Shawnee Project

This semester I’ll be starting the Shawnee project, it’s another class like that of the Cairo project except we’ll be focusing on the Shawnee National Forest. The class doesn’t have a solid focus yet as to what it is exactly that we hope to accomplish with the program. I’m kicking around the idea of working on a story about wildlife and conservation. I really want to work on some wildlife photography. Another idea that I could possibly tie into the first is doing a little story on the town of Alto Pass. A wilderness preserve in the Shawnee surrounds the town. Until I figure out what I’ll be working on I’ll just be running around south Illinois shooting
photos. Here’s a few from the week of New year’s.



Pine Trees stand in a hollow along the road leading to Bald Knob where the Peace Cross stands outside Alto Pass.







A leaf frozen in the ice of one of the beautiful ponds at the base of the LaRue Pine Hills.










A mushroom basks in the morning sun outside the LaRue Pine hills research area.











The giant Peace Cross atop Bald Knob is dwarfed only by the sun set over Alto Pass.






A silohuett of the cross is all that is distinguishable as the sun hangs low in the sky.








An empty bottle of Captain Morgan suggested the grounds around the cross are use for more than just sunrise church services.










The Peace cross has stood on top of Bald Knob since the late 1920's and is a prominent landmark in southern Illinois.