Stewardship – Land Between the Lakes

30 Jun 2023

The 2023 Geocache Challenge is still going…will you take the challenge?

If you’ve never done a Geocache and would like a fun reason to hike outside on the Land Between the Lakes, here’s your chance to do that and earn a really cool, solid bronze, challenge coin! There are only 25 of these limited coins left as only 200 were minted! The rules are simple: find the six geocache locations, take out one metal tree tag from each, return the six metal tree tags from each box at one time to the Golden Pond Visitor’s Center on the Land Between the Lakes (where Highway 68/80 and the Trace meet). In exchange,…

27 Jan 2023

By LBL_Admin

2023 Bison Auction at Land Between the Lakes

Bison, Natural Resource Management, South Bison Range, Wildlifebison, bison auction, conservation, Forest Service, land between the lakes, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, LBL, south bison range, tennessee, wildlife

A public auction to reduce the size of Land Between the Lakes’ bison herds will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The sale begins at 9am Central Standard Time at the South Bison Range corral. Bidder registration, final sale list, and viewing begin at 8am CST. The Forest Service has scheduled approximately 32 bison to be sold individually to include:1 cow born 2015, tested for pregnancy9 large young bulls born 20204 cows born 2020, tested for pregnancy6 yearling heifers born in 20217 yearling bulls born 2021a 4 to 5 bull and heifer calves born in 2022Preliminary details regarding the…

15 Dec 2022

By LBL_Admin

Winter Eagle Tours are Back for 2023!

Birding, Environmental Education, Wildlifebald eagles, birding, Eagle Cruises, family-friendly, Forest Service, Kentucky, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, tennessee, Woodland Nature Station

Bald eagle and turtle using a log as a rest stop at Land Between the Lakes. Photo by Mel Cunningham. Woodlands Nature Station naturalists will serve as guides to upcoming bald eagle viewing lake cruises and van tours in January and February 2023. Friends of Land Between the Lakes are excited to announce that the Woodlands Nature Station will host bald eagle viewing cruises and van tours for the public in January and February 2023! Eagle Viewing Cruises: Kentucky Lake eagle viewing cruises will be hosted on the CQ Princess, a 96-foot, double-decker luxury yacht, on January 14, 15, &…

19 Aug 2022

By LBL_Admin

Thousand Cankers Disease Monitoring Project 2022

Environmental Education, Natural Resource Management, WildlifeInsect Monitoring, insects, Kentucky, Kentucky Division of Forestry, land between the lakes, LBL, natural resource management, Thousand Cankers Disease, Walnut Twig Beetle, wildlife

Walnut Twig Beetle | Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, bugwood.org Background: Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) is an insect/disease complex caused by the combination of the lethal fungus, Geosmithia morbida, and the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis. This disease is native to the southwestern United States, but in the last decade, TCD has been discovered in many eastern states as well. It has been discovered in several of Kentucky’s neighboring states, however it hasn’t been detected in the Commonwealth to date. Black Walnut is highly susceptible to this disease which causes major dieback and mortality in these trees. Walnut Twig Beetle…

10 Jun 2022

By LBL_Admin

The Land Between the Lakes 2022 Heritage Geocache Challenge: The Heritage of Wildlife Conservation

Environmental Education, Geocaching, Recreation, Stewardshipgeocaching, Kentucky, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, LBL, tennessee, wildlife

The Heritage Geocache Challenge begins Friday, June 10, 2022 at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The Wildlife Conservation Heritage Challenge Coin The annual Heritage Geocache Challenge is put on by the Heritage Program at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area as part of our outreach to the public, to get people to explore their forest and their history, and to share the unique heritage of the families from Between the Rivers. About the GeocachesThis is the sixth year of the Heritage Geocache Challenge at the Land Between the Lakes and, like in previous years, we like people…

09 Nov 2018

By LBL_Admin

Soldiers From Fort Campbell Assist in Clean-up at Cleo Griffin House

Heritage, History, VolunteerCleanup, Fort Campbell, heritage, Home Site, Kentucky, land between the lakes, soldiers, tennessee, veterans, volunteer

Soldiers from Alpha Company, 39th Brigade Engineer Battalion came out to the Land Between the Lakes for a very special mission. They helped the Heritage program begin a project to safeguard and preserve the house formerly occupied by Cleo Sanford Griffin. Griffin was a veteran of World War II and, according to locals, may have suffered from PTSD. He was in the Battle of Monte Cassino which began in January 1944 and didn’t end until May of that year. Allied casualties were in excess of 55,000. So it would be understandable if Griffin did, indeed, suffer PTSD as a result.…

12 Apr 2018

By LBL_Admin

Strutting through the Elk and Bison Prairie

Elk & Bison Prairie, WildlifeEBP, Elk & Bison Prairie, Kentucky, land between the lakes, LBL, tennessee, turkey, wild turkey

Some folks seem to forget that the Elk and Bison Prairie is also home to lots of other wildlife. For example, this was a good morning to see wild turkeys, which happen to be in the mood for their spring breeding season. This is the time where the male turkeys (gobblers) like to show off their prowess to the neighborhood females (hens) by fanning out their tail feathers and puffing out their body feathers and ‘strut’ to show off how handsome they are to the hens and how big and mean they look to other competing gobblers… kind of like…

03 Apr 2018

By LBL_Admin

Dusk till Dawn

Elk & Bison Prairie, Environmental Education, Heritage, History, Homeplace, Nature Station, Recreation, Sustainable Recreation, Trails, Uncategorized, Wildlife1850 Homeplace 1850s Working Farm, elk and bison prairie, Kentucky and Tennessee, Land Between The Lake, LBL, mountain biking, National Guard, Nature Station

I looked east and spotted the orange glow piercing through the oaks still leafless from the long winter nights. I turned right from the trailhead and regained my footing as I reached a muddy path. I slipped and contorted in many ways as I tried to maintain my footing. My mind kept racing, “warm thoughts, warm thoughts,” but it did nothing to stop my now uncontrollable shivering. Only a madman could be up in these conditions for my specific agenda. I stumbled in the half-morn light crashing heavily on a twig. The crack pierced the cold morning air and a…

20 Dec 2017

By LBL_Admin

Reel Back in Time

Fishing, History, Homeplacebaitcasting, fish, Fishing, fishing reels, Friends of Land Between The Lakes, Homeplace 1850s Working Farm, Kentucky, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, land between the lakes, LBL, recreation, reels, rivers, tennessee, water sports

Sometimes forgotten is the history of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers and how they influenced not only the economic welfare of the area but the development of recreation activities including sport fishing. This Homeplace 1850s apprentice is an avid sportsman and has added his passion and knowledge of sport fishing to the Homeplace 1850s historical research and program files. Before the impoundment of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, fishing was just as popular and leisurely of a pastime as it is today. Anglers all across the country, especially in the Between the Rivers area, indulged in the challenge of fooling…

01 Nov 2017

By LBL_Admin

They Grow Up So Fast!

Nature Station, Wildlifebreeding program, endangered red wolf, Kentucky, land between the lakes, LBL, new arrival at Nature Station, puppy, Red Wold male, red wolf, tennessee, wildlife, wolf, Woodlands Nature Station

May 2, 2014 was a big day for the Woodlands Nature Station. Peeking into the wolf den, the dim morning light barely revealed the two squiggly forms covered in reddish brown fur. With flattened ears, closed eyes, and barely a whimper, the light highlighted their vulnerable faces. I picked up the larger of the two pups. She weighed ¾ of a pound, her only distinguishing mark being a long white stripe from her tiny chest to her belly. It was a healthy little red wolf pup! It was the first one born at the Woodlands Nature Station in 20 years. …

Category: Stewardship