Photo description:
Upper left corner has a poplar leaf with writing under “Berea College Forestry Outreach Center at the Pinnacles: Homelands of the Shawnee and Cherokee Peoples”. Header image is a view from an overlook with green trees and a hill. Text reads “January 2024 Friends of the Forest Newsletter”. A column with green tinted bark print in the background reads: “Tuesday through Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm, Sunday 12:00-4:00pm. Trails open dawn to dusk, daily. 2047 Big Hill Rd. Berea, KY 40403. 859-756-3315. In light yellow text: “May your children hear and breathe the words of our Indigenous ancestors. May we all be so lucky to known an Indigenous future.”-Matika Wilbur, Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America. In white text reads: “January Events. All events at the FOC/Pinnacles unless otherwise noted. Free and open to all. Outdoor activities weather-dependent. Nature Hikes at the Pinnacles: Saturdays at 1:00pm. Houseplant Adopt and Swap: January 10th, 5:00-7:00pm. Family Activities. National Squirrel Appreciation Day Games and Crafts: January 21st. 2:00-3:30pm. Playscape Work Day with Winterberry Studio January 27th 2:00-4:00pm. Logos listed, Facebook, Instagram @bereacollegefoc, iNaturalist “Citizen Science Project: Biodiversity of the Berea College Forest”, Seek app by iNaturalist, great I.D. tool for kids and families. https://forestryoutreach.berea.edu. The main article title reads “Over 1,000 Days on the Mountain”. The article reads “Many people regularly hike the Pinnacles, but perhaps none as consistently as one man you may have passed on the trails. For 1,000 days, Tim photo-documented his journey. He enjoys sharing his experience with fellow hikers. In the winter of 2020, Tim faced serious health issues at a weight of 471 lbs. “I changed my diet and decided to give these Pinnacles a try. Mind you, it took this 400 lb. man over an hour and 20 minutes just to get to the Lookout. Fast forward to today, this is my 1,021st time up this mountain and can get it done in under 20 minutes. I love this hill and appreciate what it’s done for my physical and mental health. I recommend anyone wanting to lose weight get started one step at a time. I guarantee if you give this hill a chance you’ll love it the way I do.” – Tim Rister, December 13th, 2023. The new year is a great time to give yourself the gift of spending time outdoors which benefits your mind, body, and spirit.” Photos to the right show a sunset view from the overlook. Below is a before and after photo of a man that lost weight. Second page. The upper left corner has a tree cross section ring with a squirrel and acorns and text that reads: “National Squirrel Appreciation Day Family Crafts and Games: January 21st 2:00-3:30pm. To the right reads “Playscape Work Day w/ Winterberry Studio January 27th 2:00-4:00pm. Bring your creativity and play clothes as we work together to make new additions to the nature playscape in the lower forest! Any tools or gloves would be helpful to bring. Cancelled in the case of rain, watch Facebook for updates. Come check out the human-sized birds nest!” Below the text is a group of people surrounded by a bird nest shape made from sticks and branches. To the right is a sage green blob shape with an image of a hanging plant and a poinsettia with text that reads “Houseplant Adopt and Swap January 10th 5:00-7:00 pm. Did you get new plants over the holidays or are looking to fight the winter woes by adding some life to your home? Join us at the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center on National Houseplant Appreciation Day for a fun plant swap. Bring in your excess or unwanted houseplants and trade them with others, or come to find and adopt a new plant to take home with you. Plants improve the air quality of your home and help boost your mood! Refresh your indoor greenery, meet other plant enthusiasts, and ask any questions about plant care you might have. The page footer has a dark green box with an image of hills overlaid. White text reads ““Wild American Chestnut “Root Sprouting” experiment results: Clint Patterson, Berea College Forester, with visiting environmental artist, Tali, mascot “Henry” and Ken Darnell went into Berea College Forest (9,000 acres) to check results of an experiment to promote root growth on young wild American Chestnut sprouts.” In 2022, UK’s Lee Grace had applied pine bark mulch to the base of several small Chestnut sprouts and covered them with landscape cloth. “After two growing seasons, we hoped for enough new roots to cut the sprouts loose from the mother trees and transplant nearby in a sunlight opening to encourage growth and catkin production. Though the experiment was not a success, the KY Chapter continues to Partner with Berea College Forest to develop flowering wild American Chestnuts.” -From the American Chestnut Society Kentucky Chapter Facebook, 11/29/23. An image to the right shows Clint, Tali, and dog Henry standing by an American chestnut tree.