Water-minded volunteers: join Jon Soul's Red River Hamel's Beach clean up on Sat, July 7, 8 am to 11 am

Red River Natl Wildlife Refuge, Bossier City, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

"The fourth of July weekend is especially hard on our local sandbars and waterways - and all of it the refuse is on its way to the Bay. Join others this Sun, July 7, from 8 - 11 am at Hamel's Beach off Clyde Fant Parkway (just north of the Jimmie Davis Bridge) for a clean-up," says Jon Soul.

8 - 9 AM beach cleanup (containers & bins provided)
9 - 9:30 snack & discussion (watermelon provided)
9:30 - 11 water play

Bring water, snack, sunscreen, water shoes*, gloves, PFD**, and boat (or try someone else's!). Park at the parking lot and follow tire trail down to beach access trail. Boats can be dropped off before parking.
* unfortunately, shoes are mandatory because of broken glass
** some will be available for use

All participants will receive a free, very cool Euro-style B2B decal for being a Louisiana Watershed Protector.

Bayou to Bay

Maurice Loridans' continued design work on the Monte Carlo bridge, Coates Bluff Trail, Shreveport, keeps the trail safe and witty

Julieann Banks on the Monte Carlo bridge, Coates Bluff Trail, Shreveport, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

As part of recent summer trail maintenance Maurice Loridans repaired a rusted front roof edge on the early 1980's Monte Carlo that functions as a bridge on the Coates Bluff Nature Trail. The bridge, which brings a smile to the lips and brings cameras to the eye, is a popular surprise on the trail.

Surprise inasmuch as it is in the woods far enough from entrances - it is closest to the Valencia Park entrance - that it makes the viewer wonder "How in the world did this vehicle arrive at this obscure site?"

Lordians' primary design addition to the auto bridge was a wooden tongue that protrudes from the windshield area.

The nicely-carpentered board bridge takes the walker over the rusty, craggy engine compartment and extends to the east bank, overarching a leafy-bank shortfall.

On the east side of the bridge the trekker has a choice to turn right, headed toward Montessori School down the bicycle path, or to turn left. The left turn leads to more adventure, not having been developed as a clear greenway. It will take the walker toward the fence outside of the Riverview Apt Community. Not far away is Stoner Ave and, across the Fant Parkway, the Stoner Boat Launch and Stoner Skate Park.

Bike Racks Downtown!

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20130625/NEWS01/306250017/Artistic-bike-racks-draw-cyclists-downtown

HUGE dog park victory!

One of many demonstrations we've had leading up to today!

Judge Leon Emanuel ordered that Mayor must sign off on the funding for the dog park.  (KTBS' story is here.)  

Hooray! Hooray!

Way to go Attorney Dan Keele!  

And congratulations to our fearless Dog Park Leader, Cynthia Keith!!

DOG PARK fund raiser this Sunday, May 5, 2013: “Stinko” De Mayo DOG WASH and Fiesta, 
3-6pm at Marilynn’s Place, 4041 Fern Ave in Madison Park.   Food, Fur, Good Clean Fun-$10 dog wash/$10 nail trim. Live music by “A Fine Romance”, Drinks, Kissing Booth, Doggie Tarot Card Readings and more. Proceeds will be used for legal expenses!

During the fiesta from 3-6pm Marilynn’s Place will sell Hot DOGS, Corn DOGs, Chili DOGS, and Nachos; wash them down with Margaritas, Hurricanes, Beer and more.  Doggie Snow Cones will be available for the dogs, PuP Cakes for people.

A Better Farmers Market

This wonderfully written is from ABS member Lani Duke.  Thanks so much Lani!  The possibilities are indeed numerous!

Making a Better Farmers Market

In the states to the north, farmers are digging out of the snow, planning to plant their cool weather crops like peas, carrots, radishes, lettuce, chard, but in Louisiana, cool weather farming has already come to an end. If they did not know a local home gardener, chances are Shreveport area consumers missed out on any and all of that fresh, flavorful, vitamin-laden produce. 

Of the approximately 45 farmers markets and roadside stands in the 318 area code, only five have laid claim to being open year round: Hills Produce of Winnsboro; Morehouse Parish Farmers Market and East Fork Farm-Roadside Stand, both of Bastrop; West Monroe Farmers Market of West Monroe, and Bayou Rapides Roadside Stand in Alexandria. They all lie quite a bit to the east: 142, 127, 98.5, and 125 miles away, respectively. The Ruston farmers market is open "much of the year" only 70 miles east.

Mop & Pop's Produce in Transylvania, Grady's Garden in Tallulah, East Fork Farms in Mir Rouge, Poole Produce in Cheneyville, and Bountiful Gardens in Fort Jessup opened in April. Cane River Green Market in downtown Natchitoches opens April 28, almost into May. More begin to open throughout May, including Pop's Produce in Keithville, T & T Produce in Lake Providence, and Mitcham's Peach Orchard in Ruston (open on the 20th).

Most of the others figure that their sales season begins in June or later, depending on which crops they offer. Would they be open to planting a wider variety of vegetables and fruits with a longer selling season if more markets were open longer?

Some certainly would. For comparison, look at how new economic opportunities grew around a farmers market in central Vermont. Farm market vendors in Rutland used to figure that they stopped growing crops in time for a last market in late October. They might work on some pre-Christmas seasonal products, wreaths and decorations to sell at a couple of local bazaars, but the farm work was basically done until it was time to start seeds for spring planting. With a last frost date of May 18, he might have begun planting onion seeds in mid- to late February, then some cabbages, head lettuce, and parsley. A farmer who planned carefully might be able to take off two to four months before getting busy again.

That was until some enterprising farmers, recognizing what a large part of social life and weekly routine going to the Saturday farmers market had for local residents – and what a boost lengthening the farm market season might give their own finances, decided to try to keep the market open all year. Outdoors handling produce is no place to be in Vermont during the winter months, so, to stay open, the market must be indoors. Gathering volunteers, the farmers and their patrons began cleaning up and painting the interior of an old theatre only a couple of blocks away from the park that hosts the summer market.

When the summer market closed at the end of October, some of those same vendors began setting up their tables in the former Strand Theatre. Any Saturday during the winter, there would be 20 to 30 vendors set up and several hundred shoppers trekking through the barely heated, high-ceilinged space, buying potatoes and squash, radishes and carrots, eggs, apples, maple products, baked goods, and handmade crafts. And come summer, the same vendors took their goods back outdoors to the city's Depot Park.

Maybe the time was just right, and maybe customers really enjoyed having that market open each and every Saturday throughout the year, but the number of shoppers kept growing. More and more farmers, food makers, and crafters began wanting to set up at both the summer and winter markets. New agricultural entrepreneurs began operating in surrounding communities. Long-time market farmers began building more hoophouses, field-long mini-greenhouses each covering a single or double row. And they began to figure out what crops they could keep growing or at least holding on through the long Vermont winter. Those specialty farmers began enjoying rapid business growth.

So did the food product makers. A local home baker began selling at the market, offering three flavors – maple, rye, and whole-wheat -- of free-form, crisp wafer-thin crackers. Her business grew at 30 percent a year and was recently purchased by another specialty food company. And the food wasn't necessarily what you might call "New England specialties." Another vendor offered warm snacks made from her Argentinian mother's empanada recipe. Her neighbor dished up Korean-style vegetables and spring rolls. Others sold salsa and guacamole, dopyaza from Pakistan, samosas from India, pad Thai from the former Siam, and more.

And the shoppers increased. As the number of shoppers grew, so did the need for additional space at both summer and winter markets. The summer market expanded beyond its initial Depot Park location to spill into the neighboring parking lot and now pours across the pavement to take over a good portion of Evelyn Street each Saturday. And the winter market outgrew its initial theatre home.

Forming a non-profit organization, market vendors acquired a long-idle lumberyard about a year ago. They and their customers worked side by side through the summer, first clearing brush, then refurbishing an existing building to create a space for a well-lit, well-heated winter market. It opened November 3, 2012, with 50 vendor/farmer stalls, and has been full every Saturday since then.

Christened the Vermont Farmers Food Center, it expects a diverse future. Its board is bringing the local community food shelf and a branch of the statewide food bank onto the center's grounds. Eventual plans call for food storage space, freezers and walk-in coolers, and a commercial kitchen to be available for rent by food entrepreneurs. It may also include meeting space for educational activities.

Is this kind of venture a possibility for Shreveport? Certainly. There is a growing interest in locally grown food, prized for its freshness and greater vitamin retention. There is a growing desire for year-round grocery availability in downtown Shreveport.

The first step may well be finding a way to lengthen the farm market's open season. Right now it is open a few weeks during summer's most intense heat, at times when both shoppers and vendors are both uncomfortable and yet they come. A year-round market would keep customers plying the same shopping routes each weekend and go a long way to creating more stable markets for growers and entrepreneurs. If not immediately stretched all through the calendar year, perhaps it could expand that way in increments, a month or two now, adding more weeks over time. A stronger local agricultural/food sector economy strengthens the vitality of the entire city, and continually generates new business opportunities.

Should the farmers market find another downtown space, maybe even one with air conditioning? Or should it concentrate on opening sooner, perhaps during the spring so that it can operate alongside the string of early season weekend festivals? And slide over a little to fill up the sparse end of the Red River Revel in October? The possibilities are numerous.

Thursday the 21st at Cohabit, Public Conversation with International Organizer, Community Leaders, and You!

Judging from this recent announcement, Thursday should be very interesting!

Centenary College is partnering with citizens group ABetterShreveport to host an evening of public discussion on March 21 with a nationally renowned speaker Bob Musil, citycouncilperson representing downtown Jeff Everson, Community Foundation Director Paula Hickman, City Planner Dara Sanders, and members of the public.  The evening will start with a reception at 5:30 with wine and cheese, then, at 6:15, our featured guest and special guests will take seats in a circle, surrounded by members of the public, and begin a conversation moderated by Dr. Loren Demerath, Executive Director of ABetterShreveport, and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Centenary.  It will all take place at Cohabitat, 610 Commerce St.
While the public will have opportunities to participate, each of the special guests will be given a chance to articulate what it is they're working on that relate to public health and sustainability.  Others in attendance, particularly Musil, will then have the opportunity to respond by sharing relevant information, ideas, contacts, etc. 

And Bob Musil should have useful things to contribute.  He is a nationally recognized leader in contemporary sustainability, social responsibility, and health issues.  He was the CEO of Physicians for Social Responsibility, and, as part of the Green Group, he's worked with such leading political figures as Presidents Bill Clinton and Barak Obama, and Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden.
Among the topics he speaks on are how how Washington really works and how to effect change; how green business and green investing can be approached; and how public health and environmental health can be addressed with the same solutions.
We expect it will be a stimulating evening, and all the more so if you are there.  We hope you'll join us!

The following is from Dara Sanders, Urban Planner on the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission:

The upcoming interview of the four respondents to the request for qualifications that was issued for a lead consultant to manage the Unified Development Code (UDC) project. Interviews are scheduled for Tuesday, March 19th in the Government Chambers located at 505 Travis Street. We have asked for a 20 to 30 minute presentation from each respondent to allow for up to 30 minutes of questions. The schedule is as follows:

 

1:00 - Planning Works

2:00 - Camiros

3:00 - Goody Clancy

4:00 - Duncan Associates

 

The interviews are open to the public, and public comments will be received. We encourage any interested parties to join us for all, some, or one of the interviews to learn about the qualifications, knowledge, and experience of the four respondents. Please participate from beginning to end of the UDC project - consultant selection to document adoption!

 

Of course, we understand that not everyone in Shreveport-Caddo can attend due to a variety of reasons, so the Metropolitan Planning Commission will record the interviews for anyone to view on USTREAM.

Many of us will be working, of course, but do attend if can, and you've an interest in shaping the process! 

Hiking the newest section of Coates Bluff Trail, one marked by Feico Kempff this week

P1100146, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

Mon at the ABS meeting I got a gift from Feico Kempff: a map of a newly ribbon-blazed Coates Bluff Trail extension.

Did not imagine I would be using it on Wed afternoon.

But I had an intrepid group of student nature trippers who said, "Is there someplace we could trek different from last time?" Having just come over the Monte Carlo bridge I thought, Why don't we tuen east and explore the Feico extension? We did it.

Twas a terrific adventure. We came out on the side of the construction site neat Stoner and Fant. We trekked over to the skate park, then back to Magnet. About an hour and 15 of walking. Best parts: the ridge above the slough, the bamboo forest, the pile of cross-trail logs over which we had to climb.

Happy students and teacher.

If you have not lately been on the Coates Bluff Trails - there are now 3 pathways - I highly recommend you slip out there. It is lyrical.

A Better Shreveport bicycle advocacy fits ComFound, Blue Cross efforts to offset obesity

A Better Shreveport Candidates Bike Ride: Roy Burrell, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

The fight against obesity in the Shreveport area has started, says KTBS. Healthy Green and into the Outdoors kicked off Saturday, and its goal is to get you fit. This comes after an announcement last year from the Blue Cross, Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation that detailed an initiative to fight obesity.

"We want people to get healthy," Community Foundation Executive Director Paula Hickman said. "We want them to live environmentally sound practices, and we want them to get up and moving outside."

Her organization and others will promote healthy eating, exercise and green practices locally through several healthy living projects. The most important is the creation of community gardens around Shreveport. Hickman says obesity is an expensive problem in the area.

"Our community has about a 27 percent obesity rate, and that's costing us about $150 million a year," Hickman said.

More than a million dollars has been poured into Shreveport . . .

Read more http://www.ktbs.com/news/War-on-obesity-kicks-off-in-Shreveport/-/144844/19056468/-/rgh490z/-/index.html