Nature Friday (Fountainbleu Nature Trail Part 6)

This is the Picture Plant Mom showed you Thursday. Mr Mark opened it up to show the people what was inside.

Do you see all the dead bugs? Picture Plants eat bugs.

Willowleaf Goldenrod Mom thinks it is prettier than the Goldenrod that grows in our yard.

Mom thinks this is Rattlesnake Master but she doesn't remember for sure. 

Pipewort

 Another plant Mom didn't get a decent picture of and failed to identify. For those of you who just joined us Mom started telling us about her hike Sunday and continued through today. Funny how she stretched a hike that was only an hour or two long into an entire week. ~ATCAD

Fountainbleu Nature Trail More Wildflowers (Part 5)

I didn't get a very good picture of this flower. 

More Candy Root.

This plant is incredibly small. Mark had to put it in a special container so we could see it good. Don't worry he replanted it after we were through looking at it. It's a member of the Sundew family and it feeds on insects.

 I'll show you more about the Picture Plant tomorrow, but this is a nice picture of it. ~Sandra

Fountainbleu Nature Trail (Part 4) Wildflowers

The wildflowers were of course my favorite part of the hike. Meadow Beauty. 

Phlox

Another Meadow Beauty.

Alas I don't remember the name of the pretty yellow flower. 

More Candy Root.

 

Fountainbleu Nature Trail (Part 3) Davis Bayou

Being in Nature is so healing. It's really nice that we have nature trails close by. 

We are looking out over Davis Bayou here.

What's a bayou?

A bayou is a body of water that's typically found in a flat, low-lying area of the Southern United States. Bayous can be slow-moving streams, rivers, marshy lakes, wetlands, or creeks. They are often shallow and can be heavily wooded

 

 Of course Mark found a bug. Sorry I don't remember it's name.

Pretty sure this is Candy Root aka Bachelor Buttons we had some growing in our yard wild at one time.

 

 And this is Wild Blueberries. ~Sandra

Fountainbleu Nature Trail (Part 2)

 

I wish I had captured the sounds as there were lots of birds chirping during our hike. I really enjoyed the shady glades with the ferns as it got pretty warm.

The habitat is known as a Pine Savanna and it's very important to our ecosystem. You can read more about it here. The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge does controlled burns to help the pines. 

I really want to do another hike soon as you see different things as different times of the year. 

I think this is a wild hydrangea. I really wish I had taken notes during the hike. ~Sandra, reporting for ATCAD

Nature Hike with Mom

 Back in June Mom went on a Nature Hike in Ocean Springs. This is the Fontainebleau Trail and it's part of the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. 

Did you know people can eat this? It's called Greenbrier (although Mom has a $*** name for it) and is sometimes referred to as Wild Asparagus. You can read about it here. It grows in our neighbors yard and viciously attacks our azaleas. It also tries to kill Mom when she tries to rescue the azaleas, hence the HBO name for it. Mom reports that it tasted OK raw, but sauteed in butter would probably be the yummiest way. Unfortunately Mark didn't seem to have a skillet full of butter handy on the nature walk.

Mark LaSalle was the guide, Mom knows him from when youngest was in Scouts. He is very knowledgeable about plants and animals. She trusted him enough to eat the Greenbrier.

Mom saw a lot of neat plants. She will share more of them tomorrow. As you can imagine hummingbirds like this plant. You might remember that Mom planted some Coral Honeysuckle at the Hummingbird Cottage. ~ATCAD

Bad news for the Pascagoula River

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to draw 50 million gallons of water a day from Mississippi's Pascagoula River for five years to hollow out a massive salt dome that will become part of the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Local biologists said the massive project raises concerns about impacts to both the river system and the waters off the Mississippi Coast, where millions of gallons of super-salty water are to be disposed of each day.

Good news for Mississippi Sandhill Cranes

Three Gulf Coast national wildlife refuges and the Southeast Wildlife Conservation Group will sign a cooperative agreement today following the annual Sandhill Crane count.

The ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane and Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, which is an event that has refuge manager Lloyd Culp excited. Culp said the partnership will mean added resources for the Gautier refuge.

Letter to the editor (The Sun Herald)

Tribes' special status can buy plenty of politicians
Re: Sun Herald article of Sept. 28, "Choctaws offer share of profits":

Don't be taken for fools. An Indian casino is forever exempt from state and local laws. I know because the federal government forced my state to have two of these monstrosities against the will of the people.

Due to their seeming ability to print money, they can donate - as a government, no less - to all politicians' campaigns without being restrained by campaign finance laws. As a government, they are not bound by the limits put on corporations and organizations. That makes your voice as a voter worth about zero.

Your local planning and zoning also become moot when a tribe wants to build something. Our several small southeast Connecticut towns spent years and lots of money deciding via referendum just how we wanted the state roads to be improved or made safer. Our votes were all trashed when the Mashantucket Pequot tribe decided they wanted a four-lane highway with a cloverleaf and a direct exit to their multiple casinos. Since they were paying for this "ego" road, the state did not hold any public hearings. It is getting built through our towns with no local input. Even a court case by the citizens was rebuffed.

Don't be bought for a few gold coins when something more precious is at stake.

BETTY PERKOWSKI North Stonington, Conn.

Residents of Jackson County not allowed to voice their opinion on Choctaw Casino

In 1990, about 60 percent of the county voters rejected gambling.

Now the Choctaws want to ram it down our throats. If they want a casino on the Gulf Coast, why don't they put it in Harrison or Hancock County where the residents voted FOR GAMBLING? Why are they trying to force it on Jackson County where the residents REJECTED GAMBLING.

Public input will not be allowed as the supervisors meet with Choctaw Chief Denson Beasley. This meeting is expected to be for Beasley to lead a presentation on what the tribe expects to do with its property in Jackson County.

Why aren't the residents who will be 'hurt' by the Choctaws proposal allowed to voice their input? We should have a say!

A casino on Highway 57 will

• Increase traffic
• Increase drunk driving in the area
• Have a negative impact on wetlands
• Have a negative impact on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
• Have a negative impact on local restaurants which will still have to pay taxes while the Choctaws restaurant will be untaxed.
• Increase flooding in the area
• The Choctaws will not have to pay taxes, and they will not have to obey our laws.

Vote NO to the casino in November, the residents of Jackson County do not want casinos, especially an inland casino on Highway 57.

Choctaw Chief Beasly Denson wants to ram the casino down Jackson County resident's throat

Newly elected Choctaw Chief Beasley Denson has said he will not abide by the Jackson County referendum. He said it is an issue to be resolved between the Mississippi Band of Choctaws, the governor's office and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Under federal law, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has to approve the casino before it can open. In addition, the Choctaws are required to negotiate a compact with the governor's office before opening a casino.

However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved only three off-reservation casinos in the last 19 years. The proposed Choctaw casino is considered off-reservation since the land it would be built on is located over 220 miles from the tribe's original Neshoba County reservation.

A more difficult issue to overcome, though, could be opposition from the governor's office. Both current Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and Democratic governor nominee John Arthur Eaves Jr. have indicated their opposition to the casino project.

As for the jobs some Jackson County residents think the casino project will bring, Denson has also made it known that he only wants Choctaws in the high paying managerial positions. The casino project offers no benefits to Jackson County and many drawbacks.

• It would not be taxed. The residents of Jackson County could wind up paying for the infrastructure while getting very little in return.
• Denson has demonstrated he doesn't feel bound by Martin's agreements with Jackson County. Any agreement we work out with Denson could be voided by a new chief.
• This is not traditional tribal land, it is 220 miles from their reservation.
• Denson has stated that he only wants Choctaws to hold high paying management positions.
• Jackson County would face increased traffic.
• Jackson County would face increased drunk driving around the casino.
• The location is near the current Jackson County Soccer Complex, several schools and the proposed Ocean Springs Sportsplex. A casino does not belong in an area geared toward family activities and schools.
• The impact on wetlands.
• The possible flooding of nearby residents.
• The impact on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.

If the Choctaws want a casino on the Gulf Coast they should build it in Harrison or Hancock County where casinos are welcomed and play by the same rules as the other casinos.

It must be nice to be a Choctaw

Gibson said each Choctaw receives $1,000 per year, and the tribes pays for services such as health care, schools, police and fire departments and tuition for any Choctaw who qualifies to go to any college.

It seems they are doing very well with their casino in Philadelphia, so they don't need to destroy Jackson County. For all you bleeding hearts VOTE NO to a Choctaw casino before our homes and way of life are destroyed to make the Choctaw's richer.

Sun Herald Letter to the Editor by Cissy Jordan

Promises made, not promises kept
The election of a new chief of the Choctaw Tribe has brought to light some facts the people of Jackson County need to fully understand. Chief Martin, whom everyone believed spoke for the entire tribe, said it would be "up to the voters of Jackson County to decide if they put a casino on their land on Highway 57."

Now, newly elected Chief Beasley Denson says it will not be the citizens of Jackson County who will make this decision but it will be a "Choctaw decision."

We, the people of Jackson County, have no legal rights in any issues with the Choctaw tribe. If a citizen has a legal dispute on tribal lands; if a citizen has a dispute over a payout in a tribal casino; if a citizen, including a vendor, is owed money by the Choctaws, the matter is not under the protection of our courts but will be at the sole discretion of the Choctaw tribal court.
Please understand this: A reservation is a foreign nation. They pay no sales tax, no property tax and are not bound by county or state laws. What happens on reservation land might just as well be happening in another country.

No doubt developers are chomping at the bit to see a casino come into the county and will probably roll out grandiose plans for condos, hotels, and housing developments based on the proposed benefits from a casino. But is any of this worth it if we are giving up total control? In the long run such a casino could bring us higher taxes, possible loss of jobs for the 7,000 Jackson County citizens who now work at Biloxi casinos, and could diminish our sales tax base with unfair competition. Is this worth the so-called "promise" of compensation the chief made to our elected officials? And how are our elected officials going to collect promised compensations if any chief, current or future, changes his mind or neglects to ante up? Be wary of any elected official who sees the proposed Choctaw casino in Jackson County as a good investment.

We now know that the word of one chief is not binding and can change with the election of a new chief.

If someone tells you they support a Choctaw casino coming into Jackson County, that person either is not aware of the facts or has a vested interest in unloading some marshland.

ELEANOR 'CISSY' JORDAN Latimer

Latimer Political Rally ~ Huge Success

Read about the Latimer Political Rally in The Mississippi Press. There were a ton of thirsty people there.

There will be another political rally in October before the General Elections.

Denson: Casino up to Choctaws

Jackson County Supervisor Frank Leach sent a letter to Denson this week asking for a public meeting to discuss his plans.

"My hope is that the voice of Jackson County will be heard and be respected," said Leach. The county had an agreement with Martin to walk away from the casino if the vote was against it, and Leach said, "I think he spoke for the tribe." Just as the current Jackson County supervisors abide by actions of previous boards, he feels Denson should honor Martin's commitment.

Leach is against the Choctaw casino and said he wants to ask Denson to do some type of positive development with the property that would be pleasing to the majority of Jackson County residents.

Unlike casinos in Harrison and Hancock counties that pay 8 percent of their earnings to the state and up to 4 percent in local taxes, with a tribal casino in Jackson County, "We are not guaranteed anything," Leach said. The most the county could hope to receive is some payment for infrastructure, he said, and he doesn't want the citizens of Jackson County paying the costs for the casino. "We have not heard from the people yet," he said

They're going to have to listen to what the county wants," said Jan Vos of Ocean Strings. To put a casino on U.S. 57 the Choctaws would have to use county roads and services and therefore have to work with the county. "I believe they bought that land about 10 years ago," he said, so it isn't traditional tribal land.

That is also the position of the U.S. Department of Interior, which would have to approve the off-reservation casino before it could be built 200 miles from the Choctaw reservation.

Read the complete article in The Sun Herald. Reasons to vote NO to the casino

• It would not be taxed. The residents of Jackson County could wind up paying for the infrastructure while getting very little in return.
• Denson has demonstrated he doesn't feel bound by Martin's agreements with Jackson County. Any agreement we work out with Denson could be voided by a new chief.
• This is not traditional tribal land, it is 200 miles from their reservation.
• Denson has stated that he only wants Choctaws to hold high paying management positions.
• Jackson County would face increased traffic.
• Jackson County would face increased drunk driving around the casino.
• The location is near the current Jackson County Soccer Complex, several schools and the proposed Ocean Springs Sportsplex. A casino does not belong in an area geared toward family activities and schools.
• The impact on wetlands.
• The possible flooding of nearby residents.
• The impact on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.

If the Choctaws want a casino on the Gulf Coast they should build it in Harrison or Hancock County where casinos are welcomed and play by the same rules as the other casinos.

Political Forum ~ July 9th

Hubby and I attended the political forum Monday night. This is a list of the candidates who spoke last night.

County Tax Collector
Joe Tucker (R)
Susan Powell (R)
Jim Sukiennik (R)
Mary Ann Fontenot

(Sadly neither of the women candidates made a very good impression and neither had the educational qualifications I feel are necessary for the job. Both of the men had university degrees.)

Constable ..........District 3
K. Shane Langfitt (R) - Incumbent
Shawn M. Senseney (D)
David Cole (R)

County Supervisor............District 4
Frank Leach (R) Incumbent
Chick Cody (R)
Tommy Brodnax (R)
Terry Armstrog (R)
Stacy Carmichael (R)
Ralph Cruthrids (D)
Charles Seymour (R)
Rich Barlow (R)

July 16th (6PM) at the Latimer Community Center we will hear from the candidates running for County Tax Assessor, County Prosecuting Attorney, Superintendent of Education, State Senate District 51, Chancery Clerk and County Sheriff.

Hopefully the rude people waving SAVE OUR WETLANDS posters will not be there. There political grandstanding was very distracting and they blocked my view of the speakers several times. At times I was unable to hear the candidates due to their behavior. The TV reporter who choose to interview one of them during a candidates speech showed an appalling lack of judgement. Those of us who came to the community center in order to listen to the candidates and make the important decision of who to vote for deserved to be able to hear their speeches without having to strain to hear over a reporter and a 'rabble rouser'. If the reporter couldn't wait for the end of the meeting to do the interview she should have at least conducted it outside. While I sympathize with their cause, I too want to save our wetlands, last night was not the place for their demonstration.

Wake Up Jackson County Parents

Update: Board rescinds uniform decision
By Jonnelle Davis
Rockingham County Board of Education took a late-night vote Monday to rescind an April decision that would have required Reidsville middle and high school students to wear uniforms this fall. The board voted 7-3 in favor of rescinding its decision, Superintendent Rodney Shotwell said Tuesday. Two board members abstained and member Steve Smith was absent from Monday's meeting.During the meeting, the board faced a crowd of angry and frustrated parents and students who opposed a standard mode of dress. They said it would take away from students' individuality.

I challenge all the Jackson County parents who are opposed to mandatory public school uniforms in the Jackson County Schools to show up at the political forum Monday, July 16th at 6PM and let those candidates running for Superintendent of Education know that WE DON'T WANT MANDATORY UNIFORMS IN OUR SCHOOLS and ask what they will do to either provide parents with an opt out or to go back to a reasonable dress code.

You can read more about the fight to get mandatory uniforms out of the Rockingham County Schools here. Chris thanks for the link.

Latimer Holds Political Forum

The Latimer Civic Association is holding two political forums this month for 31 candidates running for office in Jackson County.

The first forum will be Monday at 6 p.m. at the Latimer Community Center located at the crossroads of Daisy Vestry (aka Old Biloxi Road), Jim Ramsay and Tucker roads.

Scheduled speakers Monday include a pool of 15 candidates running for District 4 county supervisor, county tax collector and District 3 constable. The second forum, where 16 other candidates will speak, will be on July 16 at 6 p.m. at the community center.

Panel members will give short introductions of each candidate, who will then be given three minutes to outline their platforms and reason for running for office.

Click here for more info.

Don't Count on a Good Job in a Choctaw Casino If You Aren't a Choctaw

Martin's defeat would end his 30-year reign as chief of Mississippi's largest Indian tribe with 9,000 members. During his tenure, the tribe entered the lucrative gaming market and developed a sprawling resort on tribal land in the red clay hills of east central Mississippi. The resort includes the state's only two inland casinos, a highly rated golf course and a water park.

Though the resort boosted the tribe out of poverty, Denson and other critics have said Martin hired too many non-Choctaws in management positions.

Denson hasn't announced whether he is in favor of the casino, but said the decision should be made by Choctaws, not by Jackson County voters.

What a new chief will mean to Jackson County is uncertain. The Choctaws have announced plans to build a casino on tribal land near exit 57 of Interstate 10. Casino owners in Harrison and Hancock counties are strongly opposed to that proposal, saying the Choctaws would have an unfair advantage due to the location directly off the Interstate and because the Choctaws aren't required to pay taxes.

Residents of Jackson County will have the opportunity to voice their support or opposition to the casino in a non-binding referendum on the November ballot.

Chief Martin personally vowed to abide by the outcome of the referendum and withdraw plans for the casino if the voters in Jackson County oppose it, although it is unknown if the Tribal Council supported that agreement.

Denson hasn't announced whether he is in favor of the casino, but said the decision should be made by Choctaws, not by Jackson County voters.

Many Jackson County residents will experience a lower quality of life if the Choctaws force their casino on us, but according to Denson we shouldn't have a say?

Reasons Jackson County should say no to the casino

• Increased traffic
• Possible flooding of nearby residential areas
• Increased drunk driving
• Impact on wetlands
• Impact on Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
• Impact on the proposed Sportsplex.
• Impact on nearby schools.

Also we need to remember the Choctaws will NOT pay TAXES, like everyone else.