Winter hike series ongoing
The Brown County State Park will host its Winter Hike Series through the cold and early months of 2023.
CCC Ruins and Deserter’s Cave, 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14. The one-and-a-half mile round trip hike will take hikers to the site of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp area. The hike is mostly along the road to the camp area then off trail into the woods as hikers find the old foundations of buildings used in the camp. Learn more about the CCC, what they did in Brown County, and see some pictures of the camp area from when it was up and running. The trail is easy and rugged.
The Lake that Never Was hike, 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. Hikers will see the third lake in the state park, the one that was started but never finished by the name of Taylor Hollow Lake. The hike is about 2.5 miles long and is very rugged, with a fairly steep climb with ruts and several creek crossings. The hike is about two hours. The site is complete with spillway, dam, and almost totally complete lake structure which has been reclaimed by the forest. This hike is what started this Winter Hike Series and is a fan favorite. Muck style boots or rain boots will be very helpful to cross the creeks.
Boulder in the Tree, 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. This hike is two miles round trip, is quite rugged and will take about one-and-a-half hours to complete. The Boulder in the Tree phenomenon is something seen in several places around Brown County including at the park and in Yellowwood State Forest. This hike will be mostly off trail and there may be a couple creek crossings depending on how high the water is. Boots are essential.
Ten O’Clock Line Nature Preserve, 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 25. Hikers will meet at the nature center before carpooling to the trailhead, where they will head out along a fire trail towards the 10 O’clock Line Nature Preserve. This is the largest nature preserve in the state and has quite a unique story. After about one mile on the fire trail, hikers will meet up with Horse Trail B for a hike around the Nature Preserve. After hiking for a bit hikers will trek back to the trailhead. The distance for this hike is approximately two-and-a-half miles, and will last about two hours. The hike has a moderate rating.
Dog Hike 2, 11 a.m., Saturday, March 11. Hikers and their dogs will meet at the Ogle Lake parking area to hike around the lake. Trail 7 is 1.5 miles and rated as moderate. The section around the lake fairly easy, but does have some smaller staircases and brief patches of uneven ground. The hike will take about one-and-a-half hours to complete. Visitors without dogs are welcome to participate in the hike. Hikers are encouraged to bring a six-foot leash for their dogs.
Dress for the weather and do not bring pets on off trail hikes, excluding the dog hike. All hikes meet at the nature center in the state park.
For more information contact Eli Major at 812-988-5240 or email [email protected].
Council seeks community input
The Brown County Food, Farm, and Garden Council encourages people to grow their own fruit and vegetables, donate extra local food back to the community, and know how to access food resources.
The group plans to host an Earth Day celebration for the Brown County community in 2023 after coordinating an Earth Day event this past year at the Brown County YMCA.
The council’s goal is to improve the impact and scope of the 2023 Earth Day celebration. In order to accomplish this goal, they are seeking community members, organizations and businesses who share their commitment to educating others on how to renew and protect the planet and who would like to have input in the planning of a county-wide Earth Day event.
Those interested can email Extension Educator Katie Finney at [email protected] to receive a personal invitation to a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 5:30 p.m. At this meeting, attendees will discuss ideas for how to make the Earth Day celebration as successful as possible and how you and/or your organization can best contribute to this event.
Eagles over Monroe coming this month
LAKE MONROE — Monroe Lake’s Eagles over Monroe event celebrates the reintroduction of bald eagles in Indiana with six days of eagle-related activities.
The event starts with a virtual interview with Lola Nicholson on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 11:30 a.m. She is the director of Raptors Rise Rehabilitation Center. The event will include a tour of the facility, “hospital” building and raptor enclosures and can be watched at bit.ly/eom2023-facebooklive.
The International Crane Foundation will discuss cranes in Indiana on Friday, Jan. 27, with indoor presentations at Paynetown State Recreation Area (SRA) at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. Register at bit.ly/cranes-jan2023-afternoon, for the afternoon session and bit.ly/cranes-jan2023-evening for the evening session.
Take Flight Wildlife Education will host two live raptor presentations on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Paynetown SRA. Each is limited to 40 attendees and the cost is $5 per person. Registration is at bit.ly/liveraptor-jan28-1pm for the 1 p.m. session and bit.ly/liveraptor-jan28-3pm for the 3 p.m. session.
Children can also stop by the Activity Center between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 to make free, eagle-themed crafts.
Sunset eagle watches will be both Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28 from 5 to 6 p.m. at Paynetown SRA. Monroe Lake volunteers will have spotting scopes set up to help visitors see eagles and other birds. This is in addition to the self-guided driving tour, which is available every day of Eagles over Monroe. The tour will direct visitors to the best locations around the lake to see bald eagles. Information about the tour is at bit.ly/eom2023-drivingtour.
Free cocoa and tea will be available at Fairfax’s Big Oak Shelter from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29 for those attending birding walks participating in the self-guided bald eagle driving tour.
A guided hike to the remnants of the bald eagle hacking tower, where eagles were released during the reintroduction program, will be on Monday, Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. Registration for the hike is at bit.ly/hackingtower-jan2023.
Al Parker, a wildlife biologist, will discuss the history of Indiana’s bald eagle reintroduction program on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 12:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 18, 1800 W. Third Street, Bloomington.
After Eagles on Monroe, join experienced guides for birding walks in different habitats at Fairfax SRA. Woods and fields will be at 9 a.m., register at bit.ly/woods-fields-jan2023, and lakeshore will be at 10:30 a.m., register at bit.ly/lakeshore-birds-jan2023.
A complete guide to Eagles over Monroe programming can be found at bit.ly/eaglesovermonroe2023. Be sure to check this site for event updates, including any weather-related cancellations.
For more information about Eagles over Monroe programming, call the Paynetown Activity Center at 812-837-9967 or email Jill Vance at [email protected].
To view more DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.
Migratory bird seasons ongoing
The migratory bird hunting seasons for 2022 and early 2023 have been announced by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Ducks, coots and mergansers: Nov. 26 to Jan. 22.
Geese (Canada, brant, white-fronted, snow, ross’s): Nov. 26 to Feb. 12.
For information on daily limits, shooting hours and other regulations as well as dates for falconry visit in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/hunting-and-trapping/waterfowl-and-migratory-game-birds.
