Big Bone Lick

Kentucky’s winter catch-and-release trout season is now open on 13 streams throughout the state.  It’s officially called the “Delayed Harvest Program” because you cannot keep any trout caught in the designated streams from October 1 through March 31.

One of the 13 designated streams is the 2.1-mile-long Big Bone Creek inside Big Bone Lick State Park in Boone County.

Winter is not the best time to catch a lot of fish, but since fewer people fish in winter, the competition is less, which means the fishing action is often quite good.

Story at Courier-Journal

The park recreation staff is teaming up with Tristate Shadowchasers to take you on a live Ghost Hunt at Big Bone Lick State Park.  During the Ghost Hunt, you will learn about and use the various instruments employed during paranormal investigations.  Authentic equipment will be on hand for anyone to use.

We will explore several areas of the park during our investigation, including the recently renovated 1888 Big Bone Methodist church, Nature Center, Visitor’s Center, the old office building, and several outdoor locations.

The investigation will start Saturday evening March 20th at 8:00pm.  Everyone will meet at the Nature Center.  To get to the Nature Center, take the second right after entering the park.  The Nature and History Museum is the building right after the Visitor’s Center.

The investigation will last until 3:00 am.  You are able to leave at any time and do not have to stay until the end.  After the Ghost Hunt, Tristate Paranormal will review the evidence collected during the hunt.  If any paranormal evidence was captured, a time will be set up for every one to come view the evidence.

Some helpful items to bring to the Ghost Hunt:

• Warm clothing
• Snack, food, and drink
• Digital camera
• Small flashlight
• Any equipment that you have and want to use

Following is a summary of events at Big Bone Lick State Park for the remainder of 2010.  See the official Big Bone Lick website for event details and updates.

The Northern Kentucky Sierra Club (NKY) is hosting a Winter Hike that covers all of the trails in Big Bone Lick State Park, including two trails blazed by the NKY Group in the past few years.  The hike is Saturday, February 27 from 9am-12pm EST.

This hike includes up to 5 miles of trails that climb and descend many hills.  Wear warm, weather-tolerant clothing, especially waterproof hiking shoes or boots with good treads.  Bring your own liquids and trail snacks, as desired.  A restroom is encountered midway on the hike.

RSVP to hike leader, John F. Robbins @ 859-363-0376 or johnfrobbins@insightbb.com by noon on Thursday, February 25, and include email and phone contact information.  Cost: $1 for Sierra Club members, $2 for non-members.

Rating: Easy to moderate, suitable for beginners.  Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Date: 1/21/2010
Start Time: 7:00 PM
End Time: 8:30 PM

Description:

Come listen to Mark Lawhorn of Big Bone Gardens, a 6-acre garden and sales nursery across from Big Bone Lick State Park, speak on heirloom seeds and gardening at the Boone County Historical Society January meeting.

Library: Main Library    Map to Main Library
Location: Meeting Room A
Contact: Pat Yannarella
Contact Number: 859-342-2665 x8113

BonsaiHiker and his family took a day trip in August “to a nearby state park known for its concentration of large extinct mammals.  It also has a few that aren’t extinct yet.”

See their photo album

The fall foliage report for Big Bone Lick State Park for October 5-9, 2009:

Minor change in leaf color as of yet—still mostly green.  Park staff is expecting the fall colors to emerge over the next couple of weeks.

From Kentucky ColorFall 2009

Big Bone Lick State Park is hosting Halloween Scare-fest on October 21-25, and October 28-November 1. 

Help scare away the evil spirits by bringing all your little ghouls, ghosts, witches and skeletons to the park for our annual Halloween Scare-fest!  Campers will be treated to Halloween games, crafts and special events.  Bring the scariest decorations for the campsite decoration contest where you can win fabulous prizes.  Don’t forget those pumpkins so you can enter our traditional, no pattern, pumpkin carving contest.

Special note: be advised that the Scare-fest has a traditional scary setting and theme, parental discretion is advised.

Open to campground visitors only.  Call 859-384-3522 for more information.

UNION, Kentucky – Big Bone Lick State Park will be hosting the annual Salt Festival during the weekend of October 16-18 at the park in Boone County.

The weekend will feature demonstrations of pioneer and Native American life, salt making, spear throwing, storytelling, music, crafts and more.

Visitors can also see the park’s bison herd and newly-renovated nature center.  Friday, Oct. 16, is set aside for school group field trips from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  School groups should pre-register by calling (859) 384-3522.

The admission for Saturday and Sunday is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children.  The Salt Festival is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Big Bone Lick State Park is recognized as the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology.  The area played a significant role in the development of scientific thought regarding extinction and the relationship of geology and paleontology the world over.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced in January that the park in Boone County had been selected as one of 582 National Natural Landmarks in the country.

The 512-acre park features a bison herd, a campground, a museum and gift shop, and a lake for bank fishing.  The park is located 22 miles southwest of Covington on KY 338, off U.S. 42-127 and Interstate 71/75.

PBS’ Nature Series includes American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation.  Here is a brief introduction:

Buffalo were the lords of the prairie.  To European settlers traveling across America’s Great Plains in the early 1800s, the prairie wind was a constant companion: a gentle whisper echoing across the vast sea of grass that carpeted the center of the North American continent.

Sometimes, however, the rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance, though no storm clouds could be seen.  Then the ground would begin to tremble, and suddenly the astonished newcomers would be surrounded by a thundering herd of hulking animals that stretched further than the eye could see.  The majestic welcoming committee made it clear that the settlers had, at last, arrived in the buffalo nation — a land where tens of million of American Bison held sway.

The NATURE program American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation tells the sad story of how the buffalo nation was destroyed nearly a century ago by greed and uncontrolled hunting — and how a few visionaries are working today to rebuild the once-great bison herds.  It offers a remarkable portrait of America’s last significant wild bison herd, made up of a few thousand animals living within Montana’s Yellowstone National Park.  And it highlights the efforts of Native American leaders dedicated to bringing back the animal that once gave life to their tribes.

Episode Introduction
Order the Video from PBS