few other wealthy French landowners, the Prud’homme family of Oakland/Bermuda had one or two tall, wooden buildings devoted to raising pigeons. The pigeons were harvested for a French dining delicacy known as “squab.” These elegant pigeon houses also were a symbol of the financial worth and elite status of the plantation owners.

                                                   Oakland Plantation Features

The LeComte family established the Magnolia Plantation based on a land grant along both sides of the Cane River that Jean Baptiste LeComte received in 1753. According to family legends, the plantation’s main house was burned in April 1864 by retreating Union troops during the Civil War’s Red River Campaign. The restored main house of this plantation is privately-owned and not open to the public; however, the plantation store, blacksmith’s shop, pigeonnier, hospital/overseer’s house, slave cabins, and cotton ginning and pressing barn are key tour stops. The slave cabins and gin/press barn there are particularly interesting. Of originally 70 cabins for slaves, some were brick and on higher ground, while the rest were made of wood and located along the river. Eight of the brick cabins are all that remain today of these slave cabins. Two slave families apparently resided in each brick cabin, and laborers apparently lived in these brick cabins as late as the early 1970s. A large barn contains the plantation’s cotton ginning and pressing equipment. The unusual wood-screw cotton press was powered by mules and was 30-foot tall in operational mode. Also there is a steam-powered gin and double box press which were used from the late 1800s.

The Cane River Creole National Historic Park, the Caroline Dorman Nature Preserve north of Natchitoches, and many historical attractions found in city itself make this area what I believe is one of very best vacation or weekend destinations in the state. I would recommend it particularly for families with children who are or will soon be taking school courses in our state’s history and culture. Some visiting adults and children might develop a “feel,” going beyond anything that books or PDAs can provide, for a long era in our state’s history and culture.

CREATION OF THE LOUISIANA BEE SANCTUARY 2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission Ruston area beekeeper, Aaron Jennings, Louisiana Tech University and Ruston city officials are planning for the first bee sanctuary in the state to open later this year. Jennings has been promoting the idea of a bee sanctuary for the area since 2015 and has been donating five per cent of the profits from Jennings Apiaries to this cause. He was partially influenced in proposing this bee sanctuary by the documentary film, Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? The film explored historical and recent relationships between bees and humans. It featured a beekeeper, Gunther Hauk, at the Spikenard Bee Sanctuary and Biodynamic Farm in Floyd, Virginia. Jennings received the assistance of a donor in late 2017 to pay the filing fee for IRS status as a non-profit organization for the Louisiana Bee Sanctuary, and it was on the way to becoming reality. Louisiana Tech is to provide the land for the bee sanctuary, and Ruston will be providing some of the support, such as trash pickup and security. It will be located on the South Campus of Tech near Lomas Hall and the School of Agricultural Science and Forestry where they have the facilities for classes and entertaining visitors. Initially there will be Langstrope, top-bar and Warre types of honey bee hive designs there to show the diversity of approaches that beekeeping can take. Bees for the sanctuary have been ordered and should be delivered by May. A beekeeping supply company, BeeBuilt, based in Portland, Oregon, will provide very attractive and functional hive boxes and equipment for these hives. The first phase of the sanctuary project is getting the bee hives located on the site and putting sustaining plants there. Some planning details remain, including liability issues. Agri-tourism law and regulations need to be followed with signs, waivers, and protections for visitors. Tech has the bee sanctuary area designated, but as of March not all of the requirements and approvals have been completed. Anticipated is a roughly 1000-square foot area with a fence or barrier to mark its boundary and near a pond on the Tech Farm site. There is already nearby bee forage, such as clover, for the bees, but native plants are to be added. Jenning’s wife and business partner, Lauren, is getting her masters in horticultural therapy from Kansas State University, and she will be providing knowledge and assistance to help put native, pollinator-friendly plants at the site. Lagniappe Ladies, a philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting Tech’s mission and vision has also provided funding recently to start a pollinator garden very near the site for this bee sanctuary. Louisiana Tech views the bee sanctuary as another way to attract more student interest in its programs in ag-related fields. Aaron and Lauren Jennings will be working with different departments at Tech, such as their landscape artists, to help design the bee sanctuary. They hope that ecological organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy, can eventually be sources for additional funds for more pollinator plants and soil improvement. They are also contacting local or area pharmacies for possible donations of Epi-pens for the sanctuary and for any allergic reaction to possible bee stings that might occur for visitors. One generous local donor has already pledged $2500 for the sanctuary, and Aaron doesn't believe that much additional funding will be required in the early stages of sanctuary development. Although the focus in the initial stage of the sanctuary is honey bees, there have been discussions for adding shelters or “hotels” for different types of native bees and bumble bees at the site. Aaron plans to spend four to eight hours weekly at the sanctuary. He is listed as board director for the bee sanctuary, and is the contact person now for questions and information (aaron@jenningsapiaries.com). Anyone who wants to make a charitable contribution to this non-profit organization can do so, particularly when work is completed soon on the Louisiana Bee Sanctuary web site.
	Paging and Bottom Toolbar
Connected to Microsoft Exchange

Taking and Giving Our Share

2018 Piney Woods Journal Submission

Most of us occasionally eat at restaurants that offer buffet-type dining. Whether these are pizza, Mexican, Chinese, or other dining places, buffets are popular. They provide customers with freedom of choice among diverse food options and the quantity of these that we desire.

A month or so ago, I went for lunch to a well-known pizza restaurant chain in the area. It was typically crowded on a Sunday with many families there for lunch, many apparently there after church services. As I finished eating and left the buffet area, it was amazing to see the quantity of left-over items still on many of the yet-to-be gathered plates there.

Many of those with Depression-era, or just frugal, parents probably have a visceral reaction when we see this. We think back to our parents telling us to eat our served portions and avoid selecting more food than we could consume in a meal. We remember their admonitions such as "Don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach,” or “Think of the starving children in China.” We encounter somewhat different cultural norms now, but still we see plenty of folks living "high on the hog" while many others continue to have a "hard time making ends meet."

Largely gone are strong reminders of the days of the public health movement, replaced decades ago by the era of health services marketing. Also largely forgotten by most are home economics and home demonstration programs offered by state governments and utility companies to educate rural residents on food and energy conservation. Home demonstration associations, clubs and agents numbered in the many thousands in the Deep South long ago. Their mission was to provide community resources and instruction on topics such as diet and health, food production and preservation, landscaping, garment selection and making, and many other public concerns.

The long-term perspective that created many more public schools, public libraries, and the interstate highway system also seems left behind. My grandfather and his brothers in Winn Parish were big proponents of the “good roads and schools” movement of an even earlier era and eagerly supported Huey Long, O.K. Allen, and other populists in the initial decades of the twentieth century. We can easily see evidence today on a national, state, and local level of our crumbling infrastructure, and we know that we critically need to reinvest in updated versions of this public infrastructure. We have long heard talk about infrastructure investments, but there appear very limited actions yet.

Our social and moral infrastructure is also being challenged when public progress is impeded or delayed by power conflicts among politicians and interest groups who can seem to be prioritizing their private benefits. Cynicism is easy, but it helps create more distrust and difficulties in the difficult work of negotiating necessary changes. Cynicism further erodes public trust when perceived corruption elsewhere seems to justify our own personal, if seemingly much smaller, abuses of public trust. At a certain point, public trust and institutions can completely crumble as corruption and factionalism create anarchy. People then often turn to authoritarian leaders who promise “to make the trains run on time.”

Actions emphasizing conservation and sustainability of our natural environment are an important part of the necessary renewal of our public and moral infrastructures. We can all take small steps at least to practice conservation of our precious natural resources that we still have. Restaurants can do so with their food waste policies and practices. We can do so as well, and our actions can positively influence family members and friends.