Into the woods

Nestled in central Georgia, approximately twenty five miles north of Macon, Georgia and eighteen miles east of Forsyth, Georgia is the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. This now sprawling and thriving 35,000 acre wildlife refugee, was not always as beautiful or fertile as it is now. In the early 1800's, the forest was cleared by early European settlers. Cotton soon became the king crop in the south, and over farming robbed the soil of it's natural health and richness. Furthermore, the loss of forest trees and the roots that stabilized the soil, caused erosion to take place. In 1939, the area became officially established as a game and wildlife management demonstration area. The area was used to demonstrate that wildlife and game could be restored on completely eroded, worn out, and desolate land. Thankfully, with careful care the area soon thrived again. Today, because of the efforts of the US Fish and Wildlife Services, the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is once again restored to its former glory. It also now serves as a model forest ecosystem for game and wildlife. My husband first stumbled upon this diamond in the rough, when he took up bow hunting several years ago. Knowing just how much I love to spend a good day or days in the woods, he loaded our family up in his jeep and took us to see it. I was instantly surprised and amazed by how fast and sudden the whole landscape can change in the Piedmont NWR. One minute you are cruising down a deserted dirt road surrounded on both sides by thick forest, and the next you have come to a sprawling field full of wheat glowing in the early spring sunlight. You can drive down fifty miles of gravel roads in the Piedmont, and in that time you will find yourself amazed by each and every sight you see. It never gets old and every trip there is a new adventure. I have spent hours sprawled out on warm rocks at low water crossings watching my husband track deer prints in the sand, while my kids catch tadpoles and stay on the lookout for the ever elusive crayfish. I have been startled by deer jumping out in front of us as we drive along, and hawks flying right in front of our windshield, so close you can see the markings on their wings. Here in the Piedmont NWR, you can find over 200 species of birds, 92 confirmed species of butterflies, and a menagerie of animals. If you are lucky, you might come across a whitetail deer bedded down and napping in the closest brush, or you might even catch a glimpse of a wily coyote hunting for prey in the forest. A huge fox squirrel may call to you from an overhead tree, or as the sun starts to set you may see a raccoon or opossum run across your path. When we go into the woods, we leave behind the the constant chatter that so commonly can drag us down and make us forget the beauty of nature. When we go into the woods, we find a rhythm that we usually would not hear or feel. When we go into the woods, we go back to what we came from and what we are still a part of. Because for now, the woods are calling and I must go.