Ten members of the Missouri Valley Group of the Sierra Club enjoyed a hot summer nature walk around DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on the last Sunday in July. Hello, my name is Bob Goetschkes and I am a new Level I Day Hike leader for the Club. Being new to the area, this walk was somewhat exploratory because I'd never been to DeSoto before. Ed, Natalija, and I carpooled from King Kong on 13th St. and met the rest of the gang at the Visitor's Center by 0900. We walked south along a paved service road past Sandbar Chute and Bullhead Pond. We saw a small herd of deer and birds aplenty, and I learned that a chute is where the river tries to make a shortcut though the narrow part of an oxbow, leaving a large wetland habitat behind that, in this case, is an important stop along the migratory flyway for birds. Although the paved road was a bit disappointing, we did manage to take in the Bertrand archaeological site before turning back towards the visitor's center under threatening thunderhead clouds. I thought the tree to tree views of the horizon were exceptional for this region. At least it isn't something I've noticed a lot of since moving to Omaha. It was very quiet and peaceful, and there were even a few spots with a picnic table under a shade tree. In retrospect, when I return here I the fall to see the birds, I will park at the Wildlife Viewing Platform and walk the dirt portion of the loop road. There are short trails leading down to the water from this side, and there was no car traffic cutting through the east side of the park. I hope to see you then. Lastly, I am planning a day hike through all the perimeter trails of Fontenelle Forest in September, which is a nice full day under the shade trees. As you know, Fontenelle and Neale Woods are the flagship environmental education organizations in the area, and I encourage Sierra Club members to join this group. There are lots of opportunities for Volunteer Naturalists, something we all do, more or less, as a hobby.

See you on the Trails,

Bob "Entity" Goetschkes