Southern Indiana Trails

An estimated 5,000 to 6,000 snow geese, along with 100 or so Canada geese, have gathered for the last several days on a private lake at the Interstate 64 exit at Griffin, Ind. Sitting on the ice edge and loafing in vast flotillas in open water, the mass defies actual count. According to Bish Mumford, a Griffin, Ind.-area farmer, the count is more like "two or three gazillion." Those numbers may be more accurate. While Canada geese spilled into the protected lake some 10 years ago, only recently have snow geese appeared. A count by the Department of Natural Resources a couple of years ago indicated a site estimate of 10,000 to 12,000 snow geese. "The snows have been coming here for the last couple of years when we have these severe cold spells," said Mumford. "They like to move as far north as they can as soon as they can, so they'll leave as soon as we get a break in the weather. I expect they'll lift off in the next week." The flock likely will le...

DNR to present Canada goose management seminars next month If Canada geese have become a problem on your property, attend one of six seminars being presented in March by the Department of Natural Resources' Urban Wildlife Project. The seminars will cover various aspects of Canada goose management, including relevant laws, basic biology, and methods to control goose damage. A demonstration on the proper techniques for egg and nest destruction will follow. Adhering to proper techniques is vital—if eggs are broken or completely removed from nests, the females will just lay another clutch of eggs. The population of Canada geese in the Mississippi Flyway exceeds 1.5 million birds. Destroying eggs and nests in urban areas is helpful in controlling these numbers in areas where hunting cannot, which can reduce conflicts with people and Canada geese. Federal rules allow landowners properly registered at https://epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/geSI.aspx to complete Canada goose egg and nest dest...

Winter Clearance Save up to 30% on seleted ski and snowboard gear and clothing. Plus, take an additional 50% or more off Super Clearance items! Starts Friday, February 12, at REI stores and REI.com Super Clearance sale. All REI clearance items ( prices ending in .83 ) are discounted an additional 50%. Things sell out quickly.

Greetings Audubon enthusiasts: With all of the fresh snow, I'm sure the last thing on your mind is building birdhouses. However, the Audubon Bicentennial Committee and U.K. Cooperative Extension Service is sponsoring a birdhouse building contest in conjunction with the 2010 Audubon in Henderson Bicentennial Celebration. The deadline for this contest is still months away but I wanted to pique your interest in engaging your family, individuals in your scout troops, clubs or youth groups, as well as artists, birders, carpenters and creative tinkerers in this interactive contest. Since there are four age categories, there are opportunities for people of all ages to participate. There is a nominal fee but prizes will also be awarded. There is a size and weight requirement for the birdhouses, however, the choice of building materials and the house decoration are up to you. Winning birdhouses will be on display at downtown banks with the owner’s permission from May 21 to June 14, 2010...

Student leaders at the University of Southern Indiana will work with the University's Office of Service Learning to engage volunteers in the Outdoor Trails and Fitness Project. This project will combine student leadership, community service, as well as academic and co-curricular service learning in upgrading and marketing the University's outdoor fitness amenities to the entire region surrounding Evansville, Indiana. Project partners will include regional employers, environmental organizations, and fitness groups. Student leaders are members of a service-learning student group (Eagle Road Crew) and the Green Life Club, a student group focused on environmental issues. These student leaders will plan activities to improve the outdoor campus fitness facilities, recruit University students to volunteer for work days, engage and mentor students from a local alternative high school, and find community partners to participate in the project. The Office of Service Learning will provide...

Okay, so you've decided you are going for a hike. You have picked the trail, packed the gear, drove to the trail head and now you have no idea what you are doing. Don't fear! That is why this article is here.. The first thing you need to do is identify the distance that you plan to hike. Are you going a kilometer or 10? Are you going to be out until past sunset? When does the park close? Is the trail going to return you back to the trailhead or will you have to stop and turn around eventually to backtrack? Did you bring a map? Did you pack any/enough food water. Does anyone know where you are or when are you expected home? These are all questions you should really be asking before you even get in your car or on the bus in the first place. Drawing from personal experience, the last thing you want to be is dehydrated and tired after a long hike and get into your car to find out that the park gate is already locked for the night. Next open at dawn. What do you bring with you? Well...

I am a follower of hidden trails. In fact, on at least half of the hiking trips I take lately, I'm off the trails altogether, bushwhacking into the unknown. What do you get for doing as Walt Whitman suggested, and taking the "road less traveled?" A bit of adventure. Here are some of the things myself and a friend or two have discovered off the beaten path in the last year. Old Mines - We have run across at least fifteen abandoned and sometimes hidden mines, many of them far from any trail. One had a mystery involved, with a possible death (although the police seemed to have no interest) based on the clothes and unopened food left at a nearby campsite. Another went a thousand feet into a mountainside, and had a rotting photo of someone at the back, in a hole in the wall that appeared to be a shrine of some sort. Another ended at a vertical shaft which we could not see to the bottom of with our flashlights. Old Houses and Towns - A couple months ago we lost the trail we wer...

So you purchased a mountain bike and you have been riding for awhile. You are getting faster and more courageous on your mountain bike but you are getting bored riding on the same trails. You and your friends have realized that you need new trail excitement in your life. So you have talked to your friends and people at the local bike shop for more information about trails in the area. Most of them pointed you back to the trails that you are familiar with but some have introduced you to a new trail or two. To add to you trail information many of us in the mountain bike community suggest you try a very handy directory. This is a Google directory that lists sites which contain trail information. Once you browse the directory you will be surprised at all of the trails that riders have documented. I have found that no one site has all of the trail information so you have to browse through the directory. The web address below will help you find the local mountain bike trails in your regio...