Fletcher Library Meeting Room, 7:00 p.m.
Jane Gully called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. There were 30 in attendance. She directed Dan Scheiman to add more bird checklists to the Allsopp Park kiosk.
Minutes from the March meeting were read and accepted, while the treasurer’s report was read and acknowledged, too.
Jane said the Halberg Ecology Camp had been featured in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, so she passed around the newspaper article. In Karen Holliday’s absence, Jane announced upcoming ASCA field trips, as follows:
- April 27: Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, Turrell, Ark.
- May 11: International Migratory Bird Day, Holland Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, Jacksonville, Ark.
Concerning programs, Dan said Craig and Dale Provost would speak about one of their birding trips at the June meeting. In July, Mark Brown of Cooperative Extension Service will speak about water efficiency.
Consecutively, Dan introduced the evening’s speaker: environmental consultant
Bruce Shackleford, who delivered an intriguing presentation about Woolsey Wet Prairie’s history, restoration, and wildlife.
NEW BUSINESS
Jane reported that Neil Curry of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had asked if ASCA would like to create a display-case design that would be on rotation at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center. She suggested that members consider this a good publicity opportunity and come up with display-case ideas.
Dan said the International Migratory Bird Day celebration is a collaboration between Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Audubon Arkansas. Dan proposed that ASCA have a booth at the event (Saturday, May 11), promising them a sign and a table; members expressed interest in doing so.
OLD BUSINESS
Bill Shepherd suggested that ASCA settle on a monetary amount to donate to the National Audubon Society, covering some of the costs associated with Christmas Bird Counts. After some discussion, Bill made a motion to donate $300 (about $5 per participant in the Little Rock CBC) to the National Audubon Society to pay for CBC database maintenance. This motion passed.
Barry Haas then gave an update on the ExxonMobil Pegasus Pipeline spill in Mayflower, a pipeline built in 1947 that traverses 13 miles of the Lake Maumelle watershed. He said there are shutoff valves outside the watershed to the east near the Arkansas River, one shutoff valve inside the watershed near Highway 10 and another shutoff valve outside the watershed to the west between Paron and Jessieville. There is 15.5 miles between each pair of shutoff valves, a span that contains 1,253,175 gallons of oil. The pipeline rupture in Mayflower was about eight miles from the watershed. Specifically, the spilled oil is diluted bitumen, which has the consistency of peanut butter and emits hazardous vapors.
On Friday, April 5, Citizens Protecting Maumelle Watershed (CPMW) requested that ExxonMobil physically relocate the pipeline outside the watershed as expeditiously as possible. If this pipeline is ever deemed safe to use again, it will operate at 80 percent capacity.
Barry noted that there’s a possibility that shutoff valves cannot be remotely closed. Also, before the Mayflower spill, no Central Arkansas Water board members knew that diluted bitumen—a particularly heavy crude oil that sinks in water—was flowing through the pipeline. The pipeline damaged at least 22 homes. Until the pipeline is located outside the watershed, Barry said, there is going to be a certain level of risk to the Little Rock water supply.”
Lastly, Barry said he had found suet cages from past ASCA sales. He said members could purchase a suet cage for a suggested donation of $5The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 p.m.