Entries by Steve Jones

Miscellaneous Treasures from a June 2023 Visit to the Belcher Addition at Oak Mountain State Park!

Fellow retired forester Chris Stuhlinger and I arrived at Oak Mountain State Park on schedule at 9:00 AM June 8, 2023, intent upon touring the 1,600-acre Belcher property addition, visiting historic Camp Tranquility, and orienting Chris to hazard tree control measures at the Park. I focus this Post on the miscellaneous Nature treasures we encountered […]

Revisiting the Old Recreation Site at Joe Wheeler State Park

On May 11, 2023, I revisited the Wheeler Dam construction era (1930s) recreation area (along the Multi-Use Trail) on the Wilson Lake side of Alabama’s Joe Wheeler State Park. The 90-year-old area, once serving thousands of workers and their families, now lies in decay, deep within the second-growth forest enveloping it. I am not yet […]

May 2023 Exploration in Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve

May 10, 2023, I spent a pleasant morning and afternoon, interrupted by a brief thunderstorm, deep in Cane Creek Canyon within the Land Trust of North Alabama Nature Preserve of the same name. The Preserve is a wild and special place, evidencing the wonder and magic at the confluence of geology, water, time, and abundant […]

Brief-Form Post #15: Spring Wildflower Delights at Wheeler NWR!

I am pleased to offer the 15th of my new GBH Brief Form Posts to my website (Less than three-minutes to read!) I tend to get a bit long-winded with my routine Posts. I don’t want my enthusiasm for thoroughness and detail to discourage readers. So I will publish these brief Posts regularly.   Brief-Form […]

A Six-Stop Early May Immersion in the Nature of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge!

May 4, 2023, I spent a lovely late spring afternoon on the nearby Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. I offer reflections, observations, photographs, and five brief videos from my six-stop wanderings within a five-mile driving radius: gravel road wildlife; riparian forest; Tennessee River; Blackwell Swamp; January 2, 2021 tornado recovery forest; Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk.   Jolly […]