One of my favorite things about belonging to Arkansas Master Naturalists is that the organization commits to helping you find 48 fun things to do each year.  That is 40 hours of volunteer activities and 8 hours of advanced training. Free fun!!

Just yesterday I got to go on guided tour of the Dardanelle Lock and Dam.  It was just the fifth such tour to be offered since the 9/11 attacks.  We boarded the Dardanelle State Park pontoon boat and motored over to the Lock and Dam where we learned about the greenest form of transportation of goods. Each barge that traverses the lock system replaces almost 900 semi tractor/trailer rigs. At the powerhouse the 54-foot drop in the river provides the force to turn a turbine generating "green power” for free.  Lake Dardanelle, formed by the dam, is home to wildlife including all those bass and catfish as well as pelicans and eagles and the great blue heron we saw.

After the lake, lock and dam tours Martha of CAMN and I went up Mt. Nebo where we were treated to a close encounter with three fawns who barely glanced at us before they continued their leisurely grazing while Martha snapped pictures.  While we were there, we stopped at the visitor center to leave a contact phone number should they want to share any volunteer opportunities with our members.  We had a lovely chat with the gift shop personnel and a ranger about who the Arkansas Master Naturalists are and what we like to do for the parks. This job does not pay cash like my weekday job but the benefits are priceless: fresh air, sunshine, exercise, scenery and wildlife that make stress seem nonexistent and great company from folks who like to do what I like to do for fun (and I am learning a bit about web publishing).

Already it is 10 down and 38 to go.  So far, I have also  helped classify bugs seined from the Illinois Bayou to assess the quality of the water in that natural resource (advanced training and had a jolly good time with classmates and some new friends too).  I had a one hour guided tour aboard the Lake Dardanelle State Park pontoon a few weeks ago that including a sighting of a bald eagle.   National Public Lands day will see clean-up crews all over Arkansas  on Sept. 25.  DeGray State Park is having a work day in October.  Come on out and join the no-admission-fee fun!!