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Opinion | Hueston Woods helps students explore natural side of Oxford

Thomasina Johnson, Editorial Editorial Emeritus

Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all. When the homework piles up and you've memorized the phone numbers of Oxford's take-out restaurants, you realize you need a break. Sure, a trip to the Bahamas, New York City or London would be just what the doctor ordered, but who can do that over the weekend?

Oxford may be surrounded by cornfields, but don't let that trick you into thinking the area is boring. Enter in Hueston Woods State Park, conveniently located about seven miles from Oxford.

My boyfriend and I recently went to Hueston Woods on a whim — we were looking for something we'd never done before that was also cheap and fun. We had been there before on a fall break camping trip, but had a generally miserable experience that stemmed from being unprepared for the bitter cold.

With the past behind us, we drove to Hueston Woods. Little did I know, but this park is pretty big — it's almost 3,000 acres. It surrounds Acton Lake and has 12 miles of hiking trails and an impressive number of kid's activities, playgrounds and campsites.

Although the fall palette was astonishing and walking through the woods seemed almost primeval and pristine, the best part about Hueston Woods is their raptor rehabilitation program. Part educational zoo, park animal hospital, the program has been going strong for about 30 years and cares for 60 to 80 injured or abandoned birds each year — from bald eagles to owls, according to the Ohio State Parks Magazine.

I had never realized how fragile and majestic birds of prey could be. Usually, if you're lucky to see one in the wild, you see it for a flash of a second, as its talons grab a field mouse and it flaps away, shrieking off in the distance.

Although these birds are in cages, they still seem wild — they hide away in dark corners, relying on their natural camouflaged feathers to keep them safe from humans. However, if you look closer, you can see that several have missing eyes from BB guns or accidents with cars. Some can't fly because their wings were broken, either by run-ins with humans or from natural causes.

Yet they still have their dignity. As they peer at you shyly through damaged, saucer-like eyes or sit on their gently-swaying posts, enjoying the warm sunshine and cool breezes, the birds are content with lives that are only shadows of their previous existences.

Hueston Woods has done a great job seamlessly integrating tidbits of bird information and animal care facts into a very enjoyable, if somewhat solemn, experience.

As you walk around the raptor rehabilitation program, you come to the cages of Cougie the cougar and his big cat friends. A sign outside Cougie's cage explains that several years ago, Cougie was rescued from a home in Dayton, where he was kept as a pet. Cougie was de-clawed and had been brought up by humans, and therefore never return to the wild. We could barely see Cougie, as he was hidden in the shadows of his cage, like his bobcat neighbors. This small zoo left me with feeling awed at the beauty of these animals that are rarely seen so close up.

Next time you're feeling restless, skip the city or the bars and head to Hueston Woods. Although the raptors and the big cats no longer on display because of the cold, there's always something to discover in the park.

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