Put some wildlife on your bucket list

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation has released its “Nine in North Carolina Not to Miss.” The list details the top nine places to enjoy wildlife and wildlife-associated activities in the state. As the Federation suggests, call it a bucket list, a wish list, or a life list.

North Carolina is home to more than 825 species of fish and wildlife, 175 species of butterflies, and over 625 flora species.

The “Nine in North Carolina Not to Miss” list by no way includes all the special places the state offers hunters, anglers, campers, paddlers, hikers, photographers or birders, but it encompasses nine that are certain to capture the beauty and uniqueness that is North Carolina.

Seven of the nine sites are in the state’s rolling Piedmont hills or mountain region:

• Little Tennessee River—known simply as the “Little T,” this river flows 25 miles from Franklin, NC to Fontana Lake.

• Green River Game Land, Polk and Henderson counties—more than 18,000 acres of forests and whitewater rapids offering some of the most challenging deer and turkey hunting in the state.

• Wilson Creek, Caldwell County—headwaters flow from the peaks of Grandfather Mountain.

• Stone Mountain State Park/Thurmond Chatham Game Land Complex, Wilkes and Alleghany counties—more than 21,000 acres of oak-hickory forest, and September specific rewards of migrating birds including hawks, kestrels, peregrine falcons and bald eagles.

• Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge, Mecklenburg County—part of an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area.

• Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County—just breaking 2,000 feet, Hanging Rock offers a trail to the peak for big views.

For more information about any of these areas, visit ncwf.org.