Sign Up For Mayhem!

This year's Mayhem is June 28th.  From beginners to hardcore Mayhem Seekers, there's something for everyone in this extreme obstacle course!  Even the young ones will enjoy the Mini-Mayhem.

Stone Park is the perfect location for this 3 mile course.  Each obstacle will test your toughness, durability and willingness to get dirty all while raising funds and awareness for St. Luke's Children's Miracle Network and the Friends of Stone Park.

Get details and register at - facebook.com/StLukesCMN.  Volunteers are needed to help with Mayhem -sign up on facebook, or call (712)279-3900.

Mini Mayhem Pint-Sized Primer is June 13, Friday 5-7PM at Scheels, 4400 Sergeant Rd. #54, Sioux City, IA.  Kids can try out some obstacles similar to those found at the real Mini-Mayhem at Stone State Park.

Nature Photography Workshop at Stone State Park

 

Free Nature Photography Workshop

Are you an amateur nature photographer who wants to improve your skills?  Friends of Stone Park is pleased to announce a free photography workshop designed for anyone who wants both to learn the "how-to's" of nature photography and to enjoy a morning in beautiful Stone State Park, 5001 Talbot Road, Sioux City, IA.   On Saturday, May 10th, at 9:30 a.m., Michael Crowley, Associate Professor of Visual Communications in the Digital Media Department at Briar Cliff University since 1989, will provide a short introduction on the fine points of nature photography; and then you will have the opportunity to wander through the park to find the hidden gems waiting to be captured on anything you have that will take digital pictures:  your cell phone, camera, tablet, etc.  Participants will reconvene by late morning to discuss their images with Michael.  Meet at the Pammel Valley Shelter in Stone Park by 9:30 for this informative workshop.  In case of weather concerns on May 10th, please call Kevin Pape, Park Ranger, at 712-255-4698.

Spring Snow Blankets the Park.

Could this be the last snow before the park roads are expected to open on April 15th?  The sign is obscured by snow but Stone Park is on the Loess Hills National Scenic By-Way.

On May 1st the park's cabins and lodge will open for the season.  The cabins rent for $35 per night and can be rented between May 1 and Oct. 15 each year.

Park staff have several downed tree limbs and small trees to cut up along the roads and trails.

A very sturdy new trail bridge blanketed with snow.  The bridge was built and installed last fall thanks to the generosity of  Alex Uhl and his team.

How Old Are the Oak Trees in Stone Park?

 

Have you ever marveled at a large tree in Stone Park and wondered how old that tree could be?  Scientists can determine the answer to that question through dendrochronology.  Dendrochronology is the analysis of growth rings in trees to determine a tree’s age.  Scientists can also determine past climate patterns by studying the rings.

Bur Oaks are one of the more common species in Stone Park.  Oaks are slow-growing and long-lived trees that are a favorite for tree ring analysis.  In the 1990’s several Bur Oak trees in Stone Park were sampled by researchers from Rapid City, South Dakota.*

The oldest tree sampled at the park began life in 1796.  Perhaps there is an older tree out there that has not been sampled – after all, only 14 trees were sampled out of thousands.  You are encouraged to get out and explore the park to find some of the old growth oaks.

Most of the trees sampled in this study were in South Dakota and North Dakota.  The researchers found a pine in the central Black Hills that dated to 1281.  To read the entire study, go to:

http://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs/docs/pubs/forest-grasslands-archive/Dendroclim.pdf

*DENDROCLIMATIC POTENTIAL IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS

CAROLYN HULL SIEG, DAVID MEKO,ARTHUR T. DeGAETANO and WANMEI NI

Keep Stone Park Beautiful!

Stone Park is one of the area's beautiful places to visit.  The natural scenery includes native wildflowers, old twisted trees, abundant wildlife, and rolling landscapes.  However, some local residents use the park as their dumping ground.  In 2013, park staff made 15 trips to the landfill after picking up refuse dumped in the park.  Local residents dumped furniture, tires, televisions, clothing, box-springs, and other unwanted stuff around the park.

The park staff should be spending their time improving the park rather than properly disposing of refuse brought to the park by unethical visitors.  The cost of disposing of trash comes out of a very limited park budget.

In addition to the "big stuff", staff and volunteers regularly pick up cans, bottles, and other small litter left behind by visitors.  If it is carried in to the park, make sure to carry it out and properly dispose of it.

You can help in several ways:
1)  Report people throwing litter or illegally dumping to local law enforcement or call 1.888.NOLITTR.  Provide specific information describing the individuals with vehicle license plates and time/date.
2) Teach your children and grandchildren the importance of properly disposing of trash and recycling products.
3)  Join the Friends of Stone Park on Apr. 12, 2014, 10:00 AM until 12:00 PM at the entrance to the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center for their annual roadside clean-up of Highway 12.
4)  Visit this website for more information:  http://www.keepiowabeautiful.com/

Volunteers Improve Fish Habitat

If you like to fish, you might try Turtle Lake at Stone State Park.  Several people volunteered their time to make fishing better this year.

For his Eagle Scout project, boy scout Greg Anderson made several improvements this past summer.

In this photo Anderson (on the left) gets ready to sink fish habitat in the lake.  Anderson and other scouts constructed the habitat on shore.  The structure was loaded onto the flat-bottom boat and sunk off shore.  Fish are attracted to the artificial structure.

Anderson also installed a new informational kiosk near the parking area which describes the fish that you might catch in Turtle Lake.  A bench was also installed near the lake by scouts.

 

Although there is ice on the lake now, get out and drill a couple of holes and fish over the new structure - you are almost guaranteed a bite!

 



Upcoming Prairie Events Celebrate Our Prairie Heritage

White Prairie Clover (photo by Randy Williams)

 



Stone State Park is a great place to see native prairie plants - especially in late summer.  Few people visit the far north side of the park.  Mt. Talbot State Preserve was established in 1989 to protect some of the most outstanding prairie remnants in our state. 

Purple Prairie Clover (photo by Randy Williams)

 

Two upcoming events celebrate our prairie heritage-

 



Sioux City's Prairie Past and Present - Iowa Prairie Heritage
September 8, 2013 2pm
Sioux City Public Museum, 607 4th St, Sioux City, IA

Using photos and information from the museum archives, early images of Sioux City will be shown giving a glimpse of the Loess Hills and the prairie that vegetated much of the area.

Iowa Prairie Heritage Week Prairie Walk at Mount Talbot State Preserve
September 9, 2013 6:30pm

To celebrate Iowa Prairie Heritage Week, join Dianne Blankenship and other prairie enthusiasts as we hike the main ridge of the beautiful Mount Talbot State Preserve. Located on the north edge of Stone State Park, access is from Talbot Road.

This will be a fairly leisurely walk along the ridge of this Loess Hill prairie in search of late-blooming prairie wildflowers. Access will be impossible if Talbot Road is muddy and the field trip will be cancelled. Check back at this calendar. for updates.

Directions: As you approach Stone Park on Memorial Drive, turn right onto Talbot Road and travel north and then west. Watch for the sign for the preserve on the left, south.
If approaching from Hwy. 12, turn onto Talbot Road north of Stone Park, and the preserve will be on the right, south side of Talbot. Again, if the unimproved part of Talbot Road is muddy, the field trip will be cancelled.

Turtle Lake Fish Habitat

The River City Anglers and Friends of Stone Park had a volunteer work day on June 29th to improve habitat for fish and improve angler's success.  This time of year, aquatic vegetation can make it more difficult to fish from shore at Turtle Lake.  In fact, most ponds in Iowa have an abundance of vegetation in mid-summer.

The pond is stocked with Grass Carp which help with some of the problem.  However, the Anglers wanted to do more.  The two groups worked together to install some landscape fabric in 3 places along the shoreline.  The fabric was topped with small rocks.

The fabric will keep down rooted vegetation along shore.  The pea gravel will attract spawning panfish.  Young anglers will be able to see the panfish from shore and have a greater chance of catching fish!

Funding for this project came from a Toyota Every Day Event Grant.  Future plans call for volunteers to install benches, a fishing information kiosk, and underwater fish structure.  The fish seem appreciative and are using the area already!

Volunteers add rock to the top of fabric one bucket at a time.

Thanks for Mayhem at Stone State Park!

Children's Miracle Network and the Friends of Stone Park were proud to sponsor the Mayhem 2013 event at Stone State Park.  Thank you to all who slogged through the mud to benefit Children's Miracle Network.  Thanks to the sponsors, the volunteers, and all the participants for making the event a success!  I hope you all had fun.

 

Mud is actually good.

I actually look forward to next year.

Audubon Sponsors Hike at Spirit Knoll

The Loess Hills chapter of the National Audubon Society hosted a hike at Spirit Knoll on Saturday, May 4th.  Tim Sproul from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation led the hike with help from Bill Zales, Iowa DNR Wildlife Biologist Doug Chafa, and Park Ranger Kevin Pape.

Although the weather was less than ideal, participants were able to learn about the natural history of the area. Hikers got to see Spirit Knoll's landscape, wildlife, and even a few blooming prairie plants.
Special thanks go to the members of the Loess Hills chapter of Audubon for their $5,000 donation to the Burcham addition to Spirit Knoll.

A few of the highlights of the hike include seeing a Black-crowned Night Heron on the 7 acre lake, learning about Cedar Apple Rust, and finding several blooming Missouri Milk Vetch plants.  (photos courtesy of Randy Williams)