Category: Nature
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Sturgeon Bay Man Hikes 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat” opens the creed of the United States Postal Service, but it just as easily applies to the most recent adventure of Sturgeon Bay resident Kevin Quinn, who, in August, completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Spanning 2,190 miles and 14 states along the eastern United States, the Appalachian […]
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Florist Jackie Ehlert Shares Wreath-making Process
Bundles of cedar, white pine and blue spruce branches spill out from boxy containers spread out on the floor. Pine cones the size of small kittens overflow from a nearby metal crate. In the corner, an array of foraged items – mini cattails, seeded eucalyptus, lotus pods and ornamental grasses – stand at the ready. […]
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Kids Invited to Hike the Evergreen Forest at Crossroads
Family outings at Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay are special. When youngsters are along, it takes a little extra time to cover a trail, but the kids always survive and usually notice things that adults might miss. Families are invited to take park in a hike of the evergreen forest Dec. 9 at […]
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Hikes, Wreath-making at The Ridges’ Natural Christmas
Spend a few hours this holiday season surrounded by the natural beauty of The Ridges Sanctuary during their Natural Christmas celebration. Stroll down the softly lit Hidden Brook Boardwalk and visit the beautifully decorated Kaye Cabin, while sipping on warm cider, eating delicious cookies and listening to holiday music. This program offers a wreath-making workshop, […]
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Peninsula State Park Offers First Day Hike
Peninsula State Park will sponsor a First Day Hike Jan. 1, 2018, offering visitors the opportunity to rejuvenate by taking a family friendly trek led by Friends of Peninsula State Park. “This is a great way for the whole family to start off the new year with a healthy activity,” said Chris Holicek, president of […]
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Beekeepers of Door County to Hold Dec. 4 Meeting at Crossroads
Last Monday, the Friends of Crossroads decked the halls of the Collins Learning Center. They invite all to visit the Center between 2 – 4:30 pm daily to check out the Snowy Owl in the Wildlife Exhibit, enjoy the new bird feeding station and see the decorations. On Dec. 1 at 2 pm the Friday […]
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Great Lakes Funding Targets Kewaunee Phragmites
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission nearly $600,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding to manage at least 1,000 acres of invasive phragmites, wild parsnip and Japanese knotweed in Kewaunee County. Angela Kowalzek-Adrians, manager of the program for Bay-Lake RPC, said Kewaunee County was the next logical site […]
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The Greater Escarpment Organization of Door County (GEO-DC) now has two homes – one on land and the other in cyberspace. Founded in 2012, GEO-DC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, seeks to “cultivate knowledge and stewardship of the Niagara Escarpment corridor and its geological, ecological, and cultural wonders in people of all ages and from all […]
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Wisconsin Finds 240 More Impaired Waterways
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released a list of 240 waterways that it will add to the state’s impaired waters list. The additions will bring the total number of impaired waterways recognized by the state to approximately 1,500. One of Door County’s waterways, Stony Creek, which starts northeast of Maplewood and runs southeast […]
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Cure Cabin Fever with Crossroads at Big Creek Hike Nov. 25
The trails at Crossroads at Big Creek will be open on Thanksgiving Day and throughout the hunting season, but the Collins Learning Center will be closed on Thanksgiving. The Friday Film on Nov. 24, 2 pm is Wisconsin Hometown Stories-Door County. This is a repeat screening of the Wisconsin Public Television production so locals can […]
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Hike the Reindeer Trail at Peninsula State Park
Strange tracks have appeared at Peninsula State Park. “I heard the jingle of bells and then felt a whoosh,” said Peninsula State Park Naturalist Kathleen Harris. Come see the tracks for yourself by hiking the Reindeer Trail. The Reindeer Trail, a half-mile woodsy walk, will be ready for young trail trampers on Nov. 25, from […]
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Hans Feld: A Deer Hunter for 66 Years, With A Record of Every Hunt
By Door County standards, Hans Feld got a late start as a deer hunter. He was 18 in 1951 when he shot his first buck – an eight-pointer – on his grandfather’s farm near Matchwood, in Ontonagon County, Michigan. But he remembers the day vividly, as well as the 65 hunting seasons since then. “There […]
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Crossroads Hosts Beech Drop Hike, Astronomy Viewing Night Nov. 18
In the dark forest of Crossroads at Big Creek’s Ida Bay Preserve, flowers are blooming near Zenith Street. When these flowers called beech drops bloom, most people overlook them. These wildflowers tend to blend in with fallen leaves and the people who do notice them assume they are pinkish-brown twigs on the forest floor. Beech […]
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Weather Wizard: Perfect Days of Late Autumn
Two cranes, soft and grey, eat together, tiptoeing through the wet, yellow grasses. They eat in silence, gingerly stepping around each other in small circles, heads down, softly grabbing at marshy treats, just the trills of birds and chitter of red squirrels for dinner music. The pond is shallow and settled, clear as can be […]
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Crossroads Joins ‘Messy Garden Movement’
Crossroads at Big Creek is part of the “messy garden movement.” Messiness supports their 2017 educational theme, “Location, Location, Location,” which focuses on wildlife habitats. Crossroads never cleans up the landscaping at Collins Learning Center until true spring. In “The Native Plant Herald,” the blog of Prairie Nursery, Neil Diboll, who will be the guest […]
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Crossroads Hosts Fall Hike, ‘Hometown Stories’ Screening
It’s fall at Crossroads at Big Creek. Leaves are finally changing color and the geese are flying south. Enjoy the fall splendor Oct. 28, 11 am – 12 pm during a nature hike to the dock at The Cove. Join the naturalist for a gentle ramble from the Little Bridge on Utah Street to the […]
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Wisconsin Nature Notes: Top Five Fun Fall Migrations in Wisconsin
by Caleb Klima, Wisconsin Conservation Practitioner Many of us consider home to be just one location, a place where we share precious memories with those we love. For many animals however, one location will not do. Instead, some need two homes, one for the summer and one for the winter. Many species are following their […]
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Getting In Tune at Ephraim Wetlands Preserve
The plan was to go on Charlotte Lukes’ mushroom hike at Three Springs the morning of the last Saturday in September, but I had forgotten about the lengthy Highway 57 detour, and not having planned for the extra time that would take, I arrived at the filled Three Springs parking area at 9:12 am, with […]
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County Parks Director Presents on History, Future of Park System
The Door County Historical Society will host its Saturday afternoon yesteryear program “Door County Parks,” presented by Erik Aleson on Sept. 30 at 2 pm in the Collins Learning Center adjacent to the Heritage Village at 2041 Michigan Street in Sturgeon Bay. What has 992 acres, 12 miles of state trail that was a railroad, […]
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Autumnfest, Comedian Will Durst & More Weekend Plans
Autumn officially arrives on Friday! Celebrate the season of apples, pumpkins and cooler weather with any one of the following festivals and events. Friday, September 22 Washington Island Literary Festival It’s a literary lover’s retreat this weekend on Washington Island, as the peninsula’s top hat welcomes a host of writers, authors and readers to fifth […]