OFF THE BEATEN PATH

OFF THE BEAT= EN PATH
Friends of Dunbar Cave Newsletter	september 2007<= /o:p>

OFF THE BEAT= EN PATH

Friends of Dunbar Cave Newsletter

september 2007<= /o:p>

UPCOMING MEETING:

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20^TH, AT 6:00M= , DUNBAR CAVE STATE NATURAL AREA VISITOR CENTER. GUEST SPEAK= ER AT 7PM: JOSEPH SCHILLER FROM THE WARIOTO AUDUBON SOCIETY

SPEAKER INFORMATION:

Mr. Schiller is an associate professor of Biology at A= ustin Peay State University. His primary biological research interests are the effects of nonpoint-source pollution on aquatic ecosystems, espe= cially streams. He earned his PhD in 1986 from UT Knoxville where he did a s= tudy on the effects of surface mining coal on stream ecosystems. Mr. Schiller has been living in Cl= arksville for 14 years, the last 12 years in an off-grid solar powered home on his fa= rm. His wife, Sally, is also an Associate professor of biology at APSU and they have two sons, Erik who is 17, and Ian who = is 8,

NEWs from dunbar cave:<= /span>

We presented 59 programs fo= r 833 persons, mostly public cave hikes and impromptu programs.

We are in the process of be= ginning several Iris fund projects. T= hese will include a butterfly garden and trees in the old pool area and hillside next to the parking lot, native grasses on the dam and hillside near the lake, and a w= ater garden to catch the runoff from the paved trail to the cave and help to slow the erosion at the lake side.

The barn swallows left righ= t on schedule. We miss the noise t= hey make at their nests under the dance floor, but we know they will return next spring.

We have been finding many <= span class=3DSpellE>ringneck snakes – several dead. We think the la= ck of water and the heat are affecting them.&nbs= p; Many trees and herbaceous plants have been affected as well.

Something was catching and killing = bats at the cave over several nights. Some of the Austin Pe= ay students doing the bat study in Dunbar Cave stayed overnig= ht to try to catch whatever it was. That was not successful (they did see that a cat was the culprit), but we were a= ble to catch the cat in a live trap and relocate it.

Don’t Miss Dunbar Cave’s Haunti= ng History

Friends of Dunbar Cave will sponsor Haunting History – Nighttime cave tours on Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 from 5:00PM to 9:00PM. Dunbar Cave State Natural Area is located at 401 Old Dunbar = Cave Road, Clarksville. Thirty-minute tours will leave fro= m the visitor center every 15 minutes.

This program is presented by Roxy School of the Arts. Talented actors = will perform a dramatization of the history of Dunbar Cave – inside the cave! Lear= n what happened in the cave, who lived there, what life was like in a different time. Guaranteed to be fun, f= unny and educational for the whole family! No children under the age of 3.&nbs= p; This program is not intended to frighten children.

Each person must have a flashlight. Flashlights will be available for = $1.00 rental fee. Free hot apple ci= der and hot chocolate will be available. Donations would be appreciated.

For further information, phone (931) 648-5526. All proceeds go to promoting and maintaining the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area.

Next month’s meeting:

THURS= DAY OCTOBER 18^TH, AT 6:00M, DUNBAR CAVE STATE NATURAL AREA VISITOR CENTER. GUEST SPEAKER AT 7PM.

Friends

Several members and = Friends stepped up and volunteered to help with Haunting History (October 26 and 27th). = As the events gets closer we w= il ask for your help as well. Please send me an email (davidboen@bellsouth.net) and let me know if you are available and how you would like to help. = You can help one night or both, or before the event if that works for you. Ellie Ellis, the stage manager at the Roxy is w= orking with the actors this year. If you see her tell her thanks! Shirl= ey has been doing quite a bit of promotion work. Thank you Shirley!=

As I began to walk t= he trail the other day I could see that much of the mulch we spread in the spring is still there. The mulch is protecting the tree roots and mak= es for a more pleasant experience at the picnic area. I look forward to seeing what we do with the mulch next year= .

See you at the meeti= ng

Dave