The Alta Shelter is the largest pavilion in Babler State Park. The
restrooms are located down a short paved path from the pavilion and
are handicap accessable. We have located a generator to power any
crockpots or hotplates. There are two large grills at the
pavilion.
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park
The park occupies over 2,400 acres and is known for its heavily
wooded terrain. Four short trails give the hiker an opportunity to
experience the old-growth forest. Much of the park's land consists
of loess mounds - soil piled up after the most recent retreats of
the glaciers that made their way to the Missouri River just north
of the park. This can lead to some muddy hiking after rainy
periods. None of the trails are longer than two miles in length and
the shortest is just over one mile long. Each trail has its own
features, and three of them are joined by connector trails if a
longer hike is desired. Many opportunities for nature observation
and study can be found along the trails. In the spring, the park is
known for its wildflower variety. Throughout the year, deer and
turkey are plentiful. The small mammal population of squirrel,
raccoon and rabbit has a ready supply of food and shelter from the
oaks and hickories that dominate the forest trees. The fall brings
spectacular displays of color that can last for almost two months
because of the diversity of trees that are present and their
staggered times for changing color. Winter gives the hiker the
opportunity to see the shape of the land and appreciate the massive
trees whose trunks and height are clearly visible in the absence of
understory foliage.
Hawthorn Trail -- 1.25 miles
This trail takes the hiker along the northeast side of a narrow
ridge and returns on the southwest side. A marked difference in
plants and habitat is found on the two aspects of the ridge. The
prevailing hot and dry southwestern winds give an almost gladelike
appearance to the section of trail along the side of the ridge
facing the southwest. The soil is dryer, plants are sparser and in
many areas, the underlying rock is exposed. On the northeast side,
plants are thicker and greener, the soil is deeper and groves of
pawpaw trees flourish on the slope and in the valley below the
trail.
Dogwood Trail -- 2 miles
This is probably the most strenuous of the four trails. It rises
and falls several times over the maximum altitude change in the
park, about 300 feet. The trail head serves both Dogwood and
Woodbine trails and the two trails can easily be combined for a
longer hike. Chert, flintlike rock is exposed in some of the slopes
of dry ridges on this trail. The hiker is also taken through moist,
green valleys in the low sections of the trail and heavily wooded
sections on the northeast side of the trail. At the highest point,
the trail passes a stone picnic shelter and restroom, remnants of
the work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) when the
great depression-spawned group used the park as a camp in the
1930s.
Woodbine Trail -- 1.75 miles
This trail starts in the north-south valley that intersects the
park and soon starts uphill, sharing a section of a paved bike
trail that runs through the woods. It is on this sheltered section
of the trail that the moist runoff creek that parallels the trail
provides verdant foliage. Pawpaw, spicebush, jack-in-the-pulpit,
trillium and other deep green plants grow along each side of the
trail. Near the top of the hill, the trail departs the bike path
and crosses a footbridge. Across the bridge, the trail traverses a
ridge that gets plenty of sunshine and provides some of the
earliest fall color for viewing.
Virginia Day Memorial Nature Trail -- 2 miles
A fine lady, for whom this trail is named, spent some of the last
years of her life as a volunteer naturalist working at the park.
She made a wonderful impression on the young people that visited
the park and inspired many of them to study nature with enthusiasm.
The trail starts near the park’s visitor center and descends into a
valley and to a ridge on the far side of the loop. At that point, a
connector trail branches off that can be used to reach the bike
path and the Woodbine Trail. Continuing on the trail, the hiker
descends back into the valley and reaches the spur that goes back
to the trail head. Because of the proximity of this trail to the
visitor center, it is used for many nature study programs.
Opportunities are provided for observing concepts such as forest
layers, changes in tree height from ridge to valley, types of trees
at various levels of available moisture, and the process of
secondary succession in a recovering forest. .
FOOD
SLAGA will provide the meat, condiments, plates, cups and
utensils. We ask that you bring a side dish or soda/ice to share.
The prices will be Adults $5.00, kids 5-12 $2.00 and kids four
and under are free. Please let us know if you
can attend by 9/15/08 so we know how much food to
purchase.
JOBS – We will be looking for
good slave labour!
Set up: gregbert99
BBQ cooks: BrawnyBear & GeoLeo66
Registration: Crowesfeat30
Travel Bug Monitor: LFrank & DenMother
50/50 ticket seller: Quailman2
Auction organizer: Arthur (of Arthur & Trillian)
Cachers' Bingo: Pika Wants Cake
Poker Run: BBD1 & IBEW-RET
Kids' Activities: Hobbit Taz & CribbageWitch
Official Taste Tester (Someone has to do it): Pandy Andy
Generator: Mikeinmo
Clean up: Ladybug STL
MISCELLANEOUS
Tables for food/games/activities:
There are plenty of picnic tables available for all of the
activities.
POKER RUN
PRIZE:
TBA![]()
SCHEDULE OF
EVENTS
Registration 10:00 - 11:00
Lunch 12:00
Silent Auction Bidding 11:00 - 2:30
Cachers Bingo 11:00 - 2:30
Poker Run 11:00 - 2:30
Kids' Games 1:00
Silent Auction Bidding closes 2:30 sharp!
Annual Membership Meeting 3:00 - 3:30
All Silent auction purchases paid for 3:30 - 4:00
Group Picture 4:00
Premium SLAGA members' drawing immediately following group
picture
**Premium SLAGA members need not be present to win**
50/50 Drawing -You must be present to win immediately following
Premium SLAGA member drawing
Park closes at 9:00pm
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
AGENDA
Announce auction winners
Old business
New business
Take questions from members
Announcement of new SLAGA officers
|
Fall 2008 Picnic Details (September 27,
2008) |
|
Attendees |
Bringing: |
Adults/Children |
| Strider &
Crowesfeat |
?? |
2/0/1TB |
| LFrank &
DenMother |
Mac &
Cheese |
2/0 |
| HappyKraut & Oma
Kraut |
?? |
2/0 |
| Quailman2 |
Bean Dip/ Tostados
& Ice cream/jello salad |
2/0 |
| Arthur &
Trillian |
?? |
2/0 |
| 2_Cats |
?? |
1/1 |
| Pandy Andy |
Cooler of
Soda |
1/0 |
| Ladybug STL & THE
CAT |
Brownies |
2/0 |
| Beladi1 |
A Salad |
1/0 |
| Seaeye |
?? |
2/2/Doggies |
| BBD1 |
Big Bowl of Potato
Salad |
2/0 |
| IBEW-RET |
?? |
1/? |
| Jimgin |
Salad, Hot Dogs, &
Buns |
1/0 |
| Trekto & Mrs
Trekto |
Dessert |
2/0 |
| 2dogohana |
Bean salad |
2/0 |
| Squirrelz |
Soda &
Chips |
2/0 |
| gregbert99 |
H O A G I E |
1/0 |
| BrawnyBear &
BWAT |
Baked Beans &
Cookies |
2/0 |
| BlueDaisy &
Buster's Mama |
Cupcakes & Deviled
Eggs |
2/0 |
| LoonWoman |
?? |
1/0 |
| RufferThanYou &
DobeyGirl |
Chocolate Chip
Cookies |
2/1/1
dog |
| Elkie &
Schoolmaster |
Something Vegie and
Yummy |
2/0 |
| Thystle &
Justified |
Vegie Dogs &
Burgers |
2/0/GeoBunnies |
| Gmalibby |
?? |
1/0 |
| Jerry2554 |
Salad or
Bread? |
1/0 |
| Mikeinmo |
Hashbrown
Casserole |
2/0 |
| Weaver_bmwbe |
?? |
2 to
4/2 |
| Pntball |
Pumpkin
Pies |
2/0 |
| Team DLADL |
Case of Bottled
Water |
1/1 |
| Dumb Luck &
ChalkDusty |
Pudding
Cups |
2/0 |
| JanS03 |
?? |
1/0 |
| BobCat8 &
GeoLeo66 |
A dish of something
certain to be tasty |
2/0 |
| Pika Wants Cake &
Flatkatz |
Watergate
Salad |
2/0 |
| Gerhardus |
?? |
1/0 |
| ABBy
Daytrips |
?? |
3-4/1 |
| RockSusan |
Chocolate Chip
Cookies |
1/0 |
| Myotis |
Relish & Dill
Pickles |
1/0 |
| Hobbit Taz &
CribbageWitch |
Chips & Dips,
Chains & Whips? |
2/0 |
| Team
GeoBeagle |
Dessert |
1/0 |
| YoungBlood85 |
?? |
1/0 |
| Yawetag |
?? |
1/0 |
| ?? |
?? |
?/? |
| ?? |
?? |
?/? |