Briefly

Hobbs sets shoreline cleanup

A cleanup of the Beaver Lake shoreline in the area of Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The event is an observance of Lake Appreciation Month. Volunteers may walk the shoreline, use a boat or use a limited number of kayaks and stand-up paddleboards available at the event. Lunch and prize drawings begin at noon at the visitor center.

The Benton County Cooperative Extension Service will show the film, “All the way to the ocean,” at the visitor center during the event. For details call 479-7895000.

Audubon trip explores prairie

The Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society will host a field trip at Chesney Prairie near Siloam Springs at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Meet at the prairie entrance north of Siloam Springs airport. From Arkansas 59 north of the airport, go east on Bill Young Road for 0.8 miles. Turn north and go 0.5 miles to the prairie entrance near some poultry houses.

Native prairie, wildflowers, butterflies and prairie bird species may be seen. Several types of sunflowers are in bloom. Birds to see may include American goldfinch, dickcissel and scissor-tail fly catcher.

The trip is a 1.1-mile walk on mowed trail. A longer trail is available. For details call Joe Neal, 479-521-1858.

Park offers guided kayak trips

Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area offers guided kayak trips in the evening through the summer, which include watching the sunset.

Cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children age 6-12. The fee includes use of a recreational kayak, paddle and life jacket. Paddlers should bring water, insect repellent and a flashlight.

Trips are set for July 28, Aug. 11, 25, 28 and Sept. 8, 15, 18, 25 and 29. Times vary.

Registration and prepayment is required. To register call 479789-5000.

Registration open for woman’s program

Registration is open for Becoming an Outdoors Woman, an introductory program for women that teaches basic outdoor skills such a fishing, canoeing, hunting , camping, bird watching and many other activities.

The program is Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the C.A. Vines 4-H Center west of Little Rock. Cost is $155 and includes lodging, meals and equipment. For details visit www. agfc.com or contact Tisa Bomar, Tisa.Bomar@agfc.ar.gov or 501978-7366.

Author to discuss Ozark writers

Jared M. Phillips, a local historian, will speak at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area on the merits of the vast collection of Ozark culture amassed by writers like Vance Randolph.

Phillips will also discuss how some of the “Hipbillies” in the 1960s and 1970s back-to-the-land movement in the Ozarks became the bearded businessmen of Eureka Springs, carrying on Ozark folk customs. He is currently writing Hipbillies: Back to the Landers in the Arkansas Ozarks under contract with the University of Arkansas Press.

His talk will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the visitor center located on Arkansas 12 just east of the War Eagle Road intersection.

The event, a continuation of the Friends of Hobbs Speaker Series, is free to the public.