Mushijobah

Not a beercan in sight! My area at OSU is a completely different story unfortunately.

Interesting shots! Love abandon stuff.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Prok, I will have to check out that book. It sounds something that I would be very interested in! I participate in many outdoor activities in the older Columbus area, so I will try to get some shots of some of the buildings, settings, or infrastructure around me next time. Nature vs. Build Structures is an interesting contrast.

Upon finding this site, I was very excited to know that I had found community with people that shared the same passion as I about our dynamic and developing urban areas. As a student of geography at OSU, my classes discuss topics that parallel issues on this site. Whether it be economic, developmental, demographic, or historical, it pretty much covers it all (I feel I should get credit for surfing here, ha!). Anyways, I want to share some of my photos that explore the urban concept from a differnt lense. As I'm sure you all know, our natural world is affected by human intervention. This is most evident in urban areas. The biosphere ALSO adapts (sometimes not quick enough, blue pike/passenger pigeon/etc.) to new situations in which we have created. We see deer, squirrels, assorted birds (waterfowl, songbirds, predators), and much more adapting everyday to the areas in which we call our habbitat. I digress. Here are some photos of wildlife (mostly fish, some mammals at the end) that I have personally witnessed within the beautiful enclosure we call I-270. I have given each picture a general location of where it was taken. Main Street Dam. Largemouth & Smallmouth Basses. While the Largemouth is fairly tolerant of marginal water quality, the smallmouth indicates that the water quality directly below that dam is 'good'. Alum Creek between Easton & Bexley (not as polluted as some may think, refer to following pictures too). Smallmouth Bass, indicates good water quality. Alum Creek near Jewish Community Center. This fish is a saugeye. It is a man-made hybrid between the infamous walleye and the less known sauger. Delicious to eat. Moderately tolerant species. Here is an unfortunate photograph of Alum Creek in southern Columbus. You ask 'where does this trash come from?' Every sewer opening and street drain leads to a river at some point. The group on this site seems to be the type to not carelessly litter...BUT...it's a good thing to remember. For all you cooks and cusine freaks out there....the morel mushroom is a world renowned delacacy. You can buy them at the North Market for sometimes over $50/lb. My brother and I found these not 2 miles from Downtown Columbus in a forgotten older growth woodlot. What a goldmine. OSU's own 5th Ave. Dam creates some unique urban fishing oppertunities. Yet another hybrid saugeye. These hybrid fish were originally stocked in Delaware lake about 30 miles upstream. Their highly migratory nature left them at 5th Ave. The dam prevents their migration upstream. This is part of the reason why the dam is scheduled to be removed. A very nice stringer of delicious saugeye below one of Columbus's water supply intakes. It is a pretty big secret to the locals who fish it, so I won't mention names :wink:. The mighty Scioto River was once considered 'dead' in the late 70's. Environmental standards and improved sewage systems have made it one of the most diverse fisheries in the state. That is a TROPHY smallmouth bass! Think South High Street. A freshwater drum or 'sheephead' from the same stretch of the Scioto. And finally, the magnificent Muskellunge. This is the apex predator in Ohio's aquatic systems. They only breed in backwaters that have been left alone by humans. These areas are rare, but are abundant on the Lower Scioto River. This particular fish was caught in Alum Creek near 3 Creeks Park. It was almost 3 feet (34"). This fish is considered threatened by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Lastly, I have provided a link to a picture gallery containing numerous shots of whitetailed deer. These are not really uncommon in suburban areas, but these deer were photographed within 3 miles of Downtown Columbus. They sure know where and how to hide! http://good-times.webshots.com/album/565579752LqaNsS?vhost=good-times&start=12 I hope you enjoyed my photos. PLEASE feel free to share your own wildlife photos! The nature in our backyards is an overlooked educational, recreational, and even spiritual resource.

Hey everyone. I'm new. And 'Urban Outdoorsman' if you will. Couldn't resist posting a few pics. That is a smallmouth bass, for those who didn't know :-)