Adventures in Conservation: Convicts with Knives
December 13, 2018
In 2005, Judy Joyce and I were working on an erosion control project on the banks of Clear Creek. We... Read More →
We Just Got Punked
November 26, 2018
With the burn crew looking on, we light our test fire and watch the fire’s behavior. I can sense the... Read More →
Nature is Counting on Us
October 29, 2018
Sounds of cars, trucks, horns, sirens, planes and trains disorient me. I feel my other senses shutting down. Stately oaks... Read More →
Building Backyard Habitat
October 25, 2018
Two decades ago, Toni Stahl and Marc Apfelstadt were contemplating converting their city lot in Dublin, Ohio to habitat... Read More →
A Visit to Big Grove
October 8, 2018
Recently I skipped the Greenway and instead went to Big Grove Preserve for an informative hike, guided by property steward... Read More →
Tree of Life
October 1, 2018
Crack, thud, pop – the out-of-place sounds catch my attention. I stare toward the distant oak savanna, cup my hands... Read More →
A Biodiversity Detective – Unraveling the Clues
December 26, 2017
Here’s a great example of an experience trying to document whether an endangered species or species at risk has been... Read More →
The Peddler’s Pines
November 2, 2017
by Lon Drake The railroad arrived in Iowa City on the last day of 1855, which offered still more impetus... Read More →
A Story of Reconstruction: A Before and After Woods
January 12, 2017
For at least a century before development, the land where my western Johnson County neighborhood now stands – which should... Read More →
The Strange Tale of Sassafras
December 1, 2016
By Lon Drake In 1586 Sir Francis Drake returned to England from Roanoke Colony with a load of sassafras roots,... Read More →
