Summer is upon us, and it’s time to get out and enjoy nature. This month we will plan to meet at Lake Wilson in Fayetteville. There are opportunities around the lake and on the two hiking trails. In addition to your camera gear, a hiking stick, bug spray, and possibly a flashlight would be suggestions depending on how late you expect to stay out. There are no lights in the area, so it can get very dark once the sun goes down ( sunset is 8:21 PM).
Lake Wilson was the City’s first drinking water supply. Now, this 320-acre park features two looping trails with rock outcrops and excellent natural beauty. The inside loop trail around the lake is 1.33 miles around and the outer loop trail is 1.76 miles long. The spillway was repaired in 2010, but caution should be used while crossing the spillway section of the trail.

The trail was built by members of the Ozark Society and dedicated to Joe and Maxine Clark in 1995. 
Directions: In south Fayetteville, take South School (71-B), turn left onto 156 (Willoughby Rd), (if you get to Drake Field airport, you’ve gone too far) go several miles and at the big curve, turn right onto 69 (Wilson Hollow Road). Follow Wilson Hollow across the White River, when the pavement ends, bear to the left at the fork in the road(Rt.165, Lake Wilson Rd). Proceed to Lake Wilson. Continue straight past the lake dam to the end of the road where you will find a large picnic shelter on the left side of the road, along the lake. We’ll meet at the picnic shelter before we head out.

Google Map link for location:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B000’03.8%22N+94%C2%B008’13.0%22W/@36.0136473,-94.1617249,14.71z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x87c96613eed82f81:0x43a2c2e2962ba07a!7e2!8m2!3d36.0010628!4d-94.1369426

PDF of the trails at Lake Wilson Park
http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/DocumentCenter/View/593/Joe-Clark-Trail-Map-PDF

As Summer of 2018 approaches, so too does the parade of planets in the night sky! Venus leads the way, visible until almost 10pm! And just as Venus is setting, Jupiter majestically rises in the East at its largest and brightest. Although we are saying goodnight to Orion the Hunter, more constellations are coming into view with a host of great deep sky nebulae, start clusters, and galaxies to see.

Please join us on Saturday May 12 th for a special Hobbs State Park Star Party co-hosted by Sugar Creek Astronomical Society and the Photographic Society of NWA. We will start off the night with lectures at 7:30 and followed by a Star Party where you will be able to look through telescopes and practice dark sky photography.

Tim Johnson of the Photographic Society of NWA (PSNWA) will kick off our evening with a presentation on Night Photography. Tim will share some of the equipment used, techniques, and share some amazing examples of the kind of photographs of the night sky that can be achieved. Following the lecture, we encourage you to take your own night sky photographs during the Star Party.

Next, Rick Marshall of Sugar Creek Astronomical Society will give a presentation on the king of the planets, Jupiter. Rick will cover some facts about the largest planet in our solar system, the history of human investigation of Jupiter and its moons, and then he will cover what to expect when looking at Jupiter during the Star Party.

What to Bring if you can:
– Camera and a Tripod for Night Sky Photography
– Flashlight (covered with a red cloth or red balloon)
– Binoculars and/or telescope (if you have)
– Folding chair – one per person
– Star chart (if you have one)

Where & When:
– Hobbs State Park Visitor Center
– Located on Hwy 12 just east of the Hwy 12/War Eagle Road intersection.
– Saturday May 12 th 2018
– 7:30 pm Lecture, 8:30 for Star Party
– Cost: Free

Photographic Society of NWA’s Facebook Group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/PSNWAnature/ and their website is https://www.psnwa.org/ns/. Sugar Creek Astronomical Society’s Facebook Group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/143382315673668/

Noted Photographer Brian DeMint will be at the PSNWA Gallery for a presentation of his work. All PSNWA members and guests are invited!

Brian DeMint is an art/fashion photographer formally trained as an oil painter. By combining the classic elements of design with the digital technologies of today, he creates visually unique and striking imagery. Brian can often be found lecturing at photography conferences and appears in many online training series.

Don’t miss your opportunity to see his work and speak with Brian DeMint! A gallery reception will precede his presentation in the PSNWA Gallery beginning at 6:00 pm.

Terry Boyd has been driving and photographing across North America from Arkansas to Alaska for the past 15 years. He leads photography workshops and tours yearly in Alaska May to September.

Terry grew up in Arkansas and spent his younger years mountain biking and fishing. In his early 20s he bought a used 35mm camera. He knew absolutely nothing about photography and had never even touched a camera with more than one button before. The first time he photographed a sunset from a bluff over the Arkansas River, he knew this was the path for him. Since then, he has dedicated his life to the light, doing his best to be in the right place at the right time. He first traveled to Alaska in 2003 and has returned every summer since, working in a variety of positions until beginning a photography tour business in 2010.

Join us as wildlife photographer Mike Wintroath speaks at Hobbs Spate Park!

[image_frame style=”framed” title = “Picture by Mike Wintroath” align=”right” width=”300″ height=”300″][/image_frame]A longtime photojournalist, Mike Wintroath has been the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission photographer for eight years and in that time his spectacular wildlife images have filled the pages of the Arkansas Wildlife magazine, calendars, and more. During this special event Mike will present a presentation of his wildlife work, including his underwater photography in Arkansas, as well as stories and insights from his years as a professional photographer.

Everyone is welcome.