Exploring nature on David’s Trail set for Oct. 20

MOUNTAIN HOME — Nature lovers of all ages will get a chance to look more closely at critters found in water, underground and throughout the woods, not to mention trees and plants themselves, during this year’s David’s Trail Day from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 20 at Lake Norfork. David’s Trail is nine miles east of Mountain Home on U.S. 62, then one mile north on Arkansas 101. Turn right at the Panther Bay sign, then take the first left to the pavilion to find registration and activity tables and the trailhead.

The annual David’s Trail Day will include a variety of outdoor activities, starting at the trailhead in Panther Bay Park, off Arkansas 101. Sponsored by the David’s Trail Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wells Fargo Advisors and the North Central Arkansas Master Naturalists, the celebration will highlight athletic and wildlife opportunities available every day on the trail.

Activities will be geared for families, children and any individuals interested in nature. Master Naturalists will set up stations in or near the pavilion and along the trail with information about and how to identify mammals from their pelts, tracks and scat; frogs and toads from their calls; macroinvertebrates (aquatic bugs and other critters) under a microscope; and tree life cycles from “tree cookies.” Other activities include sowing heirloom plant seeds and acorns, racing earthworms and face painting. Much of the trail is accessible to the disabled.

A work in progress, David’s Trail is being built to honor the memory of community leader David Floyd, a financial adviser with Wells Fargo Advisors. Floyd enjoyed time outdoors around north-central Arkansas with family and friends as much as he enjoyed time indoors working with clients in the office, said friend and colleague Jackson Rhoades of the Mountain Home Wells Fargo Advisors office.

“David let his actions speak louder than his words,” Rhoades said. “He used his time and talent to better the lives of those around him and was recognized as an asset to his community.”

Floyd chaired and served on the Baxter Regional Medical Center Board, the Airport Commission, the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club before his death nearly seven years ago at age 50.

David’s Trail Day is always a lot of fun for us, said Roy Stovall of Lakeview, North Central Arkansas Master Naturalists president.

Master Naturalist volunteers also help maintain the trail throughout the year, including installing bluebird boxes, planting wildflowers and labeling trees.

David’s Trail is a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the David’s Trail Foundation that began in October 2008. Approximately eight miles of the trail are currently open with another five miles under construction within the Corps’ lakeshore strip from the Arkansas 101 bridge to Arkansas 806. When complete, the trail will be more than a 50-mile network of multiple-purpose trails located on public lands surrounding Lake Norfork and designed to encourage the kind of active lifestyle Floyd exemplified.

More information is available from Anne Criss at (870) 656-1119 or Nell Doyle at (870) 499-7763 and on the following websites: www.davidstrail.org and home.arkansasmasternaturalists.org/index.php/ home/north-central-chapter.