Golden retrievers have been a part of my life since the mid 90s when Buck entered our lives.
I had no intention of bringing a dog into our household at that time. In addition to a pair of daughters, our family included fish, birds, gerbils, cats, and a rabbit at that time. In fact, at one point I threatened to move out if we adopted another animal.
Commentary: Doggone it, everybody needs a ‘Buck’ in their lives Read More »
About 25 years ago I found myself staring at a computer screen contemplating writing a column containing my Christmas wish list.
I had an epiphany at that moment. There had been so many wonderful outdoor experiences in the past year that asking for anything more seemed, greedy, gauche and even grotesque. So, a personal Christmas tradition was born – each year at this time I chronicle the things I’m grateful for.
Commentary: Some outdoor adventures to appreciate this holiday season Read More »
After 10 years as the site superintendent at Giant City State Park, Calvin Beckmann is taking a step up the DNR ladder. He recently assumed his new role of the DNR’s Chief of Parks.
Beckmann assumed the leadership at Giant City when DNR was still negotiating its way out of the financial crisis that rocked state budgets earlier in the century. The unassuming Beckmann downplayed his role in steering the park through tough times.
Giant City State Park superintendent, Calvin Beckmann, named Illinois DNR Chief of Parks Read More »
When Coulterville’s Gretchen Steele ventured into the field of outdoor writing in the early 2000s, she felt a bit out of her element.
Not just a fish out of water, but “a carp in a bird bath,” as she eloquently stated.
“I didn’t go to journalism school,” Steele said. “It’s not something I set out as a career path. I didn’t have the same educational background. I always just felt like I was some batty old lady that ran around the woods and did strange stuff.”
Well, Steele can make more room in that bird bath now. She was recently named as part of the 2023 induction class of the Illinois Outdoors Hall of Fame.
Periodically, it’s important to sit back and reassess. A couple of conversations during the last few weeks got me thinking about the current state of affairs of the Illinois DNR.
As a young adult, I was vaguely aware of what was then the Illinois Department of Conservation. I knew the agency had game wardens to enforce hunting and fishing regulations. I knew the department was responsible for the operation of state parks.
Commentary: Illinois’ DNR needs more of everything – including funding Read More »
Technically, the 2023-24 waterfowl hunting season is already under way in Illinois.
The early Canada goose season and the September teal season have already passed, but the seasons begin in earnest when goose and duck seasons open in the North Zone Oct. 21, the Central Zone Oct. 28, the South Central Zone Nov. 11, and the South Zone Dec. 2. Since Illinois is in the third year of the five-year cycle, there were no major changes in regulations. While Illinois maintains liberal hunting regulations, this could be a difficult season based on overall duck numbers.
Even with state mallard numbers down, duck hunters remain eager Read More »
A Shawnee National Park and Climate Preserve would shine a well-deserved spotlight on the natural wonders of southern Illinois. Who among us hasn’t smiled with pride when.
Commentary: Turning Illinois’ Shawnee Forest into a National Park makes sense Read More »
No nutria is good news – at least in southern Illinois. A large South American rodent, the nutria was introduced to the United States in the 1940s to augment the trapping industry.
Derek Whipkey, a graduate student in zoology at Southern Illinois University, recently conducted a study through SIU’s Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory that found no evidence of nutria in southern Illinois at this time. However, nutria have been found as close as Ballard County, Kentucky.
No one is certain exactly how many mink there are in Illinois. No one is certain if the population is declining or expanding.
One thing that is a certainty, at least anecdotally, is that the small mammal is thriving at Mermet Lake, located on Route 45 between Vienna and Metropolis.
“We see mink quite a bit down here,” said Chris McGinness, DNR’s site superintendent at Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area. “I have seen mink out here for many years, and seen several of them.”
Illinois mink population appears to be mending – in places Read More »
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