NANFA-- RE: Sunday Collecting Trip

B.G. Granier (bgkajun_at_worldnet.att.net)
Tue, 22 Aug 2000 14:03:27 -0500

Dear members,

Please send a "Thank you" card or note to the kind gentleman who allowed us
onto his property at the first collecting site, Ard's Creek. This is where
we first stopped after that trip down from Jackson, Mississippi.

He came out of his home to see what the parade was all about, and after I
explained to him about who we were and that we were on an educational field
trip to sample the local non-game fish, he graciously and generously
welcomed us to stay and enjoy the wonderful habitat! He explained that on
such an isolated road in this rural environment, he rarely sees any more
than one or two vehicles at a time, so he was naturally curious as to the
goings-on........and we can't blame him at all!

He even opened a locked gate and escorted Casper Cox and Peter Unmack to the
upstream portion of Ard's Creek so that they could snorkle in the deeper,
clearer portions of the stream while everyone else could do collecting
downstream of the bridge.

I ask that everyone who followed myself and Bessie on Sunday, to please drop
a card or note in the mail, expressing our appreciation of his generosity
to:

Mr. Ronald Mitchell
31092 Old Columbia Rd.
Angie, LA 70426

He also welcomed us back at anytime. I have his telephone number, and will
call him when I am in the area again. He and his wife run Mickey's
Restaurant in Bogalusa, LA., so if you or any friends are in the area,
please drop by to see them and enjoy the ambience and good cooking! Tell
them I sent you!

After a good morning of collecting, those of us who were not already on the
road back to Jackson, MS. enjoyed a delicious buffet at a local
establishment in Angie, LA. The "Ole Hickory Barbecue" place in beautiful
downtown Angie provided us with a much needed meal and refreshments after a
hard morning work-out amongst the gators, minnows, darters, madtoms and
chubsuckers!

(Not many people were interested in Casper's left-overs from the road killed
Armadillo that he was photographed with, or the innards and hides of two
boar hogs that someone had dumped into Foster Creek.)

The owner of the above establishment and I engaged in a conversation about
the origin of Ard's Creek and he graciously and openly explained that the
creek is fed by an underground spring that buubles up from the ground on a
piece of property that he could give us access to.........he invited me to
call him and arrange for a tour of the area. He also said that there are 12'
alligators at the headwaters of Ard's Creek (at least two of them), but he'd
be glad to grant access to the property, with the necessary prior notice.

You may also send a card or note to him at the following address:

Mr. Dale Ford
Ole Hickory's Barbecue
P.O. Box 102
Angie, LA 70426

Be sure to mention that you were part of the fish people group that stopped
in and enjoyed the meal on Sunday, August 20, 2000. And that we were sent
there by the former , Mr. Ronald Mitchell of Old Columbia Rd., Angie, LA.

Please take the time to express our gratitude and thanks to both the above,
it makes for great public relations to the benefit of NANFA and native
fishes!

Sincerely yours,

BG Granier
Louisiana Region
NANFA

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