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THE JUNIPER CLUB ! JUL 2013

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This is the second article about the Juniper Club from the Ocala Star-Banner written by David Cook in 1988. Mr. Cook is still not clear about Hugh Nevin.


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Message from the President

The 2012-2013 Camp Season is over, and both Camp attendance and revenue is up. Over this past year we have completed many needed maintenance projects, and Gene and Tony have several on the schedule to be completed this summer, including work on the shiner tank roof. Again this summer Dr. Ken Sassaman is holding his Archaeology Field School at the Club.

Richard Otto has just been moved to Life Member, which has opened a space for a new non-resident member. In April we accepted two new members; Don Callahan as a non-resident member, and Joe Kelley as a resident member.

Friday June 28th was the annual Game Dinner, which was held at the Pendennis Club. We had 23 in attendance, which was a little light, but the crowd was jovial and the food was good. Please remember the Annual Meeting will be Friday September 20th also at the Pendennis Club.

I attended another “Collaborative Process for Silver Glen Springs” meeting April 12th, in Ocala, regarding future plans for Silver Glen. Again the meeting included only invited organizations and individuals. Most of this meeting was spent reviewing new signage for Silver Glen, and a proposed educational pamphlet for boaters. The hope is to educated boaters how to use the Silver Glen minimizing damage to aquatic vegetation and protecting water quality. Because the boating community can now use some of the facilities of the park for free, there is renewed interest in new docking facilities at the park. As of now, the talk of any new docks or access from the Glen are centered around upgrading the current access near the spring, to make it handicapped accessible. Between the Public Lands Administration and the FWC, the owners of the “stored” boats in the Glen have been forced to move their boats. Unfortunately, there are now two boats moored on the lake side of the big island at the mouth of the Glen. The PLA and the FWC’s control of any long term stored boats does not end with the Glen, so the pressure is on again for the boat owners to move the boats. This may degenerate into a cat and mouse game.

The biggest problem for Florida’s agriculture industry right now is the “Greening Disease”, a bacterial infestation of citrus trees that ultimately results in the tree’s death. We have discussed the Juniper citrus grove with Nick Faryna of Umatilla, a grove care specialist,


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who’s initial comments are that we may not yet have an issue with the “Greening Disease”, but have had significant frost damage from cold snaps in February, and are seeing mortality associated with age and the “sour root stock” on which the fruit producing limbs were originally grafted. Unfortunately the entire State of Florida may be effected by this disease for which there is no easy answer. For Juniper, it has been decided to have Nick back periodically to look for changes in the Grove’s health, and step up our fertilization program, possibly incorporating in fertilization that would be sprayed on the leaves and trees. Increased and more effective fertilization will hopefully help keep what we have healthy, while the State and Federal Ag. Departments look for a cure or at least more resistive varieties of citrus trees to plant.

On July 8th, we signed a contract with Cremer Wood, Inc to come on to the property and cut approximately 230 acres of sand pine stands. The stands to be cut are located along Fence Line Road just east of Rt. 19, and will be accessed using the new road built for the cell tower. These stands have been ready to cut for a couple of years, but with the wet weather in north Florida lately, we have been able to get a premium price since our timber is on high ground and accessible. The loggers should be in and out in just a few weeks. Re-planting probably won’t occur until sometime in winter of 2014-15.

We still have a couple of members that are delinquent as to the By-Laws requirement of physically attending six camp days in every two year period. Members should be familiar with Club By-Laws without having to be reminded by the Board of Directors. However, since the Board started reminding the members of the requirements just over a year ago, the Board is willing to wave the requirement for this year, allowing the members still delinquent an additional year to fulfill their requirements. It is the Board’s intention to enforce the requirement with all members at the end of 2014.

If anyone has any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the members of the Board of Directors.

Rudy Vogt


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New Year’s Camp - (Dec 27-Jan 3)Twenty-two campers from Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Great Britain celebrated New Years Eve on a warm, starry, December night. Guitar playing, singing, and a didgeridoo demonstration led to an artillery barrage at midnight. Campers caught 172 bass with Ponder Parks accounting for 57 of them (and yes, he occasionally slept and came in for meals). The largest fish was 6 pounds landed by Rebecca Atkins. Paddlers logged 7 miles on the Silver River where they encountered the colony of rhesus macaque monkeys established around the spring of 1938. The monkeys were released by tour boat operator Colonel (his

first name) Tooey to enhance his Jungle Cruise excursion. The often told explanation that the monkeys escaped during the filming of a Tarzan movie at Silver Springs is not true. Paddlers also paddled the Upper Juniper from the aquifer to the FL 19 bridge. In an unexpected development, changes in the river have created a rapid about 30 yards long with standing waves at the bottom. This is remarkable given that the elevation loss in the 7.5-mile run is miniscule. In other activities, mountain bikers racked up 45 miles and hikers 24 miles. Weather good, food excellent, staff perfect. Captain Bob Sehlinger

Reichard Camp - (Feb 10 - 23)Camp officially began on Sunday February 10th and ended Saturday February 23rd. There were 8campers present Saturday night. A total of 39 campers enjoyed two weeks of generally warm and dry weather. The exception the first week was Weds the 13th it was overcast with extremely high winds that was accompanied by heavy rain, which kept everyone in the clubhouse or fishing off of the boat dock. Dock fishing was quite productive throughout this camp. The first week produced 227 catch and release fish. The most fish caught was by Sara Gilliam 44 and the largest without a guide was 8.5 pounds by Mike Kap(ammer. The second week brought cooler temperatures in the morning in fact we had 2 mornings when the low was 29 degrees. Every day warmed up nicely the lowest high being 51 degrees the remainder of the days were in the 70’s and low 80’s. Getting in the river through

the Little Juniper was easily accomplished both weeks although it took careful guiding of one’s boat. The second week a dead bear appeared in the water of the river by the lily pads just up from the cut through on the left going upstream. The second week produced 224 catch and release bass. The largest bass without a guide was 5 pounds caught by Jim Seiler and the most fish caught was by Mark Eley 31. The 2-week total was 501 fish. Both weeks we had Dr. Ken Sassman from the University of Florida Department of Anthropology for dinner after which he gave a very dynamic and educational talk about the field school and their summer work at The Juniper Club. As usual the food was superb. The Club facility is in great shape with many improvements. Our thanks go out to Gene, Teri, Tony, Kim, Amy, and Becky they are what make the spirit of Juniper continue.

Captain Tom Reichard


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Shellcracker Camp - (Mar 17 - 23)

The Fifty-Fifth edition of Shellcracker Camp (2013) started out in typical fashion with our annual pre-camp briefing at the Blackwater Inn. The outside deck area which provides a spectacular view of the St Johns River was filled to capacity as everyone enjoyed lunch and a few cold beverages under the warm sunny skies. It can’t be put into words but it’s always a special feeling when you head up Highway 19 and see the brown sign with the yellow lettering that says Juniper Club. After a long cold winter in Kentucky, members and guests alike are glad to be back at Juniper. The weather was picture perfect on Sunday and Monday with a calm west wind and temperatures in the mid 70’s. Fishing was excellent pretty much everywhere especially out on Lake George. John Moremen caught a nice 8 lb’er(see picture). This was the biggest fish caught in Camp the entire week. As a matter of fact a number of sizeable fish were caught in this same spot. You can probably figure it out if you look closely. The nice weather didn’t last long as a front rolled through Monday night and Tuesday morning everyone awoke to 37 degrees and winds out of the NE at 10-15 mph. There is a reason that each room has two sets of extra blankets and they sure did come in handy. To offset the cool weather we had a fire going practically all week long. Tony did a great job keeping the firewood restocked. From Tuesday to Thursday it was unseasonably cool and the fishing activity I

mean the fish catching activity really slowed down. The lake was treacherous as waves were typically 2-3 ft and it made going to the Juniper River almost impossible. The few groups that ventured out beyond the Glen came back wet, cold and had very little luck catching much of anything. On Friday things warmed back up and we had a decent day. Despite the rugged conditions the Camp managed to catch a total of 288 Bass. John Moremen caught the most fish with 30 followed by Jeff Maddox who had 23. We held 2 separate fishing tournaments, one on Tuesday and one on Friday. The same format was used as last year whereby we picked Captains and had a blind draw to fill out each 3-man team. Tuesday afternoon winners for most and largest bass caught were from Team Bud Light - Brian Masterson, Tom Widowski (had biggest fish which was 4 lbs) and Captain Hundley. The Friday winners were from Team Old Fo – Mister Polly, Doug McReynolds and Captain Hundley (biggest fish 5 lbs). The prize money was donated to the staff tip pool so in the end everyone was a winner. A few Tourney notes, The Most Improved Fisherman Award went to the old Bruce Tiger, Bruce Blythe. The Tournament MVP Award went to Mark Galloway who actually didn’t catch a fish but spent his entire Tournament assisting the others in his boat who were trying to catch fish. Thanks Mark. The blind draw format usually spices things up and this year was no different. I would highly recommend this activity and format to all Camp Captains as it sure does


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make way for some funny stories at dinnertime.A hawk has replaced the large Barred Owl at the mouth of the Big Juniper. He was hooked a couple of times during the week but managed to get away without harm. There are three very large 12 ft plus alligators currently residing in the Silver Glen. The largest(larger than Big George) has taken up refuge in the cut out area just to the left of the Island. A group was heading out to the river one morning and witnessed one of the large alligators collide with a manatee right beside their boat which caused quite a commotion. Amazingly enough, the gator was as startled as the manatee and both retreated in opposite directions. Quite a few crappie were caught right next to the

island in the Little Juniper along with several Shellcrackers. All were released. Kelsey and Brandy are both doing great. I am happy to report that Juan More the Shellcracker Camp late night bartender is alive and well and sure did put in a lot of overtime during the week. The grilled oysters and NY Strip steaks were delicious. The corned beef cabbage and black eyed peas were pretty darned good too. Thanks again to all who attended Camp this year. Thanks again to the entire Juniper staff for putting on another great camp. Captain Ray Hundley

Spring Break Camp - (Mar 31 - Apr 6)

Twenty-two Campers attended the 2013 Spring Break Camp. The 22 included 10 Spring Breakers ages 18 to 5 and 12 “older” folks. Mariel Stutz, age 5, was the only girl Spring Breaker this year, but she had no problem teaching the boys how to fish! Collins O’Brien, a perennial Spring Breaker, brought a few of his buddies along for his last high school Spring Break! It’s hard to watch the kids grow up, but we’re always happy to see them (and the older folks, too) regress to younger ways when they get to camp! Weather for the week was fabulous. There was one rainy morning which didn’t bother the fishing that afternoon, but only one windy afternoon which kept fishing pretty

much confined to the Glen. Temperatures ranged from cool enough a couple of mornings to have a fire in the fireplace and near 90 a couple of afternoons. Gene and Tony and Teri and the ladies did a superior job of caring for all the campers needs, big and small.

The total number of bass caught for the week was 321. All but one caught at least one bass. The prize for most caught during the week by “older” men campers was to Jay O’Brien who caught 25 narrowly passing his wife, Sandra, who caught 20 bass and claimed the prize for most fish caught in the women’s category. The largest for the week “on campus” categories was an 8 pounder caught by John Sims Moreman, age 14. The largest


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caught “off campus” was 9-1/4 pounds, caught by “birthday-boy” Carter O’Brien!

We were happy to include Captain General Victor Stutz, and his lovely wife Kim, in our camp this year! As one of the elder statesmen of the club, Vic gave several Jeep tours and told some great stories about past adventures. It was wonderful to have them both at camp!

We had visits from both a forester and an archeologist. Ned Neenan, the Club’s consulting Forrester, came for dinner with his wife Kathy Tuesday evening, and discussed local flora and the timber business. Then, Zack Gilmore, who is a Doctoral Candidate in Archeology at the U of F in Dr.

Ken Sassman’s Department along with a new grad student of Ken’s, Ginessa Mahar, told us about the ancient indigenous people that lived on the camp property. They brought artifacts that they had collected and explained what they were and how they were made. Then they took us on a walking tour of the archeological sites of the villages and shell mounds where they have been excavating.

Gene and Tony had the Club and grounds looking great, and Teri and the ladies showed unequaled hospitality towards the kids and served food second to none. Once again all of us kids had a great time!

Captain Rudy Vogt

Blue Heron Camp - (Apr 14 - 20)

The 23rd Blue Heron Camp was a great success with 17 campers in attendance. President Vogt was also with us for two nights while attending a meeting concerning the Silver Glen. A total of 409 bass were recorded. Six campers caught bass weighing 5 pounds or greater. Anne Arvin and Lee Porter tied for the largest bass with each boating a 6 1/2 pounder. Henry Knight had the most bass (56) for the boys and Andy Bass led the girls with 44.

It was noted that the real test of skill is not catching a big bass, but catching the smallest or tinniest bass; so we had a “Smallest Bass” category. To count the entry had to be caught

on hook-and-line and verified with a photograph. This didn’t go over too good with only two entrants, Kim Knight and Cabby Boone. Each recorded a bass slightly less than 9 inches in length. Let’s all try to do better next year.

Lee Porter was our only turkey hunter this year. Lee survived the bugs in the woods and bagged a nice gobbler.

Two other noteworthy events occurred during the camp week, one very enjoyable and pleasant and the other one we could have done without. For the pleasant event we were treated to a song and burlesque performance by the previously thought to be dead singing sensation Patsy Cline. (See photos)


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Our thanks go to Anna Wilson for this performance. The other event was a sight to behold. We experienced an enormous hatch of blind mosquitos. They were everywhere on the lake; in the morning our boats at the dock were covered with them and their poop as Tony called it. The space between the clubhouse back door and the screen door was

4 inches deep with a squirming mass of these things. Like I said, it was a sight to behold.

Thanks also to all of the club staff for helping make this camp so great. We’re looking forward to Blue Heron 2014 with Captain C. V. Ethington.

Captain Hugh Scott

Family Camp - (Jun 2 - 15)Family Camp 2013 was another wonderful two weeks in June at the Juniper Club. The first week after one cancellation we had 17 -20 campers. The second week we had anywhere from 21 to 31. The weather was great except for a day or so of tropical storm Andrea. Fishing was really good with a total of 1048 for the two weeks, lots of really nice fish caught out of river. Mark Eley and his brother Scott had a couple really nice days going up the St. Johns

to Blue Creek. Gene ,Teri, Tony, Amy, Kim and Becky all did an outstanding job. In addition their kindness and patience with the children is very special. Oh can’t forget Ann, her field trips are outstanding. Looking forward to next year already.

Captain Mike Kap(ammer


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Summer/Reunion Camp - (Jun 16 - 22)When our children were little (and as they grew into their teen years) a group of us would go fishing for a week each year at The Juniper Club. It was the perfect place to take a family: nothing fancy, no cell phone or internet service, no TV, no place to spend any money, meals were included and served family style, the kids could be outside all day – fishing and exploring. At night, they worked puzzles, played cards, or went on "bear hunts." Books were read, songs were sung, guns were fired, alligators and owls were spotted.

Back in the fall, the now-empty-nester parents speculated on how fun it would be to get all the kids back together for a reunion camp this summer. We issued the invitations and then sat back, fully expecting most of the now-grown-children-with-lives-of-their-own to politely decline, sighting jobs, school, significant others, or generally busy lives as excuses not to come.

But one by one, they accepted. Yes, they would love to come. Yes, they too thought it would be fun to be together. So on June 16, four sets of parents, one sister, and 14 grown children (including four friends) made their way by car or by plane down to the camp. Later in the week Sam and Nancye Etter joined our party.

The Bickels, Galloways, Seilers, Kunaus and Etters spent the week doing the same things that we always did at camp: fishing, eating, walking the mile-long gravel drive, shooting clay pigeons, working puzzles late into the

night, singing (loudly) the pre-dinner song, and catching up with friends

Since we were last there as a group, all the kids have graduated from high school, all but two are finished with college, four have graduate degrees or are working on them. All have turned out to be delightful adults.

Five of the young people had recently graduated; three from college, one from medical school, and one as a physician assistant. In their honor Teri Davis asked her daughter, Heather, to bake a cake. The cake was as beautiful as it was tasty. It featured “icing diplomas” with each graduate’s name.

One night at dinner, we flipped through a guest register from the year 2000 and saw where we caught a total of 66 bass at a one-week camp. This year, the same group caught 425! We laughed, remembering that as parents we were so busy baiting lines and unhooking fish that we rarely put a line in ourselves.

The thing I haven't yet mentioned in this report is that three of the families that came to the Reunion Camp had experienced a recent loss of a loved one. What I hope they found at Juniper was the beginning of a healing from those losses. Just to be among close friends, in the middle of a beautiful natural setting, hoping like crazy to reel in a large bass, sleeping soundly, eating well, and laughing a lot: That's the Juniper Spirit.

By Debbie Galloway, on behalf of co-captains Paul Bickel and Ed Galloway

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