In This Issue: Fish Tails Slammin’ the Swinging Door Archeology of the Silver Glen Boating Law Change for 2018 Camp Reports Day Trip – Blue Spring State Park Thanksgiving Camp Nuisance Gator Taken from Boil New Years Camp Love’s Labour Lost Main Camp Lost & Not Found MGM Camp

Slammin’ the Swinging Door YADA, YADA, YADA. It’s time to read the latest edition of the Swingin’ Door! We get to pay Sales Tax! Oh joy! Rapture! It could always be worse…

Lee Porter spearheads Juniper’s efforts to battle the dreaded disease that causes our citrus orchard to produce inedible fruit. Citrus greening disease is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, was first described in 1929 and first reported in China in 1943. Eventually, it affected the United States, reaching Florida in 2005. Within three years, it had spread to the majority of citrus farms. The rapid increase in this disease has threatened the citrus industry not only in Florida, but the entire US. As of 2009, 33 countries have reported infection in their citrus crop. Experts visited Juniper with Lee to speak with Gene, President Steve and Board

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Members Tom Reichard, Mark Eley, Paul Bickel and Walt Kunau. We will keep you informed of the progress we are making but it appears that we will destroy our current orchard, re-work the irrigation system and begin replanting a smaller one with different fruits that ripen during our camp season. Thanks for the help Lee! Bob Sehlinger has been working on a REVISED History of the Juniper Club and it is close to completion! Look for more information about this important book that recalls our past and our traditions as the Juniper Club moves into her second century! This new initiative would not happen if it were not for the willingness and expertise of Bob! Thanks!! The Almost Famous Game Dinner is on and food will be on the table on June 21st. Mark your calendars! I need your help! Camp Captains, please send me your Camp Reports and Pictures – both make the website more interesting and the Swinging Door fun to read. Members send me your pictures and ideas on stories. If you write one, I will publish. Let me in on those funny fish tails so we can all enjoy a laugh and I can blame some of the bad jokes on someone other than me! The website is updated. I update the site with the latest camp reports and new photo galleries most every month. In the Members Only Section there is a floor plan for camp captains provided by Joe Kelley. Thanks Joe! Remember the Website password is Juniper1909. If the website is acting up please let me know. Check it out! http://juniper.club Finally, Don’t let the Swinging Door hit you on your way out! Walt Rodman Reservoir Joe Kelley suggested that I write about Rodman Reservoir because it was ranked #8 on Bassmaster’s Top Ten list of fisheries for 2016. While many Juniper campers fish Rodman, many of us do not know its history. The Florida Wildlife commission describes Rodman Reservoir as a premier largemouth bass fishery located in north Northeast Florida, covers 9,500 acres and is about 15 miles long. It is located south of Palatka off of Hwy 19. The reservoir was created in 1968 when an earthen dam was built across the . A four-gate spillway (Kirkpatrick Dam) controls the water levels of the reservoir. The reservoir from its headwaters at Eureka Dam to Paynes Landing consists of flooded woodlands. The transition section from Paynes Landing to Orange Springs consists of flooded standing timber and areas of floating vegetation. The pool section from Orange Springs to Kirkpatrick Dam, including the river channel and the Cross Florida Barge Canal, consists of floating and submersed vegetation, dead standing timber and submersed and partially submersed trees and stumps. The Barge Canal and river channel have water depths up to 30 feet deep. Submersed vegetation (hydrilla, coontail and eel grass) is common in the pool section of the reservoir. Drawdowns are conducted every three to four years on the reservoir for aquatic plant control and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement.

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On the Bassmasters.com website, Bernie Schultz writes, “And besides supporting a healthy population of fish, Rodman is also home to countless other species of wildlife, including alligators, turtles, otters, turkey, deer, black bears, eagles and a wide range of waterfowl. The reservoir is fed by the Ocklawaha River, which in turn is comprised of runoff from the Harris Chain of Lakes and Silver Springs. Although it’s less than 50 years old, the lake has a somewhat prehistoric look. Fields of decaying timber hold giant rafts of hyacinths and water lettuce, and beneath these green canopies lurk some of Florida’s largest bass.”

Many of us have spent time at Rodman with the late Nelson Hulvey and have stories to tell – true or not! There are two guides that Juniper members and their guest employ: Sean Rush at Trophy Bass Expeditions, 352-843-0939 FLORIDATROPHYBASS.COM; or Tommy McConnell, Teri Davis’ son-in-law, Reel Southern Charters, 352-239-1468. Some folks trailer their own boat and enjoy the day at this first class fishery but however you fish there, you are in for a treat and can create your own fish tale!

Thanksgiving Camp

Thanksgiving Camp 2016 was another great camp. The weather conditions the first half of the week were less than favorable. High pressure was prevalent and a strong northeast wind made fishing very difficult. Nighttime lows were in the low thirties which made the fireplace a popular area especially in the morning. Despite the tough conditions the camp still caught 221 bass. Anderson County native thirteen year old Everett Marret caught the most fish with (47) followed by his dad Taylor who caught (23). Davis Tatum (14) and Everett tied for the largest bass in camp which was 6 lbs. Doug Hall did catch a 7 lb bass at Rodman when he went with Tommy. The weather improved midweek and was absolutely spectacular Thanksgiving Day, partly sunny conditions with a light wind and temperatures in the low 70's. The Juniper staff put out a feast fit for a king including Turkey, Ham, Oyster Dressing, Sweet Potatoes along with all the

Page 3 of 9 The Swinging Door Winter 2017 fixings. The younger guests capped off the afternoon with a Jeep ride from Captain General(Vic Stutz) which was follow up by a sunset cocktail cruise up and down the Silver Glen on the SS WR Cole which was captained by Wes Johnson and company. What a great way to end the day. Last but not least thanks to the entire Juniper Staff for putting on another excellent Thanksgiving Camp. Cheers! Captain Ray Hundley

New Years Camp Campers from Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and Alabama enjoyed the most perfect weather ever experienced at a New Year’s Camp. With the exception of one chilly but clear day, it was a whole week of warm sunshine and light breezes. Activities at the camp were varied as usual with fishing being preeminent. Ponder Parks hauled in 31 bass to lead the camp, with Keith Boyle close behind. At least six campers caught their largest bass ever including several 8- pounders. One day our best anglers went with a guide to Rodman where they inflicted a serious blow to the mudfish and pickerel population. Other activities included hiking, paddling, mountain biking, and 4-wheel bear-scouting safaris. The Glen took on the aspect of a boating regatta over the long New Year’s weekend with all manner of craft coming and going continuously. New Year’s Eve was a busy night as we combined picking and singing with NCAA semifinal football games. Overall it was a fattening week and a great seven days for carnivores with lamb, prime rib, corned beef, jerk pork, and steak all making appearances on the menu. Each expertly prepared, by the way. Camp was in wonderful condition and Gene and the crew turned in another flawless performance. Bob Sehlinger

Main Camp

Twenty-six Campers attended the first week of the 2017 Main Camp. The week began cold, with highs in the 40’s. By the end of the week we had sunny skies and highs in the 70’s. Fishing was tough on with a significant number of the 343 fish caught for the week coming from Rodman and guided trips. Cy Radford took the award for high number caught for the week with 28 fish. Several 6 pound fish were caught during the week from the St Johns and Lake George. However, the largest fish caught for the week was a 12 pound monster caught by Mark Eley at Rodman Reservoir while on a trip with Tommy McConnell.

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Many stories were shared during the week, but maybe the most believable came from a presentation to the group Thursday night by Ken Sassaman of the University of Florida and Asa Randall, from the University of Oklahoma. Ken and Asa gave a summary of the archaeological findings on the Juniper Club property, including news of findings from the summer of 2016’s dig, where initial tests were done in an area adjoining the Little Juniper Creek. However, maybe the best story of the week came from Jim Siler’s guest, Garvin Deters, who related his personal experience riding with Joe Kelley as Joe tried to set a new top speed for his boat. Twenty-three Campers attended the second week. The second week was maybe one of the most weather perfect weeks ever. No rain to speak of, occasional clouds to help fishing, and temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. Tony did an amazing job shuffling boats around between weeks. What should be a stressful time, one group leaving and another arriving, was made to look effortless to those of us that were there, by Gene and our exceptional Staff. Fishing got better slowly during the 2nd week with 358 caught, 701 fish during the 2 weeks. Still a significant number of fish caught during the 2nd were caught at Rodman. The weekly title for most caught went to Kenny Reutlinger, III with 57. The largest fish caught during the week, a 12-1/2 pounder, was caught by Ken, Jr. at Rodman. Both weeks featured fantastic meals and the staff was never so gracious. But the 2nd week featured some very special meals. Thanks to huge efforts by Gene Nelson and Mike Kapfhammer, Wednesday’s fabulous dinner included smoked pork ribs and barbequed chicken. Mike again stepped up Friday night and grilled salmon as part of the last dinner of Main Camp 2017. For all the Juniper Club members who have been Main Camp Captains, it is nothing new when I say what an honor it is to captain Main Camp. And it never ceases to amaze me what a wonderful and amazing group of gentlemen are drawn to gather each January on the banks of the Silver Glen. Taking liberties with Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day Speech and applying it to Juniper’s Main Camp, I say…”We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that fishes with me shall be my brother. Be he ne’er so vile”. Rudy Vogt, Captain

MGM Camp Camp started at its unofficial, but customary time, with dinner at the Blackwater Inn on the St. Johns River on Saturday January 30. All then in attendance at the Camp joined in the fellowship. Much food, drink, and renewing of acquaintances took place. The jovial atmosphere was only slightly tainted by University of Kentucky’s loss to Kansas; but everyone returned to the Juniper Club safely (always our first priority). Weather at the Camp began a bit depressingly with overcast skies and cool temperatures, but by Monday the skies cleared, the temperatures rose, and the weather was absolutely spectacular the rest of the week, with bright sunshine and high temperatures in the mid-seventies. While the water was extremely low, and the fishing extremely slow, this was the best MGM Camp that those present had ever attended (if one judges such things from all of the post-camp comments). In addition to the weather, fellowship, and spirits; this MGM Camp had a few new wrinkles when compared to prior camps including; Euchre, Shotgunning, and tasty menu surprises. The inaugural Euchre Tournament was won by the dream team of Doug Giffen and John Caprini (the latter a “ringer” traveling all the way from his home in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico), and

Page 5 of 9 The Swinging Door Winter 2017 special mention to Teri who knocked the cover off of the ball with the combo Cornish Hen/Lamb presentation on Thursday night, and the BBQ Salmon. The Sporting Clays started slow, but picked up a little steam when the participants finally learned how to load their shotguns, and stopped trying to hit clays with no loads in their guns. Gene was in disbelief, “Are you kidding me?” A report of the MGM Camp 2017 would not be complete without mentioning the participation of Gayle Herndon from Kiawah, SC. A guest at the MGM Camp for many years, Gayle showed his importance and contribution to the MGM Camp by capturing 1st place in the Clay shoot; top prize with the Most Fish; and Runner-Up in the Euchre Tournament. By a vote of the other participants, Gayle will not be invited back next year. Lastly, we should mention that there are still a few large fish left in Lake George. While it will not make the Juniper Clubhouse wall, member Don Giffen caught an 8 lb 2 oz Largemouth just beyond the Jetty (released and still out there). The MGM Camp concluded after breakfast on Saturday, February 4, 2017. Special thanks to Capt. Lyle Waller and brother Doug Giffen for making this camp special. All-in-all, a very good camp. Camp Recorder: Don Giffen Fish Tails What do you call a fish that floats on the surface? - Bob! Alex had a terrible day fishing on the lake, sitting in the blazing sun all day without catching a single one. On his way home, he stopped at the fishmonger and ordered four rainbow trout. He told the fishmonger, 'Pick four large ones out and throw them at me, will you?' 'Why do you want me to throw them at you?' Asked the salesman?' So that I am able to tell my wife, in all honesty, that I caught them.' said Alex. 'Okay, but I suggest that you take the salmon.' Why's that? 'Because your wife came in earlier today and said that if you came by, I should tell you to take salmon.’ Archeology of the Silver Glen – Part 3 by Kenneth E. Sassaman, University of Florida The First Sustained Settlement: Locus A Isolated surface finds of stone tools suggest that people first utilized the southern margin of Silver Glen Run as early as 9,500 years ago. However, it was another millennium before the region enjoyed better aquatic conditions thanks to greater artesian flow of area springs, the hydrologic effects of rising sea in the St. Johns drainage, and overall increased rainfall. At this time (~8,700– 8,200 years ago) the southern shoreline terrace of Silver Glen Run was utilized intensively for activities that included, among other things, the digging and infilling of large pits (this is the area labeled “Locus A” in Figure 1). Many centuries later this same location was the recipient of repeated stages of shell and sand deposition, each covering surfaces on which houses were built and people dwelled. By about 5,500 years ago the resulting ¬shell-and-sand ridge was over 600 feet long, 200 feet wide, and around 14 feet high. It too was mined for its shell, but instead of leveling it completely, the miners left intact portions as tall as 8 feet that provided ample opportunity to observe profiles of layered shell and sand. Field school students excavated test units to expose large profiles in three locations along the length of the ridge (Figure 2). In all locations of testing, led by Asa Randall, the basal layers of the ridge consisted of organically-enriched earth with shell, animal bone, paleofeces, ash, and charcoal. This was the “natural” ground surface, on which activities involving diverse foods, materials, and substances were deposited, and into which residents dug a variety of pits. As noted earlier, pit digging in this location goes back to the very beginnings of prolonged and repeated land use. Some of the early

Page 6 of 9 The Swinging Door Winter 2017 pits, which tend to be deep and large, contain shell and were altered by heat, and were thus likely used to steam shellfish. However, the first shell to be deposited on the ground surface post-dates 6,300 years ago. What transpired over the intervening two millennia is unknown and in need of further investigation. What is known is that a foot-thick cap of artifact-free sand was rapidly emplaced over the entire length of the pit assemblage and overlying surface midden at some point between 6,190 and 5,930 years ago. The volume of sand covering this 70,000 square foot area is roughly equal to the volume of a surface depression some 150 feet south the ridge. Long thought to be a sink hole, this depression could well be the source of sand covering the ridge (that is, a borrow pit).

On top of this sand across the length of the ridge, fires were set in shallow pits. Thereafter, village life ensued with the establishment of small house mounds, around which shell and other materials accumulated as midden. Surfaces were capped off in some cases, in others apparently not. Casts of buried roots attest to periods of abandonment, when substantial trees were re- established in locations cleared for habitation. This sequence of fits and starts elapsed until at least 5,700 years ago. Boating Law Change for 2018

3/23/2017 New federal law to affect the 2018 boating season

New federal law to affect the 2018 boating season

lanereport.com /75112/2017/03/new­federal­law­to­affect­the­2018­boating­season/

Hull Identification Numbers must be verified before hitting the open waters

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Florida Fish, Game & Wildlife

Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office were called to remove a massive gator from a swimming area at Silver Glen Springs on Saturday. MCSO Patrol Deputy David Christmas responded to a call at around 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, about an alligator that had taken up residence in the designated swimming area at Silver Glen Springs. According to the MCSO, Christmas called a few trappers to help with the capture of the 13-foot-long alligator. Day Trip to Blue Spring State Park On a slow fishing day at Main Camp 2017, my friend Charlie Marsh and I took an afternoon trip to Blue Spring State Park,15 miles south of Deland and about a 45 minute drive from Juniper. Blue Spring State Park covers more than 2,600 acres, including the largest spring on the St. John's River. Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge and the winter home to a growing population of West Indian Manatees. During manatee season, which runs from mid-November through March, several hundred manatee can be viewed atop the spring’s overlooks on cold days. The day we visited 296 manatees had been counted that day!

Manatees, Florida’s marine mammal, are gentle and slow-moving animals. Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and traveling. They are mostly herbivorous and can consume 10-15% of their body weight in vegetation daily. Because they are mammals, they must surface to breathe air. They may rest submerged at the bottom or just below the surface of the water, coming up to breathe on an average of every three to five minutes. When manatees are using a great deal of energy, they may surface to breathe as often as every 30 seconds. When resting, manatees have

Page 8 of 10 The Swinging Door Winter 2017 been known to stay submerged for up to 20 minutes. Manatees can swim up to 20 miles per hour in short bursts, but they usually only swim about three to five miles per hour.

West Indian manatees have no natural enemies, and it is believed they can live 60 years or more. The reproductive rate for manatees is low and they are not sexually mature until they are about five years old. It is believed that one calf is born every two to five years, and twins are rare. The gestation period is about a year. Mothers nurse their young for one to two years, during which time a calf remains dependent on its mother. As with all wild animal populations, a some manatee mortality is attributed to natural causes of death such as cold stress, gastrointestinal disease, pneumonia, and other diseases. They are listed as endangered largely due to human activity. Since record keeping began in 1974, more than 41% of manatee deaths were identified as human- related – and almost 34% were due to watercraft collisions (the largest known cause of manatee deaths). Other causes of human-related manatee mortality include being crushed and/or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fishhooks, litter, and monofilament line; and entanglement in crab trap lines. With increased awareness, education, regulations, and enforcement, manatee deaths caused by humans could be substantially reduced, and the eventual recovery of the species could be realized. Ultimately, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees in the United States today. There is a minimum population count of 6,250 manatees as of February 2016, according to the most recent synoptic survey.

After several slow fishing days in February, I travelled back to Blue Spring with my wife, Lynn. While there were fewer manatees, the crowds were smaller as well. We toured the original home on the site and learned about early Florida settlements. Want to try something new at Juniper, visit Blue Springs State Park https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Blue-Spring and/or watch the live webcam: http://www.savethemanatee.org/savethemanateecam.html

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Love’s Labour Lost

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I#c.. j;JJI"-t!, ~ ) '1 O",ve II ? / • Hello Fairra Mae, I belong to a Louisville organization that was founded in 1909, The Juniper Club, that has a lodge in Salt Springs, Florida. During our Spring cleaning a pamphlet was found. We think it might have been intended for you. If it is not, please let me know so we can continue the search for its intended recipient.

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rr : n ~/ .e • j II o 1/~"t-4'r eeA;le...s !.,~t5vry. ~ t 0 v -e, )!_~ () d(Jj1I ~ ~? My II J -e, wde//d# 'i r~, r e sl- dI- , "- /; e jV e; y ,fh '~/ 4. e",vt!-.s 1.'----. C) () yo 1/ -e s it/e , rr-: ~ l ~//I I:J (L, A (I sj,-r,vt:! ,.' !~ ,9 AI / ""//~. If it is and you would like to have the original, please let me know and I will mail it to you. If you would care to fill in any of the details that I could share with the membership, I would be happy to do so, but only with your consent on the content. If this brings you anything but a smile and happiness, I apologize. I am trying to do the right thing. Feel free to call, write or email – whichever is easiest. I will not contact you again unless you reply. Best wishes, Walt Kunau Long Lost Reels Three Shimano Calcutta reels have disappeared. There really is no magic to that – I just misplaced them and my fifty-eight year old brain (which might be well on its way to being pickled) can’t remember where I put them. The last time I used them was at Rum-n-Done last May. If you find them please let me know. I will concoct some outrageous story which has as its last lines, “Where did you find them?” “The last place I looked.” Well duh!

Don’t let the Door hit you on the way out! Best - Walt

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