A long walk in the woods

By: RAYMOND PARTSCH III
Managing Editor

The midday sun peaks through the lush vegetation of the branches that hang high above the worn dirt path below. The only sounds that can be heard are that of the mid-morning breeze that gently blows through the leaves and a chorus of chirping birds above.
That is the peaceful scene one experiences when he or she walks the trails inside the Louisiana State Arboretum, the South’s first such facility and the first state-supported arboretum in the United States.
“I feel very lucky that I get to work somewhere that I love this much,” said Interpretive Ranger III Kimberley Hollier, who has worked at the arboretum since 1999. “I get to see something exciting almost every day. I mean I saw seven deer this morning. You never know what you are going to see with nature.”
Resting inside Chicot State Park, the Louisiana State Arboretum was dedicated by the State Parks Commission in 1964. The facility originally was situated on 300 acres and had about three miles of walking trails, with the main entrance being off old La. Hwy. 3042.
For generations of school children, vacationing families and botanists alike, the arboretum gave them the chance to experience Louisiana’s natural habit up close.
“My parents took me here when I was younger and I remember how nice it was,” said Hollier, who graduated from LSU with a degree in Wildlife Biology in 1998. “I just love walking all the trails. It will give you a look at a different part of Louisiana than you may be used to seeing.”
There are hundreds of species of vegetation and trees such as sycamores, magnolias, hickories, beeches and poison ivy that grow freely throughout the area, which is free of charge. If a tree falls in the area it is left exactly where it fell so its nutrients can naturally over time seep back into the Earth. The only exception being if the tree falls onto a path, then arboretum employees simply cut away the part blocking the path, and taking that section and placing off the path to naturally decompose.
In addition to the trees, opossums, wild turkeys, deer, squirrels, turtles, dozens of species of birds and snakes all roam the landscape as well.
Yet the most common question that Hollier, and her colleagues, receive from the roughly 11,000 yearly visitors (from as far away as Canada and France) is about a creature more identified with Texas or New Mexico than Louisiana.
“Anybody that is not from an area that has armadillos will have questions about armadillos,” Hollier laughed. “They want to see an armadillo, even more than an alligator.”
Little more than five years ago, the arboretum expanded to 600 acres and its walking trails are now five and half miles in length. More than a hundred detailed illustrated information signs are placed along the trails.
Those trials consist of the Bald Cypress Trail (0.2 miles), the more hilly Pawpaw Loop Trail (1.25 miles), the area’s main artery the Walker Branch Trail (1.5 miles), the Wetland Trail (0.7), the secluded and challenging Backbone Ridge Trail (1.25 miles) and the wheelchair accessible Walker Terrace (0.3 miles).
“It is one of the key attractions that we send people to,” Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce Director Camille Fontenot said. “When they come in here and ask us where to go? We tell them about it. It is something that really brings people here, like a zoo or something.”
For those wanting to experience the arboretum up close, there are certain ground rules that Hollier and her staff strongly recommend visitors adhere to. In addition to making sure you stay on the trails and watch where you step, there are no pets, sit-down picnics and bicycles allowed.
Also with elevation inside the arboretum ranging from as low as 44 feet all the way as high as 133 feet, Hollier also recommends proper foot wear.
“The thing that I see that I would want people not to do is walk the trails in flip flops,” Hollier said. “I would suggest you wear a shoe that covers your entire foot.”
The arboretum has come a long way from the days when it took the diligent efforts of longtime Ville Platte High principal J.D. ‘Prof’ Lafleur, forester Caroline Dorman, Louisiana State Park and Recreation Commission board member Sudie Merritt Lawton, Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, Ville Platte Rotary Club and the Magnolia Garden Club among others to convince the state to sign off on the arboretum.
A new state-of-the-art Nature Center, which houses interactive exhibits and a classroom area for children, was constructed and then dedicated on March 14, 2010. The new facility was named after Lafleur.
Whether it is the classes held at the Dulcie D. Dupre Outdoor Classroom or the numerous weekend events which include bird hikes, junior ranger programs and the immensely popular Insect Day in July, education is at the forefront of what the arboretum does.
“Education is so important,” Hollier said. “Anybody that comes in we want them to have an enjoyment of nature. Our main focus is to teach people about trees and in particular the trees of Louisiana.”

Louisiane de prés or 'Louisiana up close' is a semi-annual feature series from The Ville Platte Gazette which showcases affordable attractions and establishments that are authentic to the storied landscape of Louisiana. This Sunday: Louisiana State Arboretum in Ville Platte. Sunday, Sept. 5: Orphan Train Museum in Opelousas.