Mission Accomplished by Billie Mullins
In 2016, Missouri Parks issued a Missouri State Parks Centennial Passport book (similar to the National Park Passport book) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Missouri's state parks in 2017. I purchased a book in 2016 and began a 15 month quest to visit all the parks.
Wishing for a Christmas Snow and a Merry Look at Wildlife by Jeff Cantrell
I believe even the folks who don’t care for snow, find themselves three days before Christmas wishing for a few inches of fluffy white precipitation. Perhaps there is Christmas Magic in those flurries mixed with twinkling lights and air full of holiday anticipation. I don’t know all the particulars, but flurries certainly give the season an added festive feel.
November Brings Big Rewards in a Nutshell
I’m not a doctor, I have never played one on TV and I’m not an “indoor” guy so I don’t think I have a prospect working on hospital grounds. However, I casually find myself prescribing hikes, adventures and nature activities for people of all ages and abilities.
A Walk in the Woods by Katharine Spigarelli
How do you describe a perfect day? For me, it’s being outside and there’s no place bette to be outside than in the Ozarks. And that’s exactly how a few of us spent one recent Sunday afternoon, hiking the Ozark Chinquapin Trail in the Big Sugar State Park.
Joplin Butterfly Initiative Hosts Cyclist Following Monarch Butterflies
Monarch butterflies traveling from Joplin to Mexico this year will be accompanied by cyclist Sara Dykman (32) from Kansas. Dykman left Mexico last March with overwintering colonies and has traveled north into Canada and will return with them to Mexico. She calls it “Butterbiking with the butterflies.”
A Little Chubby at the Creek by Kevin Mouser
Are you a fisherman or fisherwoman? Do you spend time down at the creek tossing stones or maybe watching your kids frolic in the cool water on these too hot days? Maybe you enjoy the “Lazy River” approach and load nine of your closest friends into a rubber raft along with coolers, speakers, and a big screen T.V. for a day long float. Whichever way you enjoy the streams and rivers of Southwest Missouri, I am here to tell you that you might be missing out on something, and I need your help to keep it going.
SEEKING THE PRETTY AND BEYOND
t has been said that nature is comparable to the arts… to truly appreciate or ignite a continuing lifelong pursuit of understanding the arts, we must start with the pretty. Perhaps to understand the process of the art’s inspiration or the intricate life assemblages in each ecosystem, they too have a common core by the need for study beyond the “pretty”.
Earth Day Celebration at Noel Primary School with Joyce Haynes
Earth Day at Noel Primary School in McDonald County is a full day event, thanks to the support of the school’s principal, Dr. Deborah Pearson. She prepares months ahead of time, lining up events and speakers for the activities of this special day.
A Romp in the Ozarks by Kevin Mouser
Before the water in the streams and rivers warms enough to attract the flotillas of music and fermented beverages and just after the turtles emerge from their mysterious winter homes still covered in a second shell of grit and mud a little known and rarely seen ritual begins to play out in the fastest stretches of our aqueous, summer playgrounds.