Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Well, working with the assumption that the original thread here has done run...

I noticed the Cadron was a new shade of red today.

Yes I thought the thread needed a bit of a push and protection of our watersheds does have a significant impact on our ability to observe wildlife. There will certainly be some fauna and flora that are going to come out ahead -- elk (see above), game birds, certain wildflowers, etc. but I believe the toll on overall diversity and environmental integrity will far exceed any benefit. Many of these openings and clearcuts are going to serve as conduits for invasive organisms. There's going to be loss of habitat. And to my knowledge there are no formal environmental reviews at the vast majority of the affected sites to assure that any rare indigenous plants or animals are not adversely impacted.

We also have to consider the impact of the current economy will have on the environment -- some folks who rarely pack a gun may look to securing meat for the freezer by heading to the woods this fall/winter, more people may find themselves heating their homes with wood taken from our forests rather than gas/electricity, etc. The dust bowl days were to a significant degree the result of the economic hardship and we may again experience some of the same conditions.

Tis' interesting times in which we live....

Lake Chicot State Park has proven to be a rewarding place for me as a critter lover. I've watched foxes on the prowl, rescued an injured flying squirrel, heard and maybe saw a bobcat, waterfowl are plentiful, and two Springs in a row, and friend and I spent hours watching the water moccasin mating frenzy/rituals on the little slough near the boat ramp. We've also had close encounters with raccoons and otters on that slough. Plus, both years, we watched the mating ritual of two black water snakes with yellow spots. Nobody's been able to identify the species for us. Stargazing is also very good there.

Disclaimer: I am not a snake voyeur. :shock:

lalyle wrote:Disclaimer: I am not a snake voyeur. :shock:

Oh but I am!!!

Up on Petit Jean mountain on the Seven Hollows Trail is a great place to see reptiles. I have seen Rat snakes, Rough Green Snake, Fence Lizards, Skinks and best of all Collared Lizards AKA Mountain Boomers

Clif -- I too have noticed the extremely high sediment load on the Cadron this weekend despite no recent rainfall -- certainly far in excess of "normal" and most certainly attributable to well site and pipeline clearings. Should have been a great day for fishing but alas....

Today I hiked from near Wolf Pen to Bear Cave -- most of the landscape is crisscrossed with new survey lines -- apparently there is some additional seismic testing in the works with seemingly far more blast holes and sensors than we witnessed in round one -- and usually at least a half dozen or more smaller trees have been torn down around each blast hole -- collectively resulting in a considerable loss of vegetation. Today and yesterday I've probably encountered at least a 100 workers milling about along the pipelines, wells and roads yet not a single ADEQ inspector. In fact I haven't seen a single ADEQ inspector this entire summer around these parts -- they are seemingly more elusive than an ivory bill woodpecker.

But then again to my knowledge Arkansas and the ADEQ does not require shale oil and gas companies to conduct any type of environmental impact study as part of granting exploration and production permits. Similarly, each well -- and there are going to be thousands - requires on average some 4.5 million gallons of water that will be recovered and disposed -- and again with little if any regulatory oversight. In fact the entire water recovery and disposal programs are so "hush-hush" it's hard to find any information whatsoever as to the final depositories for this contaminated water.

A friend of mine applied for a job yesterday with SEECO to serve as a maintenance agent for pipeline compressors. Compressor stations are necessary to keep the gas moving efficiently to its final destination and each station house may have from one to several large gas compression engines that operate 24-hours a day. Paul tells me that SEECO already has over 400 compressors in operation and hundreds more planned. Anyone with a compressor in their backyard can tell you that they are noisy, stinky, and that their seals and bearings are one of the most likely sources of gas leaks, fires and injury.

It's amazes me me that what we find to be unacceptable for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is embraced here in Arkansas. We seemingly care more for caribou -- and money -- than we do our families and friends.

And did you see the front page of the paper this morning and the article entitled "Agencies see no evil in brown water flowing from faucets in Clinton". Although it is entirely speculative that the "hundreds of natural gas drilling rigs that dot the wooded, hilly landscape bear some of the blame" it is reported that levels of manganese have reach "unheard-of levels" (more than 100 times the EPA recommendation) and that treatment chemicals to address this contaminant are costing the city of Clinton over $15,000/month. The ADEQ's position is that they "can't help because manganese is a naturally occurring element...not a pollutant" and that the "high manganese levels should eventually go away".

What the authorities are not telling you is that manganese is one out of three toxic essential trace elements. And as a toxin its effects occur mainly in the respiratory tract and in the brains. Symptoms of manganese poisoning are hallucinations, forgetfulness and nerve damage. Schizophrenia, dullness, weak muscles, headaches and insomnia are often evident. Manganese can also cause Parkinson's disease, lung embolism and bronchitis and when men are exposed to manganese for a longer period of time they may become impotent.

Caveat: Not stating in any way that exploitation of the Fayetteville gas fields underlie the recent rise in manganese in our municipal water supply -- all I'm saying is that we cannot fully rely upon agencies such as the ADEQ to protect us from many natural and unnatural toxins that are finding their way into our water and food supply.

Note #1: The source of contaminants could very likely be the South Fork of the Little Red where eight out of nine samples were found to exceed the EPA's recommendations.

Note #2: Waste fluids that come with gas production often contain high levels of salt and various metals such as iron and manganese, and traces of barium, lead and arsenic. Manganese has already been shown to be a significant contaminant of ground water and drinking water in a number of frac gas recovery operations in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Mexico, etc. Although highly diluted with water, the proper treatment of all gas-well waste fluids is a big issue that needs to be addressed regardless of the ADEQ's inaction and lack of concern.

Saw my first Collared Lizard here in Pulaski County yesterday while scrambling near the river NE of Pinnacle Mountain -- the only two other places I have encountered the "mountain boomer" (albeit it has no voice) here in Arkansas has been on Petit Jean (Yell County) and Hall Mountain (Marion County). Surprised to see one as the weather has been a bit cooler lately and there wasn't much sun yesterday for it to enjoy. Moreover, the lizard has also fallen on some pretty hard times -- its a bit of a "fire dependent" lizard and fire suppression has resulted in loss of the rocky glade habitats it needs to survive. The cedar glades in Marion county are slowly being overtaken by scrub oak and hickory and places like "Hell's Half Acre" in Garland county -- once such a large rock escarpment that it was actually a tourist attraction some 100+ years ago -- is now but a small remnant of its former self. Noting the lizards increasing vulnerability due to loss of habitat Trauth, Robison and Plummer (our state's most preeminent herpatologists) recommend that the lizard be given "special concern" status and may eventually need federal protection. Landowners possessing any rocky glades in which these lizards have been seen should carefully consider prescriptive burning or other means to protect these dwindling habitats.