Friends of Shimek State Forest

The purpose of the Friends of Shimek is to support the DNR staff in developing and maintaining the Shimek campgrounds and equestrian trails consistent with good forestry practices and the protection of our state's natural resources. The Lick Creek Unit has two public equestrian campgrounds with over 25 miles of trails for equestrians, bicyclists and hikers in Shimek's Lick Creek Unit. The two primitive campgrounds are White Oak and Bitternut Campgrounds.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hoaglin Foundation Grant

Hoaglin Foundation Awards Grant

to Pathfinders RC&D for Shimek Trails

The William M and Donna J Hoaglin Foundation, Inc. of Mt Pleasant, Iowa awarded Pathfinders RC&D of Fairfield a $10,000 grant for much needed trail work at Shimek State Forest. Katy Anderson, Coordinator of the Historic Hills Scenic Byway, worked with Forester John Byrd to prepare the grant application which was endorsed by both the Friends of Shimek and the Iowa Trail Riders Association. When weather permits, the grant will support the purchase of about 600 tons of gravel. Much of this will be used to extend the" all-weather" equestrian trail. The work to put out the rocks will be done by DNR Shimek Forest employees and volunteers through Friends of Shimek, using both DNR and volunteers' equipment.

July 1, 2013: The time is here---delivery of 645 tons of rock is beginning---then we will be scheduling volunteers to help DNR personnel haul and spread the rock. Most areas are now dry enough to begin this work.

July 15, 2013: Piles of rocks delivered. Beginning this week to put down the rock on the trail sections.

From muddy places on the trails

in wet and dry weather

........

To sound footing .......with trail maintenance and gravel.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

FOS President Ann Bennett is 2013 Iowa Horse Council Horsewoman of the Year!

The Iowa Horse Council (IHC) named our Friends of Shimek President as their 2013 Horsewoman of the Year. The award was presented by IHC President Bill Paynter at the IHC annual meeting at Ames, IA on Saturday, Janaury 19, 2013. In addition to the plaque she was presented, a plaque with her name and those of other IHC award recipients is on permanent display in the Clubhouse at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona, IA.

Ann was nominated for the award by the Iowa Trail Riders Association and the Great River Classical Horsemanship Association. The IHC criteria for the award are that the recipients should display the highest attributes of sportsmanship and their careers should be marked with honesty and a genuine effort to improve the conditions of horses and horse people. One of the many people who endorsed the nomination, her friend Nancy Grams, wrote:

Ann has been able to translate her love of the horse into a hard-won knowledge of the horse, and then use that knowledge to help the horse and to help people understand the horse. Through that understanding her students develop the ability to communicate with the horse in a way that builds a positive human-horse relationship, which then allows their horses to live in a fear-free environment where they can think and learn (instead of react). From this, that she provides, horses and people are enabled to develop positive, long-lasting bonds of trust. This is true horsemanship.

Pictured are Ann Bennett and some of the people that came to cheer her when she received the Horsewoman of the Year Award from the Iowa Horse Council. They are (left to right): Lora Conrad, Barb Schmidt, Kristi Schaaf, Ann Bennett holding her award plaque, Judy Duke, Lorraine Madsen, Lara Schenck, Art Duke, Denise Schieffer, and Ann's husband, John Bennett. (Photo by Kathryn Mettenburg) Others, in addition to IHC members, who came to support Ann but are not in the picture, were Randy Dillon, Dianne Lacina, Nan Barta, and Ann's brother and his family-- John, Mary Helen, Joe and Kathryn Mettenburg.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Celebrating one full year....

Friends of Shimek (FOS) celebrated their first full year of operation as a state of Iowa non-profit organization last week. The board and volunteers from around southeast Iowa (21 in all) gathered at Little Mexico Restaurant in Mt. Pleasant for dinner, a business meeting and an awards program on January 5, 2013.

Board members and officers for 2013 are Ann Bennett, President, Marsha Achenbach, Vice-President, Debbie Miller, Treasurer, Lora Conrad, Secretary/Editor and Neal Hartman and Ringo Covert, Members-at-large. John Byrd, Shimek Forester, is the Board Adviser.

(Front) Ringo Covert, Neal Hartman, and Ann Bennett;
(back) John Byrd, Lora Conrad, Marsha Achenbach, Debbie Miller

Honored at the dinner were the 2011 Volunteer of the Year and the 2012 Volunteer of the Year. The Volunteer Awards are made possible by a grant from Dr. & Mrs. John Bennett. The award is given annually to a volunteer that made exceptional contributions during the previous year. Each honoree was presented with a certificate and a hand crafted wooden bowl made from local wood by artisan Bob Achenbach of Keosauqua.

The 2011 Bennett Volunteer Award Winner was Jewel Marie McDonald who used her MorningStar Studio facilities and time to hold a fund-raiser Yoga Workshop in 2011 and ,in fact, did so again in 2012.

The 2012 Bennett Volunteer Award winner was Carol Eilers. Carol is the publisher and owner of Apple 'n Oats magazine. In each issue since FOS was founded she has included information about our group and its activities. In the 2012-2013 Winter issue, she gave FOS a two page, color spread to show what FOS volunteers have been doing and promote FOS.

During 2012, FOS held four group work days to paint tables, pick up cans and trash on the trails and in camp, repair horse stalls and gates, spread lime chips and rocks, clip back brush and multi-flora rose on the trails and clear downed trees from trails. Volunteers also painted the many posts that had to be replaced after vandals destroyed them this summer. Volunteers and DNR staff worked together to improve the campground and trails. A total of 432 hours of volunteer time went into this work and the development of FOS and fund raising activities. As of the end of December, FOS has raised over $1,400, most of which will go toward the re-roofing of the horse stalls. Since re-roofing of a current pen structure is estimated to cost about $3,000 and replacing the structure entirely is estimated to cost about $6,000, additional funds are needed.

The Iowa deposit cans and bottles recycling program at Shimek raised almost $300 in 2012. Riders should put their deposit cans in the cages at the equestrian campgrounds. On the group work days, bring sorted, clean cans from home to be redeemed and recycled by FOS. For 2013, FOS has initiated a Pack it in—Pack it out! Campaign asking people to not toss cans and bottles or other trash along the trails. Trash makes work for others and wastes the time of volunteers that could be used to improve the trails and facilities.

To contact FOS, send an e-mail to John Byrd at John.Byrd@dnr.iowa.gov or Lora Conrad at lpconrad@wildblue.net .

2nd Equestrian Yoga Fund Raiser

The 2nd Annual Fundraiser for Friends of Shimek:

Horse Sense Yoga--Not Just For Equestrians

was held recently at Morning Star Studio, upstairs on the east side of the square in Fairfield, IA.

Friends of Shimek President Ann Bennett submitted the following comments:

A special thank you to Jewel McDonald and Morningstar Studio for hosting an equestrian yoga workshop on Saturday, Nov 17th, to benefit Friends of Shimek. Four participants enjoyed the educational power point presentation, learning some breathing exercises, some standing and floor and chair yoga, finding our center and our seat bones, discovering our bubbling spring and better alignment over our feet, and practicing some balancing and strengthening poses. We took home an outline of different mudras demonstrated with photographs of Judy Duke and Hawk. A total of $165 was donated to Freinds of Shimek and there is still time to send your donation even if you missed out on the workshop.

Can you make a donation to Friends of Shimek?

Anyone who can send a year end donation to Friends of Shimek, may send their check made out to Friends of Shimek to the Treasurer, Debbie Miller, 2317 256th St., Montrose, IA 52639.

Thank You, Jewel!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

FOS Workday Report for 10/20/2012 – Debbie Miller and John Byrd Coordinators

On Saturday October 20th, Friends of Shimek held a Group Work day. The work day was coordinated by John Byrd and Debbie Miller. Volunteers included Neal Hartman, Jerry Marshall, Lora Conrad, Lori Field, Debbie Miller, Bob and Marsha Achenbach, Randy Dillon, Dick Jennings and John Byrd. Volunteers met about 8:30 in the upper campground. Crews worked at the picnic area , on the road, at both campgrounds and out on the trails. Neal and Randy worked along several trails, clearing trees and picking up cans. Lora and Bob painted the two picnic area tables. This gets the frames of all picnic tables painted, as far as we know. Jerry and Lora put out rocks on the road in potholes. Bob rehung a gate that had worked loose in the upper campground. John Byrd drove the skid loader and dumped lime chips around some of the horse hitching rails at each campground. Debbie, Bob and Marsha and Dick Jennings help smooth and pack the lime chips around the tie rails. All lime chips were used so the job could not be finished that day. However, for those reworked, the bed of lime chips should be a great help in preventing pools of mud at the tie rails as the rains resume. Hopefully more lime chips can be bought and the job completed at a later date. Lora also walked some trail sections and picked up cans. Unfortunately, there are many more cans to pick up along the trails.

A special note of thanks to Jerry for coming in and helping as his work at Shimek is seasonal and is over for the year. He, like John, and the Friends of Shimek volunteered his time for the morning.

After the work, a mid-western potluck lunch was shared by those who could stay for lunch. It was truly Iowan with “Maid-Rite” style sandwiches prepared by Lori Field---something Wikipedia explains was developed in Iowa and your Blogger had never eaten before.

John and Debbie extended their appreciation to all who came to work. This will be the last group work day until 2013. However, as individuals , if you can pick up cans and put them in the recycle bins at each camp, or can clip or mow multi-flora along some of the narrower trails---then please let John know that you are doing these things and send in your volunteer hours.

The photos below document some of the morning's activities

Jerry assists Neal in unloading his 4-wheeler for the trail work.

John watches to see that Neal is on those tracks coming down!

John dumps lime chips by a tie rail.

Dick Jennings, Debbie, Lori Field and Marsha smooth and pack the chips.

Still packing....

Randy and Bob re-install a gate on its hinge.

Lori samples some of Debbies chips with hot cheesy dip

while cooking up her "Maid-Rites." Marsha and Bob are ready for lunch.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

FOS Work Day Report 8/27/2012

FOS Work Day Report from August 27^th, Lora Conrad -Coordinator

Thanks to volunteers Ann Bennett, Judy & Art Duke, Marsha & Bob Achenbach, Pam Larson, Shirley Mulligan, Ringo and Brenda Covert, Alice Dobbs, Randy Dillon and Ray & Lora Conrad and DNR staff John Byrd and Frank Boyer for your work at our FOS Volunteer Day on August 27th. The upper campground looked wonderful when we left and much had been done. The campsites had been carefully cleaned of all manure and debris, several tables had been cleaned and painted, all the new posts in the campground, along the road and even over in the primitive campground not in Lick Creek had been painted. Six boards were installed in the upper campground stalls, and extra lag bolts put in several other boards, the wire in three sections of the pen was taken down and new wire installed, three gates were hung better so hopefully they will not fall off anytime soon, and string, ropes etc were removed. Some additional gate hanging and related pen repairs were also done at the lower campground. That area had also been cleaned by volunteers on Sunday.

So--I've never seen the entire place looks so good in the 12 years I've lived here. With all of the hard work by John and crew on the trails and all your hard work on volunteer days---and no flooding---Shimek is really looking good. In addition, Ann and Shirley took off bags and bags of recyclables too!