Category Archives: Outdoor/Nature

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Explore The Outdoors In The St. Louis Region

Pictured: John Vogel. Photo provided by John Vogel.

Pictured: John Vogel. Photo provided by John Vogel.

Don Corrigan talks with John Vogel, the wildlife regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, in this edition of “Behind the Editors Curtain.” The conversation includes information about the St. Louis area’s many outdoor activities, organizations that help protect our outdoor environment, and the October 24, 2015, event, Explore the Outdoors: St. Louis.

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Bring Conservation Home With The St. Louis Audubon Society

Photo by Holly Shanks

Photo by Holly Shanks

 

 

A local program initiated by the St. Louis Audubon Society offers the chance for residents to help pollinators  feel at home – right in their own backyard.

 

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ROCKY FALLS: TRASH INTERVENES WITH BEAUTY

Don Corrigan at Rocky Falls. Photo by Emery Styron

Don Corrigan at Rocky Falls. Photo by Emery Styron

Outdoor/nature research sometimes must be interrupted by efforts to preserve the environment, such was the case on my recent float trip to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. On the August day my research was taking place, several empty plastic water bottles were discarded and left in the crevices of the boulders of Rocky Falls. It’s not that big of a hassle to clean up after others, but it’s disappointing to see a natural place of such beauty disrespected.

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Turtle Troubles

 

Peanut the turtle. Photo: John Miller / Missouri Department of Conservation.

Peanut the turtle. Photo: John Miller / Missouri Department of Conservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, Don devoted one of his South County Times columns  to Missouri’s turtles. In “Please, Brake For Turtles!” he described incidents of “turtle highway carnage” and the sometimes “deadly” consequences of plastic pollution.

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QUIET: NATURE RESEARCH IN PROGRESS

Don Corrigan takes a moment to rest in one of his favorite places. Photo provided by Emery Styron.

Don Corrigan takes a moment to rest in one of his favorite places. Photo provided by Emery Styron.

 

By Don Corrigan

August is a good time to do a little nature research in the watershed of the Jacks Fork and Current River watersheds. So, I headed out to one of my favorite areas located between Round Spring and Two Rivers on the Current River in the Mark Twain National Forest.

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“Beach Break”

Emery Styron (left), past publisher of River Hills Traveler, and Don Corrigan, editor of Webster-Kirkwood Times Inc. Photo provided by Emery Styron

Emery Styron (left), past publisher of River Hills Traveler, and Don Corrigan, editor of Webster-Kirkwood Times Inc. Photo provided by Emery Styron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emery Styron (left), past publisher of River Hills Traveler, and Don Corrigan, editor of Webster-Kirkwood Times Inc., take time for a break on an August float trip on the Current River in the Mark Twain National Forest.

This “beach break” was between Jerk Tail landing and Two Rivers. Lots of talk in the river area about the new state park off Highway 19 and the impact it may have on river recreational traffic and the local economy.

Stay tuned for future installments and more pictures of Emery and Don’s great river trip adventure.

 

South County Resident “Brings Conservation Home”

Weldon Cox stands in his pollinator garden. Photo by Diana Linsley.

Weldon Cox stands in his pollinator garden. Photo by Diana Linsley.

Take a look behind the scenes with Don Corrigan. This new series entitled “Behind The Editor’s Curtain” gives readers more information and insight on how Corrigan picks some of his article topics.

In the South County Times article “Bring Conservation Home” a retired Lindbergh High School teacher, Weldon Cox, shows off his home garden. Mr. Cox has converted part of his garden into pollinator habitat areas.

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Leaping For Love Abounds In Missouri’s Folklore

Graphic from Show Me . . .  Natural Wonders: A Guide To Scenic Treasures In tThe Missouri Region by Don Corrigan and Illustrated by E. J. Thias

Graphic: “Show Me . . . Natural Wonders: A Guide To Scenic Treasures In The Missouri Region” by Don Corrigan and Illustrated by E. J. Thias

 

By Holly Shanks

Lover’s Leap folklore is associated with several of Missouri’s beautiful bluffs and cliffs. Some people find the tales romantic and others may find the tales of leaping lovers simply a senseless gesture. Here we take a look at some of the different Lover’s Leap legends in Missouri.

 

 

 

 

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Working Together To Save Missouri’s Bats

Little brown bat; close-up of nose with fungus, New York, Oct. 2008.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation

Little brown bat; close-up of nose with fungus, New York, Oct. 2008. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation

The race is on to find solutions and inform the public about a disease killing millions of bats in the United States – White-Nose Syndrome. The disease continues to spread and has been reported in 25 states, including Missouri.

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Urban Chicken Keepnig Grows In Popularity

Urban Chickens in Kirkwood, checking out their yard at the home of Bill Ruppert. Photo by Holly Shanks

By Holly Shanks

Egg-laying chickens and chicken coops are no longer a sight seen only in rural areas. Coops are popping up in suburban backyards like Webster and Kirkwood. Sustainability and a desire to reconnect with natural food sources seems to be driving the popularity of keeping the feathery egg-laying pets.

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