Part Of The Pack–My First Encounter with Red Wolves

Part Of The Pack–My First Encounter with Red Wolves

Part Of The Pack--My First Encounter with Red Wolves By Anita Spaulding, Naturalist Apprentice for Woodlands Nature Station I am an apprentice at Land Between The Lakes who recently graduated from Murray State University with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Services. Working at the Woodlands Nature Station is my first full-time position post-college. I came to this job with a very strong interest in animals and a little experience volunteering at several different animal shelters and organizations. Red Wolves fascinate me and I get to work with them--What could be better? Red Wolves are incredible creatures to behold. Agile…
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Your Next Adventure

Your Next Adventure

Where will your next adventure be? When you plan your next vacation at Land Between The Lakes check out Murray State University’s weekly video magazine, Roundabout U, to learn about some of the fun places at Land Between The Lakes. Energy Lake Campground www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJX4fdVOsYk   Elk & Bison Prairie www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9HKZ1ntkUo   Homeplace 1850s Working Farm www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyCsR5GSYwc   Planetarium & Observatory www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzcJhgKFaiw   Turkey Bay Off Highway Vehicle Area www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkAHost5nk0   Woodlands Nature Station www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTmmvEiOoMQ   Wranglers Campground www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKHM8jGRWNQ   Land Between The Lakes 50th Anniversary (15 minute) www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiyYoTi93-Q&feature=share&list=PLh2WN5RXh1NS9nYjfC1s4dX5rwO28TTt4&index=5 Land Between The Lakes 50th Anniversary (3 minute) www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-j5-ZYmseM&feature=share&list=PLh2WN5RXh1NS9nYjfC1s4dX5rwO28TTt4&index=4 With more than…
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Wolf Week Spotlight: The Endangered Red Wolf

Wolf Week Spotlight: The Endangered Red Wolf

Howl! It’s Wolf Week at the Woodlands Nature Station! Every October, we participate in this nationwide educational campaign to celebrate wolves and spread the word about how people can help them. From Saturday, October 3 through Friday, October 9, Nature Station visitors can enjoy all sorts of special programs and activities featuring our favorite canines! Wolves are near and dear to our hearts at the Nature Station.  We have been caring for the Red Wolf, one of the most endangered mammals in the United States, for many years. Since 1991, we have partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service…
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A Raptor’s Tail

A Raptor’s Tail

  “They like my feather patterns the best! That’s why they’re here,” argued Barred Owl. “Ha, everyone knows they’re here to marvel over my eye sight,” cawed Red-tailed Hawk. “They’re the best eyes at the Nature Station, and I dare say, some of the greatest in the entire world.” “No, they’ve come to ‘ooh’ over my majestic hoo-ing and ‘awe’ about my grand wisdom,” said Great Horned Owl. Screech Owl chortled to himself as the crowd of people gathered not far from their perches, anxiously waiting for the Parade of Raptors to begin. “Oh, and I suppose you have a…
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Oh Deer!

Oh Deer!

  Spring means babies all over Land Between The Lakes.  At the Nature Station we're excited that one of our white-tailed deer had TWINS! Come on out and check them out. The size of these two tiny deer, with their coats of ruddy brown and ivory spots, compare to the size of dinner plates. Cautiously, their mother hides them at the bases of trees or along fallen logs, blending in with leaves and duff on the forest floor. This serves as a very important life strategy for deer. Their spotted camouflage and lack of any body scent make them invisible…
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Osprey Family Finds a New Home

Osprey Family Finds a New Home

When Daniel Hagan of Boy Scout Troop #422 constructed and put up a nesting platform for osprey in Land Between The Lakes for his Eagle Scout Project in the spring of 2011, he had high hopes. He hoped that a pair of these magnificent fish-eating hawks would adopt his platform and use it as a safe place to build their nest and raise their young. He hoped that his platform would give visitors to Land Between The Lakes great views of nesting osprey, since he installed it in an easily viewable area near the Woodlands Nature Station. One year went…
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Become a Secret Agent at Land Between The Lakes! 

Love playing games? Do you know someone who's a gamer? Get outside and play with Agents of Nature, an exciting new mobile app for the woods! Youth visiting Woodlands Nature Station now have an exciting new way of learning about the forest. Agents of Nature is a free, mobile game that kids play outside by hiking trails to trigger nature-based challenges. Visitors can download the game at home for an Android or iOS phone or tablet. Select the Land Between The Lakes mission site and play the game at Woodlands Nature Station and surrounding trails. “This is a great way…
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Celebrate National Bat Week!

Celebrate National Bat Week!

By Aviva Yasgur, Woodlands Nature Station Naturalist Help #SavetheBats Bats face many challenges these days -- from habitat loss to a lethal disease called “White-nose Syndrome.” Join us as we become involved in a promising new effort to help them. Join us in the first annual National Bat Week October 26-November 1 People around the country will be celebrating bats, learning about bats, teaching others about the importance of bats, and participating in bat events and programs. And you can be a part of it all. The Organization for Bat Conservation (http://www.batconservation.org/) initiated this big bat bonanza.  If you visited…
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Bats in Trouble

Bats in Trouble

By John Pollpeter We saw our first one in the bobcat pen. It was flying around, a very tempting target for the cat. WHACK! Within a second, the bobcat had removed it from the air and was holding its little, fuzzy prisoner. The Little brown bat struggled for a bit, and then passed on. How strange for that type of bat to be out in January. The next day…two more. The following day…two more. One lay upon the snow shivering. There was nothing we could do, so we set it by a tree, hoping it could climb and fly off…
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Field Guide to Fall Hiking

Field Guide to Fall Hiking

By John Pollpeter, Lead Naturalist, Woodlands Nature Station Honker Lake Trail Autumn brings some of the best hiking opportunities at Land Between the Lakes. The changing colors and mild temperatures chase away the feelings of heat and humidity of late summer. Honker Lake Trail checks off all the major components for a great fall day hike – and more! My favorite, Honker Trail is located near our Woodlands Nature Station. You can easily come visit our back yard with our natural gardens, bat boxes, and rescued native animals before or after your hike. The trail loops around Honker Lake for…
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