Ohio Environment

outdoorswithmartin on October 25th, 2009

History lives at Buck Creek State Park which surrounds C.J. Brown Reservoir in east-central Ohio. George Rogers Clark fought there in 1780, leading 1,000 Kentuckians in a raid against a Shawnee camp, and defeating them at the Battle of Piqua. One Indian who fled the attack was a young Shawnee called Tecumseh. Much later the […]

Continue reading about C.J. Brown Reservoir Prime Boater Destination

outdoorswithmartin on October 12th, 2009

Autumn has arrived almost unnoticed, but it seems that every day the leaves turn a little more and gradually begin to assume their gorgeous autumn hues. A few days ago on a country drive I passed a red maple that was nearly at peak color, and lots more maples that were showing tinges or yellow […]

Continue reading about Why Do Leaves Turn Color? (And Autumn Tips for Tree Planting in Ohio)

Wouldn’t it be nice during this soon-to-come prettiest season of the year to do some near wilderness fishing?  To roam where almost no one else goes, cast for fish who seldom or never see a hook, to wade where deer come to drink and wild  turkeys slip through shoreside brush?  You can do it, and […]

Continue reading about Enjoy (Nearly) Wilderness Bass Fishing by Floating and Wading Ohio's Rivers and Streams

outdoorswithmartin on October 2nd, 2009

Back when I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, there were lots of  poisonous snakes, and since we ran those hills like little savages we had to quickly learn to avoid the fairly common timber rattlesnakes and even more common copperheads.  We learned to take care around rockpiles which both species favored […]

Continue reading about Help Save Ohio's Tiny Population of Poisonous Snakes

outdoorswithmartin on September 3rd, 2009

There are plenty of man-made lakes in Ohio, but very few natural ones, and most of those few are small, gouged out when the last glacier receded about 10,000 years ago.  But there’s one large one, 90 acre Punderson Lake, a clear, sparkling body of water that’s deep and cold and offers some interesting activities […]

Continue reading about Punderson Lake, Ohio: Worth a Visit for Outdoor Sports and Family Fun

outdoorswithmartin on August 27th, 2009

Some years ago, I happened to pass a good sized woodlot whose owner I knew and where I’d hunted more than once.  He’d decided that the timber could be more profitably converted to corn and soybeans, and therefore decided to bulldoze down the four acre lot to plant grain crops.  The man didn’t timber it […]

Continue reading about Woodlots Worth Saving: Profits from Tree Farming and Forest Harvests

Published April 2005 Floods have been a real problem in Ohio this winter, bad enough sometimes to destroy homes, strain dams, and send people scrambling for higher ground.  Those floods are likely not over yet, since March and April with their frequent heavy rains can bring flooding again and again.  We know what floods do to […]

Continue reading about From Rattlesnakes to River Otters: Wildlife Impacts from Flooding in Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 20th, 2009

Most farmers would like to have a farm pond on their acreage, and in north central Ohio, literally thousands do.  Some are wonderful places, filled with good sized fish, perfect for swimming, places that draw waterfowl and wildlife in plenty.  Lots of others are too shallow, too weedy, filled with stunted bluegills, good for little […]

Continue reading about Building The Perfect Farm Pond: Experience from Northern Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 20th, 2009

Published January 2005 We’ve had some bad years recently for major fires.  Severe drought in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah brought wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres, drove many from their homes, killed untold wildlife creatures, and destroyed millions of trees.  Obviously, fire is bad.  Or is it, at least always? Once […]

Continue reading about Ohio Forest Fires: Are Forest Fires Always Bad?