Monday, April 30, 2007
Shelby County's Wet Wilderness
Posted by John Branston on Mon, Apr 30, 2007 at 4:00 AM
"Morning light slants through bald cypress trees as the howls and screeches of wild animals echo through the air. Mist curls from the surface of the swamp. I dip my paddle into the water as my partner and I maneuver our canoe around another cypress knee.
"No, this isn't a movie set, and it's not some exotic distant land. It's Eagle Lake, just eight miles from the Pyramid as the bald eagle flies. Part of Meeman-Shelby State Park, the lake is a window into Memphis' past, showing what the river bottoms looked like before they were drained and converted to farmland."
"This free, guided canoe trip is a family-friendly, non-strenuous way to get out and enjoy some of the last remnants of wilderness left in the Memphis area. ..."
Learn more one of about Shelby County's few remaining wild places in Christina Callicott's Flyer cover story.
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