• Species: American robin. • Scientific name: Turdus migratorius. • Nicknames: None. • Claim to fame: The American robin is one of North America’s best-known songbirds. Long acclaimed as a harbinger of spring, this orange-breasted bird has been honored in songs and poetry for generations. The American robin is the state bird of Michigan, Virginia,…
I wrote a column for the River Hills Traveler almost two years ago in which we discussed the fact that many people believe that “bigfoot” is alive and well in Missouri. As most people know, “bigfoot” refers to the mythical biped monster that is allegedly “out there” in various remote parts of this…
Most of us are familiar with wish-making. As children we pulled apart turkey “wishbones” or pinned our hopes upon a falling star. Kids in the Ozarks used to do the same sort of stuff, but might have been even more creative with it. Thanks to the late great folklorist Vance Randolph, those old wish-making ways…
Now is the time to start planning fall and winter hiking adventures. Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) has a variety of great trails for everyone to enjoy. Visitors can explore trails independently or can participate in several hiking and trail-building events planned throughout the fall. The fall hiking season offers special activities nearly every weekend through…
The installation of state-of-the-art technology at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Roaring River Hatchery will ensure that one of Missouri’s oldest trout parks will remain a premier destination for family fishing fun. Cutting-edge innovation merged with trout fishing tradition on Sept. 21 when MDC broke ground on a $1.9 million renovation project at the…
To the Editor, Recently, after returning from being out of town much of December and January, I picked up the December issue of the Traveler again. I found the article on persimmon seeds and how they are thought to predict the weather. Certainly, an interesting article. At the end of the article, there are…
I have often felt with certain and unrelenting conviction, that few things grace an Ozark countryside better than an old bridge. Home to the swallows and the sounds of the summer, they are in their simplest and most contrived elements, etched in the annals of time. It must be the quaintness they so proudly exude…
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will hold a cable restraint trapping certification class 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Neosho National Fish Hatchery meeting room, located at 520 Park St. This free course will cover the basics of safely and legally using cable restraints to capture furbearers. Regulations, proper set location…
