Fishing Patience Doesn't Have to Be Passive

 I get it. Fishing might seem boring to some people. The historic image of a man in a straw hat napping on the shore with a bamboo pole seems about as close to doing nothing as one can get. I think there's a time for that.

At the polar opposite are modern big-money fishing tournaments with triple-digit horsepower motors pushing purpose-built boats to the next casting spot. The mission there is “more and faster.” There's a time for that as well. But neither of these methods teaches one of the greatest lessons in the outdoors: patience.

Read the complete column here: Patience is Fishing's Lesson

Challenge for America’s 250th

When this country’s first 13 colonies declared independence from Britain 250 years ago in 1776, it probably didn’t make the local news here in the “Ohio Country” as the colonists would refer to it. Indigenous people, including Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo and Wyandot, were the only inhabitants and they likely had other things to do. But they would be impacted soon enough, as the area and alliances were drawn into the war.

Read the complete column here: Hike into Ohio's Past

Hiking Ohio 250

To celebrate the country's 250th birthday and the history of hiking in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) presents the America Hikes 250 Challenge. It offers two go-at-your-own pace ways to participate by hiking at one of the areas managed by the ODNR and tracking activity through a mobile app. There’s a family-friendly 25-mile version and a “this will take some doing " 250-mile option. Now, roughly halfway to the cutoff date of Dec. 31, 2026, there is still plenty of time to plan for and accomplish the goals.

For more information and to find the app, visit the ODNR website and search for Ohio State Parks OuterSpatial Digital Passport Challenge https://ohiodnr.gov/

Wild areas near you

If you haven’t been to an Ohio State Park recently or ever. You should. There are all types of trails available that cover all types of terrain and difficulty. Here’s a quick list of potential options to start the challenge or just enjoy. I didn’t do all of the math, but it should be possible to complete even the 250 challenge without leaving the area. 

Buck Creek State Park

Multiple trails up to 7.5 miles

Caesar Creek

Multiple trails up to 15.3 miles

Cowan Lake

Recommended Route- 1 Mile Loop

East Fork State Park

Multiple Trails up to 33 miles

Grand Lake St. Mary's

Multiple trails up to  1.7 Miles

Great Council

Recommended Route- Blackfish Path

Hueston Woods

Multiple trails up to 2.2 miles

Indian Lake

Multiple trails up to 3.5 miles

John Bryan

Multiple trails up to 3.5 Miles

Kiser Lake

Multiple Trails up to 3.3 miles

If that gets you motivated to explore more, there is also a challenge to visit all 76 Ohio state parks available in the app or in a printed booklet version. On June 13th, Cyndi Griffith became the first person to complete the digital version of the passport. 

For more information and to find the app, visit the ODNR website and search for Ohio State Parks OuterSpatial Digital Passport Challenge https://ohiodnr.gov/

European Starling - Not Wanted - And on the Worlds Worst List

 

The summer solstice had barely passed, and we were within the first week of July when I saw them. It was July 7th this year, to be exact. The first day I noticed what I take to be a sign of Autumn: multiple family groups of European Starlings, or a “murmur” as a flock of starlings is called. It was way too early for me to think about fall. But here they were in early July, in the hundreds blanketing the neighborhood. As the name, European Starling suggests, they’re not native to the US, but they are certainly here. I wish they would pack up and just go.

New York, New York, if they can make it there … 

There is debate about whether their introduction was inspired by a desire to ensure every bird mentioned in Shakespeare's works was released in the United States. But for sure, eccentric New York pharmacist Eugene Schieffelin, was involved at some level. Part of the American Acclimatization Society, a group of wealthy New Yorkers who sought to trade and introduce European flora and fauna, he released 100 starlings into Central Park in 1890. Unfortunately, releasing new species onto the landscape that were deemed “useful or interesting,” or that just reminded them of the homeland, was a common practice at the time. There wasn’t a full understanding of the impact they might have.

Read the complete column here: You've Probably Seen this Noisy Invasive Bird

Resources

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/European-Starlings-WDM-Technical-Series.pdf

https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-1533.07

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Acclimatization_Society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_of_the_World%27s_Worst_Invasive_Alien_Species

Download Starling BB Gun Target Here