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Gretchen Steele: Giving thanks for the miracles under our boots

Fishing and hunting are only part of what Pyramid State Recreation Area in Perry County offers. The state’s largest managed site is an outdoor paradise in southern Illinois. (Photo provided)

Thanksgiving weekend has a way of slowing us down – if only for a moment. Maybe it’s the quiet of the late-November woods, or the long shadows across the bottoms as the sun drops early.
Perhaps it’s the way the first hard frosts make the woods feel honest again. Whatever the reason, this is the time of year when many of us pause to take stock. And for those of us who hunt, hike, fish, bird, or simply breathe better outdoors, there’s something in particular that deserves recognition and gratitude: the reclaimed lands of southern Illinois.

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