I often feel like I need to travel far away to get the true joy of being out in nature. Seeing trees on city streets and birds in my yard can be joyful to a certain extent, but it can’t come close to the feeling of seeing the vast landscape of a national park. However, the more I think of this, the more thankful I am for the forest preserves near me. Yes, they don’t have mountains and I can often see cars behind the layers of trees, but there are different ways to enjoy nature. Recently, I went to the forest with my grandpa for one of our hikes. After walking, we drove around the forest and parked the car near a large herd of deer. Two bucks were fighting and the show was quite amusing. The two would lock their antlers together, then, and only then, would they start fighting. Surprisingly, it took a lot of time and concentration for them to complete this task, partially because one deer had much smaller antlers than the other. The younger one would run away every so often and come back, but eventually he took off into the forest, defeated. There is joy in a peaceful canoe ride, joy in seeing the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and joy in watching the deer in a city forest.The scenery may not be that of a national park, but the wildlife and adventure is still in the forests around you. Earlier this winter a flock of Sandhill Cranes made their presence known in my neighborhood. Making their loud, easily recognizable call, these birds made their way south for the winter. Witnessing the considerable number of cranes spanning across the sky made me more curious about where some of our feathered friends spend the winter and how far some species travel to escape the freezing elements. Sandhill Cranes flying over my yard during their migration. Some birds, such as cardinals, are commonly seen in the winter. The Cardinal, on a snow covered tree scene, can be found in paintings, photos and Christmas cards. After researching, I was surprised just how many birds stay for the frigid cold we often experience. Some birds that often stick around for winter include goldfinches, blue jays, bluebirds, crows, ravens, blackbirds, Canada geese, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, Pigeons, and Doves. The birds that do stay have some pretty clever ways of keeping warm. First of all, birds often molt into their winter plumage, which may contain twice as many feathers as they have in summer. But what about their bare feet? Though we certainly wouldn’t want to go a winter without shoes, bird feet are mostly tough tissue and bone which are covered in scales. Despite all of this, winter is usually a hard time for birds. Food may be inadequate, temperatures can take sudden plunges and since they fly, storing fat is not much of an option. Migrating birds often have a route that they use from year to year. The paths migratory birds take are called flyways. Some extend over many countries as pictured below. The world record of the longest bird migration is awarded to the Arctic Tern with a distance of 50,700 miles! This bird should certainly be recognized for such an amazing feat, especially since the Blue Grouse, holding the world’s record for the shortest migration, only journeys a measly .19 miles.
How do birds know when to migrate? The answer to this question is still somewhat of a mystery, but weather changes, day length and change of food availability can trigger the desire to start their trip. Though still partially unknown, how they navigate to their winter or summer destination is amazing. Keeping track of landmarks helps in migration as well as the sun, stars, and earth's magnetic field. Though God equipped these birds with the knowledge they need to travel thousands of miles, migration has become more dangerous as people build up cities. Thousands of birds are killed each year by running into buildings. This may seem strange since birds can fly in and out of trees without running into branches, but being attracted to the lights in buildings is what causes these deaths. Deforestation has made migration even worse for birds by eliminating resting and feeding stops. Thankfully, many people help birds every year by putting out food and water and growing plants and trees that birds like. For those of you who have bird feeders, they are most useful to birds in the fall, winter, and early spring. If you want to feed birds during the winter, start in fall. Birds don’t venture far during cold weather to save energy. They mostly fly to places they know food will be and filling feeders in the fall will clue them in. If you do put out food in the winter be sure not to stop half way through the season. Birds may be depending on your feeders to survive. There are pros and cons to migrating and being a year round resident. Birds are able to bare the elements and fly staggering distances. For such a small creature it is capable of so much. This website has multiple recordings of the calling of sandhill cranes. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/sounds Resources: www.birdfeeders.com www.humanesociety.org scienceblogs.com www.nature.org www.allaboutbirds.org www.guinnessworldrecords.com Matthiessen State Park is home to waterfalls surrounded by canyons, pines, cedars, and oaks. It has been my favorite park in Illinois ever since I first went there when I was seven. It is the first place I recall being completely amazed by nature. I remember being overwhelmed with joy as I ventured through the streams, jumping from rock to rock, with my family. Matthiessen State Park was originally privately owned by Frederick Matthiessen, who made it into a park. Within his park, he had bridges and trails built for visitors to enjoy. After his death it was donated to Illinois and made into a state park in 1943. The large canyon at Matthiessen has a stream at the base with cascading waterfalls throughout. The sandstone walls of the canyon are covered with tree roots and plant life including ferns and moss, but most of it is left exposed. It’s a wonder some trees are even standing, balanced precariously on the edge of the rocks. No matter which way you turn something incredible will be sure to catch your eye. On our most recent trip to Matthiessen we came a little unprepared. The first snow of the season was melting into the stream, causing a rise in the water level. A good hikers’ tip is to wear rubber boots, which we didn’t have. A big part of the fun is trying to hike through the shallow stream. Though our adventure ended with one wet shoe and the use of a couple hiking sticks, the hike was well worth it. We were able to walk right up to a waterfall that gently flows over a series of “steps” into a pool of water, named Giant’s Bathtub. Regardless that the water was too high to walk the whole trail, we were able to see Lake Falls which marks the end. There is a bridge that goes over it for a view from the top of the falls. For those that don’t want to walk through streams, there are paths that lead to a good many waterfalls, though you won’t get the best view of all of them. When you hear crashing water you’ll know your are close to Lake or Cascade falls, the two largest waterfalls in Matthiessen, whereas small waterfalls will catch you by surprise. Matthiessen State Park is a photographer’s dream, with photo worthy landscapes in all directions. People of all ages can enjoy the waterfalls and trails of this beautiful park. It is places like this that children explore and get their first taste of nature that peaks their interest. Though it is not a huge national park, this state park is full of astonishing scenery that will provide adventures for years to come. There are dozens of reasons I love Matthiessen, why not find yours? Starved Rock has a landscape much like Matthiessen. If you visit one of the parks be sure to visit the other. You will see twice as many waterfalls and canyons as well as rock formations that will keep you wanting to see more. One year we came to Starved Rock, Matthiessen's neighbor, and saw bald eagles which can be found at either park. Many bald eagles migrate to the starved rock area in the winter. The best time and place to see them is in January from the top of starved rock. When I hear the words National Park I think of Yellowstone. No wonder approximately three million people visit each year. With awe inspiring geysers, waterfalls, and hot springs it was by far my favorite vacation. The thermal pools and geysers are some of the attractions that set Yellowstone apart from other parks. One thing I wish I had known before viewing any of the thermal areas is that the smell of sulfur (many think it smells like rotten eggs) is overpowering even if you are a distance from them. However, the smell did not distract much from the amazing colors in the thermal pools caused by microorganisms that thrive in hot water. Some of the pools were a rainbow of colors while others were majestic shades of blue. The hottest recorded temperature of the thermal areas is 459 degrees in Norris Geyser Basin. Definitely don’t touch the water! These pools were much larger than I expected. The largest hot spring in Yellowstone and the United States is Grand Prismatic Spring measuring about 370 feet wide! The most surprising part of our trip was getting to swim in a river. Firehole Canyon River was freezing compared to most of the water in Yellowstone. Riding the currents and watching trout swim amongst the rocky banks was breathtaking. Animals abound in Yellowstone. Bison and chipmunks were a fairly common occurrence. We also saw some coyote, pronghorn and elk as well. Mountain bluebirds were seen on the rocky hill sides and ravens were found sizing up the visitors. Seeing these beautiful animals and birds in such an amazing environment made me never want to leave. There were so many more animals to see and trails to hike! The plant life was very different from back at home. There were wildflowers scattered about, making a colorful array. Most of the plants I had never heard of. To me the most amazing of all the plant life was the Ponderosa Pine, which was not only a remarkable tree but nice smelling too. It’s bark had a strong, pleasing scent of vanilla. The highlight of the trip was seeing Upper Yellowstone Falls within the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It had more beauty than a picture could capture. There is a lookout point up high, a distance from the waterfall, where most pictures you see are taken. It didn’t take long to see why it was such a popular spot for photographers. From up high I could see nothing but untouched cliffs, trees and water as far as the eye could see. Meeting and talking with park rangers is one aspect of our National Parks that can be very inspiring. Dedication is quite evident on their faces and in their voices. One ranger I met had worked in an extraordinary amount of parks over his lifetime. If you are planning on visiting Yellowstone, the park website has a schedule where you can find ranger programs including hikes and talks that will help you get to know the park. While we were traveling I noticed hill tops covered in trees without leaves. I didn’t think much of it until I noticed hill after hill of dead trees. This was very concerning and I wasn’t exactly relieved when I found out it was from naturally occurring fires. Seeing how many hundreds, maybe thousands of trees were dying from a fire that was left free to burn seemed unnecessary and harsh. I eventually learned that this allowed for a new generation of trees to grow, even if it would take decades to return to the forests they once were. The most important fact I learned is that if fires are allowed to burn, old wood won't pile up and cause a humongous, dangerous fire. Wanting to understand it better and know more about the history, I started extensive research of Yellowstone forest fires. This became my 4-H forestry project which helped me discover my passion for forestry. No matter where I travel or what adventures I may experience ,Yellowstone will hold a dear place in my heart. I know that I’m not the only person impacted by this park. National Parks bring something special into the lives of those who visit them. It could be anything between a memorable family vacation or being inspired to become a park ranger. If you love National Parks, the TV show “Rock the Park” may become your new favorite, as it has become mine. Two hosts, Jack Steward and Colton Smith, have put themselves up to a challenge of visiting every National Park in the United States. They explore some of the sites many know about as well as parks and attractions that are rarely visited. Funny, entertaining, and informational are just a few words that describe this adventure packed TV series. It’s a great way to explore our parks if you don’t plan on going to all of them yourself. I never thought I would cut down a tree, and I certainly never thought I would feel good about it. I used to be very sad when we passed the forest preserve and I saw tree stumps. Now I realize the benefits of cutting down certain trees. Common Buckthorn is a highly invasive tree that is from Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. I had no idea that these trees were taking over our forests until I volunteered in a forest restoration event. When we signed up I expected we would be pulling some weeds and learning some facts. I was quite mistaken. There were many forest groups there but the one actually holding the restoration event was the Student Conservation Association. We also met people that work for the forest preserves. A leader taught us how to identify buckthorn. We learned to look for bark that looks almost like a pretzel, with white specks on a smooth brown surface. Buckthorn also has small, black berries and leaves that are oval shaped with a serrated edge. Common buckthorn (Image from Google) I was extremely nervous about cutting down the wrong trees. I could imagine a long, drawn-out, “Nooooo!” as a leader witnessed us cut down a precious, native tree. I also thought that we were going to be cutting fairly small plants. We were examining a medium sized tree that resembled a Buckthorn (to our disbelief) when a lady told us that we could cut it down. When cutting down a big tree the leader explained we would yell out a warning before it falls. One way I knew for sure it was a buckthorn was that the wood under the bark was orange when we started sawing. Towards the end of the day I was completely used to cutting down trees. The atmosphere was perfect for my first forest volunteer work. There was no pressure and I really had no reason to worry. When in doubt we asked a leader to identify a tree for us. It felt good being part of a team that was so devoted to caring for the forests. We all worked together to cut down a pretty decent number of invasives. I didn’t foresee how much I was going to learn and how it would change my view of nature. Whether diseased, invasive or dangerous, some trees can’t be kept. Of course never start cutting down trees in a forest without signing up for one of these events. Also, no worries about the forests turning into fields of stumps. Invasive trees are cut down to let native trees grow and trees are also planted regularly to ensure our forests will never be bare. It wasn’t until I went on a walk with my grandparents that I realized exactly how serious invasives spreading can be. Right off one of our favorite trails I noticed that there were big areas of buckthorn. That’s when everything I learned collided with my own life and places that are special to me. I hope a group decides to hold an event to take out the buckthorn I saw. The sad thought of seeing only one type of tree in a forest I grew up in helped me really appreciate these events and all of the volunteers. |
~COLUMNIST~
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