February - 2002INSIDE COVER
Meet "The River Woman"
Lisa Ogden
Meet the Potawatomi spiritual woman who has spent her lifetime living on the banks of the rivers of Nebraska and Missouri. From her childhood on the Missouri River to her current days of cleaning the James River and planning a fisheries project at the Little White River in South Dakota.
Recently Lisa inspired a large Mormon family to help her and some friends to clean the banks of the James River in Missouri. Many folks came and cleaned thousands of pounds of refuse from the site. A burn site was established to burn brush and things that were made of wood that was dumped at the site.
A neighbor fearing the worst called the fire department. When they arrived they were astonished to see that Lisa and her group were 'cleaning' the site rather than 'illegally dumping' as many had done before the groups arrival.
Soon after the 'clean up project' was completed the State Highways Department was inspired by the story and so they reconditioned and painted the bridge that spanned the river at the clean up site.
-story continued on page (3)
- 'Meet the River Woman'....CONTINUED
Car Fire A Reality Check
Fireman find main tanker empty when faced with car fire
spreading into the nearby forest.
A car exploding into flames and the nearby forest and grassland begining to burn. This is what a volunteer Fire Dept in Southern Missouri rolled up to on thier way home from a training excersize in a nearbye city. As the owner of the car stood helpless as she watched her dreams and only mode of transportation go up into flames. This was the event that bypassers witnessed as they drove past the entrance of Busiek State Park in near Springfield, Missouri earlier this fall.
The Fire Deptment trainees had just finished a training exersize and were on thier way home when they spotted the fire in the entrance of the park. Bystanders were waiving franticly as they saw the firetruck approach on the passing highway. As the firemen grabbed thier gear and prepared to do what they do they realized thier tanker was empty from the training exersize they had just attended. While the firemen were regrouping to figure out how they were going to put the car fire out the car exploded and caught the neighboring grasses and forest on fire. The Fire Chief present thought quick and grabbed the fire units internal cannister fire extinguisher and instructed his men to stop traffic and commendeer any fire extinguishers. Moments later the firemen were puting the forestfire out and clearing the area knowing they could do nothing to save the victims car.
The firemen who so cleverly put out the fire that threatened the entire park and surrounding National Forest stated that "If it were not for the thoughtfulness of a few people to carry individual firefighting devices in thier cars there would have been nothing me and my men could have done to save this forest and park".
Car fire explodes spreading fire to nearbye forest
Un-expected fires have been the #1 cause of forest fires over the past decade. many of those fires could have been controlled and extinguished if only the persons present would have packed such a simple thing. As the owner of this car discovered that life can change in a moment and a simple amount of 'pro-activeness' can make all the difference.
Story and photos by - Steven YellowHand
As Simple as Clay, Sand, and Straw
A 'Adobe Smoker', made from clay, sand, and straw
Dreams can be made out of the most simple thing that the Mother Earth provides. This Missouri family went to the local quarry and got a couple of pick loads of clay, sand, and straw and built this meat smoker worth thousands of dollars for a mieger $25.00.
