Take a look inside at the the work of Kelly Pearson, forest technician for the Shawnee National Forest and listen in her own words why she loves working within the forest.

Velna Dobbs, 77, lives in a small white house in Karbers Ridge with her dog Barney. But Velna is not alone. Her sons live nearby, weekends are filled with grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and her mind is full of a lifetime’s memories.

In an age of iPods, MySpace, and American Idol, consider this woman who grew up in the farmhouse where she was born, who was educated in a one-room schoolhouse, and who raised chickens and hens for a living until she was 28.

By the year 2008 there were 300 volunteers giving 4,000 hours of service to the Shawnee National Forest. Those numbers evolved into the Shawnee Volunteer Corps, membership in which involves teamwork, leadership, stewardship, partnership and education.

The Shawnee National Forest relies more and more on volunteers each year. It also offers an incentive program, that provides free gifts after a certain amount of hours has been completed.

The River-to-River Trail offers opportunities to hike, bike, camp and horseback ride.

The trail stretches 80 miles between the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, from Battery Rock (Elizabethtown) to Grand Tower. The trail was a pet project of former SIU president Delyte Morris and the SIU geography department.

Numerous trailheads encompass two state parks and scenic wonders such as:

• Battery Rock
• Garden of the Gods
• High Knob
• Rim Rock
• Millstone Bluff
• Rock Creek
• Panthers Den
• Devil's Backbone Park

These photos share some of the sights of the River to River Relay in 2008, when more than 1900 people participated.

Alex Mitrevski shares his tale of how he came to own the Ozark General Store, after leaving Chicago for the simpler life in the Shawnee National Forest.

The Ozark General Store is a gas station, grocery store, restaurant and coffee shop all rolled into one bundle. There's nothing like it in Ozark, Johnson County or in the vicinity.