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ACTIVITIES

APPRECIATION FISH FRY 2007

In the summer of 2007, the Claiborne Parish Watershed District hosted an Appreciation Fish Fry at Café Claiborne to recognize the many who have contributed services to Lake Claiborne projects.

Smiley Pemberton, long-time Watershed District commissioner and coordinator of volunteer lake maintenance programs, thanked volunteers, present and absent, beginning with those who had brought Lake Claiborne into being 40 years before, and moving forward to those who had more recently donated time, boats, and barges toward maintaining buoys.

Mr. Pemberton remembered Representative Pinkie Wilkinson, for her assistance securing funds for the buoy project, and he recognized Representative Rick Gallot, for his work on water resources legislation, including revision of the Watershed District statutes.

Mr. Pemberton then recognized Volunteers, among them:

• Past Watershed District Commissioners: Bobby Joslin, James Banks, Blake Hemphill, Floyd Harper, Van Austin, Maurice Wilson, John Peters, and others who were unable to attend the Fish Fry;

• Donors of Professional Services: Dennis Butcher and Benjamin Winn (Lisbon Landing Repair), Benjamin Winn and Kevin Green (Permanent Channel Markers Project design);

• Fred Lewis and his Board of Directors (Annual Fireworks Display and Boat Parade);

• Lake Volunteers, including Jim Anderson, Martin Tully, Jackie Holt, E. C. Green, Henry Robin, Ron Gott, Bobby Hall, Jim Strother, Brad Rogers, Barry Roberts, Douglas Lewis, Bob Robinson, Tyrone Parker, Jerry Adkins, Gary Daniels, and others who were unable to attend the Fish Fry.

Mr. Pemberton also recognized others who had gone out of their way, in their official roles, to assist with projects:

• Police Jury (at the dinner: Secretary Treasurer Dwayne Woodard, Staff Sheilia Washington and Desi Goss, past Secretary-Treasurer Cynthia Steele);

• Sheriff Ken Bailey and Deputy Jeff Pugh (enforcement, summer boat patrol);

• Assistant District Attorney Jim Hatch (D. A.-appointed advisor to Watershed District);

• John Sanders and Harvey Christian (DOTD-dam maintenance), James Seales (Wildlife and Fisheries), Dora Ann Hatch (LSU AgCenter Extension Service and Waterfest), Ben McGee (USGS and Waterfest), David Wade Correctional Center, Charles McKenzie (Lake Claiborne State Park);

• Kathy Hightower and Susan Herring (Guardian Journal), and Jackie Roberts (Haynesville News and Advertiser),

Vista volunteer Lauren Tichenor told of plans for a fall Lake Claiborne Clean-up, which is an outreach of Keep Claiborne Beautiful, and Chic Hines reported on the Permanent Marker project;

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BUOY PROJECTS

In the 1970&rsquos Floyd Harper, then chairman of the Watershed District, worked with the Commission and Louisiana Representative Pinkie Wilkinson to secure a grant for the buoy project.   For thirty years, buoys marked stumps around the lakes.    Because the buoys tended to drift, frequent volunteer maintenance was required.  Below are some scenes from the buoy upkeep program:

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CLAIBORNE PARISH WATERFEST (PowerPoint Presentation)

The annual Claiborne Parish WaterFest is a water resources educational program developed in 2003 by staff of the LSUAgCenter Cooperative Extension Service office in Claiborne Parish and members of the Claiborne Parish Watershed District Commission.  The Claiborne Parish Board of Education co-sponsors the program. 

Each May, public and private schools in Claiborne Parish transport all parish sixth graders Lake Claiborne State Park, where the youth visit six stations, each with a different water conservation educational message. 

WaterFest involves educators from LSU AgCenter Extension Service and the Hill Farm Research Station, U.S. Geological Survey, and other agencies. Among educators are:

• Todd Sewell, district conservationalist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, who  tells the group about how much water a family consumes and then breaks the students into two teams that have to fill a 95-gallon container a bucket at a time, relay style;
• Dr. Bill Owens, a microbiologist at the LSU AgCenter's Hill Farm Research Station in Homer, La., who has the children collect water from the lake and compare that with water from the tap by examining water samples;
• USGS supervisory hydrologist Ben McGee, who teaches about aquifers and about protecting the Sparta aquifer, which supplies drinking water to Claiborne Parish residents;
• Dr. Bill Branch, water resources specialist retired in 2009 from LSU AgCenter and consultant to the Sparta Commission, who teaches about watersheds, how water is transported from the source to the user, and the cost of water.

The Claiborne Parish Water Fest was awarded a commendation from the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources in 2005.

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2004 DRAWDOWN PROJECTS (PowerPoint Presentation)

Like all Lake Claiborne upkeep projects, 2004 Drawdown projects were a cooperative effort.

Berms were built to channel silty water away from Lisbon Landing.	A new boat ramp was constructed at Lisbon Landing.	Lisbon Landing Project Design	Trees on the dam were cut with thehelp of Wade Correctional Center.	Claiborne Parish Police Jury shredded the trees.

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ARIZONA LANDING REPAIR

Arizona Landing is owned by Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries.  In a cooperative project with the Watershed District Commission, jointly funded, Arizona Landing was repaired in 2009.

Before	After

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LAKE CLAIBORNE PERMANENT CHANNEL MARKERS PROJECT (Project summary written in May, 2010):

Citizens of Claiborne Parish voted for a 7 year one-eighth cent sales and use tax in 2006. The revenue is used, in part, to match funds provided by a federal Wallop-Breaux grant that is administered by the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries.

It was three years from the project design and fund-procuring to placing the piling markers.  The piling makers were driven in the first four months of 2010. Placement of signage was started in May.  Watershed District Commissioners, past and present, have spearheaded the project. Chic Hines has been the project coordinator. He has been assisted by his committee members: Walter 'Butch' Lee, Smiley Pemberton, and Floyd Harper, who is now deceased. Dr. Robert Haynes has headed communications. Dr. Phillip 'Butch' Fincher has handled project financing, assisted by Police Jury secretary-treasurer Dwayne Woodard. Benjamin Winn of Winn Engineers donated his services to project design.  Kevin Green of Pro-Build has been the project contractor. Jerry Whitton is employed by the Watershed District Commission to provide on-site project oversight.

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Contact Us:

Claiborne Parish Watershed District Commission

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 266, Homer, LA 71040

Physical Address: 507 W. Main, Homer, LA 71040 (Police Jury Office Complex, Courthouse Square, Homer)

Hours: Phone Calls are answered M-F 7:30am-4:30pm Call to request a visit with a member of the commission.

Phone: (318) 927-5161

Email: cpwatershed@yahoo.com

Clerk: Jo Anne Horner

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