Friends of Hidden Valley

The mission of the Friends of Hidden Valley is to provide support to the

Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc., in programs, development,
maintenance and goals that promote and benefit Hidden Valley Camp.

Friends of Hidden Valley, Inc., P.O. Box 442073, Lawrence, KS 66044 December 2007

Give Me Shelter: Habitat Diversity Packets:

Summer Campers Learn Survival Skills Tree Trek, Stream Walk, & Wetland Wonders

This summer campers Hidden Valley has a rugged

learned the difference topography including streams
between the native and creeks, forested hillsides, a
rough-leaved restored prairie and wetland.
dogwood tree and the Discovery Packets, including a Tree Trek, a
extremely invasive Stream Walk and Wetland Wonders, were
Japanese honeysuckle shrub that introduced at Day Camp 2007.
has invaded the understory of
our woods at Hidden Valley and Campers used dip nets and sorting trays to
elsewhere. identify macro-invertebrates, including
damselfly and dragonfly nymphs at the
Each camp unit then spent the Wetlands; followed camp trails on a Tree
week building their own Trek, comparing distinctive bark features
"emergency survival shelter" using downed wood and as on 21 different tree species; and, armed
much honeysuckle as they wanted to cut. The variety of with clipboards, colored pens and
shelters were truly amazing...and strong. Several shelters pencils, recorded first impressions of
were allowed to stay standing over summer, and the new Stream Walk trail which
were still quite sturdy when dismantled during our descends from Evelyn’s Attic to Bishop
last workday! -Durand Reiber Glen campsite. -Bob Russell

Annual Membership Meeting Highlights the New Stream Trail

As members and guests arrived for the September 20, 2007, Friends of Hidden Valley Annual Meeting at Hidden Valley
Camp, they received a close-up look of the new stream trail developed as part of a series of Habitat Discovery Packets
being developed by Friends. Guests were led alongside, across, and sometimes in the small creek by Robert Russell and
Margaret Townsend, who pointed out the limestone outcroppings, shale, fossils and glacial rock. In the spring, the trail
is exploding with colorful varieties of fungi.
Membership Renewals
Down at the cabin, guests visited while browsing through the
photo albums created from the 50th Anniversary events. After a Membership solicitations were mailed in October.
dinner of Quizno’s party trays, Friends Chair Durand Reiber We hope the response increases our membership
presented the Annual Report and the following highlights of the numbers.
year.
Current members received renewal letters and

We experienced the largest membership increase since our response cards at the end of November. Along with
busy schedules during the holidays, please take time
inception. (THANK YOU members!) to renew your membership for 2008.

The fundraising committee reported that $17,000 has been Thank you for being a Friend to Hidden Valley
raised thus far for the DCCF Endowment Fund for the
preservation of the camp.
(Continued on page 2)
 Mary Beth Petr, Recipient of the Honor Bench Award

The "Hidden Valley Honored Friends" bench was placed in the

Butterfly Garden in 2003. Its purpose is to honor volunteers
who have made significant donations of time and talents to
Hidden Valley Camp. The first honoree was Durand Reiber.
Ellyn Owen was our second honoree in 2005 and this fall
MaryBeth Petr was elected.

Mary Beth has given many years of hard labor to the camp,
worked at day camp, and spent many months diligently working
with the city and the sewer line contractor to make sure the best
interests of the camp were being considered. She made sure
another water line was laid for installation of a much needed
pump. She also chaired a committee during this time to
investigate the possibility of a new shelter near the water pump.

She’s done an awesome job! Mary Beth is definitely an

Honored Friend of Hidden Valley and we are grateful for her
dedication to the camp.

(Annual Meeting, Continued from page 1)

Volunteers logged more than 700 hours of service to the camp and worked hard at restoring vegetation in the
Lonesome Pine area destroyed by the city sewer project last winter, and clearing the under story of a densely
wooded area to make room for a new recreational zone.

Friends also provided funds for renovating the 3-hole outhouse, a used Johnny for the lower meadow, and
contributed $600 toward Discovery Packet development.

Robert Russell, Volunteers and Events Coordinator, entertained us all with a wonderful assortment of thank you gifts
for our many outstanding volunteers of the year, and Karen Warner announced the 2007 Friend of Hidden Valley
Honor Bench recipient..

The Annual Members Meeting closed with a vote of approval for the slate of nominees. We wish to welcome Jill
Baringer and Jackie Bogner, joining returning members Jill Giele and David Reber to our Board of Directors. We
look forward to another exciting year of providing support for Hidden Valley Camp.

We also say goodbye to board members Robert Russell and Karen Warner. Bob has served two 3-year terms,
serving as Chair and the Volunteers and Events Committee Coordinator.
We owe him much for his creative ideas and the energy to accomplish them, from the wetland to the Discovery
Packets and so much more. His enthusiasm has been inspirational!

Karen has served not only on the LHVC board, but helped brainstorm this emerging organization over 10 years ago,
helping to make it an efficient reality as a board member since its inception. She dedicated an enormous amount of
time to the 50th Anniversary events, served as Chair and on almost every committee.

We will miss them both, but they won’t be far away…Karen is rejoining the LHVC board, while Bob will continue to
work on the Discovery Packets. Thank you, Karen and Bob, and good luck in your new endeavors.

Friends’ members will receive an Abbreviated Annual Report with their membership renewal packets, which will be
mailed out soon. The full report can be obtained by email request to Margaret Townsend, Secretary, at
townsend@kgs.ku.edu.
 Volunteers Recognized for Outstanding Dedication and Service

For over 50 years, Hidden Valley Camp has been blessed with the enormous energy of so many wonderful volunteers.
Scout troops continued their tradition of performing service projects of their own at the camp and community
volunteers share their time and talents to help maintain and improve the camp.

This year over 220
volunteers logged over
700 hours of service to
the camp during
Friends-sponsored work
days, hiking patrols and
other special projects.
Volunteer workdays have become a mainstay for the camp, bringing anywhere
from a dozen to over 60 volunteers accomplishing an amazing amount of work
in 3-4 hours of time. Each workday it seems that an insurmountable quantity of
brush is cut, primarily to prevent that ever-invasive Japanese Honeysuckle from
overtaking our trails, campsites and meadows. The brush is often burned in fire
rings. For their hot and sweaty dedication to this task, Gwen Macpherson,
Robin Robertson and Karen Warner were awarded with kerchiefs, storm-
proof matches, and roasting sticks.

The Hiking Patrol initiated by Friends several years ago helps LHVC monitor the
40-acres of camp for trash, downed trees, and other related problems, and also deters
vandalism just by having good people present at the camp. This years’ Hiking Award
goes to Wanda Waugh, who was presented with a beautiful Hiking Staff custom
made by Robert Russell from a downed branch from the camp. Wanda has also made
our workdays a routine part of her life.

Our Volunteers of the Year Award goes to our Friends and neighbors, Flora and
Benji Wyatt for their outstanding dedication to the camp. These two individuals
have been a part of our workdays for so many years, always staying to the end, and
always smiling…no matter how exhausted and sore they become! One task they that
always seems to fall on them is the annual cleaning out of the bluebird boxes. For
their efforts, they were presented with precut materials to build their own bluebird
box, and a large “Wanted” poster depicting them at work!

Flora started her association with the camp as a board director with LHVC. She’s been on the Friends board since
2000, working on several committees. Currently the Chair of the Membership Committee, she has worked successfully
to increase our membership contributions, our main source of revenue used to support the camp.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!

Greetings from the Friends Chair

The first time I visited Hidden Valley was in the spring of 2002, for a potluck planned by Rebecca Gant, my
younger daughter’s Daisy leader.

I was in awe, absolutely amazed, that Hidden Valley was there for all of us to use. I began camping
overnight at Hidden Valley with my daughters’ troops and helping when I could at day camp. I was
honored when Durand Reiber asked me to join the Friends board in 2004.

I’ve mostly had a fundraising role as a Board member, and I was very excited that Friends was able to
establish a fund in 2005 with the Douglas County Community Foundation. This fund will help us make sure
the camp is cared for, forever, and I believe the camp’s founding mothers would be proud to know that we
are planning ahead.

We have lots to do this year at the camp, and will rely, as always, on all of our Friends.

Thank you for being a Friend, for volunteering at work days, on our hiking patrol and also for your financial
support. We could not enjoy this wonderful green space in the heart of Lawrence without you!

- Jill Giele, Friends Board Chair

 Brownies Try-It at May Play Day by Margaret Townsend

Brownie Play Day was held at Hidden Valley on May 5, 2007. There were 13 troops represented and one Juliette for a
total of 102 girls. The theme included the Try-Its Girl Sports and Playing Around the World. There was a morning and
afternoon session.

The Playing Around the World Try It stated at Southern Shade where the girls learned
Kim’s Game (from England ), Jan Ken Pon (Rock, Paper, Scissors) from Japan (see
photos), and Hawk and Hens (from Zimbabwe). At Arkalooka the girls made trail mix
from a variety of dried fruits, cereals, pretzels, peanuts, sunflower seeds, cashews and
M&Ms (leaders’ favorites), and skittles (see photo) and learned about the nutrition of why
various foods are included in trail mix. The girls played Red Light/Green Light (from
America) at Red Oak, and did a scavenger hunt at
Osage Orange. Between the hiking around and the
activities the girls and helpers were pretty well
worn out by the end of the day.

OgnaLi was the stretching station for the Girl

Pam Young helps Brownies select tasty
Sports Try-It. Activities included various leg, back
trail mix fixings for a snack! (Photo by
Margaret Townsend)
and arm stretches. In addition, bean bag tossing at a
target and catching between players was also done. At Flag Pole Hill the girls
played volleyball and kickball and soccer moves with recycled balls made of Kim’s game is a challenge for this group of
Brownies. (Photo by Jill Baringer).
newpaper stuffed plastic grocery bags for the Girl Sports Try It.

(Volunteers Flex; Continued from page 5)

Property Line: 9/16 Front Bob Russell attached wheels
to the front entrance gate, cleared some dead falls along
Bob Billings Pkwy, and tidied up the stream trail.
Ar-ca-loo-ka: 9/16 Jeannie McClure, Kate Baringer, and
Kyra Flummerfelt’s troop cleaned the cabin inside and
out. 9/16 Cindy Dunham, Cindy Riling, and Robin
tackled the task of removing the wood edging around the
front brick patio of the cabin. They replaced it with
metal edging installed flush with the bricks, making the
cabin more handicap-accessible. At a later date, Cris
Bandle and her troop of older girls, along with Robin
Robertson, completed the edging replacement around the
back brick patio. 9/16 Wanda Waugh and Gwen
Macpherson cut back brush around the edge of the yard.
Other tasks around the cabin included reseeding areas of
the lawn with fescue (Lavonne Mark’s Cadette troop
#7630) and mulching around the trees (Lauren Buskirk’s
Brownie troop 7086). While reseeding the cabin yard,
Cadette troop 7630 started digging up heaved rocks, both
in the yard and on the trail to Hillside. It turned out that
these “toe stumpers” had a bit more hidden under ground
than what was protruding above the surface.
UACT: 9/16 Durand Reiber and Margaret Townsend
gave a full cleaning to the UACT (universally accessible
composting toilet), weeded the UACT garden, and hung
a sheet of paneling in the UACT on which to post
instructions and the unit’s dedication poem (written by
Gwen Macpherson).
Hillside Campsite: 9/16 Gwen and her husband Randy
Farr, not only cut up downed trees and stocked
woodpiles, they also started work on the renovation of
the Hillside campsite, clearing trees and brush in order to
move the present fire ring to a more suitable location.
Bluebird Boxes: 9/16 Flora and Benji Wyatt cleaned out
the bluebird boxes.
 Volunteers Flex Their Muscles at Fall Workdays
by Robin Robertson
Volunteers made a huge
difference at two workdays
held this fall. On September
16th, the Friends hosted the
annual cabin and garden
cleanup workday to get the
cabin and its immediate
area ready for the Friends
annual meeting. Thirteen
girls and sixteen adults made
it a success. On November 11th, the Friends
hosted the final workday of the year. Mary’s
Meadow and the Lonesome Pine area
benefited from the hard work of fifty-five
volunteers (twenty-five youth, thirty adults).
Workday efforts were supervised by Durand
Reiber and Robin Robertson. Food: 9/16 “Pizza
Fairy” Brian Walter (Troop 7086) worked his
magic, providing pizza for all of the hardworking
volunteers. 11/11 Robin managed treats:
s’mores, apple cider, & hot chocolate.
Lonesome Pine Restoration: The excavation
done for the city storm sewer project
incorporated the clay subsoil into the top layer
of soil in much of the open area at Lonesome
Pine. Because of this, water is not draining, and
large trees in the area have died or are dying.
Many of the shrubs and small trees planted by
earlier volunteers have died. Heavy equipment
left behind very bare ground in the Lonesome
Pine Meadow. This is an excellent time to
encourage the spread of prairie plants in Mary’s
Meadow such as Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, and
Indian Grass.
11/11 Approximately 150 saplings were mulched by two
Brownie troops led by Kathy Smith (#7617) and Autumn
Hill and Laura Korth (#7457). Fifty-one tons of amended
topsoil had been delivered and graded into terraces prior to
the workday so new plantings would not have to be
planted in the clay subsoil/topsoil mixture. Into these
terraces, eight more trees and shrubs were planted,
mulched, and watered by troops #7743/7491 (Rebecca
Gant) and #7086 (Lauren Buskirk).. Two cottonwood
saplings were also transplanted to the stream edge by
Lauren Buskirk’s troop.
9/16 Christine Graves greeted volunteers at the cache
handing out plastic bags with which to collect prairie seed
from Flag Pole Hill for
reseeding the Lonesome Pine
meadow at a later date. Robin
Robertson was on hand at the
cabin to collect the seed, check
in volunteers, and assign tasks.
11/11 Mulch was spread by
Rebecca Gant’s troop, Cindy
Neff’s troop (#7728), and Joe
Gant under the adventure
course structures. They also spread more mulch all over
the Lonesome Pine meadow which will be disked into the
clay at a later date. 11/11 Chainsaws were a big part of
the effort. Four of the adults (Alex Weston, Dan
Freeman, a father with Lora Korth’s troop, and David
Petr) wielded chainsaws to clear hedge trees to thin out
the woods in the Lonesome Pine recreational zone. A
large tree that died because of the city storm sewer project
was also cut into firewood. Others that helped in
Lonesome Pine were Mary Beth Peter, Pam Patrick and
her daughter, and Alex Weston’s daughter. Two fires
tended by Christine Graves and Cindy Riling blazed for
almost four hours, and there is still more to burn.
Campers created two new fire rings in the new recreational zone of
Lonesome Pine during Day Camp.
Cache: 9/16 Christine Graves checked over the kitchen
flys stored in the cache to make sure they are complete
and serviceable. Mary’s Meadows: 9/16 Jill Giele and
Karen Warner burned brush at the Gathering Place in
Mary’s Meadow. 11/11 Jill Baringer and Karen Warner
tended the fire at the Gathering Place. Judy Inverarity
and Wanda Waugh hauled more brush from around the
edge of the meadow. 11/11 Two hundred (200) buffalo
grass plugs were planted by Katie Sadler along with a
girl from her troop and Sara and Paula Kyriakos. Bare,
compacted ground left by the storm sewer project was
broken up and Konza prairie grass seed broadcast over
the area (David and Ellyn Owen). Entrance &
(Continued on page 4)
CALLING ALL ELVES!
Is there someone on your list who shares your commitment to green space and a
place where girls experience the outdoors? With a gift membership to Friends of
Hidden Valley, your special someone will receive newsletters and invitations to
Hidden Valley events. Donations are tax deductible.
Gift to:
Special Instructions:
Name _________________________________________________________

Street________________________________________________

City, State, & Zip______________________________________

Gift Membership $25 ______________ Donation $________

From:
Your Name ___________________________________________

Your Phone ___________________________________________

Please send to: Friends of Hidden Valley, Inc., P.O. Box 442073, Lawrence, KS 66044
Checks should be made out to Friends of Hidden Valley.

Friends will send a special greeting to your gift recipient acknowledging your generous
annual membership gift and donations made in their name.

Friends of Hidden Valley, Inc.

P.O. Box 442073
Lawrence, KS 66044
DISREGARD THIS PAGE
 ALTERNATE LAYOUT—use if B
Cabin & Garden Cleanup Workday by Robin Robertson

On September 16th, the Friends hosted the annual cabin and garden cleanup workday to get the cabin and its immediate
area ready for the Friends annual meeting. Thirteen girls and sixteen adults made it a success.

 Christine Graves greeted volunteers at the cache handing out plastic bags with which to collect prairie seed from
Flag Pole Hill for reseeding the Lonesome Pine meadow at a later date. It was an opportunity to recognize dominant
prairie grasses, including Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, and Indian Grass. In between greeting volunteers, Christine
checked over the kitchen flys stored in the cache to make sure they are complete and serviceable.

 Robin Robertson was on hand at the cabin to collect the seed, check in volunteers, and assign tasks.

 Jeannie McClure, Kate Baringer, and Kyra Flummerfelt’s troop cleaned the cabin inside and out.

 Cindy Dunham, Cindy Riling, and Robin tackled the task of removing the wood edging around the front brick patio
of the cabin. They replaced it with metal edging installed flush with the bricks, making the cabin more handicap-
accessible. At a later date, Cris Bandle and her troop of older girls, along with Robin Robertson, completed the
edging replacement around the back brick patio.

 Other tasks around the cabin included reseeding areas of the lawn with fescue (Lavonne Mark’s Cadette troop
#7630) and mulching around the trees (Lauren Buskirk’s Brownie troop 7086). While reseeding the cabin yard,
Cadette troop 7630 started digging up heaved rocks, both in the yard and on the trail to Hillside. It turned out that
these “toe stumpers” had a bit more hidden under ground than what was protruding above the surface.

 Durand Reiber and Margaret Townsend gave a full cleaning to the UACT (universally accessible composting toilet),
weeded the UACT garden, and hung a sheet of paneling in the UACT on which to post instructions and the unit’s
dedication poem (written by Gwen Macpherson).

 Wanda Waugh and Gwen Macpherson cut back brush around the
edge of the yard.

 Gwen and her husband Randy Farr, not only cut up downed trees
and stocked woodpiles, they also started work on the renovation
of the Hillside campsite, clearing trees and brush in order to move
the present fire ring to a more suitable location.

 Jill Giele and Karen Warner burned brush at the Gathering Place
in Mary’s Meadow.

 Flora and Benji Wyatt

cleaned out the bluebird
boxes.

 Bob Russell attached wheels

to the front entrance gate,
cleared some dead falls
along Bob Billings Pkwy,
and tidied up the stream trail.

 “Pizza Fairy” Brian Walter (Troop 7086) worked his magic, providing
pizza for all of the hardworking volunteers.
Brownie Play Day is dropped
Woodcutting Workday by Robin Robertson

On November 11th, the Friends hosted the final workday of the year. Mary’s Meadow and the Lonesome Pine
area benefited from the hard work of fifty-five volunteers (twenty-five youth, thirty adults).

Lonesome Pine area (supervised by Durand Reiber)

The excavation done for the city storm sewer project incorporated the clay subsoil into the top layer of soil in
much of the open area at Lonesome Pine. Because of this, water is not draining, and large trees in the area have
died or are dying. Many of the shrubs and small trees planted by earlier volunteers have died.

 Two fires tended by Christine Graves and

Cindy Riling blazed for almost four hours,
and there is still more to burn.

 Approximately 150 saplings were

mulched by two Brownie troops led by
Kathy Smith (#7617) and Autumn Hill
and Laura Korth (#7457).

 Fifty-one tons of amended topsoil had

been delivered and graded into terraces
prior to the workday so new plantings
would not have to be planted in the clay
subsoil/topsoil mixture. Into these
terraces, eight more trees and shrubs were
planted, mulched, and watered by troops
#7743/7491 (Rebecca Gant) and #7086
(Lauren Buskirk).

 Two cottonwood saplings were also transplanted to the stream edge by Lauren Buskirk’s troop.

 Mulch was spread by Rebecca Gant’s troop, Cindy Neff’s troop (#7728), and Joe Gant under the adventure
course structures. They also spread more mulch all over the Lonesome Pine meadow which will be disked
into the clay at a later date.

 Chainsaws were a big part of the effort. Four of the adults (Alex Weston, Dan Freeman, a father with Lora
Korth’s troop, and David Petr) wielded chainsaws to clear hedge trees to thin out the woods in the Lonesome
Pine recreational zone. A large tree that died because of the city storm sewer project was also cut into
firewood. Others that helped in Lonesome Pine were Mary Beth Peter, Pam Patrick and her daughter, and
Alex Weston’s daughter.

Mary’s Meadows
Robin Robertson supervised the tasks and treats—s’mores, apple cider, & hot chocolate.

 Jill Baringer and Karen Warner tended the fire at the Gathering Place while Judy Inverarity and Wanda
Waugh hauled more brush from around the edge of the meadow to keep the fire burning.

 Two hundred (200) buffalo grass plugs were planted by Katie Sadler along with a girl from her troop and
Sara and Paula Kyriakos.

 Bare, compacted ground left by the storm sewer project was broken up and Konza prairie grass seed
broadcast over the area (David and Ellyn Owen).