Look out! The next bird you see might be shedding light on the secret lives of birds. Great Parks utilizes the skills of bird banding researchers to uncover some of these mysteries. Bird banding requires special permits and at least two years of training from a master bander, but the information attained is invaluable. Bird banding […]

What’s 2-4 inches long, has an impressive set of pincers and could be lurking in a creek near you? It’s a hellgrammite! I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never encountered one of these interesting critters, even if you spend much of your time outside. These secretive aquatic insect larvae (the juvenile stage of the dobsonfly) […]

Jake Richardson, who fishes in the Great Parks’ Bass Series tournament, has a 5-year-old son named Quinten. Quinten is fighting Leukemia. At the last tournament, several of the anglers were spotted wearing “Team Quinten” T-shirts. After learning Quinten’s story, fellow competitor Brian Freeman wanted to do more. So at this past Saturday’s Bass Series tournament at Miami Whitewater […]

Miami Whitewater Forest Lake was the site of the fourth 2016 Bass Series tournament on Saturday, July 9. There were 25 teams that entered the contest, and 20 of them weighed in a combined 104.44 pounds of fish. The lakes has weed beds, matted weeds and lily pads, which are key areas to target post spawn […]

Nature is full of mysteries. Through scientific discovery, some myths can be dispelled regarding a few of our local critters. Which of these “untruths” have you believed? Myth: Nocturnal animals are never active in the daytime There are at least three animals that prove this myth false. Owls will call to announce their territorial boundaries […]

Summer is here, and it’s getting hot! On the golf course, high temperatures and dry soils equal stressed out grass. To the untrained eye, running a sprinkler head is the only way to keep it alive this time of year, but that’s not the case. Fortunately, the golf course industry continues to find smarter ways […]

The impact that the emerald ash borer (EAB) has had on our forests and landscapes is painfully obvious, even to a casual observer. This tiny bug is responsible for many of the dead spots you can now see in our local canopy. Not surprisingly, a significant amount of Great Parks’ resources in recent years has […]

While out on a bird hike recently with a group of homeschool students, we discovered something very cool: a blue-gray gnatcatcher and its nest! Blue-gray gnatcatchers make a very unique nest with lichens from trees and use spider webs to put it all together. The nests have wonderful camouflage and can often be difficult to […]