I was a newcomer to the outdoor writing community when hired by The Southern Illinoisan in the late 1980s.
About seven years ago Cindy Allen of Anna started the Southern Illinois Birding Group Facebook page as a place for friends to share their bird…
With air travel down, many Americans are hitting the roads during COVID-19. Assuming local regulations allow for it, exploring the outdoors ca…
It would be the last hike of the season, Jessica Newton had excitedly posted on her social media platforms.
Increasing global temperatures will bring changes to our environment, economy, and society, but one of the most pronounced effects will be the…
I sat there on the couch on New Year’s night, cursing my own stupidity.
Rauchfuss Hill Recreation Area, owned by the Illinois DNR, sits on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River, just north of Golconda. The state locke…
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25 cities with the highest rates of at-risk housing units relative to rising sea levels.
Come winter, many lakes and rivers can start to freeze over, presenting a beautiful, but potentially deadly situation. Here's what you need to…
The world is big. The world is complicated. It is easy to feel overwhelmed.
'It’s comparable to a half a side of beef,' said Winfield resident Sam Schultz.
This is an exciting time of year for dedicated birders. For the last few weeks, they have been putting the finishing touches on their 2020 bir…
Cold, rainy weather in the southern third of the state depressed the harvest in the first half of the 2020 Illinois firearm deer season.
When my wife bought a couple of kayaks on clearance last winter, I envisioned a couple of spring and early summer trips on local lakes.
As the mercury rose late morning last Wednesday on an unseasonably mild December day, so, too, did the traffic on Mark Sather Trail, a popular…
MARION — Phase one of Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge’s face-lift is nearing completion while the second phase is on the drawing board.
Like many entrepreneurs, Brandon Weisenberger remembers the exact day he was inspired to start his business.
In sticking with the tradition of the last 20 years or more, I’d like to focus on the meaning of Christmas.
Real Green People is a monthly feature that puts a spotlight on folks who are being the green change they want to see in the world.Â
Southern Illinois birders are all atwitter, so to speak, because this is an irruptive year.
Nature neither bends, nor adheres, to man’s concept of time.
A grandson of Forrest Fenn has confirmed that a medical school student from Michigan found an over $1 million treasure chest that the retired …
As a child you learn the difference between wants and needs.
Despite the lack of standard metrics, Randy Smith, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ State Waterfowl Biologist, thinks Illinois du…
Between COVID-19 and squirrels, it feels I’m living the Book of Exodus.
GIANT CITY STATE PARK — It’s been nine months since the COVID-19 pandemic came crashing down on America.