elk and bison prairie – Land Between the Lakes

03 Apr 2018

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…

25 Jul 2017

By LBL_Admin

Expected crowds delay opening of Elk and Bison Prairie on eclipse day

Community, Customer Service, Elk & Bison Prairie, Solar Eclipsecrowds, eclipse, eclipse viewing, elk and bison prairie, Kentucky, land between the lakes, safety, tennessee

What we said... Yes, we said the Elk & Bison Prairie would be open for viewing on eclipse day, Monday, August 21, 2017. A year ago, this sounded like a good idea. Due to the increased estimation of how many people will be here, we had to rethink this. Public safety is the key.... The Elk & Bison Prairie will open at 3pm on eclipse day. Here’s why… No restrooms or a public source of water. Designed only as a drive-thru, the prairie is not appropriate for all-day visitors, who must stay within ten feet of their vehicles at all…

18 Apr 2015

By LBL_Admin

Turkey “Dance-Off” Season is Here!

Elk & Bison Prairie, Field Guide, Wildlifeelk and bison prairie, hen, hunting, Kentucky, land between the lakes, quota hunt, tennessee, tom, turkey

Turkeys across Land Between The Lakes are strutting their stuff this week as their breeding season is revving up. Male turkeys (called ‘Toms’) are fanning their tail feathers, gobbling, fluffing and puffing up their body feathers to show off their iridescent plumage. They tout their vibrant and red, white, and blue head coloration. All of this is done in a concentrated effort to woo their favorite female turkeys (hens) while discouraging other lesser males from the dance floor. If push comes to shove, these pretty-boys will fight each other using their long spurs to thrash the competition into submission. These breeding…

10 Apr 2015

By LBL_Admin

New Bison Mount at Golden Pond Visitor Center

Elk & Bison Prairie, Field Guide, Wildlifebison, buffalo, elk and bison prairie, golden pond, Kentucky, land between the lakes, tennessee, visitor center

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes A new bison mount was installed in the Golden Pond Visitor Center. Visitors can get a closer look at one of these big, beautiful animals. "This was a 21 year old bison bull who lived here at Land Between The Lakes. You can see all the wear on his big, well used horns. He was aging and declining in health. After seeing him, we hope to encourage people to see and appreciate the herds for themselves," says Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes. His high placement in the visitor center…

10 Oct 2014

By LBL_Admin

A Day in the Life…Elk & Bison Prairie

#FridayEd, Elk & Bison Prairie, Wildlifebison, Bugle Corps, elk, elk and bison prairie, Friends of Land Between The Lakes, Ray Stainfield, volunteer

Submitted by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes This is one day in the life of the critters who call the Elk & Bison Prairie home at Land Between The Lakes. They are becoming more active now that the weather is cooling off. Our Bugle Corps members volunteer to help watch the herds and make sure all is well. Ray Stainfield, a long time Bugle Corps member, has a knack for getting some great shots. Thanks Ray! For more information about Volunteering at Land Between The Lakes, visit www.friendsoflbl.org or call 270-924-2007. Last Thursday this group of…

01 Aug 2014

By LBL_Admin

The Elk & Bison Prairie Story

#FridayEd, Elk & Bison Prairie, History, Plants, Restoration, Stewardship, Wildlife#FridayEducation, bison, education, elk, elk and bison prairie, friday

As adapted from a 1996 Elk & Bison Prairie brochure Many generations of animals and people inhabited this region long before the forming of Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in 1963. The Elk & Bison Prairie captures the world as it appeared to 18th century hunters. At the time, more than 300 years ago, vast herds of bison and elk blanketed the landscape, creating broad paths in the land as they migrated. Today, we travel many of those same paths—Interstate 24, for example, follows the path of an ancient bison trail. When native peoples used this land as…

23 Jul 2014

By LBL_Admin

Bloody Bison

Elk & Bison Prairie, Wildlifebison, bison herd, elk, elk and bison prairie, herd, horn, injury, prairie

By Curtis Fowler, Elk & Bison Prairie Manager If you visited or will be visiting the Elk & Bison Prairie today or the next few days, you may get a glimpse of a bison that damaged its right horn cap sometime between last night and this morning when we checked the herd. This type of injury is fairly minor. It does produce a lot of blood as you can see by the photo. This is a female yearling. She must have bumped something harder than her horn. This “bump” broke the seal on her horn between her hard outer shell…

01 Jul 2014

By LBL_Admin

Summer in the Elk and Bison Prairie

Customer Service, Elk & Bison Prairie, Plants, Restoration, Stewardship, Wildlifebirds, butterflies, elk and bison prairie, flowers, nature, plants, wildlife

The following is provided by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes: Sure, the brown fuzzy things are the number one interest to most of the visitors who drive through the Elk and Bison Prairie; however, there are a lot more feathered, crawling, and flowering things in there if you are willing to take the time to slow down and enjoy them too! Remember, when it is hot, the ones wearing the coats like to find shade, so look for the other things that like to show off for visitors regardless of the weather. Enjoy your visit! --Curtis

01 Jul 2014

By LBL_Admin

New Elk Calves at Elk & Bison Prairie

Customer Service, Elk & Bison Prairie, Restoration, Wildlifebabies, calves, cows, elk, elk and bison prairie, prairie

The following is provided by Curtis Fowler, Range Technician at Land Between The Lakes: Here are some more photos of elk calves taken last week at the Elk and Bison Prairie. Some of the calves and their mothers have been exploring in small groups, so calves are occasionally seen in the late evenings. We have confirmed at least 7 different calves so far, but expect that others are out there hiding. We suspect a few others are still to come. Enjoy your visit! --Curtis

Tag: elk and bison prairie