Crossroads at Big Creek Offers Free Monarch Tagging Program

Monarch tagging participants.

Crossroads at Big Creek will offer a Monarch tagging event on Sept. 6 at 1 pm. Guest Naturalist Karen Newbern will present a free program in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. Then, participants will move into the lower level to receive instruction and nets, and spread into the wildflower meadows to capture, and tag and release the butterflies. The hope is the timing is right to match the peak of the annual monarch migration.

How do you tag a butterfly? It’s just like putting on one of those stick-on nametags, except that butterfly tags are tiny, about half the size of a dime, and they have a special adhesive designed for insects. Newbern will demonstrate how it’s done. Crossroads and the National Audubon Society will provide the nets.

On Labor Day, the Collins Learning Center at Crossroads will be closed, but a free hike will be offered at Ida Bay Preserve. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Canal Road and Buffalo Ridge Trail at 10 am. Participants will visit the hemlock forest and the ledge. The hike is free and open to the public.

The Friends of Crossroads September meeting will begin with a cookout at the Council Ring to meet and welcome Crossroads’ Facilities Manager, Rich Propsom. The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 6 pm. Meat will be provided. Bring a dish to pass. New friends are welcome.

The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, is open 2 – 4:30 pm daily and during scheduled events. Trails at Crossroads, Big Creek Cove and the Ida Bay Preserve are free and open to the public.